I had a busy week, so here comes my Low Buy June recap in early July. I officially made it through half a year of conscious consumption and thrifty spending — yay and hooray! 🙂
The main thing is that in this low buy challenge I’ve found my way back from wasting my precious time and money on shit I don’t need to think about what I really want to spend my time and energy on. So far I’m happy with how things are going.
But how was my Low Buy June? Did I stick to my (book) budget? Did I save some additional money? Did I resist the post-/in-between-Corona offers all around?
Let’s take a closer look.
Save your local bookseller
For the record: I slipped up. Not dramatically, and not with ‘bad’ fast fashion retail shit or anything, but with books. I exceeded my 50 Euro book budget by about 9 Euros. Usually, I buy second-hand books, often from Amazon sellers because a) it’s second-hand, which is always a plus in my book, and b) this way I can get more books for less money, meaning I’m getting the most out of my book budget (or my money in general).
But this has changed, at least for now. I hardly bought second-hand books online since they lifted the lockdown because I want to support our local booksellers. Most provide an excellent in-store pickup service so that online book shopping got much more sustainable. It’s usually even faster than ordering the same book on Amazon, which is another benefit of shopping locally.
Long story short, apart from two books for a friend’s birthday, I bought three new books and spend 59 Euros in total. Two of those books I bought to support the #blackoutbestsellerlist challenge created by Tracy Sherrod from Amistad, and the third one is a highly anticipated book on green living that just came out at the end of June (in German).
And while I’m still rediscovering my bookshelves (and ebooks), I’ve already read (and love) all of my recent acquisitions and am thrilled with my purchases.
Saving money like a pro…
I read no books on budgeting and money, so apart from Anna Newton’s tips in An Edited Life, I know little about how to budget efficiently and save money. Since I’m on a low buy to reset my habits and get back on track with consuming more consciously and sustainably but not because I’m in debt or anything, saving money has never been the main issue of my low buy adventure.
Until Covid-19.
With the start of the lockdown and home office, they put us on short time and further issues with the management arose. Without going into detail, it’s safe to say that many of us were/are not ‘happy’ with how the situation was/is handled. Also, we could still lose our jobs within the next few months, so it’s a wise move to put some money on the side.
Which I did from the beginning of this year, and even more so since March. In that respect, Low Buy June was an excellent month as well, even though I exceeded my book budget. I’m being a bit more careful about my everyday spending, mainly groceries and such, and do my best to keep that low. I haven’t been to a restaurant, café, or bar since they reopened, and that too saved me some money. Also, during the lockdown, I started to eat more mindfully regarding my histamine intolerance. Keeping a food journal and finding out what I tolerate and what not helps me save additional money on groceries and food since there’s a lot of stuff I shouldn’t eat (regularly) right now…
What’s up next?
One word: vacation! At present, most of Europe’s borders are open, making it possible for us to actually take our planned vacation in Italy. Seven days at the beach — after all that was going on the last few months, I’m craving some time away, no work (and related issues), no thesis, just Wonderguy, me, and our books. So far, everything seems safe. If it stays that way, we will leave at the end of July. Thanks to early booking and my low buy, I can afford this week at the seaside despite short-time, pay cuts, and job insecurity. And even though current circumstances are far from ideal, we will make the best of our days on the beach, glad that we can enjoy this luxury!
Hope you’re all safe and well! Take care, and no matter what, I hope you have a wonderful summer. Thanks for stopping by 🙂