Do I want it? No. Do I need it? No. Save it!

[lemonlime]

Logging out of all my shopping accounts and deleting my saved card in the accounts had helped with impulse purchases for me. I needed to change a couple passwords and wrote them down in my notebook but hadn't memorised yet. So being logged out means if I wanted to buy something, I'd either have to go through the trouble of logging back in, checking my password, entering my card info etc., or I'd just skip it, which was usually the case. I also don't keep shopping apps on my phone.

 

[coconochanel]

When it comes to food shopping I check my cupboards and fridgefreezer to see what I actually do need, that way I'm not buying things I already have then I write it down and stick to it. So this weeks shop should be about £10.

 

[Saddlesoap]

When it comes to food shopping I check my cupboards and fridgefreezer to see what I actually do need, that way I'm not buying things I already have then I write it down and stick to it. So this weeks shop should be about £10.

My husband is responsible for doing the online order and he's so bad for not doing this! At one point we had 3 bags of chips in the freezer! We only have chips, maybe on e per week

 

[hollowcrown]

Meal planning in advance of your weekly food shop is very handy.

I can get so carried away in the shop sometimes as I'm an avid cook, coming up with recipes on the fly and stuff and end up spending way too much money so keeping to just what I need is important.

 

[Geranium]

I’ve done no buy January for a couple of years and it’s always been really hard but good at the same time. I’m a terrible comfort shopper - if I’m sad I buy stuff.
And January/Feb are my worst months for being sad.
One thing that has really helped me to want less stuff is volunteering in a charity shop. The bags and bags and boxes of STUFF just pour in all day. Its overwhelming.
A lot of stuff we can’t sell either so we have to sort through it and then send the rest to recycling.

 

[Slothgang]

Love this idea and I have unintendingly not bought myself anything yet in January so I am going to see if I can stick to it. I have been decluttering and trying to minimise where I can but it is definitely an ongoing process. I am really having to look at myself and ask WHY do I feel the need to keep buying? I also feel like a crappy human being supporting these companies that pay their staff a non livable wage and then all the stuff ends up in landfills anyway. Have you seen the pictures of the mounds of unwanted clothes that people abroad are having to live amongst? Its honestly disgusting and I don't want to participate in it anymore. Follow the nobuy hashtags on Instagram is really motivating too. The only thing that I will not be cutting back on is buying books as reading is so so beneficial to my mental health and I really thrive on it but I will definitely be making more of an effort to go to the library instead. Excited to hear how everyone gets on

 

[hollowcrown]

Love this idea and I have unintendingly not bought myself anything yet in January so I am going to see if I can stick to it. I have been decluttering and trying to minimise where I can but it is definitely an ongoing process. I am really having to look at myself and ask WHY do I feel the need to keep buying? I also feel like a crappy human being supporting these companies that pay their staff a non livable wage and then all the stuff ends up in landfills anyway. Have you seen the pictures of the mounds of unwanted clothes that people abroad are having to live amongst? Its honestly disgusting and I don't want to participate in it anymore. Follow the nobuy hashtags on Instagram is really motivating too. The only thing that I will not be cutting back on is buying books as reading is so so beneficial to my mental health and I really thrive on it but I will definitely be making more of an effort to go to the library instead. Excited to hear how everyone gets on

More so minimalism rather than no buy, but have you got an e-reader? I've been considering getting one so that I can take my books to work without so much wear + tear, and also as I'm running out of book shelf space nowadays.

However that's got to wait until after January!

 

[MrsH14]

This is a great thread, I’m following it for lots of motivation and tips. I find having a huge clear out makes me not want to buy anything else, I feel a bit over whelmed with clutter and stuff at the moments. Im not sure if i’m allowed to mention but there are lots of good support groups for no or low buy on Facebook. I’ve found them useful too.

 

[Sunlifeover50]

I cleared my wardrobe out after Christmas and I was pretty disappointed in myself at how many beautiful clothes I have but never wear and yet I constantly seem to be wearing leggings and a hoody and look a bit of a scruff compared to my old self (I’m still always clean ). Ive definitely “let myself go a bit” since lockdown and can see how it could snowball. I’ve put on a stone in the last year that I’m desperate to lose too. We also need so much doing to our house this year I’m sure all the primark shops/ online orders will soon add up to helping towards that. Good luck every one

 

[Pesky Tarian]

When it comes to food shopping I check my cupboards and fridgefreezer to see what I actually do need, that way I'm not buying things I already have then I write it down and stick to it. So this weeks shop should be about £10.

I used to favour lidl/aldi but find i spend less doing click and collect as can review items and resist impulse buys. I aim for £1 per item so £60 for 60 items.
Obviously this is calculated as an average: 50p bag of rocket/1.50 pack of ham etc not a round pound. If I've spent more than I have items I go back Hope that makes sense!

