I Did a “No-Buy” Month

Here’s what I really, really wanted to purchase.

Aug 29, 2022

At face value, the proverb “money can’t buy happiness” makes sense. Money cannot buy genuine friendships or true love. It can’t buy more time once it’s lost. Although, I do think, in a narrower sense, that money can buy peace of mind. Security and safety. It’s a privilege to know that you can pay your next month of rent. Money can buy time-saving services that allow you to do what you love. It can buy higher education. It can open doors previously closed off. What the proverb is really getting at is the idea that material possessions do not grant us a deeper, lasting sense of joy.

With all that being said, I love material things. Some people invest in great cookware or an expansive record collection; I spend my money on fashion and beauty. I know the hit of dopamine I get when I click “Submit Order” won’t last forever. A lot of the time, the journey to find a great piece to add to your wardrobe is where the fun is really at. I love finding a cool vintage t-shirt or buying a new blush that brings life back to my face. Nothing beats putting together an outfit with new pieces you’re excited about.

But my shopaholic tendencies have gotten carried away. At least for me, I find that living in New York makes the capitalist pressure to stay up-to-date with trends even more weighted. It’s easy to get swept up in all of that.

So last month, I subjected myself to a “no-buy” month. If you don’t know what a no-buy is, it’s a practice in which you only allow yourself to spend money on the essentials (ie. groceries, rent, prescriptions) in order to get on track financially or assess your relationship with material goods.

A no-buy period looks different for everyone, whether it’s the length of time or what the individual considers a superfluous expense. My rules looked a bit different than most. I allowed myself to have life experiences like eating at restaurants, going to concerts, and buying an iced latte here and there. Truthfully, I needed to target the root of my problem – clothing and makeup.

I went the whole 30 days with zero needless clothing and makeup purchases. Okay fine, almost zero purchases. That might not seem difficult for some people, but, oh man, when you have to let an amazing vintage piece that you may never see again slip through your fingers in the name of a no-buy, it’s hard. But overall, it was surprisingly freeing.

Since I wasn’t buying new clothes, I naturally looked to mend items I already owned. During a night out, the outsole of my favorite black boots fell off. Instead of buying a new pair, I took them to a cobbler and got them fixed and shined for $15. With a combo of some baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and Dawn dish soap, I removed relentless deodorant stains from my white t-shirts. This nearly $300 Danielle Guizio piece was calling my name, so I bought the materials from Etsy and made a vibe-adjacent skirt myself for ~$30. Are you picking up what I’m saying? It pays off to give your items the effort they so deserve.

At the end of my no-buy month, I reviewed my wish list and…I don’t even want half of the items anymore. This challenge has given me some space to think about my purchases. Do I actually want platform flip-flops, and can I see them as a part of my long-term personal style? Or do I just want to be trendier than the next person?

Since my no-buy concluded, I actually haven’t bought anything new yet. If I want to make a purchase here and there, I will. There are a few high-quality staples I would love to invest in, but I definitely no longer see myself wearing platform flip-flops in the long term.

With all that being said, here is everything I loved enough to write down in my Notes app – whether I buy them or not.