No-Buy Year ... Kind of?

 Hi hi~

I hope you're doing great and that your new year is off to a great start.

Since starting my New Year's Resolution to stop buying anything unnecessary, I've stumbled on a genre of YouTube called "no buy" content. Basically in a "no buy", people commit to not buying anything (or buying very little) for a determined period of time. I've been binge-listening to it and it's given me tips to deal with this new way of living, and even helped me to figure out where these compulsions to shop all the time are coming from. 

Here are some of the things I've started doing that have helped:

-Uninstalled my shopping apps. This one hurts my soul because I used to do online "browsing" as a hobby, but since uninstalling them (and Facebook!) from my phone I've found myself doing more productive things like reading the book I've been meaning to finish... though I do sometimes still pull up Buyee and do some scrolling.

-Leaving my wallet at home when I know I'm not intending to buy something. I walk everywhere so this isn't a problem for me, but if I needed the other cards and stuff in my wallet I suppose taking out credit/debit cards and cash would be a good substitute.

-Thinking twice, buying once. I am starting to ask myself- do I really need that item or am I just excited at the idea of it? Do I have something similar at home that I can cherish instead? Finally, will I regret this purchase when the excitement wears off? I know it's a ridiculous concept but I never actually asked myself these questions before. I used to wave my hand and say "It's just a few dollars"... It's honestly scary to think how many times I used my card without thinking about the price because it was under $10. These little purchases that I waved away slowly started to add up, and that's how I ended up in this situation. 

Since I've started these habits, I noticed some changes in my behavior, including utilizing the things I already own. When I'm caught up in the cycle of buying and searching for the next thing almost frantically, I forget to treasure what I own. I recently sent my violin to the shop to get repaired - something I've been intending to do for a while - and also got new batteries put into my old Pokemon game cartridges.  

I also went through and calculated how much I spend on my skincare routine (just skincare, not including makeup). I thought it was pretty interesting. I actually don't feel too bad about it, because it's not one of my worst spending areas (at least not in the past few years). 

Finally, I've been decluttering makeup products that have been sitting around unused for ages (or some that were expired that I was just hanging on to for sentimental value). My ultimate goal is to have a curated collection of items that I love and use.

Of course, you can't go a year without buying anything. I've decided to budget in one reasonable item that's not a necessity per month, under the conditions that it's not something I already own.

I've highlighted my problem areas with spending and identified exceptions. My biggest spending issue is with clothing, and I also buy way too much little stuff here and there, most of which I already own. Here is a little glance into what my personal No-Buy looks like:

Not OK: Makeup that I already own in a different brand/color    OK: Replacing makeup staples; a needed makeup item that I don't already have (Example: I only have one highlighter and it's a powder, which I've found is terrible on my winter skin. So I'm going to use my small budget next month to buy a liquid/cream highlighter)   

Not OK: Clothes, accessories, and shoes... seriously... OK: I do need to replace my sneakers once warm weather comes because the ones I have are ratty.

Not OK: Plushies and anime goods

Not OK: Home decor/candles... OK: Home supplies like cleaning chemicals, lightbulbs etc.

Not OK: Books and video games. I have an entire shelf waiting to be read and played first!!

I know these long, text-heavy pictureless blogs aren't the most fun to read. I just like sharing my thoughts and the recent developments in my life. It's been quite tough and a little scary to have such a drastic change, but if my post can help even one person, it will all have been worth it.

How are your new year's resolutions coming along?

Talk again real soon!

-Samii