I think you might be missing other reasons people are doing a "no buy" year. One reason could be due to environmental concerns, the intense impacts of our spending habits. Another could be to withdraw support from corporations that are showing their lack of backbone and ethics in the current political administration. On the environmental side, the "buy nothing" movement encourages people to shift to a gift economy for their needs when possible. The founders of the movement actually don't consider restaurant spend off the table (but encourage supporting local businesses). Choosing "no buy" to act on your values is different than restriction for restriction's sake. Your reasoning to not do it might still make sense, but there's much more to this trend.
Thanks for sharing KJ! You are 100% correct, there are a lot of great and legitimate reasons why someone might do a no buy, and I totally support these reasons. Our money is powerful, and the way we spend or chose not to spend our money is a great tool to move social causes ahead and take a stand against corporations. My point for writing this article is to discuss why I personally won't be committing to a no buy this year, since I am still struggling to find balance in my relationship with restricting and over spending. A no buy is something I would consider for other, healthier, reasons in the future if I knew it wouldn't totally derail my mental health and spending to do so.
I like the focus on intention vs a strict no buy. My intention is to buy more secondhand and use what I have and get creative especially with home decor, clothes, kid stuff etc. My motivation is the environmental impact of buying new not so much money.
There is something to fulfilling about giving something a new life, or finding creative ways to reuse something you already have. I've always been a huge thrifter, and lately have been getting into making more products and items at home from scratch, also repairing damaged items instead of replacing them. Love this!
I have spent entire years of no-buy multiple times in my life due to having no discretionary income after covering the bare essentials. We actually had discretionary income last year thanks to a viral article and caught up on a lot of unmet needs — I don’t expect that lightning to strike again so I’m mostly back to spending nothing. This isn’t always healthy— my immediate reaction to waking up to seeing flowers for my birthday yesterday was to think, “Oh no! My husband spent money!” I felt anxiety, not pleasure. That’s obviously not good. But it’s also realistic, because he shouldn’t have spent that money and wouldn’t have spent it on himself.
It can be so hard to balance! Doing a no-buy can really help you move along in your financial goals, but it can also come at the cost of a lot of joy. You should never have to feel anxious about receiving a birthday gift, but I totally understand why you would if you were committed to a no buy with your husband. There is also a conversation here about HAVING to do a no buy because of your income and WANTING to do one to change habits. Thanks for sharing your experience!
2024 was a splurge year for us, because we had extra money and tons of long-delayed needs, but no extra money is expected now and we have got to dial it back. Unless another article goes viral, in which case we can afford some little things again.
I love your less/more guidelines! I've been loosely following the less food/more friends one for a couple years now, and I'm really happy with it. It makes me appreciate having nice dinners out more
Thank you!! That is one I wrestled with for years, but I can truly say I've never regretted money spent out with friends, but I HAVE regretted spending money on delivery fees when I had a fridge full of groceries at home. I have sworn off delivery apps, but I am tempted daily to eat lunch outside while I'm in the office... now I just pack really fun lunches I look forward too haha
I think you might be missing other reasons people are doing a "no buy" year. One reason could be due to environmental concerns, the intense impacts of our spending habits. Another could be to withdraw support from corporations that are showing their lack of backbone and ethics in the current political administration. On the environmental side, the "buy nothing" movement encourages people to shift to a gift economy for their needs when possible. The founders of the movement actually don't consider restaurant spend off the table (but encourage supporting local businesses). Choosing "no buy" to act on your values is different than restriction for restriction's sake. Your reasoning to not do it might still make sense, but there's much more to this trend.
Thanks for sharing KJ! You are 100% correct, there are a lot of great and legitimate reasons why someone might do a no buy, and I totally support these reasons. Our money is powerful, and the way we spend or chose not to spend our money is a great tool to move social causes ahead and take a stand against corporations. My point for writing this article is to discuss why I personally won't be committing to a no buy this year, since I am still struggling to find balance in my relationship with restricting and over spending. A no buy is something I would consider for other, healthier, reasons in the future if I knew it wouldn't totally derail my mental health and spending to do so.
I like the focus on intention vs a strict no buy. My intention is to buy more secondhand and use what I have and get creative especially with home decor, clothes, kid stuff etc. My motivation is the environmental impact of buying new not so much money.
There is something to fulfilling about giving something a new life, or finding creative ways to reuse something you already have. I've always been a huge thrifter, and lately have been getting into making more products and items at home from scratch, also repairing damaged items instead of replacing them. Love this!
I have spent entire years of no-buy multiple times in my life due to having no discretionary income after covering the bare essentials. We actually had discretionary income last year thanks to a viral article and caught up on a lot of unmet needs — I don’t expect that lightning to strike again so I’m mostly back to spending nothing. This isn’t always healthy— my immediate reaction to waking up to seeing flowers for my birthday yesterday was to think, “Oh no! My husband spent money!” I felt anxiety, not pleasure. That’s obviously not good. But it’s also realistic, because he shouldn’t have spent that money and wouldn’t have spent it on himself.
It can be so hard to balance! Doing a no-buy can really help you move along in your financial goals, but it can also come at the cost of a lot of joy. You should never have to feel anxious about receiving a birthday gift, but I totally understand why you would if you were committed to a no buy with your husband. There is also a conversation here about HAVING to do a no buy because of your income and WANTING to do one to change habits. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Absolutely there is.
2024 was a splurge year for us, because we had extra money and tons of long-delayed needs, but no extra money is expected now and we have got to dial it back. Unless another article goes viral, in which case we can afford some little things again.
I love your less/more guidelines! I've been loosely following the less food/more friends one for a couple years now, and I'm really happy with it. It makes me appreciate having nice dinners out more
Thank you!! That is one I wrestled with for years, but I can truly say I've never regretted money spent out with friends, but I HAVE regretted spending money on delivery fees when I had a fridge full of groceries at home. I have sworn off delivery apps, but I am tempted daily to eat lunch outside while I'm in the office... now I just pack really fun lunches I look forward too haha