Let's talk NO-BUY years
The No Buy trend has hit, and it has hit HARD for 2025. Who wouldn’t want to hit ‘pause’ on shopping, reset your spending habits and declutter your home, all to have more time to focus on what really matters.
A No-Buy Year is a way to reset what is important to you and where your own blocks come up when it comes to spending. So, how do we do it?
How to start not buying:
Decide on the length.
Sure, you can go hard and hit the NO BUY 2025 button and for all of 2025 focus on spending on the essentials.
Or decide on a length that feels challenging but attainable like a month, a quarter, or a 6 month challenge.
With the rise in the minimalist trend and intentional living, 2025 might just be the year that makes this no-buy thing possible for you.
Set clear not buying rules
• Define Your No-Buy Rules: What you can and can’t purchase.
• Set Clear Goals: Why are you doing this? Financial goals, mental clarity, sustainability?
• Track Spending Habits: Use a budgeting tool to identify problem areas.
• Declutter Before You Begin: Start fresh by decluttering your home.
• Create a No-Buy Support System: Tell friends, find online communities, or start a challenge group.
make it easy
I know that you’re probably reading this on your phone or if you’re at your computer you’re probably not jotting down all these notes - just click HERE for the download and make life easier. (Which is what this whole year is going to be about!)
I even went one farther, here are downloads specifically for:
No-buy 2025 for the Crafter
No-buy 2025 for the Make-up & skin-care girlie
No-buy 2025 for the one with the overflowing closet
No-buy 2025 for the Athlete
No-buy 2025 for the Entrepreneur
And the general No-buy 2025
What’s on the no-buy list?
Generally speaking we’re talking about the non-essentials. Things like clothing, home decor, new tech gadgets, and impulse buys.
Now, instead of being the type of article that says, “HA OKAY - now go figure it out, thanks for your email!” I’m going to give you some real hard TO-DO’S (so you can see how awesome my emails are going to be).
1. Remove all of your credit card info/apple pay/ Google pay from your Amazon account and any other impulse driven websites.
This will reduce your spending because it will buy you a few extra minutes to think, “do I want to get off my couch, get my wallet, type in all of those numbers, etc.” You’d be surprised how often those extra steps make spending hard.
Which leads me to,
2. Make spending hard.
To break a habit we have to make the habit challenging. So put up road blocks. If your weekly hang out with your friends is browsing boutiques, find a new place to walk around, hit up a work out class (hint: type in “free first class [your city]” into google and see what comes up!)
3. Remove temptation by cleaning up your social media. If you’re finding yourself influenced by certain content creators, unfollow or mute them till the end of your no-buy year.
4. Take out cash. Give yourself a cash budget every week and use your cash for non-essential purchases. When you physically give cash you’re seeing the money leave your hands and you’ll notice a different feeling than when you tap your phone or credit card.
5. Plan for alternatives to spending. Nothing works without a plan (I’m a Virgo - can you tell?) Imagine wanting to have some fun this Saturday and you didn’t make any plans. What would happen? You’d end up sitting on your couch, scrolling through social media, maybe watching some tv or doing some chores. Fun needs to be planned and so do your alternatives to spending.
Things like:
Eventbrite - search “free” [insert what you’re interested in]
DIY projects
FITon Workouts (these are fun to do with your friends using google meet)
Hikes
Be a tourist in your own city
stay motivated
It’s funny because usually when you do something that feels like an accomplishment you would go out to celebrate in some way. Reward yourself with a treat… which costs money.
So now the question is - how can we close the loop on not spending with a dopamine kick that doesn’t involve pulling out our wallets?
- Post on social media, if this isn’t what you thought I was going to say - well, good.
Social media is a dopamine sinkhole and if we use it for ourselves that’s exactly the way to use the tool as it’s been intended. Your friends, your family all want to congratulate you on completing this challenge. Letting them into your story and allowing them to shower you with praise is going to feel great, and doesn’t cost anything.
Same with your IRL community. Share it with them! That’s why they’re there!
And of course, you’ll have your DOWNLOAD where you can keep track of all your days of no-spending.
Check-ins.
After a week, after a month, after a quarter, etc. Sit down with yourself and check in. Was there something you really missed out on? Was there something that you splurged on? Was there something you regretted buying? Look back at your wishlist items and see if you still feel the same way about them as you first did.
All of this is of course, HERE.
And if you’re ready to take the next step - join the 31 day declutter challenge. Really simplify your life.
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