How did your no-buy or low-buy go this week?

Share your goals, progress and how your purchasing habits have changed since starting a no buy.

If you 'failed' this week, remember that it is just a stumble in a long journey. If you did well, inspire others and encourage them when they do well or get off track.

I’ve been reading people’s low / no buys and am feeling inspired and motivated to do one for the month of November. Here’s what I’ve been thinking and curious to know what y’all think - am I missing something or helpful thinking to keep in mind.

1. Is it a want or a need
2. no buy: online shopping (my vice esp when I’m bored)
3. no / low buy: eating out (except when traveling or approved work events where there isn’t any other option)
4. Check pantry and fridge for food BEFORE getting groceries - like really check haha.

Approved items: groceries, gas, bills.

If I do want to buy something (thinking like a discounted candle) - visit budget first (can I afford?) and review spending on credit card - making this a weekly thing.

I have tried no buys before but can never stick with them for longer than a few weeks. I wanted to do a no buy for the rest of the year starting November 1st… but then I realized I hadn’t bought the winter coat I wanted and said, screw it - I’m returning an $85 make up purchase from Monday so I’ll buy the $80 coat today and call it even.

This is the mindset that screws me over every time. How do I stop my sneaky self from trying to weasel out the dopamine during the next two months? Because it’s the first day and it ain’t looking good honey.

TLDR: advice pls

Hey everyone. I just got paid today and the urge to spend is real right now. I recently received a promotion at my job and my paychecks are way more than I’m used to.

After paying bills and rent, I’ve got $800 in my checking account and it’s so, so tempting to spend the excess money. I’ve been scouring the Sephora app, Facebook marketplace, clothing websites, etc. Seriously all I want to do right now is drive to TJ Maxx!

I’m used to having maybe $400 - $500 in my checking account after bills and budgeting $200 per week until my next pay day. What normally ends up happening is I make a ridiculous, unneeded purchase or two and then have to be ridiculously frugal and miserable until my next paycheck. It’s a vicious cycle I’m trying to break!

I’m relatively new to no buy, but I’m determined to not let lifestyle creep make my raise for nothing. I think that my primary motivation to spend is boredom (the dopamine rush from buying something is amazing) and the idea that whatever I buy will improve my life.

How do you navigate this feeling? I’m struggling to fight the temptation right now.

This is my first time doing a low-buy/no-buy month. Going through my bank account it looks like my biggest issue is DoorDash, books, and coffee at coffee shops.

Books are easy to do a no buy for

DoorDash is a bit harder but I want to challenge myself to not use the app at all this month

Coffee out is the biggest challenge for me.

I ended October in the negatives and so I want to start actually budgeting and knowing how much money I actually have if I don’t spend unnecessarily.

Empties: Face scrub, concealer, brown eyeliner, pumpkin body butter, strawberry lip gloss/balm, lip balm tin, bar of soap, dry shampoo

Replacements: Eye makeup remover 2-pack, bar soap, bath salts, dry shampoo

Bought (not allowed): 1. Mac eyeshadow single that's been on wishlist for awhile. I probably could have waited, but I was near the actual store so bought it there rather than pay shipping later. Side note: I really don't enjoy in person shopping anymore. So loud and stressful.

2. Fleece flannel shirt, just in time for the cooler weather. I'm already wearing this a lot, it's a good layering item for an always-cold person like myself.

3. After returning the corduroy pants from last month, I went on an online secondhand search for the corduroys I had in high school (20 years ago now) - the brand is now defunct but popular in the secondhand market and I actually found a very similar pair in my size. They fit perfectly and I'm actually really happy I found them.

Bought (allowed): 2 CDs on Bandcamp Friday.

Wanted but didn't buy: Urban Decay Moondust eyeshadow, Halloween limited edition lip gloss, American Apparel sweatshirt, Elf shimmer lip balm (the new ones that sold out already)

I got an item tailored that had been on my list to do all year. I donated 2 items back to the vintage store I bought them from. I think I've donated back everything I bought at that store last year - just because I can appreciate a unique item doesn't mean I'll wear it.

I bought and promptly returned an eyeshadow single and black eyeliner from Rite Aid - no idea why I bought these, I don't need more eyeshadow and also don't usually wear black eyeliner. I think I didn't want to go home empty-handed, an illogical feeling that used to get me to buy things in the past.

