I've been really good at delaying my purchases - to make sure it's not an impulse purchase and also delay gratification. But i've noticed that a lot of the time when I do this, the items end up selling out which is so frustrating and makes me want to just buy things immediately next time.

I did really good on the beginning and middle half of January, but at the end I spent a lot of money on clothes. Initially, I had no new clothes on my list, but I'm realizing I need some new basics and I'm trying to get away from polyester clothing. Thoughts??

I already posted about the few things I specifically spent money on in January (all essentials and replacements) but I wanted to share a bit about the emotional impact this has had on me.

Since stopping online shopping (and in-person) I'm already feeling a newfound mental clarity. Turns out shopping is a stressful activity, on top of being fun and giving one a dopamine boost or temporary relief. My brain is 1) now less cluttered with decisions to be made about what to buy and 2) no longer deals with visually comparing myself to other women -- which can't be helped when we look at models wearing the outfits we're buying. I think this is mostly where that relief is coming from. I consider myself largely immune to the comparison game, being in my mid-40's and no longer in competition with younger women (I'm also no longer dating, for a variety of reasons), but the truth is none of us are fully immune. Feeling less overwhelmed in turn means chores and errands are easier - I no longer feel as rushed or annoyed that I have these obligations. We all have them, and they'll get done.

Another benefit has been time. With no longer scrolling stores' websites for deals, I found more time this month to declutter, organize, and start putting a few things up on ebay. Those things also overwhelmed me previously. I look forward to more time to read and catch up on hobbies I've discarded in favor of just mindlessly scrolling.

Lastly, I feel more present. Life has slowed down a bit, and I have started to absorb music I enjoy rather than it just being in the background while I have too many tabs open. Yesterday I went for a walk without an agenda (shopping). This walk was the most pleasant I've had in a long time. I didn't think about how I should get new clothes or trinkets, that the ones I had on were 'too old' or not that presentable (despite being clean and casual). It didn't matter, because I was just out on my own, not meeting anyone. There were no bags to carry, no advertising to look at, because I didn't go into any stores. No temptations and therefore no feelings of guilt or longing for items that were on sale, or too expensive, or both. No focusing on how much money I have or don't have. After blocking my favorite stores' websites for a few weeks, they've basically been decluttered from my brain. I still pop in on occasion, but it's more with a casual curiosity about what's out/new right now, and without an urge to shop. And it gets easier every day.

I'm already a minimalist, just not an extreme one, and if you're also a minimalist this may all sound like a no brainer. But I'd say it's impossible to fully grasp until you get here. Just wanted to share.

There are those who stay the course and they share their epiphanies and tricks and they inspire me. They give me strength .

There are also those who didn’t and they stumble. They inspire me too.

It’s amazing how often I get tempted in the day. But still here - still going strong!!

this year i'm doing a no buy and i've started learning german again too. i thought it would be fun to share my tips for learning a language with free resources, and of course if you have any tips please share them too! i'm very low on energy because of long covid so most of the things i do are more passive ways to learn the language!

• youtube videos. there's a lot of language learning videos on youtube, i really enjoy the channel easy german. it's also fun to branch out to things you would normally watch in your native language or in english - i've started watching some random vlogs about minimalism and slow living in german.

• watching series and films, using a streaming service you already have. my favourites on netflix so far are liebes kind (a psychological thriller, mini serie), love is blind germany, queer eye germany and some german nature documentaries. depending on your level of understanding you can use subtitles in your native language or in the language you're learning

• read the news in the language you're learning. i read a bit on the website of der spiegel every day. i definitely don't understand every word, but from context or looking up the words i learn a bit more vocabulary!

• listen to music in the language you're learning. you can try translating the lyrics as a whole, but tbh i just listen every now and then for a bit more language immersion.

• subscribe to subreddits in the language you're learning. i found there's a bin ich das arschlog subreddit (am i the asshole in german) which is now my favourite!

• podcasts, either specifically for language learning or just podcasts about things that interest you

• set the language of a game you're playing/apps you're using/your phone to your target language

some things i don't really have the energy for personally but think would be good too

• find a language buddy, someone who speaks your target language and wants to learn your language

• keep a journal in your target language

• find free ebooks or audiobooks in your target language

i do think having a tutor or jouning a course might still be the most efficient way to learn a new language! but these are some things that might help if you want to see what you can do on a low budget :)

I'm doing a no buy February. I know one month is not a lot, I just want to slow down my consumption for a while and see where it goes. I shopped a lot in January and also sold few things on Vinted, and honestly, I'm tired. Tired of managing packages, tired of the waste, tired of making decisions. I also spent a lot of money.

