Let’s start with a short summary: In 2020, I decided to do a Low Buy Year, setting up some rules and at the same time providing my inner shopaholic with some loopholes — like a €50 book-buying budget. Although I failed a few times and wasn’t always satisfied with my efforts, overall I enjoyed my 2020 low buy adventure and I’m glad I undertook it.
Life after Low Buy. Not what I expected.
Eventually, 2021 rolled around and my self-imposed challenge was over. After several intense thesis workweeks in late 2020, I was more than ready for some good ole retail therapy. Planning to support local businesses, I aimed to hit the stores after the holidays. Only…this didn’t happen thanks to the current pandemic. We went into another lockdown on December 26, which lasted until recently, February 8.
Let me tell you, I was not amused. Obviously, a global pandemic is way more serious than my shopping needs BUT the government could have shown at least a bit of goodwill — just sayin’…
Jokes aside, I made up for it. Supporting local (and sometimes not so local) businesses, I burned through some money and now I feel in dire need to do another no buy 😄
Shopping my wishlist — and more
With the end of my low buy year approaching, my wishlist grew considerably. Not necessarily because I wanted to purchase everything from my list, but rather because I wanted to remember all the items that came to my mind. I had little time to think about anything thanks to work, so my wishlist became a sort of notepad for the mentally overwhelmed conscious consumer of tomorrow. I would deal with it when I had the time — in the new year.
And so I did. Some items lost their appeal after only a few days. If I wouldn’t have written them down, I would’ve forgotten about them for a good reason. Other things I was glad I remembered, thanks to my list. As the shops were all closed for weeks to come, I gave in to my urges and did some online shopping. On January 1, 2021, at 0:01 am, I went online and blew off some steam.
Honestly, I haven’t really stopped until last week. Life after Low Buy proves to be challenging.
Shop ’til you…stop
I didn’t shop a ton online during lockdown because — as I said before — I wanted to support local businesses. Some things I could get via click & collect in shops around town, other items I purchased online because I wouldn’t get them locally anyway — like my new Fjällräven Kanken in Brick, a color that isn’t ‘in’ anymore and therefore not in the shops, at least not where I live.
Needless to say, I also did some bargain hunting online. Having my wishlist in mind, I focused on stuff I had been interested in for some time. Even so, there were some impulse buys, though not too many, and thankfully I’m happy with the items I got. Still, that’s not what I had planned. Anyway, life is a journey and we never stop learning. And boy, some learning I did over the last two weeks since the shops reopened.
While it felt natural to stick to my wishlist when shopping online because I had it lying next to me pretty much all the time, real-life shopping proved to be less organized. Let’s put it that way: impulse purchases ruled, especially in bookstores. Spontaneous book buying isn’t much of an issue to me because books are always a brilliant investment, yet there was no need to buy ALL the books I found interesting ASAP. But hey, it could’ve been worse — it could’ve been contract killers…
The first week after the lockdown was rather intense since I didn’t know if the shops would stay open. Therefore, I tried to get everything I really wanted — books (obviously) but also some more plants, tools for some repair work, gifts for friends, and (fair fashion) yoga pants — within the first week. Accomplishing this idiotic goal, I remembered how exhausting shopping actually was. I had nearly forgotten about one of the many benefits I enjoyed during my low buy: time and energy for much better things than being overwhelmed by all the ‘shopping energy’ and so many people around me.
I felt drained.
Giving myself a break
So finally, seven weeks into my life after my low buy challenge, I’m ready to give myself a break again. For the next seven weeks — the exact same amount of time I have been actively shopping again — I will go on another low buy. Starting this week, February 22, until Monday, April 12, I will again follow the rules I followed during my low buy challenge last year. I will — again — grant myself a book budget of €50, though not for the month but for the whole seven weeks. Ideally, I won’t need it because thanks to my HUGE #tbrpile, I should have enough books to last me at least a few weeks, if not months (years?!).
Taking a step back already feels like a relief. Obviously, I’m still having a hard time finding a sort of balance when it comes to my shopping behavior. Granted, the recurring lockdowns and a feeling of uncertainty relating thereto have influenced my shopping. Wanting to do the right thing — support local businesses — while also sticking to my ideas proved to be too much for now. Maybe once the situation gets a bit more stable, FEELS a bit more stable, it gets easier. I hope so. And I sure as hell will find out 🙂
Anyway, welcome back to another low buy cycle. It didn’t take me long to get back to square one (or maybe 1.5). Let’s see how it works out this time. Hope you’re all well. Stay safe and take care!
Thanks for passing by, see you soon 🙂