diff --git a/embedvar.h b/embedvar.h
index 1095cf420b01..e53c82967865 100644
--- a/embedvar.h
+++ b/embedvar.h
@@ -111,7 +111,6 @@
 #define PL_curcop		(vTHX->Icurcop)
 #define PL_curcopdb		(vTHX->Icurcopdb)
 #define PL_curlocales		(vTHX->Icurlocales)
-#define PL_curlocales_sizes	(vTHX->Icurlocales_sizes)
 #define PL_curpad		(vTHX->Icurpad)
 #define PL_curpm		(vTHX->Icurpm)
 #define PL_curpm_under		(vTHX->Icurpm_under)
diff --git a/intrpvar.h b/intrpvar.h
index 9bb619c447b1..76f3558f9b2e 100644
--- a/intrpvar.h
+++ b/intrpvar.h
@@ -367,14 +367,6 @@ PERLVAR(I, utf8locale,	bool)		/* utf8 locale detected */
 PERLVAR(I, in_utf8_CTYPE_locale, bool)
 PERLVAR(I, in_utf8_COLLATE_locale, bool)
 PERLVAR(I, in_utf8_turkic_locale, bool)
-
-#ifdef USE_PL_CURLOCALES
-/* This is the most number of categories we've encountered so far on any
- * platform */
-PERLVARA(I, curlocales, 12, const char *)
-PERLVARA(I, curlocales_sizes, 12, Size_t)
-#endif
-
 #if defined(USE_LOCALE) && defined(USE_LOCALE_THREADS)
 PERLVARI(I, locale_mutex_depth, int, 0)     /* Emulate general semaphore */
 #endif
@@ -725,6 +717,13 @@ PERLVAR(I, constpadix,	PADOFFSET)	/* lowest unused for constants */
 
 PERLVAR(I, padix_floor,	PADOFFSET)	/* how low may inner block reset padix */
 
+#ifdef USE_PL_CURLOCALES
+
+/* This is the most number of categories we've encountered so far on any
+ * platform */
+PERLVARA(I, curlocales, 12, const char *)
+
+#endif
 #ifdef USE_LOCALE_COLLATE
 
 PERLVAR(I, collation_name, char *)	/* Name of current collation */
diff --git a/locale.c b/locale.c
index c04d901f9007..b6e5f113b7f7 100644
--- a/locale.c
+++ b/locale.c
@@ -854,7 +854,8 @@ S_update_PL_curlocales_i(pTHX_
                          /* PL_curlocales is a parallel array, so has same
                           * length as 'categories' */
         for (i = 0; i < LC_ALL_INDEX_; i++) {
-            save_to_buffer(new_locale, &PL_curlocales[i], &PL_curlocales_sizes[i]);
+            Safefree(PL_curlocales[i]);
+            PL_curlocales[i] = savepv(new_locale);
         }
 
         recalc_LC_ALL = TRUE;
@@ -862,7 +863,8 @@ S_update_PL_curlocales_i(pTHX_
     else {
 
         /* Update the single category's record */
-        save_to_buffer(new_locale, &PL_curlocales[index], &PL_curlocales_sizes[index]);
+        Safefree(PL_curlocales[index]);
+        PL_curlocales[index] = savepv(new_locale);
 
         if (recalc_LC_ALL == LOOPING) {
             recalc_LC_ALL = (index == NOMINAL_LC_ALL_INDEX - 1);
@@ -870,7 +872,9 @@ S_update_PL_curlocales_i(pTHX_
     }
 
     if (recalc_LC_ALL) { /* And recalculate LC_ALL */
-        save_to_buffer(calculate_LC_ALL(PL_curlocales), &PL_curlocales[LC_ALL_INDEX_], &PL_curlocales_sizes[LC_ALL_INDEX_]);
+        Safefree(PL_curlocales[LC_ALL_INDEX_]);
+        PL_curlocales[LC_ALL_INDEX_] =
+                                    savepv(calculate_LC_ALL(PL_curlocales));
     }
 
     return PL_curlocales[index];
@@ -993,6 +997,8 @@ S_setlocale_from_aggregate_LC_ALL(pTHX_ const char * locale, const line_t line)
      * as the value may omit categories whose locale is 'C'.  khw thinks it's
      * better to store a complete LC_ALL.  So calculate it. */
     retval = savepv(calculate_LC_ALL(PL_curlocales));
+    Safefree(PL_curlocales[LC_ALL_INDEX_]);
+    PL_curlocales[LC_ALL_INDEX_] = retval;
 
     Safefree(locale_on_entry);
     return retval;
@@ -5266,8 +5272,7 @@ Perl_init_i18nl10n(pTHX_ int printwarn)
 
     /* Similarly, in this case we need to fill in our records. */
     for (i = 0; i < NOMINAL_LC_ALL_INDEX; i++) {
-        PL_curlocales_sizes[i] = 0;
-        save_to_buffer(curlocales[i], &PL_curlocales[i], &PL_curlocales_sizes[i]);
+        PL_curlocales[i] = savepv(curlocales[i]);
     }
 
 #  endif
diff --git a/sv.c b/sv.c
index 0dbd97c8accb..1b8ffebdd042 100644
--- a/sv.c
+++ b/sv.c
@@ -15648,7 +15648,6 @@ perl_clone_using(PerlInterpreter *proto_perl, UV flags,
 #ifdef USE_PL_CURLOCALES
     for (i = 0; i < (int) C_ARRAY_LENGTH(PL_curlocales); i++) {
         PL_curlocales[i] = SAVEPV(proto_perl->Icurlocales[i]);
-        PL_curlocales_sizes[i] = strlen(PL_curlocales[i]);
     }
 #endif
 #ifdef USE_LOCALE_CTYPE