Month 1 of my No-Buy Year (I'm scared)

a check-in, how I prepared, and some adjustments to future purchases

Before I begin what I think is going to be a pretty long post: I have debt. I worked to save to take maternity leave (I am self-employed), then my life turned upside down in a way that I ended up needing to hire a lawyer, as well as relocate my life and business to another city. This effort took credit cards. My only debt before this was my car, which I financed because in 2021 my truck’s rear axle broke and it was insanely expensive to fix. I bought my first, slightly new very nice car, a little Rav4 — which came with that wonderful Toyota longevity, but also that price tag. Now, I am digging myself out of a hole.

Nothing like setting big goals on a public platform to really keep you accountable! I have to admit, that the approach to a year of No-Buy (or I guess, very conscious spending) has felt intimidating and a bit daunting. Mostly in the sense of, what will I do if I fail? What if suddenly, I need something? I have to remind myself, I set parameters for this very reason, in this post. Which I have edited, and on a few extra weeks of reflection, I realized there were a few necessities that needed to be added to my list of approved items.

The preparation and sources of inspiration

Really, the primary prep I did for my No-Buy Year was made a list of do’s-and-don’ts for myself. When I shared about going on this adventure so many of you recommended a book by Cait Flanders, The Year of Less.

Cait Flanders

is on Substack, which is super cool to see! I do recommend her book if you’re considering a no-buy year, just like so many recommended it to me. There were some parts of the book that I didn’t quite agree with¹ — still a good read.

I did a bit of digital housekeeping to keep sales content under control:

1. I got a browser app that bulk unsubscribed me from the billions of promotional emails I get each day. I have left subscriptions that are a routine purchase, or part of my planned purchases for 2024. I also left local grocery store sales ads, showing specials for the week (this helps save on grocery money)

2. I deleted all shopping apps from my phone! No window shopping on Amazon². I now have a rule that Amazon can only be used on my laptop, and I am only allowed to make one order per month. This can include multiple items — and pretty much all of these items are replacement items for things I already use (supplements, toiletries, household consumables, etc)

Facing the addiction and the strange need to buy to prepare for a no-buy

In December, I did see myself rushing to close up legitimate needs I had before I began my no-buy. Updating my Kindle to Paperwhite (the intro Kindle has no dark mode or warm light settings and it was killing my eyes at night). I also upgraded my underwear, because this was something I’d been working on. Due to childbearing body changes, I bought cheap as hell underwear from Walmart, and now I regret it. They’re incredibly uncomfortable and give me sensory issues with the feel of the fabric. So, I went on a long and arduous search for the perfect underwear. I now own only 7 pairs of high-quality undies. Higher quality means slightly higher price tags and an absolute desire to handwash and air dry to prolong their life.

With the no-buy looming, buying all these things felt weird, and I definitely paused before buying.

One of the things I enjoyed about Cait’s book, was that she shared her struggle with alcoholism. As a recovering alcoholic myself — I know that my disease lies in waiting and very often attaches itself somewhere else so that it can feed. The beast of addiction moves from one area to the next, like a horde of locusts looking for something to feast on. I know this about myself. Also, buying something gives me the dopamine satisfaction that my ADHD brain craves. In our consumeristic culture, no one bats an eye at the treat-yoself mentality. This no-buy is going to cause me to confront the layers of my addiction-prone behaviors.

I also noticed that while running to my little grocery store for a coffee restock, I found myself mindlessly wandering feeling like I needed something else. I caught myself wanting to comfort buy. As I walked home — I had to look to the deeper source and origin of this desire.

Tightening the belt will be an ongoing process, it’s a journey

My brain likes to have perfect settings before I can begin a project. In this case, that just isn’t going to happen. I had lofty ideas of purging my house (even though it’s pretty damn lean in here after I left my past relationship). Over the next few months, I will be widdling down my belongings. Each month I am going to focus on an area of stuff, and purge. First up: clothes.

Libraries are a place of magic and so many free resources

Between access to my Library, Libby and Hoopla, I do not need any streaming services (I have no time to watch TV anyway), Audible or Kindle Unlimited. Money saved right there. Yes, I do have to wait for some books, and that’s fine. There’s something to be said for waiting these days in a culture of instant gratification. It feels, archaic in a way.

Last bits & making a garden budget

I edited my original No-Buy post that contain some rules for me. There were a few missing items that I simply didn’t think of and wanted to make space for.

I have always wanted to garden, and have failed or been too daunted and challenged by past living situations to start. Somehow, living where I do now, there’s an incredible ease to getting a garden started. I have made a list of needs I know will come up, and some projected needs for the future of the garden. I am doing it as cheaply as I possibly can. I ran a budget and set limitations for myself. Gardening is an expense I am absolutely willing to take on because of the following:

• It contributes to my well-being

• It’s a life skill and an area that will provide learning opportunities

• It’s something to share with my baby boy, my neighbors and my community

• Has the potential³ to offset my grocery costs (probably unlikely this first year)

• It’s just a good thing to do!

Ok y’all, I am sure there will be many more updates. There are so many areas to explore in this frugal No-Buy adventure. I think my next post will be exploring how I am bringing awareness to my energy consumption, and how I am managing costs and savings there.

1. She mentions AA and 12 Step, and that it wasn’t for her. Totally fine! Whatever works is what works. Though, I would like to point out that she says it’s religious. It is not a religious program of recovery, but spiritual — Step 3. “…God as we understood Him/Them/She” religion is distinctly different from spirituality. I can say that I was lucky to hear in my first meeting from a woman with 20+ years of sobriety say that her higher power was a river, and I was told, “Your higher power could be a doorknob for all I care, whatever works!”

2. Yes, Amazon is a shitty company — it’s really hard to escape the convenience along with the affordability of the products there. Either I spend a day running around town hoping I can find what I am looking for, paying extra on top of gas money… Amazon is really helpful for me. It also helps me track what I am buying and the subscribe and save is helpful as well. Interestingly, I am down here in the footnotes justifying, or even defending my choice in using Amazon. I suppose given my radical beliefs — one may assume I would be a person to not utilize it, but I do. Even those feral wild-tending nomads on horseback are tethered to their phones making content for monolithic social media platforms. I feel it’s fairly inescapable taking part.

3. Honestly, I don’t expect it to offset my groceries much or at all. I hope to calculate my costs and compare that against the actual weight of the produce I… produce!