Here is a snapshot of the things we do not buy:

Only by curiosity are we writing and sharing this blog. We in no way think less or more of anyone if they do or do not buy anything. We are all different, with stories and reasons for lifestyles and behaviours. Our friend asked us to write out this list and we thought it was a fun exercise to think about “what don’t we buy?”

1. Plastic wrap, sandwich bags, or plastic bags

Even without buying these items, they can still make their way into our home. What in sweet jesus do we do when we have left overs? Or are making sandwiches for a picnic? Good question: we do it the Spanish bocadillo way 😊 wrapped with tinfoil.

2. Salad Dressing

We love making our own. The standard is olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and honey. We do make our own ranch, Caesar, and Greek dressings. Recipes are here.

3. Gasoline

It’s true, we stopped indirectly buying gas. We became community carshare members and no longer have to pay directly for this resource. Yes, we still use a petrol car, but far less. And it really is great to pay as a collective for things like car insurance, car maintenance, and gasoline. It’s incredible how much happier we are and less stressed we are about owning a vehicle.

4. Coffee Pods or filters

We use an stove top espresso maker and a reusable espresso cap for the machine.

5. Premade Cleaning Products

We use water, vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, dish soap, laundry detergent. Samantha started cleaning from a very early age, she always felt like Cinderella. Regardless, she witnessed how pre-made cleaners were harmful to her skin, left streaks, had pungent odors, and in general didn’t work well. Nothing was a safer or cleaner option that vinegar and water. Check out her blog about cleaning the fridge.

6. Popsicles

We have a reusable popsicle mold that works great for extra smoothies, or intentional fudgeicle creation.

7. Microwave Popcorn

I make it on the stove top in a soup pot.

8. Kombucha, Smoothies, or Juice

With the exception of ordering this at a restaurant or café we make all our own juices, smoothies, lassis, and kombucha. This has been a magical discovery for our alcohol free family. It makes for an easy choice of what to imbibe when having a gathering or day out in the sun.

9. Movies or Cable

Except for a subscription to CBC Gem, Gaia, and Spotify we do not rent movies or pay for television. In fact we have our tv covered all the time with a removable painting. If we are temporarily staying in a space we cover televisions with a scarf, towel, or blanket.

10. Napkins or wet wipes

We use cloth napkins, towels, and cleaning rags instead of one-time use only products like paper towel, paper napkins or disposable cloths. We did use wet wipes outside the house while our daughter was in cloth diapers.

11. Alcohol

Since 2011, Samantha has been sober from alcohol. Emilio never felt compelled to consume alcohol even with it’s prevalence in Spanish culture. There is a great novel written by Harold Johnson called Fire Water: how alcohol is killing my people and yours. The arguments offered in this book are beyond compelling as to why we would be better served to move away from this destructive past time and invest into more soul filling pursuits.

12. Presents

Easy! This is a sensitive topic for sure. But yes, you won’t see us buying you or anyone else gifts for birthdays, Christmas, weddings, etcetera. Don’t write us off completely though. We just don’t believe that giving of gifts or money should be obligatory for anyone. We also don’t expect to receive gifts. We do still like to offer gifts of time, food, experiences, and help whenever we are able.

13. Granola

We make our own made up of our favorite oats, nuts, and dried fruits

14. Flowers

We try to buy plants and seeds in leu of any cut flowers. It’s not that we don’t think they’re incredibly beautiful, but we just feel strongly about sharing living things.

15. CDs, Vinyl Records, or Tapes

Samantha tried to revive her collection of CDs and vinyl, but the truth was she didn’t want to make the time to listen in that manner. It was her last effort to try and keep the collections that she had spent literally thousands of dollars on since her first job. However, practically it has become much easier to stream music. If the power goes out or the internet fails, she always goes back to the guitar, piano or drum.

16. Underpants (Samantha only)

Who needs them?

17. Tampons or Menstrual Pads

Converted years ago to the Diva cup there has been no turning back to ease and comfort of using this device. Yes, there can always be an accident, but that was the same with tampons or pads. I appreciate this invention so much and am grateful that I no longer am forced to wear other products.

18. Decorations

If you see decorations around our home it’s because they were hand-me-downs, inherited, free, or created by our daughter. We re-use the same Happy Birthday pendent, put out a small bag of Christmas items, but in general do not decorate. And for those of you who know us intimately know that we do still like to celebrate the times, but not the materials associated to the celebration.

19. Soup 

This is one item that we love making and when we do, we make extra for the freezer. It’s interesting that it’s a product that used to be a staple in the cupboard, but has since been eliminated from purchases.

20. Nail Polish + Makeup, Face, Hair, or Hair Removal Products 

A long, long time ago Samantha used to paint her nails to match her outfits. She had the best colours from MAC makeup and had a whole make up routine before leaving the house. Now, after years of sobriety, I have never felt more confident and beautiful then this stage in my life. I no longer feel like I need to invest time into routines that did not make me feel more beautiful and consumed my precious time. And the truth was that this started because while I was traveling I could no longer afford to dye my hair, wax my pussy, shave my legs, paint my face, and distort my image. From that experience I came to find myself. One that was truly proud of who she was, how her body looked ‘naturally’ and when I found that women – I also found my partner in crime. When I became a true reflection of myself, I found my true reflection in another. I’m grateful always for Emilio loving me for who I am, body hair and all. Just as I love him, body hair and all.

21. Fresh Herbs 

The flavours of fresh herbs and aromatics are incredible additions to any diet. We plant a garden that supports that love. Full disclosure we do indirectly purchase fresh herbs in our Little Fields Farm CSA purchase. All year long Samantha grows in the basement herbs and lettuces. During the outdoor growing season you will always find cilantro, rosemary, thyme, chives, garlic, lavender, basil, parsley, lemongrass, dill, mint, marijuana and more growing in their medicine garden. When the plant is near the end of harvest we dry herbs using the dehumidifier. And we also the plants to always “go to seed” to collect and plant for the next year and share with others.

22. Water in Bottles

We do our best to always bring water along with us. One reusable bottle for each person. We clean our bottles with wire brushes and straw cleaners.

23. Marijuana, vapes, or cigarettes

Although, Samantha uses marijuana, she does not buy it from shops or others. She grows it in her medicine garden, dries its, and keeps it in her freezer. It’s easy not to by cigarettes or vape products as neither Emilio or Samantha smokes.

24. Tissue or Kleenex

We use beautiful handkerchiefs, each with their own stories. They are easily disinfected in the wash (I wash these in a load with cleaning cloths at a hot temperature). Samantha has handkerchiefs from her Farfar, a friend’s grandmother, and a local print screen artist in KW. Emilio found a great collection while he was home in Barcelona, Spain.

25. Conditioner, body gel or liquid hand soap

When you detox your hair from using conditioner, you may find it’s a product that is no longer necessary. Personal choice of course, but none of us use these products and instead have a homemade bar soap for our hands and body. We are so grateful to our amazing friends and family who know how to make this in their homes.

Okay, so hopefully you found this information interesting, informative, or helpful. Our intention is not to make anyone feel shame, judgement, or pressure. Just the opposite. We hope to inspire, empower, and bring awareness to our situations.

Emilio and I are always open to learning and growing along with you all, so please feel free to comment and share below with what you no longer purchase that may be interesting for us to learn.