This year went by so fast… In January, I was worried about how giving up ‘retail therapy’ would turn out. Now, 10 months in, I’m pleasantly surprised by how well it went. Granted, I had a few slip-ups, and not everything went according to plan, but overall I’m quite satisfied. Not the least compared to 2019, when I wasted so much time and energy (and also money) on online shopping. I’m glad I pulled through even after slipping up and feeling like a complete failure. Wonderguy has been rooting for me from day one and I’m thankful he supports me — even though he’s no fan of my book budget, thinking that 50 Euros is simply not enough 😄
Enough with the pleasantries, it’s already November, which means it’s time for my Low Buy October update. Let’s get started.
Preparing for a special day
Since my birthday is in early November, I refined my wishlist in due time so that IF someone would ask me about possible gifts, I was prepared. Something along the line of ‘yes indeed, I’ll send you a link’. Gathering further inspiration and looking for specific items from my wishlist, I was once again back to spending time (though no money) searching various online shops. This brought back memories from last year, when I spent days in front of my computer hunting down bargains, wasting precious lifetime and also money.
Scrolling through various websites and finding items that I liked, made me long for a time when a bit of shopping once in a while would be okay again. Because in the end, it is. No matter how much I would love to become a minimalist like the ones on Instagram and Youtube, I’m not one of them. I like having a certain amount of things to choose from — be it books, clothing, or washi tape (don’t ask!).
And that’s okay. It’s okay to own a certain amount of things and it’s okay to purchase something new (or pre-loved, for that matter) once in a while. Just not daily, impulsively, without a second thought. Keeping a wishlist and sticking to it helps. So does taking a look at what one already has. And I’m glad I’m relearning this.
Shop ’til ya drop — theoretically speaking
Looking at my closet and my wishlist, I kept in mind that I didn’t want to put any financial burden on the people I love just because I’m on a Low Buy. So whatever wish I had had to be practical and affordable. What kept popping up in my head that I thought I could make good use of? Things I couldn’t buy this year even though they had already been on my wish list for a while, like clothes or accessories. Eventually, I settled for two short cardigans (I only own long ones) and a bag I’ve had my eyes on for a long time.
As of writing, I already got the bag and one cardigan, and I’m delighted with both items. Yes, I already own more than enough bags. No, I didn’t NEED any of this. But as stated before, I’m coming to terms with finding my very own interpretation of what ‘living with less’ means for me. And it might be a tad more stuff than what I see on IG and YouTube. I’m still not sure what will come of it, but it may take more than just a few months to find an answer. Until then, I’m doing my best to stay in my Low Buy spirit … 🙂
So many books, so little budget…
Honestly, books were my weak spot AGAIN during my Low Buy October. Overdrawing my 50 Euro book budget for roughly 30 Euros, it’s safe to say I failed tremendously. What makes things worse, I didn’t even realize this until the second to last possible day, October 30. I simply forgot to keep track of how much I spent on books in October. This is a telltale sign I didn’t take my book budget seriously AT ALL…
To tackle this issue head-on and thwart any last-minute laissez-faire on my Low Buy journey, I decided to not buy any books at all in November. This isn’t meant as a sort of punishment, but as a financial and tactical counterbalance. Buying too many books by mistake does not support my Low Buy goals, so by not buying any at all, I will respect my Low Buy again. Does this make sense? I hope so 🙂
What’s up in November?
I got several birthday girls and boys in November, and though not all will get gifts, I still have to get something nice for a number of them. Therefore, NOT shopping won’t be an option, no matter my intentions. But apart from birthday gifts, I got nothing coming up in November, and since I also won’t spend time in bookstores, I’ll have a lot of time on my hands.
Working on my thesis is my main priority this month. I want to finish my first draft this year and I still got one chapter left, so I got some work ahead (technically, it’s three, but I plan to write the introduction and conclusion at the end of everything).
Thanks for stopping by! I hope everyone is getting through the current situation in the best way possible. Stay safe and take care!! 🙂