I don’t plan on updating on how my no buy is going every week. However, I’ve heard that for some people the first couple of weeks is the hardest as you squash that urge to shop to alleviate feelings of stress, out of boredom, or out of habit. But so far, for me, it’s been pretty great.
Outside of replacing a few staple products- my hair creme, conditioner, and toothpaste- that I ran out of I haven’t really bought anything else. I’m keeping a wishlist in my planner which lets me jot things down as they come to me and gives me the space to evaluate if I really want that things anyway. And so far, I generally don’t want it after a day or two.
One area where I have struggled, significantly, is eating out. I managed to get my shit together enough to bring lunch for two days (I was off for the first week of January) this past week. I did some creative mind games to justify why Chinese food wasn’t actually fast food (and I mean…it was veggie fried rice) one day but the rest of the time I ended up buying soups or salads from the grocery store next door during my lunch break. Overall, it was cheaper and healthier than going out for lunch but it’s not optimal. I have beefed up my stash of work snacks to include more healthy and filling options. I’m keeping almond milk, tea, cereal, nuts, and oatmeal in my desk now which helps when I get super hungry throughout the day.
Food is going to be the biggest struggle during my no buy. I can already tell. Michael and I like going out and exploring new places and sometimes, when we are both exhausted from a long day, it is so hard to muster up the energy to cook. Or worse, go to the store because all we have on hand is 5 types of beans and rice and we’ve already had rice and beans 3 days this week. And then cook. One day, at the end of the work week, I was well and truly about to lose my marbles and we got a taco box from Taco Bell for dinner. It’s been tough. Far tougher than not buying a new shirt or stopping myself from popping into Marshall’s on my way home from work.
Interestingly, the only time in the last 2 weeks that I’ve felt that familiar “oh that thing that person has is so nice and I’d really like one, I wonder how much they are, it’d be really nice and would make me feel lovely” feeling that generally leads me to go shopping was at brunch with my mom and sister today. I tend to do a lot of my shopping with them- general errands and fun shopping with my sister and thrift store shopping with my mom- and I think there was a part of my brain that recognized that dynamic and tried to sink into it. But once I stopped to think about it, “do I really need another pair of slippers?” and realized, that no, I don’t because I already have 3 pairs and rarely wear them, it was fine.
So, my plan going forward is to tackle the food/cooking situation. I think I have to tackle a few other problem areas before I’ll see a big improvement. Like, for example, my digital consumption. I’m spending too much on Reddit and YouTube and it’s eating up all of my available time away from work which includes time to cook and prep my meals. So, to address that, I’m adding a digital detox to my list of things I am doing to get the most out of my life. That began today and let me tell you, today is going by so slowly.