2019 - The No-Buy

The plan is, to do a no-buy in 2019. I don’t necessarily want to do it for an entire year. I think 6 months or 8 months would be enough to curb the shopping habit.

The Why

For me, it’s more for saving money and time. I know I spend lot’s of time shopping thrift (it takes time to hunt) and perusing online shops! I also would like to monitor my closet and how it works without adding anything in for a long period of time. I think this will truly help in seeing what I’m actually using and what just hangs in the closet.

The Motivation

I recently tallied up the cost of my wardrobe on a huge spreadsheet and compared what I purchase thrift VS retail. My closet is almost a perfect 50-50 split between new and secondhand items. What I was shocked by was the cost of everything added up. Just under $3000. On clothes! Guys, that’s nuts and needs to change. I thought I shopped pretty thrifty but I guess everything adds up when you spend in tiny increments. So this was the last push as to why I want to start this no-buy now.

The Guidelines

I want to not buy anything in the homeware, fashion and makeup realms during this no-buy. I’m going to let myself use up gift-cards to buy replacements of anything (but I don’t foresee that happening anytime soon). If I do spend, I want to be thinking about

experiences and creating memories. In that regard, I’ll be letting myself spend on things like movie tickets, dinners, etc. Gift purchasing will also be an exception to the no-buy.

The Start

The start date is January 1, 2019. Today it’s the 2nd. Survived day 1. I think my worst temptations will happen while I’m working my retail job because A) I’m surrounded by stuff and B) I’m working in a mall so I walk by even more stuff. I’m literally working in the midst of temptation. It’ll make this challenge more challenging but I think will help me with learning self-restraint.

The Updates

Today is now day 6 (almost a week in! Woohoo). I think I’ll do updates every once in a while - maybe every other month? Or if something revolutionary happens. Hopefully by the end of my no-buy I’ll be able to put together a list of tips and tricks for you guys that could possibly help someone else along their no-buy journey. Let me know what you think and if you have any requests!

Cheers,

Christina