I'm not gonna buy any clothes, skincare or haircare this month (clothes being the biggest issue). I also want to just stop any shopping behaviors like endlessly scrolling online stores and adding things to my wishlist.

Instead I want to focus on the things I already have. Today I started digitally cataloguing my wardrobe on the Indyx app. I'm like 80-90% done.

Main takeaways so far:

• When searching for pictures to use for the app, I went through all my online orders from the last 4-5 years. It seems like at least 50% of all the clothes that I bought is already decluttered. I don't even consider myself being very into trends or rotating things a lot in my wardrobe, this was all done in the name of "finding my personal style". I decluttered only few pieces here and there, but now, in a few years, half of it is already gone. What a waste of money!
• I'm kinda happy with the stuff I have now, even the pieces I bough around 3 years ago. I really hope it lasts and that I won't declutter them in a year.
• Seeing all my clothes in this way really inspires me to create new fun outfits. For example, I have lots of nice pants and skirts, but in reality, I usually put on some jeans, pick a top to go with it and call it a day. I'm not being very creative and I hope this app can help with that!
• I already see a few (luckily not too many) items that will probably be decluttered as well. They stand out to me as not being that cohesive with the rest and I also don't feel very excited about creating outfits with them. Good news is I don't feel any need to replace them with something better, I'm pretty okay with using the other things that I have in that category instead. I feel like decluttering usually helps me with being more content with my wardrobe, even though I'm making it smaller. But it still sucks that I still make some mistake purchases.

If I feel like I don't have many opportunities to wear the "fun" outfits (because most of my "outings" is walking my dog or grocery shopping - I work from home) I'll try to create them! I wanna go on more dates with my boyfriend (or any, really) and go see my friends more.

Also, I want to think less about the "stuff" in general (even though I realize this post doesn't sound like it). I want to spend more time reading, watching good movies, cooking amd excercising. I also really want to go to a gallery this month and look at some beautiful things that are not products for me to buy - for a change).

Lastly, few ideas that help me curb my shopping:

• "Remember when you wanted the things that you have?".
• Thinking about all the hussle that is part of the shopping experience - deciding on an item, researching, deciding on a right size (the worst), waiting for the order, tracking the order, the time spent going to pick up the order, unpacking it, the usual subtle disappointment (that the new thing is in fact just a piece of clothing and nothing more and the fact that you don't actually look like the model on the website), putting all the trash and tags away... now if something is wrong, here comes the returning process - folding it, packing it, going to a post office/pick up point, tracking the return, hoping nothing goes wrong, checking your account repeatedly to see if the money is already there, etc etc
• Thinking about your favorite pieces of clothing and the fact that the more you have in that category, the less you'll wear the favorite one. Thinking about stylish people having their style "uniform" or signature style and how that goes against constantly acquiring new pieces.

What about you? Are you doing a no buy in February? What do you want to focus on?

I started a 30 day no buy in the middle of January and it is not going very well to say the least.

But tonight I saw a shift in my thinking that I’m quite proud of.

I used to be the kind of person who would shell out a few dollars here, a few dollars there for random things like digital downloads, stuff for video games, or brushes for Procreate. I actually bought some Procreate brushes a few weeks ago which I was disappointed in myself for.

Today I picked up my Switch and played a game I hadn’t played in months for a while. The urge to spend a little money (~$6) to access someone’s in game assistance was strong.

I thought about how little I’d played over the last year. I thought about all the things I have to do this week and recognized I picked it up today because I called out of work ill. I talked to my wife about it who had the same reaction: WHY?

And I closed the tabs I’d been looking at, set my phone down, and kept playing my game.

Six months ago I wouldn’t have hesitated to just buy it. I wouldn’t have even told my wife (not that I hid things but it wouldn’t have occurred to me to discuss it with her) and just done it.

I think that’s a win, in itself, even if it only technically saved me $6 :)

Granted - My December spend included a lot of things I couldn't avoid like a trip as part of a wedding celebration, xmas presents etc. but I really fell into the consumerist trap in December where I felt like I could just 'let go' and I'd already spent so much so I didn't really bother tracking or spending mindfully.

