As part of my decluttering goal these past few years, I'm not buying the following (and haven't bought for years):

Pieces of cheap jewelry

Clothes that do not fit, have to be altered or dry cleaned.

Clothes that needed to be ironed all the time.

High-heeled shoes or anything fancy

Candles 

Storage to store stuff that you won't use for years

More storage to shift around clutter

Plastic food storage that won't last 

Spices that will be used only once in an overly elaborate meal

No more elaborate meals.

Single-use kitchen appliance.

Single-use kitchen gadgets

Books you can borrow from the library or read online for free.

CDs, DVDs, and other electronic files storage that break down easily.

What are you not buying this year or haven't bought in years?

​Tell me....

As a tribute to Bob Newhart, who passed away recently, let's have a STOP IT! day.

Worrying about your finances, children, job, or future, STOP IT!

Not quitting smoking, alcohol, or impulse shopping, STOP IT!

Been around with toxic people you can't change a bit, STOP IT!

Lowering one's expectation to not feel a failure, STOP IT!

Addicted to approval of others, STOP IT!

Wanting to be liked, loved or adored, STOP IT!

Social media obsession, STOP IT!

Stop the excuses, justifications, and rationales that lead you to the path of desperation and destruction.

Stop now and change the course. 

I would argue that some things last forever.

I inherited my grandma's electric beater which she got in 1957.

It'svintage.

I broke the lever one time when it crashed to the floor.

It survived the crash but I can still use it.

We have another newer electric beater here.

After a few years, it quit and that was the end of it.

Not the planned obsolescence of phones, electric gadgets, and modern appliances.

Back home (in the Philippines), every thing (including umbrellas, shoes, etc.) can be fixed.

A whole business is built on fixing anything at an affordable price, meaning it's cheaper to fix than to buy a new one.

This has been going on for years, until we got inundated by a wave of Chinese products, which were dumped in the market for a bargain.

Now, the fixing business is almost gone, except for the bigger players that have branches all over the country and can afford to stay afloat with other services being offered.

The poor has always resulted in the do-it-yourself mechanism which has a whole new market for them. The rich is satiated with the latest fashion, trends, and accoutrements. 

Needless to say, we cherish those things that are built to last.

It's a rarity now and so we marvel at the care that it took to build something that lasts.

What are you building right now that would stand the test of time, the wear-and-tear, and the all the hypes and flavors-of-the-month? 

If my grandma's electric beater's longevity is a proof that some things do not fade away but becomes evergreen,  I bet you can do more than that.