Well, well, well. Hello 2020.
This year, I have some big goals but the largest one looming in my mind is my No Buy Year. I have a problem- I shop and spend far too much and my husband and I are trying to accomplish some things in our lives where my spending habits are directly undermining our efforts.
I guess I should start at the beginning. I, for a very long time, engaged in a lot of retail therapy and I had some very unhealthy attitudes towards my spending. If I had the money (or almost had the money) then I could “afford” whatever stupid thing I was eyeballing. If I was bored, I shopped. Had a fight with a boyfriend, I shopped. Felt a little lonely after moving to a different state, I shopped. I spent all the money I had. I had no savings and no plan. I’ve done this all my life even as a small kid when I routinely conned my sister out of her allowance money so that I could buy even more Barbie accessories. And really, none of this changed until I got married and suddenly, my finances weren’t just my problem, they were Michael’s problem too.
But, I had a lot of…emotional baggage…surrounding money. Talking, or even thinking, about money sent me into a full blown panic attack. I don’t why the thought or the concept of personal finance scared me so much but it did. And I had so much guilt and shame and embarrassment wrapped around how I spent my money that I couldn’t even talk to Michael about it. And this went on for years, I dragged my feet on joining our finances together once we got married (we’re still working on it) and I generally buried my head in the sand about anything related to our finances.
But you know, at some point, I looked at myself and saw the 30 year old mess that I was. And it wasn’t fair to Michael, my family, or myself. I had healthy habits in every aspect of my life except for financially and it was beginning to really come back and bite me.
So last year, I began to take some steps to finally get a grip on my money and my feelings surrounding money. You know, stop letting the Man and advertising control what I do with my life. That sort of thing. I’ve gotten a lot better over the past year- we actually made a budget, I did Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University through my job, and we paid off one credit card and we only have one more to go. I can, mostly, talk about money and be ok. I’m learning about business accounting so that I can take that job on for the small business that we run. There has been a lot of progress and I’m ready to take it to the next level. I’m ready to do a No Buy.
And because I’m insane, it’s not a no buy month or few months, it’s a full year. Start the decade off with saving my money, paying off our debts, figuring out what a need is vs a want, and learning to be ok with wanting something and not having it. I’m excited to be resourceful and creative with the things that I already have. And really, I have everything I need already. I have more than I need. I have more than I even want and I feel like I’m drowning in Stuff. Do I need a fancy wooden bowl to hold walnuts on my dining room table? No. Of course I don’t. Do I need more fabric when I have the materials to complete 4 different projects already? No.
Now, because no rule exists without exceptions, I do have some things that are ok to spend on. I’ve read and watched a lot of other people’s guides on no/low buys and these rules are going to look different for everyone. Like I am prioritizing experiences over material objects. Personal growth and development are really important to me. I don’t want to not have a life for a year- what’s the point in that?
My No Buy Exceptions:
- replacements of products used
- experiences (museums, the movies, travel, etc.)
- work related expenses (we own a small business and things will have to be bought or made for that, there’s no way around it)
- birthday presents/gifts (for other people)
- fitness related items (not clothing/shoes) (my yoga studio fee, bicycle repairs, etc)
- education (classes, courses, seminars, etc)
- 2 haircuts/trims for the year
What is not OK (ie: I have way too much already/it’s super unhealthy):
- fast food
- eating out (other than special occasions)
- clothing, accessories, shoes
- new things “just to try”
- stationary
- home goods
A secondary goal, related to my exceptions, is that when I do need (and need is the key word) to buy something that I take the time to DIY it or try to find it on sale. Basically, make an effort to make it as affordable as possible. This extends to events as well, I’m going to start taking advantage of the reduced/free tickets to things I can get through my job and start looking into what free/cheap things my city offers. I’ve lived here for a long time and have barely explored it.
I’m excited. I’m ready. I already want a new pair shoes.