I'm not a Halloween person. But I wanted to do something for work since we could come in costume.

And I did it for $0. It was a wholly makeup-based look, and I had considered buying hair chalk or more food coloring (once I realized partway through that food coloring was available in the house!), but time crunch made me unable to do so.

I was actually missing supplies for my original plan (moulage), but I didn't wanna buy stuff. So I just adapted. Experimented a bit, used stuff I had available a bit.

In the end, super happy with my look. And while it's not often a struggle for me, Halloween is a hugely wasting holiday for most people who celebrate it. With quickly rotting gourds and one-use costume pieces. I felt proud I showed out with $0 additional. I just wore my fancy clothes.

...I didn't have a no-buy day, but still-

First of all, I really like this group, it‘s inspiring. I‘m doing a low buy year but just started in August. So far it‘s going ok, but could be better.

I decided on some rules and tried to stick to it. However, one rule is that I am allowed to replace broken stuff. I have a refurbished iPhone 12 mini and two weeks ago the camera stopped working. This feature is really important to me. A repair would cost 150 Euros, not worth it at all, it‘s an old phone. So I was like okaaay lets buy a new phone (Second Hand but still expensive iPhone). I started researching and almost ordered a newer iPhone, but then something amazing happened…

Long Story Short I checked my phones warranty on the Website i bought it from and it has 3 Years of warranty. I think it was like a Promotion and they stopped offering it since i purchased my phone 2 Years ago. Normally you don‘t get more than one year for a refurbished phone in my country. I could not believe my luck.

The Website payed for the repair so I don‘t have an excuse to buy a new phone. I‘m really happy with the result. The urge to buy a new phone is hopefully gone for a long time. I want to use this one until it no longer gets Updates. It‘s also good for the Environment that my phone got repaired.

Did anything like this happened to you in the past? 😊

Edit: wrong word

…i have decided to take up running and we are getting into winter soon that means i might have to do some shopping but i would have let myself down. Also my biggest toxic trait is with every new hobby - i must equip myself and at times 3weeks or 2 months down the line i get bored or just get derailed and will forget about it for the longest. If i decide i want to start baking i will go high and low to buy trays, aprons etc bake for a month a forget about it, then i decide oh i want to start painting i buy things then i never get far. Honestly 1. I don’t want to buy anything because i strict with my no-buy challenge (when it comes to clothes- no thrift or no new im not buying only accepting gifts and or from Freecycle). 2. What if after investing in running gear then i get bored that means i have gone back to my wasteful ways.

That being said please help do you think “do what you can with what you have” will apply here considering we are getting into winter.

Im on 172/365

Hey everyone! I'm new to this community, and excited to get started on a no buy. I have some big expenses coming up and want to save a 20k emergency fund by the end of next year (2025). I also want to appreciate what I have more, wear my clothes instead of pining over other clothes, and just generally challenge the consumerist mindset of always wanting to be optimising, and upgrading our belongings. I find it pretty sad and depressing that we're sold that concept, rather than appreciating and taking care of what we have (possessions, but also relationships, ourselves, our bodies, the earth, etc etc).

I paid off my credit card this year, so I'm starting my no buy journey with no consumer debt. I do have a mortgage, though, and my goal is to save a 20k emergency fund.

My rules:

• No new clothing, shoes, accessories. This includes socks and underwear.

• No new skincare - replacements only, and must use up what I already have (including items that aren't my favourite) before replacing them.

• No nail polishes - can only replace base and top coats if needed.

• Stick to a strict $70 per week spending money - this includes any extra groceries needed outside of my grocery budget, going out, alcohol, etc.

• No new kitchen appliances or other homewares. If I need something, try to source it secondhand.

I'm still deciding whether I'll allow myself to buy secondhand clothes. The whole point is that I have so many clothes already and really want to wear them all more, so my instinct is no, but I really love thrifting as a hobby. I'm considering having a budget for it, or only being able to buy secondhand clothes from my weekly spending money. TBD - please let me know if you have thoughts or suggestions about this! xx

Hey everyone! Haven't posted or checked in for a bit. I have spent a bit if money here and there (like ordered that new LOZ echoes of wisdom game) but I had a successful new zealand trip. I didn't add on any unnecessary debt and everything was paid off.

