12 months / 365 days /8760 hours of no shopping – I almost can’t believe it. A year ago I embarked on a challenge to reign in my spending by doing a no spend year. My main motivation was to develop self discipline and really use the money for something else – I mean the reality is, I already have enough stuff. As this is a travel blog, the series began to save what I previously would have spent on this ‘stuff‘ and put it towards a trip at the end of the year.
If you want to see my full no-buy January declaration you can read it for the entire history and rules. But the gist of it is, these are the non-essential areas I was spending in and would be my focus areas for no spending:
- No new clothing or accessories
- No new make-up or skincare products
- No new books
The only exceptions for spending of course were bills and replacements of products that are used daily (deodorant, tooth paste, cream..).
12 lessons from 12 months of a shopping ban:
- Spending money is a privilege, not something you should do to pass the time.
- It takes more than a year to kick a habit that has been developed in a lifetime. But it’s amazing the amount of progress you can make in just a year.
- I will choose eating gyros in Greece over a new purse any day. Find your WHY and stick to it, it will help you when times get tough and you’re tempted to spend.
- Avoiding consumerism is really hard, but avoiding your triggers (malls, online stores, shopping apps, magazines..) makes it easier. If you don’t know it exists, you won’t want it!
- Be mindful about what you want and why. Black Friday and other ‘deal days’ want you to pressure you into buying. Be patient and buy when the time is right for you.
- Be grateful, it’s that simple. If you’re reading this you likely have your basic living essentials covered, be content. Find happiness in what you already have.
- When you buy you are voting with your dollars, put your money into businesses you believe in.
- Buying less (or not buying at all) automatically makes you more environmentally friendly and helps combat wastefulness.
- If you’re not using it, get rid of it. Sell gently used items and clear yourself of clutter but also help to give that item to a home where it will be used.
- Use up your products! Before you go buy another mascara, do you have something similar that you can already get use out of? Shopping when your products are almost done is best for actually using products up instead of just hoarding and then having things expire. Hit that pan!
- Refuse what you do not need. Reduce what you do need. Reuse by using reusables. Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse. Rot (compost) the rest. Principles to live by from the wonderful Bea at Zero Waste Home.
- Your actions impact others. The best part of it all, is that I’ve inspired other friends to have their own version of a no-buy year, and that makes me the happiest.
No-Buy Challenges
I’ll be honest, there were lots of ups and downs throughout the year. If you kept up with my monthly updates you’ll have seen me share some of them there. Particularly hard for me was the changing of the seasons, when you see all the cute stuff being advertised online.
Not to mention, the hardest part of the year, the giant sales like black Friday. This is where everyone is exchanging on what goodies they’ve bought. It will take more than a year to kick your habit if you are used to spending and especially if you’re feeling the itch the buy. Just be mindful of it, and find ways to better use that energy!
Was I successful?
Overall – yes. Did I have slip ups? Actually way fewer than I thought I would, in fact – just one. I unexpectedly had a wedding to attend while I was in Egypt and I hadn’t brought anything wedding appropriate with me. People really get dressed up for weddings so after exhausting all options to see if I could borrow something from my sister in law, or even if I could buy a new dress, I ended up buying a fancy belt. I was able to pair it with a more simple dress I had that helped elevate it. I felt super guilty about the purchase and struggled with it, but in the end I felt great at the wedding. It’s something I’ll likely wear again and I wasn’t rushed into a larger purchase that I may regret.
Resources for your no-buy
There are so many great no buys resources (and believe me, you’ll need them for inspiration)! Each one had a different motivation for the project, so find one (or many) whose message resonates best with you.
- Hannah Louise Poston’s YouTube videos
- Lara Joanna Jarvis YouTube videos
- No Spend Year TedTalk
- The Year of Less book
How to prepare for a no-buy year
There are a few things you can do that will help make your year more successful.
- First of all, unsubscribe! Unsubscribe from temptation.
- If you don’t already have one, install an adblocker. While they won’t remove all ads, it will reduce the number you see. Every little bit counts.
- One of the best things I did was join a facebook group. Being in a likeminded community where others are doing the same challenge and facing the same obstacles, is encouraging. Plus people post some super unique ideas on ways they are saving or can help when you’re having a hard time. Just search for ‘No Spend Year 2020’ in groups.
- Tell your friends and family about your plans. It’s easier to have accountability and support if people know what you’re doing. You may even have some folks join along which just make it more fun and doable.
- Avoid malls. While it may not be entirely possible, similar to completely avoiding online shopping, it’ll help curb your temptations.
- Start a wishlist. The reality is your eyes are going to wander, and that’s ok. If you come across things you like, bookmark them to a ‘Wishlist’ folder. Revisit the list every once in awhile and remove anything you no longer feel drawn to. It was amazing how often the list I had ended up going back to zero. If at the end of the year something has survived the list then you know it may be something that you would get value out of purchasing once the no buy is done.
So how much did I save? Travel plans?
*Drumroll please* My savings from my no-buy year was $2211.69!
This number may seem like a little or a lot to you, but remember it’s all relative. I’ve been on a journey to minimize my shopping habit for quite some time (read: years!!). This 2k is about the amount I spent in 2018 on non-essentials and luckily in 2019 it’s the amount I saved instead to put towards travel. Also, this is not to mention what I saved by not buying potentially more than I typically would have.
So where am I going?! Great question – and one that I don’t have a direct answer to just yet. We’re deciding to travel between two places and I’ll be sure to share once it’s final! In the meantime, I’m so stoked that instead of adding items to my closet or stacking books on a shelf I’ll only read once, I get to travel with my loved ones, and make a lifetime of memories!
What’s next after a no-buy year?
The common question you’ll get after a no-buy year, is are you going to continue it? Or the reverse, what are all the things you’re going to go out and buy?
No, I don’t plan to continue, but also no, a few days into 2020 and I still haven’t bought anything. While I won’t be doing another no spend this year, the low buy mindset is something I’ll have with me forever. I do hope to live with a commitment to more second hand or sustainable brands when possible when I am purchasing something new. If for whatever reason that isn’t an option then I buy with the intention of something high quality that I will keep forever.
'Do something today that your future self will thank you for.' Sean Patrick Flanery
So, what will you do this year – spend mindlessly or save with intention?
Good luck on your no buy journey and know that you can do it!
No-buy year spending updates:
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