No-buy, low-buy, don’t-buy…

I’ve briefly mentioned on Instagram that I am in a no-buy period. I have done something similar to this in the past, which didn’t last very long (of all times, I chose to start right around my birthday). Currently I am taking the time to slow down on spending, make more purposeful purchases and create a better budget for myself.

To be frank, Covid caused quite a bit of unnecessary spending. Partially from boredom, more so from being anxious and turning to shopping as a coping mechanism. I honestly didn’t need to buy a few pairs of clogs or anything but I did during quarantine. I have since took notice of this habit created some what of a checklist for myself when online browsing or thinking about shopping in general:

1. Is this something I need right away or can it wait?

2. Are you replacing this because it is broken or empty?

3. Do you have something that’s similar already in your closet?

One and two generally are geared more towards household items, but also apply to clothing, at least for me. I try not to over purchase cleaning products, skin care or things that take me months to consume, as I often find it to be a bit frivolous. I also ask myself these things as I am an impulse shopper, so to have duplicates of similar pieces makes zero sense (again personal preference).

What has also helped me in cutting down my spending is removing myself from marketing emails, deleting shopping apps and asking stores to stop sending coupons. Apps such as Klarna and Afterpay may make you think that a purchase from your favorite store is a good deal after it breaks it down in 4 smaller payments - it.is.not. Continue to do this for 3 or 4 stores and you’re tossing away your budget (had to learn that the hard way). Paper mail seems very wasteful to me. I made the decision to remove myself from unwanted marketing mail a few months ago, it has actually been nice. USPS has some info on how to do so or your can visit this website to remove yourself (for US residents only) - https://dmachoice.thedma.org/

With all this said, I am allowing myself 1 exception during my no-buy (which will last for the month of August) a $20 trip to my favorite thrift store. I received a credit certificate after taking one of their surveys a few months ago and I have a few pieces I’d like to add into my wardrobe. Figured it would be a great time to spend it wisely, if I can’t find what I am after, I will just save the certificate for another day.

Truly, a no-buy or low buy is different for every body but it is a good time to make yourself aware of your habits or coping mechanisms to help establish better patterns for yourself. Change takes time, but being cognizant of obstacles to your personal growth can be empowering.

Until next time,

-Jessika