I didn't understand from the beginning when I declutter my things that I also needed to stop buying things. It was like a constant vicious cycle where I purged but kept bringing things in. It took many years before I understood that I had to change my buying pattern, change my behavior if things were to get better. I needed to stop consuming things I didn't really need, quick impulses, resale shopping, shopping just to shop, shopping with emotions. It is a dangerous thing when you trade on emotions because then it is doomed to be a product you will never use as your angry self probably wants something other than your happy self. I started to think through my purchases, for the sake of my wallet, the environment and myself. I started thinking, is this something I could use for a long time to come.
My no buy year As part of the above, I decided this year to try a non-buying year. I am now 8 months into it and I can say right away that I failed and I know exactly why I failed. Of course I have changed the pattern even more, I have thought about even more but it was more difficult than I thought and I will now tell you what I experienced.
My predetermined rules I had decided that I could buy things like soap, toilet paper, shampoo, yes actually all the consumables I usually use. I have found my favorites and very rarely try anything new so I allowed myself to buy what I usually buy in the form of that category. I also told myself that my kids wouldn't have to suffer through my no-buy year so whatever it needs, with emphasis on needs, I allowed myself to buy. It was all the other stuff that I wasn't allowed to buy, but that's how it went.
It started with the panties After a serious illness and treatment, I gained weight and that made all my panties too small and that in turn led to urinary tract infections. I needed to buy new panties but I had a non-buying year so how would I go about it. I stand with the scales, buy new panties and feel better or not buy new panties and stick to my goal? I had the world's anxiety and had to convince myself that I needed new panties and in the end I had to buy some because the panties that were too small were seriously affecting my health. The anxiety didn't go away. And even though I set up the rules that I would buy what the children needed, I got anxious when my son needed new gym shoes for school. I got anxiety whatever I had to buy and it drove me crazy but I don't give up I keep going.
Before the summer, I buy myself a small, cheap greenhouse to be able to grow vegetables on the balcony. It's something I've wanted for a long time. The vegetables here have been so terribly expensive so I thought we would save money in the long run if we grew our own vegetables. I had to regret it later when the plastic on the greenhouse broke in several places and the plants didn't want to thrive in there either. I threw away the plastic yesterday as I prepared for the fall invasion. A failed purchase which clearly shows the importance of thinking first, doing research and thinking quality before quantity. We all make mistakes sometimes, so do I.
The further into the summer we got, the more I realized what the problem is. Now I stood here and both of my bras (the only ones I own) were torn, only had 6 odd pairs of socks left and my favorite pants were getting so worn out that there were holes in several places. So what did I come up with.
I figured that since I'm a minimalist and have cleared out so much stuff, I don't have a layer to take off when something breaks. I have two bras, when they break I have to buy new ones because I have no stock. When my 6 odd pairs of socks break even they have to buy new ones as going barefoot is not an option for me due to nerve damage I have in my feet. I realized that no matter how much anxiety I get, I have to buy new when what I have breaks. I have no stock of extras.
So, in summary, what did I learn? I look up to anyone who has a no buy year and manages to pull it off. I had hoped to implement mine but it has not worked out. However, I have become aware of other costs as well that come as a result of certain purchases (more on that in another blog post) and I have become more cost conscious. I've learned that it's easier to do this if you have a stockpile of things at home, so when you've declutter as much as I did, it becomes more challenging when there's nothing to use instead. It is more beneficial when you have to shop to buy quality because it often leads to buying fewer things. Investing in a more expensive thing or 10 cheaper ones of the same kind is the choice you have to make. If you want to reduce the number of things in your home, it is more beneficial to think before you buy something, even before the purchase decide where the thing will live, spend some time looking for facts first and then buy quality so that what you actually choose to put money on lasts longer. I also realized how much, for me, anxiety lies in money and things. I can't say it's particularly healthy, but it makes me think first. Now I'm going to fight the last 4 months of the year and in the end to be able to see how much money I actually spent on all the things I didn't want to buy this year.
Are you planning to complete a non-purchase year or have you already completed it? If you managed to complete one, I really want to know how you did it, what your rules were and what you struggled with during that time. Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments.
