8 Things I Stopped Buying to Keep Home Simpler
Less disposable, less duplicate, less friction. Just a few small changes that have made home easier to manage.
Over time, I started noticing that a lot of the things I used to buy weren’t really making life simpler. A lot of them were disposable, duplicated, or just one more thing to store, replace or work around. None of them felt dramatic on their own, but together they added a quiet kind of friction to daily life.
This hasn’t been about going without, or trying to own as little as possible. It’s been about noticing what keeps creating extra work, extra clutter, or that constant feeling of needing to buy the same things again, and then slowly replacing it with simpler systems that actually work. In manufacturing, anything you keep re-buying, storing or working around without it adding anything is waste. Home is no different.
What did I stop buying, and what replaced it?
Eight things, most of them small. Disposable cloths, extra coffee gear, washing detergent, toilet cleaner, a mop and bucket, extra drinkware, single-serve snacks and single-purpose appliances. Each one was swapped for something reusable, homemade or able to do more than one job. Here’s the whole list at a glance.
| What I stopped buying | What I use instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Disposable cleaning cloths | Washable, colour-coded microfibre cloths | One less repeat purchase |
| Extra coffee gear | An AeroPress | Compact, easy to clean, and enough |
| Washing detergent | My own, made at home | Cheaper, and one less product to rebuy |
| Toilet cleaner | My own, made at home | Quick to make, and cheaper than the supermarket |
| A mop and bucket | One tool that sweeps and mops | Easier to use, so I clean the floors far more often |
| Extra drinkware | Yeti drinkware and one thermo cup for hot and cold | Fewer things, better chosen |
| Single-serve snack packs | Bigger packets portioned into a bento box | Less packaging, less cost |
| Single-purpose appliances | An Instant Pot instead of a rice cooker | Fewer things that do more |
1. Disposable cleaning cloths
One of the first things I stopped buying was Chux cloths. For a long time they felt like one of those normal household things you keep replacing without thinking about it. But I got a bit over using something for a short time, throwing it out, and then buying more.
Now I use washable microfibre cloths instead. They do the same job for me, but I can wash them and keep using them. And not just in the kitchen: I use them in the laundry, the toilet, the bathroom, and even when washing the car. I colour-code them too. Blue in the kitchen for dishes, orange for the toilet, yellow for the car.
It’s a small change, but it takes one more repeat purchase out of the background, and that’s made a bigger difference than I expected.
2. Extra coffee gear
Coffee was another area where I was making things more complicated than they needed to be. I kept trying different setups. French presses, glass gear, machines, all that sort of thing. Part of it was probably chasing the idea that the next setup might be the better one.
But I didn’t actually want a whole collection of coffee gear. I just wanted a simple way to make coffee that worked. So I settled on an AeroPress. It’s compact, easy to use, easy to clean, and for me it’s been enough. That’s probably a theme through a lot of this. Not chasing perfection. Just finding the thing that works well enough, and stopping there.
3. Washing detergent
I make my own washing detergent now. Partly because it’s one less product to keep replacing, and partly because it’s gotten pretty expensive to buy. But it’s not just about saving money, even though that helps. I like removing those automatic purchases that become part of the routine without ever being questioned.
There’s also a certain satisfaction in making something yourself, and you can make it your own. I love the smell of mint, so my clothes end up smelling like mint. The recipe is on my Recipe Cards page, and it’s part of my simple laundry routine.
4. Toilet cleaner
Toilet cleaner ended up in the same category. It was one of those things I used to buy because that felt like the normal way to do it. Once I started simplifying a few household basics, it made sense to stop buying that too. So now it’s another one I make myself.
It doesn’t take much time either. If I worked out how long it takes and treated that as an hourly rate, I’m pretty sure it would still come in well under the supermarket price. For me, this is less about being impressive or ultra self-sufficient, and more about removing a few extra products from the cupboard while keeping things working fine.
5. Mop and bucket setups
I also stopped buying into the whole mop and bucket setup. I used to have the traditional floor-cleaning setup, but it was bulky, awkward to store, and a bit annoying to get out and use. And if something is annoying to use, I’m much less likely to keep on top of it.
Now I use one tool that sweeps and mops. It takes up less room, it feels easier, and that means I actually use it. With the mop and bucket, I was lucky if I swept once a week and mopped once every month or two. Now I sweep daily and mop a couple of times a week.
That change had less to do with motivation and more to do with the setup being easier to use. Sometimes the best setup is just the one you’ll actually keep using.
6. Extra drinkware
I didn’t need as much drinkware as I had. I used to buy water bottles, cheap mugs and different cups for different situations. Half the time I didn’t even need to buy a water bottle, because sales and market people were handing them out everywhere. None of it was terrible on its own, but together it became a quiet pile-up of stuff.
These days I’d rather have a few good pieces I use all the time. I use the same Yeti drinkware, and I’ve got a thermo cup that works for both hot and cold drinks, which cuts down on needing separate things for separate uses. Fewer things, but better chosen. And if one thing can do more than one job, even better.
7. Single-serve travel snacks
This one is smaller, but I’ve stopped doing it more and more. I used to buy little individual snack packs for trips or days out, mostly because they were easy. But they cost more, create more packaging, and usually just mean buying convenience versions of food I could have packed myself.
Now I buy bigger packets and portion things into a bento box instead. It’s a simple shift, but it fits the same pattern. Less waste, less packaging, and less of the habit of buying small convenience items just because they’re there.
8. Single-purpose kitchen appliances
I’ve moved away from single-purpose kitchen appliances. A good example is swapping out the rice cooker and using an Instant Pot instead. It can do more than one job, so it earns its place a lot more easily than something that only does one thing. It also means less appliance clutter.
I’m not against kitchen tools at all. But it’s interesting how we’ll buy a forty-dollar appliance we use once a year, when we probably could have just used the knife already in the drawer. And I won’t even get started on cleaning those things. Now I’d rather have fewer things that do more. It’s part of how I set up my kitchen, too.
What’s the common thread?
Stop buying things that are disposable, duplicated or overly specific, and lean towards things that are reusable, flexible and simple to live with. That doesn’t mean I’ve got it all sorted, and I’m sure there are still areas I’ll keep changing. But these are some of the things I’ve stopped buying that have made home feel calmer and easier to manage.
Less stuff wasn’t really the goal. Less friction was. If you want to take the same thinking room by room, my 5S decluttering post is a good place to start.
What do you keep rebuying that isn’t making life easier?
Grounded Roamer is written by a lean manufacturing practitioner with 20+ years experience creating systems that make everyday life run with less friction. Based in Mildura, Victoria, Australia — documenting a quieter, more self-sufficient way of living, one small adjustment at a time.
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