26 Things I Won’t Be Purchasing in 2026 (to Save Money & Avoid Clutter)

Inside: Learn 26 things I won’t be purchasing in 2026 to save more money and avoid clutter in my home.

If you’ve ever decluttered your home, you likely know it is easy for clutter to creep back in if you aren’t vigilant.

With the ease of shopping online, it’s become very common to buy extra unnecessary items that can add up to quite a lot of money.

To avoid overspending and prevent clutter from coming into your home, it takes thought, planning, and intentionality.

Read on for 26 things I’ve decided that I won’t be purchasing in 2026. You can use this list for inspiration as you consider what items you want to refrain from buying this year.

Making a plan and putting it on paper will increase your likelihood of carrying it through. Save money and prevent clutter this year by creating your list of things you won’t be purchasing in 2026.

Why I Won’t Be Purchasing These Things This Year

One of the things I didn’t know before I started decluttering was what a clarifying process it would be.

As I sorted through my stuff, I had to face past purchasing regrets, which helped to inform what I brought into my home going forward.

I became more intentional with shopping and am now better able to determine what items I should and shouldn’t be buying.

For the list below, some of the items are ones I am not buying this year simply because I already have enough of them. Others are items I bought at one point, but realized that I didn’t need or use them.

I’ve also learned what things work for me, so I don’t feel the need to continue spending time and money trying alternative options.

If you want to simplify and save more money, consider which items you’d like to include on your list of things you won’t be purchasing this year.

26 Things I Won’t Be Purchasing This Year

Your list likely won’t look just like mine, and that’s ok. Each person gets to determine what does and doesn’t work for them.

Here is my list of 26 things I won’t be purchasing this year.

1. Notebooks, journals, & pens

I love a good notebook, journal, and pens. There are many benefits to journaling, and it’s a great habit to have.

The challenge is that I already have more than enough of them and definitely don’t need more. They’re all going on my no-buy list for this year until I’ve used up what I already have.

2. A planner

After buying a pretty new planner a few years ago, I realised that a typical paper planner isn’t a fit for everyone. I found that I was diligent with it for about a month or so, but then I would forget to use it.

Doing a combination of checklists and Google Calendar is what works best for me, so there’s no need for me to buy a yearly planner, no matter how pretty they may be.

3. Sale items

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do love getting a good deal, but I also realized that sale prices often meant I was talking myself into things I didn’t really need or love.

It’s one of the things I stopped buying after simplifying, as I saw how this habit created clutter in my home.

I still try to get good deals on the things that are necessary, but I don’t get swayed into buying things that I don’t need just because they’re on sale.

4. Grocery bags

The state I live in charges you for every bag that you use from the grocery store. While I was already using reusable grocery bags before this was implemented, it has helped ensure that I never buy the bags from the store.

I also do not need to purchase any more reusable bags either as I have enough of them to suit our needs. Therefore, it’s on my list of things I won’t be purchasing this year.

5. Grocery delivery

For some people, grocery delivery is great. In my case, it’s not. I like picking my own produce and getting the deals on items we eat when I shop in the store.

While I did try grocery pick-up for a while in 2020, I haven’t gone back to it because it takes more planning, and all too often I’d end up with odd substitutes or items missing. It’s not something I will be paying for or even doing for free this year.

6. Excess food

Shopping the sales in stores is great when it doesn’t mean that you’re overbuying on groceries. I know what our family likes and doesn’t like, so I won’t be spending money trying a variety of new things that I’m not sure about.

When you declutter and organize your pantry, you get a better sense of what items get tossed and what you need to restock. Knowing what works for your family means less food waste and less money down the drain.

7. Food delivery

We have attempted food delivery a few times and have never had a great experience with it. They charge premium prices, and our food was often cold, or our order wasn’t right.

If we want to get food from a local restaurant, we order from them directly and pick it up ourselves. That way, we can make sure the order is correct, and we can save money while still enjoying a night off from cooking.

I will say we are eating out less these days, though, due to the cost and feeling like many options aren’t very healthy.

8. Glass jars & other storage containers

This is another type of item that we already have enough of and don’t need more.

We prefer using glass storage containers, but we have the sizes we need, and therefore, it’s on the list of things we’re not purchasing this year.

9. Kitchen gadgets

There are many home gadgets on the market that you don’t really need. Any single-purpose gadgets or trendy appliances that don’t fit our lifestyle are ones I avoid purchasing.

We have what works for us and therefore won’t be buying more this year.

10. Single-use coffee pods or coffee on the go

We won’t be buying single-use coffee makers or pods that go with them. We opt to use an old traditional coffee maker instead.

