Before deciding to start my Low Buy 2020 Challenge I went on YouTube and watched videos by Hannah Louise Poston about her No Buy, Christina Mychas (formerly “style apotheca”) about her Low Buy, Signe from useless_dk — who created the hashtag #2020wehaveplenty —, and Hailey Evans 2019 No Buy, amongst others, for inspiration and to get an idea of what I actually want to do – low buy, no buy, a whole year, just a few months? Besides, my Low Buy adventure also needs rules, and I’m thankful for all the ideas I got from my fellow Low and No Buyers.
Thanks to Signe I realized early on that a complete No Buy year would very probably set me up for failure because in the end I wouldn’t be allowed to buy a single book for a whole year (yeah, I know, I’m such a drama llama when it comes to books…). That’s why I granted myself the luxury of a 50 Euro book budget every month. My main objective is to rediscover my bookshelves and read what I have — so best case scenario would be to save additional 50 Euros every month — yet if I absolutely HAVE to get a certain book (maybe even for professional reasons) I can buy it without breaking the rules of my Low Buy challenge and feeling like a total loser.
Another thing that became clear early on was that I needed set up some rules for myself if I wanted to suceed in not buying anything I don’t need. I’m a grown-ass woman and intellectually capable of grasping the basic idea of a ‘low buy challenge’ BUT the issue may get a bit more complicated over time and I know I have to give myself some guidelines to follow so I won’t start bullshitting myself … Thus, I did some research and voilà – THE rules! 🙂
My Low Buy 2020 rules:
1) I will not buy any new clothes, bags, backpacks, or shoes. Nothing. I got enough stuff to get me through more than just a year and I will make use of it.
2) I will keep track of my spending to keep my eyes on the prize, i.e., see how much money I save by not buying shit I don’t need. I will do so by tracking my expenses in my bullet journal because apps simply don’t do the trick for me.
3) I will buy replacements WHEN NEEDED. This includes groceries, medical items, skin care products and toiletries, household goods, stationary/office supplies, plants (as stated before I might have killed one of our green friends …), fabric, and wool. BUT: I will buy this only WHEN NEEDED. I will not accumulate a collection of notebooks, deodorants, or candles as long as I got enough of it and don’t need one specific item. I will use up (or discard) what I own before buying anything new.
4) I can sew or knit something new if I want to BUT (again) I will use the fabric and wool I have at home before buying anything new. Only then am I allowed to buy materials for one new item per month. In doing so I want to train my patience by actually making something myself — which takes much longer than simply buying it — and also create a sort of appreciation for clothing in general. Garments don’t grow on racks, they are made by someone and it takes time and workmanship to create a piece of clothing. So why not take a step back and do it myself — I got the equipment but lack skills and patience, so this promises to bring lots of fun.
5) I will only have two take-outs per month at the max.
6) I have a book budget of 50 Euros per month. Since book shopping has never been a problem in the first place, I want this one thing to continue ‘as usual’. However, I will not spend more than 50 Euros — if something is too expensive, it has to wait. So I have to think hard about which books I really want and which ones I put on my wishlist.
7) I will buy gifts for others or spend money on shared experiences. This includes vacations, lunch/dinner/coffee dates, and trips to a museum, the zoo, or the like. Since I’m not a huge socializer to begin with, it’s not like this is something that happens three times a week. Usually, I have a fortnightly lunch date with a good friend of mine as well as the occasional coffee date with friends or family. I couldn’t afford vacations for several years not only for monetary reasons but also because of mental health issues. That’s why I don’t want to cut back on traveling for this Low Buy challenge in general, nevertheless, I will focus on the experience and not on the shopping opportunities when up and away. In the end, it’s not like I’m flying across the globe every few weeks …
8) No IKEA, no mugs, no home decor, and the like.
9) No video games. I will use what I have.
10) Whenever I see an item I want to have I put it on my wish list. Having and (pretty much) curating a wish list will give me an understanding of the things I want compared to what I actually need. It will also give me the certainty that even though I may not be able to buy it now it will not be forgotten and can be bought in a few months/weeks’ time.
My main incentive is to save some money. I was good at saving money when I had none – it’s time to get back into that spirit. Because the only thing worth spending money on is time for yourself … at least to me. 🙂