So this month was not as quiet as I expected it to be. Living and ‘shopping’ under total lockdown until mid-month brought excellent results — I ordered two books online and, apart from that, all I/we bought were groceries and toiletries. Hence, my Low Buy April had huge potential. But spending so much (quiet quality) time at home and being the nerdy introvert I am, I found an outlet to pour a lot of energy and some financial resources into — my blog. I also transgressed my own low buy rules by buying some plants and something else. But more about that later.
First, we’ll take a look at the financial aspect of the month, then we’ll get to the juicy parts …
Where did most of my money go?
For the first time during this low buy adventure, I did not use up my monthly book budget. I bought two books which were 20 Euros in total and that was all. It seems that I’m getting into this “rediscover my (digital) shelves” mindset, at last. While I still have an ever-expanding book wishlist, I’m also getting back to the books I already own, digital as well as analog. I’m even thinking about rearranging my bookshelves into ‘read’ and ‘unread’ sections, but I’m not sure if this would be useful. If my frustration regarding my work situation gets any worse over the next couple of weeks, I might do just that to take my mind off the bad stuff… We’ll see.
Anyway, even with my slip-ups included (more on that later), I didn’t spend much money most of the month. But when I spent money, I did a helluva job. I upgraded my WP subscription to restructure my blog, bringing together my German and English sites, and retouching its appearance a tiny bit. Since I’m well aware that my personal and financial situation can change at any time, especially in the coming months, I opted to pay everything in advance so this area of my creative life should be covered for some time to come. I’m positive this is a good investment.
Apart from spending roughly 170 Euros on upgrades and the like, I felt like I was doing okay until I checked my account and realized that I had surprisingly little money left. I was shocked, feeling like I did months ago when most of my hard-earned money went straight into stupid purchases. For a moment. I feared that my perception of how much money I had spent was way off. Fortunately, after a more in-depth check of my account, I realized I had already put a good amount of money into my savings account, and simply forgot all about it. Hello, ADHD fuzzybrain, how ya’ doin’?
Oh, the guilty pleasures…again. My Low Buy confessions
Apart from efficiently hiding money from myself, I had two guilty pleasure purchases that I thought about for some time but eventually gave in to. I bought new sunglasses and three small plants during this Low Buy April — and while I’m happy, I also failed.
In my low buy rules, I stated I will not buy any new plants this year because we already got enough. Spending weeks at home, I realized that one can never have too many plants (or so). And since I killed one of our green friends, I decided to get some replacement(s). So I got a parlor palm, something I can’t pronounce let alone spell, and a lavender. Everything’s cat-safe and will hopefully be with us for some time to come. I also sowed basil, thyme, mint, and lovage, though apart from basil and lovage, I’m still waiting for a sense of achievement. Time will tell if my talent as a gardener suffices to season our food…
My sunglasses, on the other hand, are a different story.
It’s always sunny where I shop
I’m shortsighted and usually wear glasses and optical sunglasses. I hardly use contact lenses anymore because I got too lazy taking care of them. The thing is: face masks and glasses don’t go together, at least in my little corner of the world. My glasses fog up quite fast and I won’t see a thing, which is quite inconvenient. So I got back to using contact lenses again (a necessary/essential purchase) and — because I don’t like (bright) light — to ‘normal’ sunglasses (I would wear sunglasses at night if it wasn’t frowned upon by society).
I still have some normal sunglasses. One is a pair of classic Aviators (that I also got as optical sunglasses), and the other one is a pair I never really learned to love or even like. Though I like to dabble in the art of minimalism, I’m still maintaining some quirks, one being that I usually have two pairs of sunglasses to alternate between according to what I feel like wearing on any given day. While I still love my Aviators from Ray-Ban, I felt the strong urge to replace my other extra pair of sunglasses. And after some consideration, I did so, amid my Low Buy April, against any logic and better judgment. But at least Sunski offers replacement lenses, so if I break them or want something less flashy, I just get some new lenses and can still keep the sunglasses. I like that idea 🙂
Long story short: according to my low buy rules, I failed this month. Buying another pair of sunglasses was an unnecessary and nonessential purchase. I gave in to my wants and my habit of wanting to alternate between different sunglasses. I could’ve failed worse — buying anything clothing-related would definitely be a no-go since I own more than enough clothes. Still, in my low buy universe, these new sunglasses are pure luxury and therefore a huge slip-up. I bought something I wanted, even though I didn’t need it. I will have to do better in May…
My low buy plans for the upcoming month
As stated before, my current job situation is rather frustrating for various reasons. So I plan to save as much money as I can even though I earn less being on short time. So I will take a very close look at all my expenses and do my best to avoid spending more than necessary. To keep my eyes on the prize — growing financial independence — I will print out my low buy rules and put them somewhere prominent where they will remind me of my goal. With my ADHD “out of sight, out of mind” brain, I have no idea why I didn’t do this earlier.
On YouTube, Christina from styleapotheca talked about buyers’ guilt/remorse, how it took her days to unpack a new item and allow herself to enjoy it, and how the current situation can make it hard for some of us to stick to our respective goals. I haven’t experienced anything like this regarding the pandemic situation yet, though I’m all there for the buyer’s guilt.
Fellow low buyers out there, let me know: is the current situation making it harder for you to stay on course? Do you feel anxious and/or overwhelmed and feel the want and need to purchase stuff more urgently? And if you do, do you feel guilty about it?
Thanks for spending time with me, hope you are fine. Stay safe, stay healthy, and take care! 🙂