 

[Slothgang]

More so minimalism rather than no buy, but have you got an e-reader? I've been considering getting one so that I can take my books to work without so much wear + tear, and also as I'm running out of book shelf space nowadays.

However that's got to wait until after January!

I don't have one yet, I have been considering it but I just love real books too much! I sell all of my books onwards anyway as soon as I have read them so the space thing isn't too much of an issue but I do spend a lot

 

[Northern northener]

So glad people are doing this. There will be big increases in the cost of living 2022. Emergency funds will come in handy.

 

[My2pWorth]

Check your library for electronic book loans and Amazon do a great selection of free ebooks even without any type of subscription.

 

[JLXRD]

Officially 7 days of no buy down

 

[nycinthesun]

I have been on low-buy since the summer. I employ similar methods as most people here it seems; unsubscribing from shopping sites, not saving my card to avoid impulse buys, etc. I'm not someone who likes having a lot of "stuff" anyway so I like to purge my closet twice a year by donating or selling things I don't like/use/or fit me anymore. I don't buy anything unless I've purged the thing that it would replace and also after I calculated cost per wear. Hoping I can keep this up long term and eventually get to no-buy. Good luck to us!

 

[123lee]

I’m sticking myself in here too - I really need to cut back on the spending this year. My main things are books, kids clothes and fast food. I work from home so it’s all too easy to buy stuff when I’m bored. So far this year I’ve brought no books - a big thing for me was the 99p kindle books as ‘it’s only £1’ but that adds up and any new books/book club books I’m getting from the library. I read a lot and I have a lot of books unread at home so I’m hoping that it will stop me buying new ones. Kids clothes I’m terrible for - they don’t need anything but I’m forever adding stuff. I’m going to cancel Klarna and my next account and that will hopefully help in that department. I’m also sticking the old stuff on Vinted and I’m going to browse there if they need anything before buying new. I’m also going to stop the fast food and just have takeaway once per week on a Friday . . . We still need some small treats

 

[lemonlime]

In December, I did a rearranging of my bookshelves and saved a couple shelves for only my unread books. It's very safe to say that even if I read well (i.e. 5-6 books a month) I still have enough to carry me through the whole of 2022, and I know I won't be able to do that. I'm kind of glad I've hoarded books so much over the past years. Book prices here have skyrocketed lately (I don't live in the UK), and ordering the books I'd want from the UK online comes with a hefty customs fee, so knowing that I don't even need to purchase a single book to keep me going this year is a comforting thought.

Took a cab to work yesterday morning because I was running very late, and I bought some groceries on my way home, but it was the necessary stuff only - apart from some prawn crackers. Call it a Friday treat I still have some more stuff to pick up from the greengrocer's but hopefully that's the only thing I'll spend money on this weekend.

I've had my eye on a Sims expansion pack but I've stopped myself and stepped away from it. I know I'd enjoy it if I bought it, but I have plenty of them already and not nearly enough time to play and explore to make it worth my while.

 

[PumpkinKing]

The only thing I've had to purchase was a nintendo online membership thing so I could save all our switch games progress before I took it in for repair, I was just going to buy straight from nintendo but googled first and got it much cheaper through cd keys.
On a positive note though I had to go into town to pick up a prescription and didn't go into any shops, which is unheard of for me, I always feel like I need to buy something.

 

[Sheabutter]

Definitely feeling no buy is bad for my mental health! I’ve been waiting for my new credit card to arrive and just letting things I need build up in the cart. I’ve definitely lost happiness points this week. Capitalism has hijacked my dopamine receptors

 

[Hodgies]

Check your library for electronic book loans and Amazon do a great selection of free ebooks even without any type of subscription.

I've made so much use of the Libby app which my council uses for it's library service. I tend to get more audiobooks and there's a great selection. I'm working my way through Harry Potter at the moment, I do end up having to wait quite often to either continue a book or get the next one but I've listened to loads of others in between.

I'm definitely on low buy, for all the tat and clothes that I just don't need and also for groceries as I have 2 fridges and 2 freezers full to bursting plus storecupboards groaning under the weight.

I want to go through all my clothes and get rid of stuff that doesn't fit or is wrecked or I keep just because it fits but I don't actually like. My husband and I have our clothes side by side and mine are constantly spilling out his look lost in the space

We are a family of 5 and do go through a lot of food but I could probably feed the street for a week on what I have in I have a weekly Tesco delivery and seem to just keep ordering the same stuff, spending loads and I'm stockpiling. Leftover from lockdown I think as so much wasn't available so I always tried to order 2 so we'd not run out.

I'm going back to work next month after being at home with the children for over 10 years and I don't want to fall into the trap of spending the extra money. Planning on squirreling away as much as possible and get some proper savings.