I'm going on a No-Buy Year adventure

Let's discuss no-buy parameters, and quarterly updates to my progress

I was going to weave this into my intentions for 2024 post, but this kinda felt like it needed its own post. I know this is a bit off the beaten path for the theme of my Substack, but is it really? Herbalism is often about working with what you got, and in an effort to buy less, and consume less, that’s working with what you got. So, I’m still on the track, just off on a little side adventure!

In 2023, I used shopping as an escape mechanism from my miserable life — instead of having the courage to change the things I could, I sank back into retail therapy believing and thinking I might be able to fill the vast chasm and void within me with something, a new hobby, a way out, a distraction.

Of course, that didn’t work.

By all accounts, I have been a fairly frugal person for most of my adult life and I feel I am more frugal than your standard American person.

This past year, my changing postpartum body — desperately needed new clothes that fit, and a whole new wardrobe.¹ Then, there’s baby things. Everyone tells you you need this, and that for baby, and like most things, you actually don’t need it. You do need some stuff, but most of it you don’t.

Then, I left so many of my belongings behind when I left my baby’s father. I had to start over again. Oddly for me, the decrease in stuff felt relieving — and I don’t even have that much stuff.

Now that I have stepped into single motherhood, currently have no child support or child care to help me work more and going back to school on the horizon — the best way I can offset and protect my finances is to be better with money. I’ve been aware of no-buy periods, but I’ve never actually intentionally committed to trying it.

I googled “no-buy month” to see how other folks do this, and instead, I found a blog post called “The Ultimate Guide to a No-Buy Year” and I loved it.

Because I am a recovering alcoholic, ADHD and an Aries, I do not dabble. I am not a halfway kind of person. I am all in, throw myself into the deep end — sink or swim. So, a month? Heck no, I am going in for a full year and writing about this, is how I will keep myself accountable.

As Becker writes, a no-buy doesn’t mean you buy nothing for a whole ass year, it means you take serious stock of how you’re buying and place boundaries and limitations on yourself. I am very interested in doing this.

Making a plan is key here, and I want to outline my plan and commit to checking in here every quarter to update my progress and experience.

Progress, not perfection as they say.

Here is my why and these are my goals

• I want to understand my spending habits

• I want to redirect myself when I am looking to comfort myself with a purchase

• I want to make more conscious decisions about purchases

• And of course, I want to save money as a result

These are my rules

What is allowed:

• Groceries (obvi, lol).

• Consumable goods, like replacing cosmetics, soap, toilet paper, dish soap, etc.

• Replacement items, if something breaks or is lost. Like the vent cap to my Instant Pot, a new lid for my travel coffee mug that leaks like crazy, etc.

• Necessity items for home, dog, baby, myself — chew toys for Uusi, toys for baby, bins to organize, items to cool the house in summer, bedding, etc.

• Clothing for baby and I, specifically sourcing used, on sale, or with discount code purchases.

• A planned list of big and necessary purchases (detailed below).

• A limit of pleasure purchases (detailed below).

• Christmas gifts and cards (which will largely be handmade).

• Experiences and travel

• Limited garden and plant purchases

• Supplies for school

What is not allowed:

• Retail therapy and comfort buying

• Eating out

• Coffee out (allowed under working conditions, like currently I am sitting in a coffee shop which is extremely rare for me)

• Brand new, just because clothing purchases

• Random, “this is a good deal and I think it’s cute” purchases while necessity shopping

• No new cosmetics

• No new electronics or gadgets

• Books — However I am allowed to educational book purchases, and to follow along in my goal of reading one fiction book a month

Here is how I am preparing

I am making a list of necessary items I know I will need to buy in the future.

Because we do deserve pleasure in life, I will be allowing myself to make only 6 pleasure purchases, specifically from handmade makers and crafters. I love to collect hand-thrown ceramic mugs, and purchasing art or a one-of-a-kind piece of clothing I feel is fine. It’s supporting small makers, like myself! However, there will be an imposed limit.

This is my list of future major purchases and needs

1. A dresser for clothing storage (will buy used)

2. Upgraded car seat for baby

3. Air conditioner and heat reduction supplies for summer (this house gets particularly hot due to sun exposure)

4. Clothing bins for seasonal storage

5. An upgrade on my Kindle e-reader (protip my friends, do not get the cheapest version. It’s a trap to get you to upgrade eventually because the basic $99 Kindle has zero light adjusting features. No dark mode, no warm light mode — making reading in the dark, which is basically the only time a mother gets to read — a huge eye strain. So you eventually upgrade to the Paperwhite. Just buy the Paperwhite. Also, I would like to add I would love to read paper books, but, being a mom it’s very hard. Page turning at night wakes the baby.)

6. Garden items and planter items — I just know that something will eventually come up and I’ll need to buy something.

OK my friends, 2024 I start this journey and I will update you all on my quarterly progress. I’ll be tracking myself and my spending in a spreadsheet.

Here’s to buying and spending less! I’ll be checking back in, in March.

1. I love what the body positivity movement has done for everyone, but on either end of the spectrum — when your body changes in big ways, you have to buy new clothes and that shit is expensive and for me, stressful.