“Have nothing in your house...”

...that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful'. Said William Morris and I couldn't agree more.

I am a frugal person both by nature and by upbringing (frugal, mind you, not cheap), and there are some things that we don't purchase or use. There's a non-exhaustive list, which I jot down so that I can look in wonder in 10 years time and shake my head at the weird customs of our younger selves: 
1. Candles. Scented or otherwise. Fire is a hazard with small children and pets in the house, and I don't get the hype around them anyway. I store a few that we were given as gifts over the years for any power outages, but to be honest, they won't make it through our next move as a cheap LED torchlight is much more efficient. Plus, I don't actually own any matches or have any other way of lighting a candle. Come to think of it, I should just get rid of our old ones asap.
2. Air fresheners, scented candles (see above), any sorts of home 'fragrances'. Why add to the chemical load of the air around us? Open windows, lovely fresh air, voila. A clean house doesn't need artificial smells. 
3. Sodas and other sugary drinks. We drink water. My husband drinks sparkling, I drink still (with a sachet of cold-infuse herbs or a slice of lemon and some mint), our son drinks water. We drink mostly bottled water because of habit - we lived in countries where the tap water wasn't safe to drink, and we got used to the neutral taste of bottled water (me) and the bubbles (my husband). Since we moved to Scotland, I would drink the tap water but only with some added flavour (not sugar or sweeteners, just something to cover the bleachy-swampy taste of the water). 

4. Cigarettes or tobacco products. No explanation required I don't think, neither of us smokes or ever did. 

5. Makeup. I no longer have a job where I am in constant contact with the media and required to be ready to be on screen on in print on the drop of a hat. There is no need for me to 'enhance' my face so that people can actually see it (I honestly believe that the only purpose of make-up is to make one visible in a published picture, on video or on a stage where the audience is far away so makeup is useful to accentuate features; outside of those circumstances I only appreciate it on clowns). 

6. Fabric Softener. I accidentally discovered (when I had to do a few loads of washing and I had run out of softener) that the dryer does a magnificent job of providing us with soft clothes and towels, no additional chemicals needed. Ever since my pregnancy, I have had a very low tolerance for artificial smells so I don't miss the added 'fragrance' at all. 

7. Decorations. We don't buy cushions, pictures, candlesticks, keepsakes of any kind, vases, pots etc-whatever it is that people buy to 'decorate' their living space. We don't collect 'souvenirs' when we travel. Our home is cramped enough with toys and sports gear (the ONLY downside of living with an 8 years old boy - old enough to play sports, not old enough to not need toys!). I don't feel like spending any money to add to the chaos. Having said that, we do have a couple of cushions (they came with the sofas) and pictures and minimal stuff that other people have gifted us. It only stays if we really, really like it. I have no sentimental attachment to things. I was going to say I have never bought a piece of 'decoration' but I would have lied. There was one notable exception: the Hamish MacDonald limited edition, signed print that I rescued from a stash of frames 'to be upcycled' in my local BHF charity shop. I spent 2 whole British Pounds for it and I love it dearly. I bought it because I believed it is beautiful. Wanna see?

Things we rarely/occasionally buy or spend money on:
1. Alcohol. I have a health issue that means I can't drink at all, but my husband occasionally likes a beer in the summer (I should think we bought about 4 bottles of beer over the last year) or a steaming mug of Mulled Wine in the winter. We also get gifted wine and occasionally whisky or other alcohols, they normally collect dust and get shifted right before our next move, in a massive 'going-away' party. 
2. Candy, chocolate, biscuits, cookies, snacks of most sorts. We almost never buy crisps. My husband and I don't snack (although I've been known to occasionally raid the baking cupboard for almonds or raisins when I don't get to have a proper breakfast) and my son is happy with fruit (fresh, dried or canned), home made smoothies or milk-shakes, home-made bread sticks and crackers. He occasionally will ask to make some shortbread or scones, and we make gingerbread biscuits at Christmas, but he is the only one in the family eating them (or we gift them.).
3. Ready-made meals. I can cook and 90% of our meals are home made from scratch. I bake bread on the rare occasion we eat it, and I occasionally buy some bagels when the son is on a 'smoked salmon for breakfast' kick. I do keep a jar of low-sodium pasta sauce in the cupboard for when we need a quick meal, and during the never ending pandemic misery I've turned a blind eye to the husband getting himself some take-away (he is suffering from restaurant meal withdrawal syndrome; me, not so much. I mostly suffer from the 'having to yet again decide what to cook for dinner' syndrome but that doesn't mean I'm willing to eat the typical Edinburgh takeaway fare).

4. 'Cosmetics'. I am as low maintenance as they come. I use hand soap, shower gel, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste. I keep a tube of a specific hand cream (Neutrogena Norwegian Formula unscented) because I sometimes react to dishwashing detergent and get raw dry hands. But that's it. No lotions, potions, serums, creams, masks etc. I clip my nails short and have my hair cut once or twice a year (or every two years if a pandemic gets in the way). I DO shave my legs and armpits (with a disposable razor, in the shower), by the way. I'm not a savage!
5. The latest 'toys' (by that I mean technology). I have an old desktop which I baby along; I gave up my non-smart Nokia phone a year ago because the son was upset I can't be on his class Whatsapp group and I'm sporting an allegedly 'smart' Samsung that was £30 and same son bought me as a birthday present with his own pocket money. I have an iPad mini that my husband discarded 3 years ago because he thought it was too small - I don't mind as I only use it as a glorified Kindle and to read emails when on holiday so small suits me just fine. The husband's (larger) iPad is therefore 3 years old and there is no intention to replace it. The husband himself sports a non-determinate smart phone given to him by his work. We do have a third phone (definitely non-smart) which we keep for our non-UK sim card (when you move countries as often as we do, some things do make sense). We have a TV (smart but 'normal') and obviously, Internet but no cable or Sky or any of the subscription packages.

5. Gym subscriptions. My husband cycles for exercise, I walk and do (free on youtube) Pilates, we both swim when on holiday. The boy plays cricket and football and cycles and walks with us. 

The things we DO spend money on: 

1. Sports and music classes for the boy (one of each)

2. Good quality, well fitting shoes for the boy.

3. Good quality, fresh food

4. Books (of the Kindle persuasion for me, the boy still prefers the good old solid paper kind).

5. The occasional trip

6. Good quality (sometimes antique) furniture for the house (this is, however, the first house we have owned and had to furnish from scratch). I was very careful though and for every piece we have bought, I searched and researched and was patient and often bought from second hand shops like charity shops, or directly from people on sites such as Gumtree. We spent a goodly chunk for excellent quality mattresses. Sleep and posture are incredibly important for all of us for various reasons so that's one area where I could not scrimp.