Why I’m Choosing No-Buy 2018
I’m no stranger to the pull of minimalism; I went through a purge of my belongings in 2014, embraced the 100 Thing Challenge since 2015, flirted with the idea of a tiny home or living in an Airstream, Derek Shepherd-style, and have constantly been mesmerized by the idea of a capsule wardrobe and owning fewer things that I love more (instead of many things that I only like). I suppose I was able to thrive with so little on the road because I’d been trained to live with less. It was easy to wear the same clothing everyday, but I could tell my brain craved a sprinkle of variety. Having lived out of essentially one t-shirt for the bulk of 2016 and early 2017, I was eager to freshen up my wardrobe upon my return to regular life. It was going to be a fresh start: no longer sporting the bum-athleisure-backpacker look, I was going to appear normal at last!
And so I went on a bit of a shopping spree; first in Japan, picking up four new tops all at once, quickly followed by a pair of high waisted black jeans, then deciding I needed a summer jacket for SF, a winter parka for Chicago, tights for dresses in the winter, a pair of black booties so I wouldn’t have to take off my riding boots going through TSA, plus winter accessories such as a balaclava mask. Not to mention all of my skincare hauls; my 3-item sunscreen-olive oil-moisturizer routine rapidly expanded into 1 facial oil, 2 watery lotions, 1 AHA, 1 BHA, 1 clay mask, 1 FTE, and 5 packages of hydrocolloid patches. Looking at this summary, which captures all of my major purchases during the year, it doesn’t seem like THAT much, but I still feel like I’m spiraling out of control.
As 2017 came to an end, I’ve noticed this habit has gotten much worse: I found myself spending a terrible amount of time window shopping online, endlessly browsing catalogs and bookmarking items that I tricked myself into thinking that I needed. Ignoring the dollar amount spent for a moment, I am more concerned with why I have this self-cultivated need to shop. I think I’ve pinpointed it down to two reasons: I’m rebelling against my single t-shirt wardrobe and we’ve “nested” into a single spot, thus becoming less mobile. I think much less about the weight of my possessions when I’m not carrying the weight of them everyday in a backpack. And on my last trip, I used a carry-on suitcase. *gasp*
In the spirit of New Year’s Resolutions, I want to nip this habit in the bud. So I placed my last online order on December 29 (I did say that I was bad, right?) and resolve to make 2018 a no-buy year for our household with the following rules:
- No new wardrobe (clothing + shoes + accessories) additions. If a core item needs to be replaced (the only things I can think of that would fall into this category would be my black tights and my Inov8s), then I can replace it.
- No new skincare products, unless I run out of one of my core three (sunscreen, cleanser, moisturizer). I don’t foresee that happening any time soon.
- Consumables are fine as long as not made in excess (i.e. if I’m on my last box of floss, I’m allowed to go to Costco and pick up another 6-pack).
- No new gadgets. I’m terrified I will succumb to “gadget acquisition syndrome”. Again, if my primary phone or laptop stops working, obviously replace it, but I don’t need a new pair of Bose QC20 headphones no matter how much I want one — I have 3 perfectly functioning earbuds in my stash. And I definitely don’t need an Amazon Echo Show to eavesdrop on everything I say.
- Freebies are allowed, but in moderation.
I also don’t trust myself at all to last the entire year, so I’ve added all of my usual online shopping sites to my list of blocked websites and unsubscribed from all retail email ads that have been coming through. Removing temptation is half the battle; the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” comes to play here.
So far, it’s been 10 days into the year and I’m still on the wagon! Only 355 more days to go :)