We rarely get coffee in coffee shops these days, either due to the cost. It’s more of a special treat for us than something we regularly do. And we plan to keep it that way.

11. Bottled water

We’ve never regularly purchased bottled water, and it’s something we plan on continuing to avoid.

Reusable bottles work better for us. They keep our water cold, it tastes better, and they are less wasteful.

12. Reusable water bottles or travel mugs

And speaking of reusable water bottles, we won’t be buying any more of them this year or travel mugs either. These are high on the list of things that most people don’t need more of.

The various water bottle collection trends are lost on me. I don’t understand the popularity or appeal of owning that many cups, so this will be an easy one for me to avoid buying this year.

13. High-maintenance fabrics

After ruthlessly decluttering my clothes, I realized that I don’t like pieces that are high maintenance.

I won’t take clothes to the dry cleaners, nor do I enjoy ironing, so I plan to continue avoiding buying fabrics that require special care.

14. Jewelry

This is another one on the list of I already have enough and don’t need more. I understand the temptation to buy a cute new pair of earrings or a necklace that will look great with a certain outfit, but to avoid clutter and save money, I’m not purchasing any more jewelry this year.

15. Shoes

After going through and decluttering my shoes, I noticed that I very rarely wore dressy shoes and gravitated towards the ones that were the most comfortable.

I reduced the number of pairs I own, but I don’t have a need to buy more, no matter how cute they might be. I’ll be avoiding purchasing these this year.

16. Salon services

This one is one I won’t be buying much of this year. I will likely get two haircuts, but that is all.

I won’t be dyeing my hair, getting my nails, eyelashes, or eyebrows done. And I don’t plan on getting any facials either.

For some people, this may feel like an essential part of self-care, but it doesn’t for me, so I’m planning to skip it and save some money.

17. Trending beauty products

It’s hard not to get tempted to try new products when you see influencers raving about the benefits of some new miracle product.

I’ve decluttered my makeup and gotten it down to a minimal amount of products I know I like. I don’t feel the need to continually spend on the newest trend, which saves me a lot of money and helps to avoid clutter.

18. Apps & monthly memberships

Apps and memberships are two of many money drains that can ruin your finances. All of the small costs add up over time.

So this year I won’t be buying any apps or signing up for any monthly memberships (or other forms of recurring charges).

19. Cable & streaming services

Cable is another money drain that can cost hundreds of dollars per month. We quit cable several years ago and don’t plan to ever get it again.

We’ve opted to only have one streaming service that we pay for monthly. While there are a plethora of options available, minimizing your services will save you money and time.

20. Cleaning products & gadgets

We use cleaning tools that save us time and have likely more products than we really need. So the plan is to use them up before buying any more.

As far as laundry products go, we only use detergent and don’t plan to buy softeners, scent beads, or any other unnecessary products.

21. Hand soap & candles

I love both hand soap and candles. They’re one of the reasons I don’t think I’ll ever consider myself a minimalist.

But I do know I have enough and should use up what we have before buying any more. So they’re on my no-buy list for this year.

22. Board games

Our family loves playing board games, but we have our favorite family board games, and we don’t need to further add to our collection.

I purchased a few card games for my kids at the holidays, but the game armoire we store them in is full, which means no buying additional games this year.

23. Furniture

We had the same hand-me-down furniture for many years. We saved our money and replaced a few pieces with higher-quality items a couple of years ago.

Furniture can be a great item to buy second-hand, but at this point, we don’t need anything else. We’re happy with the pieces we have and don’t plan to buy more this year.

24. Fitness gimmicks

These are another one of the things people buy and rarely use. The new year is when we are most often marketed to with these products and gimmicks.

I’m not a big fan of fitness trackers or extra unnecessary equipment. I enjoy walking, and that doesn’t require me to purchase anything.

25. Bulk items

There are some types of items we don’t mind buying in bulk, like paper goods. They don’t go bad, and we have space in our garage to store them and know that we will use them over time.

However, I have also realized that buying large quantities of food items can end with items spoiling before we can finish them.

If your kids are anything like mine, they decide they love certain foods until I buy a lot of it, and suddenly they don’t like it anymore. This year, I plan to stick to buying items in smaller quantities.

26. A home

This is by far the most expensive item on the list. While we would like to buy a home eventually and have been waiting years while the market has skyrocketed, we will continue to rent and don’t plan on purchasing a home this year.

In the area we live in, it currently costs about twice as much to buy a similar home as what we are paying in rent. The math isn’t mathing, and it doesn’t make sense for us to pay double for the privilege of also having to pay for insurance, repairs, etc.

So we will continue waiting and focus on the things we love about the home we’re living in now.

What’s on your list of things you won’t be purchasing this year? Let us know in the comments section.

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