I did have a bit of a shopping moment with old navy. I recently got a new position at work that requires more professional attire which I did not have and went on a shopping spree.

Once they come in and I try them on, I'll try to return a few things. I did treat myself to more than I needed just from all the overtime I did in September but it doesn't all need to go to clothes.

My shopping habits have changed this year, and I am more prone to returning things, so I call it a win 🏆

I'm definitely going to go thru my clothes again tho and donate some with Christmas on the way.

Title

Just curious How many gifts you are purchasing and how much in total Information is for budgeting purposes

How did your no-buy or low-buy go this week?

Share your goals, progress and how your purchasing habits have changed since starting a no buy.

If you 'failed' this week, remember that it is just a stumble in a long journey. If you did well, inspire others and encourage them when they do well or get off track.

I've been trying to be mindful of my skincare consumption and only replace things when they're absolutely necessary. Recently, my sunscreen ran out and I replaced it with Clinique SPF50 mineral sunscreen which leaves a terrible white cast on my dark skin. I had a coupon for forest essentials, so I thought I'd give their SPF 50 Sunfluid a try, but it irritates my eyes! I'm at a loss. Should I stick with the two subpar sunscreens I have or bite the bullet and buy a new one? These sunscreens weren't cheap, so it's frustrating that neither one works for me. If anyone has recommendations for a good sunscreen that doesn't leave a white cast and is gentle on sensitive skin, please share! I'd really appreciate the advice.

I want to try to pay off all my credit cards and maybe my car in 2025. And maybe a big medical thign. Starting now!

Shopping: I will be buying some christmas gifts this year, and there are 3 birthdays for kids next year. Otherwise, replacements for undergarments and specific craft project needs only. I have a stash of craft supplies, but i know some things I don't have, like for restringing a doll or if I'm making a dress and need buttons, but I already have the fabric. Target and its compatriots don't hold a lot of interest.

Eating out: I'm giving up caffeine anyway, plus outside coffee just isn't doing anything for me. There is one tiny local place it takes some effort to get to that I might stop at. No drive throughs or delivery, unless I'm sick. Eating out as an event only otherwiss-- theres a milestone birthday for someone who likes a very expensive local place, they haven't been in 30 years type of thing. Meal planning and better habits othereise.

Most of my other costs are fairly immovable and fixed, xo thats about all i can do. Unless i win the lotto lol

I am posting this here to commit to myself. I have been unemployed for the last 5 months and been living with my savings, this month my balance went to negatives. I realized during the period of unemployment I made lots of unnecessary purchases. I never did a no buy before so I want to learn my spending habits trying it!

Other than absolute essentials like toilet paper etc for the home, I decided to cut all the spending that is “luxury” at this point.

Categories that came to mind but not limited to: makeup, cosmetics, clothing, personal items, eating outside, ordering in, coffee shops, entertainment.

Hello, I’m looking for some advice on what I can do to help myself with cutting down on how often I’m ordering food/eating out. I do it almost every single day of the week now, being in Aus I’m paying almost $30-40+ per order. It’s getting exhausting having to fight my mind every day to not buy something to eat. It feels almost like an intrusive thought, the second it pops into my head, Boom. I can’t stop thinking about ordering food for the rest of the day, even if I eat something from home to try and get rid of the craving it only helps for a few hours. For context a few years ago I used to be addicted to fast food, and was ordering food around 1-2 times daily, which made me put on a lot of weight, lose a lot of money and become very self conscious about this whole thing. Now that I’m working a decent job and earning a decent amount of money I’m finding it difficult to stop myself from using my disposable income on food :( any tips or advice to stop/cutdown would be super appreciated Thank you

I started a no-buy mid-January after doing a lot of decluttering and realizing how much excess stuff I had. I don't ever want to go back to having that much junk and I really needed to cut back on spending because I was unemployed at that time. So no beautyproducts, no stationary and a whole bunch of others stuff until I used everything I had. For a while I did really well, but towards the summer I got less disciplined. Last year I started hiking and I really got into it, so over time I bought hiking shoes and clothes. It was definitely worth investing in, but I have enough now. I started a new job in September and I'm making good money now, so I started treating myself. It's natural and I don't feel bad about it, but lately I've been getting greedy and I don't like it. Last night I looked around and realized I have more than enough. I'm a crafter and was planning to crochet myself a Christmas sweater, like I did every year for the past couple of years. However, I saw I don't have any red yarn and I'd have to buy more even though I have _a lot_ of yarn. Do I really need another sweater? Instead I can spend my time making hats and scarves for homeless people. The temperatures will drop soon and I feel powerless when I see these people. That way I still get to crochet and get some of the yarn out of my house and I can just bring the finished products to a shelter.

