my best no buy advice, tips, and recommendations: how to have a successful no buy or low buy in 2021

I did a no buy for like 8-9 months last year and it was the best thing I ever did! Now as of sept 1,2021 I’m doing a 5 year no buy. For 5 years I won’t buy anything. My plan is to save 800 a month and by the 5 years I’ll have 50,000 dollars. 800 times 12 is almost 10,000 and if I do that for 5 years I’ll have 50,000 dollars. :)

I had a no buy year in 2018. Halfway down the year I got divorced. I bought myself a new place. It felt quite absurd that I had been doing a no buy and then made one of the largest purchases possible 😅 And I had to pay for the moving services, and a few new things for the new place. Not like replacing or upgrading, but a bathroom cabinet because there was none. Or a new sofa, because I couldn't keep the old one, it was too big for the new place. Things like that. So, sometimes its a pandemic that changes the parameters, sometimes it's a divorce, or some other unexpected life event. All we can do is plan for the situation we know of, but be humble and kind towards ourselves when they change.

I have been doing no buys and low buys for three years straight, (off of social media) and this is one of the best vids I’ve seen on this topic. Great video, very insightful!

Great video. When I did an inventory of my closet (clothing was my main shopping addiction/problem) I was disgusted with myself. For example, I own almost 50 different jackets... I do live in a city where there are 4 seasons, but my closet was excessive and overflowing! The shock propelled me into committing to trying a no-buy on clothing for 2021. I have also decluttered a lot of old clothing items that I haven't worn, because many I haven't touched in over a year. And I am trying to learn to be happy with my current collection, and to not desire more. I can also relate so much with you on makeup and the project pan thing. I own enough makeup to last me at least another 5 years without buying anything lol. After trying a project pan for half the year I realize that makeup lasts soooo long.. I have committed to not buying make-up unless they are replacements for things I use every day (i.e. new mascara/eyeliner when they run out).

Honestly, starting a no-buy has been great. For the past many years, I've been trying to curate my closet, by asking myself a lot of questions before buying stuff and I regularly would purge it, but somehow I still seemed to always have a shitload of clothes! I realized it's because everytime I purged, I would buy new things to take up the donated clothes space. Having a no-buy clothing wise has 1) saved me time (don't need to spend time shopping or purging) 2) saved me money 3) finally made me able to quit fast fashion, since I have the money to buy premium stuff on the rare occasion that I need to replace pants or something (combined with trying to learn to sew) and 3) made me fall in love with my closet! Not having new stuff I "want to wear" all the time, has really made me able to use and love the clothing I already have - because I bought it because I loved it!

Thank you. I'm doing this in 2023. I'm in a ton of debt and that needs to stop. I don't have that much stuff (I barely have any clothes 🤕) , but I spend a lot on eating out and online shopping, especially books. No more ⚔️ I need to build my very small capsule wardrobe this month and that's all. I'm really excited!!!

I like the idea of doing inventory - assessing what you already have, to discourage yourself from buying more. Will definitely try this

I have just been introduced to the concept of a Depth Year,which emphasizes a deeper relationship to the things you already own,which I will do this year after a 4 month No Buy. Seems like a healthy and positive way to really own your possessions. Great tips!

During the pandemic I took stock of all my bills and I was horrified. 150 bucks on family YMCA, 150 bucks on Pure Barre boutique gym, 45 bucks on corporate gym, 40 bucks a month on Wall St Journal subscription and 100 bucks a month on coloring my roots. Gave it all up - almost 500 on things I don’t have or do today

It’s lovely to here that your past videos not only help your viewers but also are a good reference for you to reflect, how nice!

I so appreciate you addressing the emotional aspects behind spending, and creating a pathway if we aren't perfect, but still want to try. That's a powerful avenue towards change.

I am starting a NO BUY year because of a health issue in November which was thankfully paid for my health insurance. It only cost me 300 euro , 200 for the doctor 's payment and 100 euro for the hospital. Now i am undergoing therapy which is paid for by my own pocket and it has so far cost me a fortune. I have always saved money though i spent a lot of money ONLY on clothes which is my passion. I am on an extremely low income but thank God i have my own house and i don't have any debts. I decided to stop buying shoes , clothes, make up for this year until i have put back all the money i have spent on my health. This incident was so eye opening. I dread to think what would have happened to me if i didn't have health insurance or if i didn't have any savings. I am now watching as many low buy videos as i possibly can to get inspiration.

wow i learned so many incredible tips from this video thank you! the stuff like inventory, tracking your trash, unsubbing/unfollowing accounts that trigger your desire to want and buy….so many good things to think about and implement!

Thank you for sharing this Shawna! I know this was posted a while ago but I definitely needed and wanted to listen to what all you had to say! For me I’ve pretty much told myself makeup wise I can’t buy anything in that category unless I’ve used it all up. So I started a project pan about a year ago so I could track my progress and force myself to use what I have. There are certain products and categories I’m not the greatest at using. Sure makes me wonder why I bought it in the first place! Trying to minimize my makeup and skincare one step at a time! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to watching more of your videos!

I’ve been watching countless videos of this and this makes me super inspired. I just sold some clothes today and got a little money on the side that I’ll save and will continue to sell stuff. I work from home and it makes no damn sense to have a ton of clothes because I wear loungewear everyday 😅 I’m using up my clothes that I have, body spray, lotions, footwear .. you name it. For my budget I’m prioritizing more on grooming and experiences instead like hair salon visits, manicures and travel, movies, fun stuff. Those things I can’t hoard and will create memories 🎉

Most helpful one ever. I need to stop spending money on crap. I am grossed out by my walk-in closet. I have to rotate my walk in by season. A clear sign I have too much. Thank you again. I’m going to follow your tips

Great tips. I budget, don’t have the money for it..and i still buy it. It’s hard

I have a beauty budget that I track monthly year round, combined with "no-buy July", which is kind of like a Meatless-Monday-harm-reduction approach. The rule is to buy nothing beauty-related for four consecutive weeks, starting in July (I have given myself leeway on the start date in years past because of lipstick day, but I've still been able to meet my goal). This year I was dismayed to see the number of things I bought during the pandemic, so I made a spreadsheet and I'm looking at each category to establish some no-buy parameters while I work to use stuff up in the next year.

This video is absolutely amazing. 2020 was my first no-buy and, up until december, I am really proud of how well I did. My only real impulse purchases were things for my then-2-year-old because all of our activities (play group, swimming, music class, library reading, another play group, mall trips to play there, parks...) got cancelled and I was just at a total loss and overwhelmed with guilt. Your advice to find a community is exactly what I needed to hear, so thank you! I'm happy to have found you and look forward to watching more of your videos.

I needed this video in my life! Love your energy and honesty.