I'm a little salty about how much attending a wedding costs though, because the outfits, travelling etc. are really adding up. My main strategies for January were

-finding other hobbies to occupy my time (I used to scroll shopping websites/social media incessantly which made me want so many things)

-shopping from myself first - I did a small inventory check to really take note of stuff I already have and all the undone craft projects etc. so everytime I was tempted to buy something, I'd just go back and see how much I bought that was lying unused

-Really being mindful of the 'small treats' I allow myself like cabbing, sweet drinks etc.

I spent about $90 this past weekend and was feeling kind of down about it. However, I realized that none of the spending actually breaks the rules of my no-buy. While yes, spending no non-essential money at all would have been better, here is where I spent that $90:

• a local vegan lunch restaurant
• a local antique shop (bonus bc secondhand! Also partially for a Christmas gift next year)
• a local non-alcoholic bar
• a local ramen restaurant

And 3 out of the 4 didn't bring any new items into my home. I also got to spend some time with friends.

I need to make sure I don't get so caught up in being strict that I don't notice the progress I am still making. Amazon hasn't gotten any money from me, and that's still a win in my book!

I went full in this past month and really stuck to tracking no/low buy days versus days where I made purchases from my red categories. I also did my best to track my overall mood/health to see any patterns. My resilience is down for sure when I am sick (and I spent most of the month being ill from one thing or another). But I managed to do a lot better than I thought.

https://preview.redd.it/0g1bqiyevyge1.jpg?width=2297&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff64228d3a45b8669f2e5c1c52db0264de0a89fe

I also compared all my extraneous spending for January 2024 versus January 2025. I tracked the following categories (which are typical problem areas for me): coffee/snacks; take out; beauty/hair; and shopping (which covers clothing, shoes, homewares).

January 2024:
Total spent: $774.87
coffee/snacks: $60.00
take out: $116.00
beauty/hair: $306.00
shopping: $293.00

January 2025
Total spent: $473.52
coffee/snacks: $32.42
take out: $60.28
beauty/hair: $204.00
shopping: $176.82

Overall, I made great progress. I even managed to put away some money into savings. I'd like the total this month to be even smaller. I know I can do it, I just have to keep reminding myself of these small wins.

I’m slipping a little, I can feel the shopping troll 🧌 telling me to shop.

It all started with my Amazon gift card…. Long story short my best friend is a makeup artist. And I never thought to ask her to do my make up or what makeup is best for me and my skin. (Last time I bought makeup I just picked by the ratings at Sephora, I have very little care for makeup, most of the time I wear none) But hated almost all of what I bought. I showed it to her and explained why I hated it. I also spent $200 on all of it (before my nobuy) I was floored on the products she used, and her “holy grails” that made me look alive again. (I’m getting ready to go back to work after 18 months of maternity leave) All together I spent $64 to replace the items I didn’t like and I used a $50 gift card I’ve been saving.

But now I keep going into Amazon and seeing other things I want, like I wouldn’t mind an eyeshadow palette even tho the ones I own are fine, I would love a new make up bag, even tho the one I own is doing its job.

I was doing so well, and I didn’t take into account the step back in strength I would feel after using a gift card. It’s like my body got that dopamine hit after a long time and went wild.

I’ll be taking things min by min until it passes. Good luck everyone! Some days are hard, we will make it through it.

• Destink

It's perfectly fine clothing. I try vinegar and some odor cide and extra strength athletic wear detergent. But I'm just going through the day sometimes I will realize something I'm wearing has gotten stinky. I'm tempted to trash it as I find it. I had a shirt I've tried to get the stink out of 3 times already and...it still stinks

Also thinking of using a timer to remind me to stick things in the dryer...for the future

https://preview.redd.it/5mwlxaialtge1.png?width=1052&format=png&auto=webp&s=14ed8d8ea380e26eb0f909774cfcf676077704a1

Here is my messy record keeping for January! I did okay. If my napkin math is correct I spent $97 on nonessentials, which is better than I have before. Biggest expense category getting 'fun' food out ($56), which I don't really regret since I only did this 4 times during the month.

The orange day I bought something on my red list (notebooks)... and justified it to myself by saying I wanted work notebooks (easy date format, cheap, I don't get attached to them) and not fun notebooks (which I would be sad about using for work reasons).

