Christmas is NOT my time of the year. And this year was no exception. It’s stressful, most people are highly irritable, and it seems to be all about shopping, shopping, shopping. Bigger, better, more exclusive. Not that I’m any better just because I don’t do Christmas – there’s still Black Friday and any other day to shop ’til I drop. And slowly but steady it’s getting too much.
I need break. Offline AND online. First and second hand.
I’m not a shopaholic in any traditional understanding (I only buy what I can afford and more often than not even have some money left to put aside) BUT I sure as hell have established a nice little retail therapy routine within the last year that is neither healthy nor desireable. Therefore I want to give it up again before it becomes alarming and consolidates its full habitual strength (I’m an ex-smoker, I know what I’m talking about). In the end it’s not only a waste of precious lifetime but also money and more often than not I end up discarding or re-selling the stuff I bought because I already have more than enough.
For several weeks now it feels like I’ve reached a sort of climax and need a nice clean cut to head in a new direction. While looking for some inspiration regarding possible new directions I came upon some very inspiring YouTube videos (which I will share with you in another post). As a result – and because I appreciate the overly dramatic symbolism of a well thought out New Year’s resolution – I decided that as of January 1st, 2020 I will embark on my own Low Buy Challenge for the next 365 days. And to create a feeling of responsibility towards myself and others, I will add a #lowbuy category here on this blog to write about it along the way. Hopefully.
No Buy? No, Low Buy
Contrary to others who start a NO BUY journey, I prefer to call mine a LOW BUY year, even though I plan on not buying any shit I just want but don’t need. To make this easier and more structured – YES I tried a few low buys before and it went not that great – I will set up some rules which I will explain in my next post (as well as the exceptions to it, i.e. my monthly book budget). Main thing is that I will not buy anything new except replacements and things I really NEED and not only WANT. Apart from groceries I will replace the following items/categories only when needed:
- – Medicine
- – Beauty/skin care products
- – Stationery / office supplies
- – Plants (there is a slight chance that I killed our bamboo – if that’s that case we definitely need another plant in its place, no matter if low buy or not …)
- – Fabric and wool
As you can see I did not mention clothes, shoes or backpacks/bags. That’s because I do have plenty of these and there won’t be much need to replace an item (except for a pair of black sneakers and a leather jacket, but I may find these items even before 2020). Instead of shopping for clothing, I plan on sewing (knitting) more. Since I’m no experienced seamstress it will take me longer until I ‘get’ something new but I appreciate items I’ve made myself much more because of all the time and work I invested – though I often make a stupid mistake along the way and the result looks like something most people wouldn’t even use as a cleaning rag. Well, it’s called “challenge” for a reason.
Nevertheless, with some inspiration and support from the low buy and minimalism community on YouTube, Instagram and all over the web I will navigate through rough waters while discarding old habits. In the spirit of Signe Hansen’s (useless.dk) hashtag #2020wehaveplenty let me tell you that I do indeed have plenty and intend to make good use of it for the coming year.
Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Let’s see what will happen – next year.
P.S.: Of course I will continue to write about books – after all I hope to read much more once I stop wasting my time…so bear with me while I try some new things and rediscover my bookshelves 🙂