There's 10 weeks left in 2024, so that's a nice, clear period for a no-buy and get back on track. In fact, I don't want my stuff to control me and I want more space. New things are nice, but saving and building a financial buffer is more important.

My rules:

- I'll give myself a €100 budget for the rest of the year for clothes. I'm still losing weight and I need some clothes that are appropriate for the office.

- €30 budget for books, though I have to look at other options first.

- I can be less strict around Christmas.

Red list:

- Beauty products, including toothpaste, shower gel and such. Plenty of that to last me into the new year, plus I have a Rituals advent calender waiting for me.

- Anything with a plug

- Kitchen gadgets and appliances

- Hobby supplies

- Stationary

- Sports clothes, except ONE pair of warm hiking pants if needed

- Organizers

Wish me luck!

True fuckin failure this month. I've been putting numbers in my ledger days late. And the total additions I HAVE done are bad. How do I even...do this? I don't know what I'm doing. I have goals on money, to spend less, but when I'm going about my day, each purchase is so small relatively I cannot see a bigger image. Unless I am literally sitting at home deciding "Oh I want X...Nah, I won't buy X." And I don't spend all day sitting in my room just considering the purchases I desire obviously.

There's a book I saw ages ago in this sub called something like 30 Days to Stop Overspending? Something similar to that. I believe the author has a series of 30 Day books too. I can't remember it. Can someone tell me what it is?

I've always enjoyed the thrill of finding great deals and discounted items. There's something ssatisfying about snagging a bargain, and it's become a bit of a hobby for me. Over time, I've started reselling these items on used marketplaces. Sometimes I make a profit, sometimes I don't, but it's all part of the fun.

I bought an old laptop fixed it and sold it for a $9 profit,
got 3 credit cards on a period of a year points didn't make up for the fees but i did learn a few things.

I wanna maybe assist other people in finding deals for a minimal payment, or i still wanna buy stuff without wasting money.

Do i have a problem, should I stop?

I'm someone that is usually pretty good at being able to stick to a budget and tends to be pretty frugal. The area I probably struggle with the most is clothing (and books, but that's for another day). I nearly always buy secondhand, but I still find that I go in waves where I won't buy anything for a while, then I purchase a whole bunch of things for a month or so, then cycle through it all over. I think I make a lot of purchase mistakes doing this, so I end up either barely wearing something I've bought, or donating it before I get my money's worth out of it.

If you're familiar with the systems, I recently came across color analysis and Kibbe. This is good and bad--learning about these theories, I now understand why so many items I've bought over the years (usually online purchases) didn't look right on me. I think I will be a wiser shopper for knowing about them. But now I have been tempted to do a closet overhaul so that my closet is more in line with what I now know will look better on me. My instinct is to purge and online shop. But instead, I am trying to slow it down and be thoughtful about the process. I am attempting a loose no-buy approach. Here is what has been helping so far:

--No new purchases until I have a clearer vision of what I wear most for my lifestyle, and what would actually be useful to add to my closet
--I am attempting to wear every item of clothing that I own within the next 6 months-1 year. I am doing the hanger approach, where I hang each item backwards, then flip it back the right way after I wear a garment so I can see what has not yet been worn. I also rearranged so that I had my clothing in groupings. So far, I noticed that the type of item I seem to be reaching for fastest these days are sweatshirts, sweaters and skirts, dresses least. So far this has actually been a lot of fun, and has definitely been curbing my impulse to want to buy anything new. It makes me be creative with the outfits I put together so that I can try to wear items that I haven't worn in a long time. I'm also allowing myself to part with items when I know they really don't feel right on me or if I dread having to wear it, but I have to first be specific in what it is that isn't working for me so I know to not make the same mistake again.
--I have been using the app Stylebook for a while now to log all of the items that I own, as well as info about when I purchased, how much it cost, the number of times I have worn something and what the cost per wear is. My goal is to get the cost per wear down for all of my items to below $1 and slow the cycle of what is coming in/going out.