I wrote down things I wanted to get instead of buying them. I recently moved to a new apartment and I'm having the biggest itch to get some decor items for my walls... I've been thinking of going to a thrift shop and seeing what I can get for cheap, with the caveat I only buy things I really really love. I had a couple things bookmarked on etsy, but they're expensive and likely drop-shipped. Trying to hold strong against the plant temptation!

Overall I could be better, but I'm not super upset about the first month.

Hi, I need to join. I need to figure out some realistic guidelines going into 2025.

I need to accept that 'popping into target' isnt happening. That 'wandering around TJMAXX' is a horrible idea.

What is OK- i have gift cards for starbucks, I'm totally allowed coffee treats with gift cards. I have LOWES gift cards and that should cover household cleaning supplies etc for 6 months or so.

I dont need clothes, I have casual office clothes and weekend clothes. If its a really good mark down i might pick something up. I don't need much right now. I'm going to need several pair of sandals. Its hot here and sandals are worn all the time.

FOOD: I have zero idea how to budget for food. This is what brought me here. I have celiac and a couple food allergies. Groceries always run on the high side and convenience is important. I do like to bake but again, convenience. So I'm more likely to pick a packaged back mix vs going 100% from scratch.

Medical is costly. I can't just stop medication or dr's appointments, health insurance is insane. Dental and vision is the same- RX is a mystery.

My downfall is books, (and yarn). I love to read and I tend to buy most of my books, i try to wait for buy 2 get 1 free. I do utilize the library as well.

This feels like so much 2020 all over again.

NOBUY 2025 wasnt planned and I'm a more than overwhelmed right now

❤️ red light:

• makeup, clothes, jewelry, perfume, bags, accessories, skincare, nail polish

• doordash (except for 1x/week)

• eating out alone

• new hobby hyper-fixations (i.e. journaling, coloring, etc.)

• tattoos

• outfits/things i think i need for attending wedding & san diego trip

💛 yellow light:

• exact replacements of skincare & makeup items as long as i dont have any other in that category

• 1 diamond art (must finish all projects first)

• 1 woobles/crochet (must finish all projects first)

• one piercing for my bday?

• 1-2 sports bras & leggings for running

💚 green light:

• social outings/date nights

• home decor purchased with husband

• basic necessities for us & pets

• experiences for san diego & planning (i.e. dog boarding)

• doordash 1x/week

• for every 10 trips to the gym/run, can buy one item under $50 or save $50 towards one item on wishlist

————

i’m starting right now to may when i go on my trip. i’m feeling anxious and not excited at all to be honest. i have some packages coming so that usually tides me over but this is going to be hard 😩

Hello! I recently found this sub and have been looking for it for a while. I kept searching no spend instead of no buy. Well now I feel silly.

But anyway I have been shopping at thrift stores, game shops, comic book shops as a way to entertain myself. Even when I'm with friends we'll go shopping.

Now that its a new year and new month I decided to make some better habits. I want to do more free things and get rid of stuff. I've been checking out Little free libraries to donate books and have been leaving things on my work free table.

Anyone else doing a no spend Feb?

I have some rules because I enjoy selling things. If I spend $100 and make a $100 selling something then can that count as a no buy? Ideally I'd like to sell and not buy anything so I can pay myself back for last years spending.

Also I'd like to pick up more free hobbies and enjoy what I already have.

So January went pretty well, I was able to save over $800. I didn't buy anything that was unnecessary (minus a couple of Christmas gift cards to get rid of and even then I tried to use them in ways to help me be more sustainable). But I have also been struggling with depression (medicated) and I realized last night that I absolutely HAD to force myself to clean out my cats' litter box because it had been way too long. I felt so bad for neglecting that chore. I had been thinking about a litter robot for a long time, but I never wanted to spend the money. I got scared off of knock offs due to cats being injured/killed by the mechanism. So at 1am last night I decided to purchase the litter robot 4 (mark of an impulse buy lol). I did use a referral link for $50 off but it was still $700. I guess my question this morning is should I go ahead and return it when it gets here? I do actually feel like it will improve my and my cats' quality of life though, so I am really torn. Part of me says what if I swear off coffee runs and take out foods that I had previously allowed this month to make it up?

ETA: I have no doubt that seeing my "successful" numbers for last month encouraged me to go for this purchase. Ugh. This cycle is hard to break.

