Things I Only Own One Of

Living a more minimal lifestyle has taught me to live a more intentional life. Over the past few years, I’ve been learning to live with less while identifying the excess stuff that’s just taking up space or energy in my life.

Through practising minimalism, I’ve shifted my relationship with items. Before, I may have owned multiples of one item because I had the space for it or I could afford it, all reasons that shouldn’t justify having it. The less things I own, the less time from my life that I need to manage it (ie. organizing, cleaning, maintaining, etc.). This frees up my time to do things that brings me joy, like writing this blog or spending time with my family.

I just want to add, there’s nothing wrong with owning multiples of any item. Just make sure to get it’s full use. If you have 5 pairs of jeans but you wear them all and love them, awesome! However, if you have 5 pairs of jeans and only ever wear one of them, ask yourself, do you need all five or can you go without and donate/sell the others so someone else could make better use of them? It’s important to be conscious of why you need multiples of an item so that it’s intentional.

The following are 9 items I only own ONE of.

EYEGLASSES

I only have one pair of prescription eyeglasses. I wear eyeglasses when I’m watching TV or if I’m driving. It’s for distance. Otherwise, I can get by without it. The pair I have is by Coach in a neutral dark brown frame that works with everything. I love them! The frame is light, doesn’t have those plastic feet things that sits on the bridge of my nose that always leaves an imprint, and most importantly, fits my face. I would only consider getting new frames if my prescription changes. Usually I’ll use eyeglasses for 6-7 years before needing a new pair so I prefer classic styles.

SUNGLASSES

Prescription sunglasses felt like a luxury item for me. I’ve even went so far as to wear regular sunglasses OVER TOP OF my prescription eye glasses for really sunny days while driving, not ideal mind you, but I made do.

After an optometry appointment years back, I tried on a pair of sunglasses for fun. It fit like a glove. I tried on a few more. However, none of the others had that same Cinderella feeling as the first one so I checked to see how much it would be and… yikes! $700! I couldn’t justify the cost so back on the shelf it went. A couple years later, I had another check up and thought about those sunglasses and all the times they could’ve came in handy. After considering it and weighing the cost per wear, I put in my order.

“But Bun, aren’t you scared you’ll lose them or break them?” – No, not really.

Funny thing, when you buy something expensive…. at least in my case, I took better care of it as a result. I use the protective case, I clean the lens properly, and overall, I’m not careless with it which is something I may have been with cheaper sunglasses because they felt more disposable.

Three years later, I have zero regret. I use these almost daily for driving (sunshine and snow glares no more!), and of course while outside to protect my eyes from the sun. They’re a simple, classic design that fits my face, works with any outfit and most importantly helps me to see clearly.

Credit Card

I used to have two but I never used the other one and I got a letter last year saying, if I don’t use it, it will not renew and I was like “OK, I’m good with that!”

Here’s the thing, having had a huge student loan debt that followed me for years upon graduation and finally repaying it all five years ago, I never wanted to ever get into any kind of financial debt again.

Having one credit card works for me, and is easy to manage. Randy and I share the account, and we use it to mainly gain air miles. Over the years, we’ve racked up enough points that we’ve been able to fly to London, Hawaii (twice), and booked flights to Costa Rica (trip got cancelled though, boo). It also paid for car rentals and even our accommodations in PEI for a week a couple summers ago. We don’t have any credit card debt because we keep it simple and never use it to pay for things we can’t afford.

Jeans

I can’t remember the last time I wore jeans to be honest. I don’t even know if it still fits me, but if we’re counting, I only have one pair of jeans in my wardrobe. With the pandemic, working from home and being home more often, I’ve been living in my joggers if I’m not at the office.

Belt

I have one belt. It’s a braided, faded, brown leather belt I got from Value Village. I love it cause it’s braided making it flexible to accommodate my changing waist size. I really only use it with my blue flowy maxi dress but it could be used for other dresses too.

Sun hat

I only have one sun hat (pictured in the featured image up top). I got it at a little boutique in Hawaii in 2017 and just love it. I felt glamorous in it. Something to be mindful of, when you’re trying on clothes or accessories, pay attention to how you feel wearing it. It’s wide brimmed and protects my head and face from the sun rays. When it started to unravel last year, I got it mended with a seamstress cause I loved it that much I didn’t want to replace it.

Television

We only have one TV in the house. It’s in our living room. We don’t have a second living room or rec room so our living room is truly our living space. We use it to play, chat, watch TV and spend time together. I don’t feel the need to have additional TVs in any other room. I just don’t need/want to be entertained or distracted all the time.

Razor

I use just one razor. Last year, I finally got myself a safety razor and I can’t believe I didn’t switch sooner. I’ve yet to nick myself and I find the shave to be much more smooth with less irritation. I primarily got it as a more sustainable option to disposable razors.

Evening Dress

I only have one dress that I use for evening wear like holiday parties or events that require cocktail wear. It’s the only dress that still fits me after having two babies. With the pandemic, it hasn’t been an issue as we have nowhere’s to go!