No-Buy Year: Overview, Rules, and Goals

I recently divulged to the Your Day by MK Instagram stories, that I will be participating in a no-buy/low-buy year. I had been toying with the idea for a couple months now, and as 2020 was approaching - it seemed like the optimal time to start. As I was explaining to the internet, many of you had questions since I’m sure this seemed like a pretty crazy thing to set as a New Year Resolution. I will admit, that yes it’s a lofty goal, but who doesn’t love a challenge?! Now that I’ve retired from frisbee, I need something to curb my competitive spirit. To anyone also embarking on this challenge - Cheers!

What Is a No-Buy Year?

A “No-Buy Year” or a “No-Buy X” is a period of time in which you do not purchase items besides what you need and not until those items are already consumed. For example, you of course can spend money on rent and food, but maybe going out to eat is no longer an option. Or for example, toothpaste can be purchased but only after you’ve used every option of toothpaste you already own - this includes those travel sizes hidden in your linen closet.

Every “No-Buy” experience is completely custom to the challenger. Some people thrive off of hard and fast rules, like they simply can not purchase anything whatsoever. Some, like myself, have adopted something closer to a “low-buy” mentality, where I’ve given myself a budget for going out to eat and other life experiences like the shuffleboard league I’ve joined, however some items can no longer be purchased, like candles. This is where knowing your “why” is really important.

Without having a clear reason why, it can be hard to come up with rules or even motivation to keep going. Some people are trying to pay down debt, some are saving for a wedding, some are hoping to be more mindful with their items. Which brings me to my why.

My Why

I originally got the idea to do a no-buy because I had noticed a friend say she had ‘finished’ a pen! Howwwww does one finish a pen?! Then I really thought about it and realized I have hundreds of pens, and here I am purchasing more and more pens because I walked into Walgreens for toilet paper. She then documented that she had finished a candle…again here I am with 5 candles unused in my office drawer with 3 others on the desktop.

My why: To be more intentional with the items I already own and to feel more in control of the money I spend.

Saving money will be an added benefit, however I already save a healthy amount each month and then give myself a bonus at the end of the year when I realized I’ve underpaid myself - which I do intentionally. I don’t use credit cards to spend more than what I have - but rather to gather points and I do my best to take the free route when possible. But in the past year, I’ve noticed I could be better and not feel as wary about what will be coming out of my bank account.

Making Rules

Once you have your why, start to come up with rules that will address this goal. My rules try to address that I do not want to accumulate items I already have as well as items that frequently make me question “how is my credit card bill this large”. Thus, saying goodbye M&Ms, candles, and books. These are the real rules I have in my notes app on my phone and I am always adding to it. After making these rules - I made a strict budget for my month.

My Rules
-Food and essentials for living are allowed but can only be bought when everything else runs out. I will be making couscous meals for a long while. Fun fact: I haven’t purchased LaCroix in over 6+ months, I was always gifted them but don’t drink them daily.

-Clothing (since evolving style), must want the piece for more than 3 weeks and find uses for it. Then, must buy it on sale or secondhand. No new workout items unless they are for health like insoles for marathon.

-Your Day by MK can not be compromised for no buy, however - personal office items do not apply to Your Day by MK

-While buying groceries, one-off items can not be bought (aka candy and random snacks)

-No buying books (must borrow, or get library card)

-Can buy things if given a gift card

-Gifts can be purchased but must either be shopped locally, secondhand, sustainable, or DIY. Try to gift experiences before things.

-When I move in with Willem, all items that are an investment for our apartment are allowed, but practice caution on knickknacks and trendy items

-Willem can not buy items “for me”. It can be a gift but not because I’m doing a no buy year. 

-Can not go out for food if it is something I can feasibly make on my own, except for events/birthdays aka no more Jimmy Johns.

-Can not purchase coffee unless with a gift card or it is a preplanned event - like a business meeting - however try to go to The Wing for free coffee first.

-If I can take public transport or bike, do so

-No buying Notre Dame things

-No more random bags of M&Ms

Items that people frequently ask about are experiences. After I made my rules, I made a strict budget which is helping me feel more in control of my money and I included going out to eat and experiences. Since I work alone and Chicago food is so amazing, I will not be saying no to experiences and opportunities to enjoy my pals. However it is budgeted - so my shuffleboard league and the transportation to it is budgeted each month. Eating out is given a strict budget of $50. I am not a casual drinker - so this can be up to 3 meals a month while drinking water. These rules and allowances do require a lot more planning, but that’s right up my alley.

Set up

To prepare - I looked at my credit and bank statements. Looked at what I spend my money on and made a strict budget. I prioritize saving the same amount each month from the get go and then if there’s extra left over HUZZAH. The budget feels the most freeing because I know exactly what my money will be going to.

Next, I made two different spreadsheets. One is a meal plan schedule. For meals, Willem and I enjoy eating dinner with each other every night and have expressed wanting to meal plan better but never had a jump start. Now, every Sunday we will look at our week and plan out if we’ll even be home for dinners and what we want to make and eat. We’ll buy groceries that day and presumably not need to buy more groceries during the week.

The second spreadsheet is an item tracker. I went through our linen closet and categorized all the items we have stuffed in there and tried to organize them a bit better. Turns out we have 3 huge bottles of ibuprofen. I shared it with my sister since we live together, and now instead of buying a 5th box of bandaids, we know that we have 4 boxes waiting for us at home. Ideally this will keep me accountable of items I know I already have and won’t waste money getting more of them. I will also make a tracker of my clothing, books, office items, and more as time goes on.

Lastly, I told as many people as I could. I told the internet via Instagram Stories and I even reach out to those I want to hang out with and let them know I’d like to plan times to hang out far in advance. This way I can build it into my budgets, know I have things to look forward to, and will have people to keep me accountable.

Update 1 - January 8, 2020

So far, I’ve spent money every day except one day. All of the items purchased were planned but could not be purchased all at once. For example, I wanted to buy feta cheese for our meals on Sunday but Trader Joe’s was out of the $3.99 (vs $7.99) when we went shopping so I went back yesterday to purchase it when it was back in stock. I hope once I have a better rhythm, I will have more days that I spend $0.

I’ve also biked to all of my meetings since it has been pretty warm for winter. My parka makes biking that much more comfortable. I’ve hosted many a meetings at The Wing (since I have a membership there) because they have free drip coffee and showers I can quickly rinse off in after my bike ride there. The New Year free workout classes and resolution stuff is really nice so I’ve done a few free spin and yoga classes, but this will quickly fade away and I will be back to my gym.

To be honest, not much has changed yet. I am already a pretty frugal person. I expect in the months to come, I will feel the biggest change in the control and awareness of my money. Even though I very rarely spent money, I always knew I was ok and didn’t think twice. Now it will feel nice to know how every purchase fits in with my budgets.