My Low-Buy Year So Far & Why You Should Start One
As we happily (or somewhat happily) greet the summer weather, I can’t help but to stop and think about the fact that the year of 2019 has passed by rather quickly.
Much sooner than I imagine, we’ll be ringing in the new year, with new aspirations, dreams, and goals for how we’d like 2020 to be.
If you’re anything like me, these aspirations were lofty, like reading fifty books in the year, show up more for myself, family, and friends, and take a little break from overspending on things I didn’t need.
Although I doubt I’ll make it to that fifty book reading mark (I’m a terribly slow reader), I did end up focusing on my latter two goals. Surprisingly enough, one came easier with the other.
Maybe your goals looked something like mine or maybe they were wildly different. Nevertheless, I’m here to tell you about my sometimes great, sometimes failed mess, very timely and trendy: No-Buy / Low-Buy Year, thus far.
Hey, maybe next year you’ll even decide to embark on the same journey.
My “Low Buy” Start
Like many people just reaching their mid-20s, I started to come to the realization that I was using social media and my trusty electronic devices more often than what would be considered healthy.
Another thing I began to realize is, I am a normal human being who can’t say no to great marketing campaigns.
So while one goal was to spend less time on social media and more time in the real world, it ultimately led me to a journey about learning just how much media was influencing me to buy things I just didn’t need, or couldn’t afford.
Sure, I have to thank minimalist influencers for explaining to me what a “no-buy” or “low-buy” year meant in the first place, but once I got the general sense from its very literal name, I was able to do the soul searching and general learning on my own.
If you’ve never heard the term before, it’s relatively self-explanatory. It’s a period of time, of your choosing, where you decide to not buy anything that isn’t a necessity.
Obviously, this excludes things like rent (too bad), utilities, groceries, and most importantly, your experiences. My guidelines where simple. Unless I truly needed something, I choose not to buy it. This meant physically:
- Not purchasing clothing, shoes, or accessories unless I needed to replace them. Gifts and repairs were okay in my book.
- Not purchasing bath and beauty products. Unless I needed to replace something very specific, I promised myself I’d use the pile of things I already owned.
I took it to another level by using this principle of a low-buy year on other parts of my life:
- Not spending all my time (which is sort of like money) on things that didn’t improve me. Meaning I choose to spend less time consuming all types of media that didn’t make me feel great afterward.
- Not buying into the need to use my phone and other devices when I was around loved ones.
- Using my small, but increased income (thanks to no longer spending my hard-earned money on wasteful items) to live life to the fullest.
How Has It Been & Why You Should Start One
With the trend of minimalism, the goddess Marie Kondo, and no-buy years taking hold of 2019, it was easier than I thought to make not spending a new habit.
Thankfully, this trend is one that not only creates betterment in so many lives but because its a phenomenon, there is an incredible support system of others also working through their time and economic spending habits.
It gives you the hope that if others can do it, why not you? It’s even more fun to see the various “guidelines” that people set up for their personal no-buy or low-buy periods.
The most impactful bit of information I’ve taken away from my time being mindful about my time and money is, mindful spending has been around forever, well before the trend took over.
From RV and tiny home living to other environmentally sustainable lifestyles. There are a million and one ways to decrease your spending, downsize what you own, and press the refresh button on your life. I’m not perfect.
Sometimes I slip up on what I purchase and the “why” behind how and what I spend my time on, but I know more now.
I am ultimately more careful and thoughtful about my time, energy, and efforts. So maybe next year I will make it to fifty books.
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Category: Family Finances
