Celebrating 7 months of successful no-buy :)
Hi everyone, just wanted to make a post to commemorate making it through 7 months (started in December '25) of my no buy year! For context, I'm doing a replacements-only no buy. Spending on experiences and dining is allowed within reason, but I don't allow myself to buy new clothes, makeup, skincare, homewares etc. unless its a replacement of something I regularly use.
I previously attempted a no-buy year early last year, but failed and gave up after less than two months. This time around I'm feeling much more committed to making it to a full year and after these 7 months I can say this is one of the best decisions I've made in a long time.
Compared to 2025, I've reduced my spending by $600/month on average from Jan-Jun this year, with most months closer to $700-800 below (last month I spent more due to travel and replacing my phone that broke, bringing up the average). Starting my no-buy has also made it a lot easier to stick to the habit of budgeting and I've grown more serious about my finances. I've even managed to add $5000 to my investment account this year.
The main reason I started my no buy, though, was not financial, but to gain mental clarity--to free my mind from spending so much time thinking about shopping and "stuff." Honestly, this habit has been a lot harder to kick than the habit of actually buying things. I still find myself scrolling online shops when I'm bored/sad/procrastinating a lot more often than I'm happy with. I'm sure there's been some reduction in the time and mental energy I spend on shopping, but I'm hoping I'll see even greater changes by the end of this year. Perhaps I need to do something more proactive on top of my no buy to see these changes.
For those of you who have done long no-buys, or even completed a no-buy year, have you observed your shopping behaviours (e.g., online window shopping) and desire for "stuff" decrease in a meaningful way from when you first started?