Anyway, I know this was a long post, but thought I might share what has been helping me! I'll keep you guys updated if I make it all the way through the challenge and what I learn. Thanks for reading.

So my goal is to complete a clothing no buy until August 2025. So far, I have stuck to it which is amazing. But today, I went to the mall and tried on a bunch of beautiful leather jackets and I have fallen in love with the way they feel and look. So I’m going to try talk myself out of it. Here are reasons why I won’t be buying them right now:

1. Leather jackets are timeless. They will be around next year if/when I decide I still want it.
2. I have no space in my closet whatsoever.
3. I made a promise to myself that I would fully use all the clothes that I have, and this would help me appreciate all the things I do have instead of immediately wanting the next thing.

I mean, it all comes down to the last reason. I am trying to appreciate what I already have. Buying something new will not help me accomplish this goal. But I am just sad I can’t give in to my desires. Thanks for reading about my struggles.

howdy y'all! I came to this sub after getting torn a new one in r/debtfree about my horrific budgeting skills. I've been no buy since the last week of September (give or take) and here were my general rules:

• no more coffee runs
• no eating out
• only buy what you need (stick to meal plans for groceries, only restock on items when they're out)

for the most part, I'd say I stuck with this 90%. I still budgeted some fun spending and eating out, but considerably less, and only for "emergencies" (ie, long day at the office and I forgot to pack lunch) so I only ended up eating out two or three times. for my personal spending, while the "restocking" mindset still grabs me and I ended up repurchasing soap and shampoo and other personal care items before I was TOTALLY out, I stuck to my guns and didn't really spend outside of this.

aside from my normal spending (groceries, gas, rent, utilities, etc) I only had a few unplanned expenses:

• a $400 vet visit (what I thought was a kitty UTI was her just being a little silly goofy)
• a $20 eyeshadow palette that I had my eye on for months now (oops!)
• went out to eat at work twice and at home once

overall I'd rate my experience with this an 8/10! it definitely got me to be more mindful of my spending and appreciate what I have. in the future I think I'd do more meal planning (I only planned one or two major meals a week and then snacks/breakfasts, so I'd plan out further/more) to help trim down the budget even further.

I deleted all my shopping apps a while ago and JUST got my Old Navy card paid off. But all of the sudden I started seeing stuff all over tiktok and Reddit about some “glitch” with the old navy 50% off sale + stacking a 40% off code so people were getting stuff essentially 90% off. I cracked and decided to try my luck. I redownloaded the Old Navy app and started trying to fill my cart. And you know what? I didn’t even want anything! I sorted by newest, and went through all the new stuff since the last time I shopped. I literally wasn’t interested in anything. I didn’t feel like I needed or wanted any of it. My no buy has finally started to reset the way I view shopping. It was such a freeing feeling! I deleted the app again and didn’t buy anything.

Hi everyone. I've been wanting to do a 'no buy' for a few years, and have sort of tried a few times, but inevitably just let it fade away. I would now really like to, though, partly because I have some big expenses coming up and also, more generally, would really like to build up a strong emergency fund over the next year. I would love to go until the end of next year but at this stage just really don't believe that I can do it, but also feel like it would be really good for me to try. Any advice for me? Did you feel this way, too? Is it worth being really strict for a year? Is it possible? TIA xx

I have about $5,000 in collections that's keeping me from getting my own apartment. Right now, I'm renting a room from a shady landlord who didn't bother to run a credit check on me. I want to save up enough to pay off my debts so that I can someday get my own place.

I have a huge spending problem, but I know I need to make a lot of sacrifices to give myself a better future. This is my first time doing a no-buy challenge and I'm open to any advice!

Just curious if anyone has noticed any unexpected benefits of their nobuy callenge/experience? Personally for me (after running low on some make up products and deciding to see for fun how far I could stretch them) I have come to the realization that I actually prefer my face without makeup. Sure, it isn't perfect but it feels more authentic. I don't love the way I look but I don't hate it either. It is just me. And I am okay with that. As someone who always wore a full face makeup I could never have imagined that I would find myself in this place. But here I am....

I'm really shocked but in a positive way!! I just wanted to log in to Amazon (not even to go shopping - I just wanted to access my kindle eBooks!!) and I actually didn't know my password anymore. This never happened before but it shows how long I haven't been using this website anymore and it makes me super proud!