I did a decent job with the low buy in January but there were three essential things I bought and every single one either arrived broken or quickly broke after one use. One of them was a smart lightbulb that I spent a couple of hours trying to get to work myself, and then dealing with the manufacturer’s chat bot and then a live chat, just for them to confirm it was faulty and I should send it back to the retailer. So now I have to waste more of my time packing it back up and going to the Post Office.

It’s really made me think about how the poor quality of most things we buy now, and the customer service we receive when there’s a problem, is actually not worth it. It makes me not want to buy anything ever again just to avoid the hassle. Even best case scenario when you order something online and it’s great you still have the packaging to dispose of, which is a chore, and it’s so wasteful. I’m sick of waiting in for deliveries, and sick of waiting again when they’re inevitably delayed, all for something that may turn out to be a piece of crap.

It’s actually making it easier for me to carry on the low buy. These companies don’t deserve my money and giving it to them just creates more work for me.

The political news is coning fast and furious, and making my anxiety rear its ugly head, so I've been not so on track the last couple of days (I'm an emotional eater, and fast food is one way that I cope), but one thing I did do last night was "shop" my parents' house (which used to be my grandmother's) for some new (to me) plates and bowls.

I've been using a set of melamine for a long time, and had read about how it was bad for hot food, since plastic off-gasses when it's hot. I never used them in the microwave, but even just putting hot food in/on them can do it. So I decided to get some real plates and dinner bowls, but I didn't want to spend the money. My grandma was a yardsale shopper, and collected lots of random dishes, so I was able to get some of her old bowls and plates to use. My parents are hoarders, and they're drowning in both her stuff and their own, so at least I was able to lighten the load a little bit. My melamine plates and bowls are still in good condition, so I'll be donating them to a thrift store.

Still fighting the good fight! I'm not giving up.

Okay. So, I'm a prepper. Not a doomsday zombie apocalypse prepper. I'm more of a "pay attention and prepare for emergencies" prepper. I blame growing up where hurricanes happened and living through a financial crisis (2008) and a global pandemic (2020, duh). I prep financially by having an emergency fund and physically by having a few months worth of food and supplies stashed at all times.

I budget for my preps. And I was doing fantastic on my no-buy. My budget includes $225 a month for discretionary spending and in January I only spent $20 of that! I was doing so good...until this weekend. This tariff nonsense has me stressed. I literally blew $150 in one day yesterday stockpiling/panic buying.

I'm trying not to beat myself up about it. But I think today I'm going to take an inventory of what I already have. Not just prep stuff but stuff stuff. I truly don't need anything. But man the psychological aspect of buying shit is just insidious. I need to recognize when my anxiety is overwhelming me and remind myself that more stuff isn't the answer.

I recently started journaling and decided to focus on two major goals for this year: reach my target weight and get my finances in order. I have specified what those mean and how I can achieve those goals. I’m finally in a position where I can save some money and build a financial buffer. The best way to save money is to not spend it.

Last year I started a no-buy and focused on things I wasn’t allowed to buy for a certain time. It really helped me to be more intentional about spending and realize what I have and need. This year I’m taking an extra step and trying to have several days where I don’t spend any money at all, including groceries. Last month I made a habit tracker for these no-spend days and things like exercise and eating fruits and veggies. It feels good to challenge myself this way and try to build a streak, plus I’m much more mindful about spending. Do I really want to break my streak today just because I want some chocolate? The only exception were automated bills like insurance and rent, but other bills I needed to pay manually weren’t. I’m changing that for this month for several reasons. 1. I have no choice, I have to pay those bills like city taxes. It’s not my decision and feels unfair. 2. Once I do break my streak and spend even a little money, I tend to spend a lot more. ‘I don’t get to check off today, so I might as well…’

Do any of you have a similar approach? What are your experiences?

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 really lost control of my no buy in mid Jan. Had my 30th birthday and had a party (which I had accounted for).

But splurged and got my makeup done for it, and paid for lots of takeaway food when I was hungover the next day.

I've had an injury the last 6 weeks and it's finally on the mend. But being unable to exercise due to it has really thrown my mental health around and left me itching for the next dopamine hit.

Resetting now in Feb and already feeling much better.. I've rejigged my finances and set goals to make sure I don't overspend. Trying to really find some extra side hustle work to get my debt and savings back on track. Feeling excited to see where things go.

Hello everyone I am currently obsessing about a pair of earrings... I do not own any and saw some beautiful ones. Please deinfluence me from buying them 🥹