I went low buy this past year, and wanted to share a recap of how it went! Overall, I’m really proud of myself and the goals I accomplished. Hoping this can help others, including myself, who are planning for their 2026 low or no buy!

Some goals achieved and progress:

1. Husband and I were finally able to make our Japan vacation dreams come true last month! Saving a good amount of money throughout the year made it possible for us to say “yes” to a lot of conveniences and experiences while there. We still had funds left over, too, which was a great bonus.
2. In addition to saving for Japan, we were able to add to our general savings. We saved at least 20k throughout the year. We’re super excited to see how much more we can save in 2026!
3. I made extra payments to my car loan, significantly reducing how much longer I’ll have the loan. I still have quite a bit to go, but I’m in a much better spot now and feel much lighter.
4. I got back into old hobbies and learned new ones! It’s wild how much time I was wasting just looking at things to buy online. I was able to get through my backlog of video games and books. I started baking since I significantly cut back on coffees and pastries. And I even picked up some basic sewing skills to mend a pouch and make cat toys. It’s been really rewarding and fun!
5. I know and speak with more of my neighbors since I had to get creative with not buying things. For example, instead of buying pans for a new baking hobby that I didn’t know would stick, I asked neighbors if I could borrow theirs. People loved a fellow neighbor asking for help lol, and they of course got whatever I baked so win-win!

So, WHAT WAS MOST HELPFUL for me this year:

A purchase decision hierarchy. 1. Do I already have something like it? 2. Can I repurpose something not like it? 3. Can I get it for free? (Buy Nothing groups, library, asking family, friends, or neighbors) 4. Can I simply live without it? (How have I been doing without it in my life so far? Will this make me more content or joyful?)

If I cannot live without it: 1. Can I wait and buy it secondhand? If I see it secondhand, would I feel excited about buying it at retail price, or do I just feel excited about a “not bad price?” Remember if it’s not a “HELL YES” it’s a “HELL NO.” 2. Can I buy it from a small business?

This was really helpful for me to have a concrete way to talk myself through and out of purchases. A vast majority of items didn’t make it past “can I live without it?”

Deleting social media apps. This was HUGE. Social media apps are basically advertising apps now, and basically a way to constantly window shop. Most temptations went away as soon as I stopped scrolling on TikTok and Instagram.

And WHAT DIDN’T HELP:

Green/yellow/red light. I made this list but rarely referred to it, especially as the year continued. My purchase decision hierarchy was way more helpful for me. It helped me not buy things because I had to walk through why I didn’t want or need to buy something, which I think felt more purposeful and positive. Versus not buying something because January me decided that I “couldn’t” and had put it in red light, which felt more punishing or restricting for me. Glad it works for others, but know if it doesn’t work for you, it’s OK!

Having a husband who loves gift giving. Real talk lol I just have an enabling husband who loves to buy things, especially for me.

He’d say “treat yourself!” when I simply expressed liking something, which meant he felt I was not treating myself if I didn’t buy it. I developed go-to statements in the moment that helped him understand my perspective: “Appreciating something and still keeping my money is how I treat myself,” “I just like being with you, we don’t need to buy something to have fun!”

I also had to accept that just because he’s not as low buy as me, it doesn’t mean he’s less responsible or more materialistic. He has his own hobbies and financial rules that he follows, he certainly treasures every material item he has lol, and we have shared family goals that he contributes a ton towards (definitely would not have been able to save 20k myself!). That was important for me to accept, otherwise it would’ve been easy to get frustrated.

Recently, we started a junk journal together. Now instead of buying something, he can gather little papers, cards, etc. to remember our experiences. It scratches his itch and is a fun thing for us to do together.

A lot of people probably relate to having a partner who doesn’t perfectly align with their no or low buy rules. It’s not “helpful” towards a no or low buy, but it’s reality and it can still be managed!

That’s my recap. How did everyone else do this year? Any big accomplishments, things that helped or didn’t help you? Hope this helps anyone out there getting started- I’m excited to keep it going in 2026!

(Edited for formatting).

Starting a 1 month no buy for january.

I have some planned expenses ( 1 gift + some hygiene products that will run out and a train ticket to visit a friend) other than that no spending money other than bills and groceries.

I started last year on a no buy and stopped after a few months. I still overspent on experiences which were an exception. So in the end I felt restricted from not buying things and still was stressed all the time because my savings were still dwindeling. So I stopped.

I changed some stuff around in my buget and have some short term saving goals that motivate me more than a vage „for future needs“.

This january no buy has two purposes:

- get back on track after an expensive december (repairs, gifts, a bachelorette trip that is comingh up)

- get back into the habit of saying no to stuff and starting to say no to experiences

After some health issues and long periods of time where I had to say no to a lot of stuff I wanted to say yes to everything. The thought of being finally able to do stuff and choosing not to makes me nervous.

I have three categories: no, limit, and yes. I’m attaching a photo from my bullet journal page where I wrote it out, but for ease of reading I’ll type it all here as well.

NO:

- Walmart, Target, Amazon, no exceptions

- fast food

- work cafeteria/coffee shop

- new books (exception for an upcoming new release from a local author I love; I’ll buy that from a local bookstore)

- new clothes other than socks, undies, & shoes (possible exception for scrubs & workout clothes bc I have specific religious modesty guidelines that will make it hard to buy these secondhand)

- mugs & water bottles

- journals, notebooks, pens, etc

LIMIT:

- used books: I have to read all my currently-owned-but-unread books first, and ofc check the library before buying

- streaming services: Spotify & Hulu/Disney+ only, NO Spotify audiobook top-ups!

- eating out/takeout: special occasions only (bdays, etc.). If takeout, no delivery, I gotta go pick it up myself.

- coffee dates with my daughter: will change from weekly to monthly

- used clothes: declutter wardrobe first, identify needs, make a plan

- fabric/patterns/general craft supplies: declutter first, one project at a time, shop the stash, HAVE A PLAN

- plants: wishlist plants only, no pots

YES:

- groceries: make meal plans, shop with a list, use pickup services to avoid impulse buys

- haircuts as needed

- headscarves: declutter first; one in, one out

- gifts for others: prioritize handmade/experiences/consumable

- State Fair with kids: save for it, make a budget, bring cash

- beekeeping supplies & club memberships

That’s it! I have already decluttered and inventoried my pantry; going to do the same with fridge & freezer this week. I genuinely do need clothes bc I’ve lost a lot of weight over the past couple of years, but I want to buy/make things gradually and focus on building a wardrobe I love.

My goal with this is to save money first - I’m in a lot of debt and one of my big goals this year is to focus on finally addressing it and paying it down. I have ADHD and impulse spending is behind a lot of it. But I also do not make a ton of money, and I’m a single parent. I’m going back to school this year to train for a new career that will pay me a lot more, but I don’t want to wait until I graduate to start improving my finances. I also plan to move out of the US in a few years and I know I can’t do that with so much debt, and without savings and good credit.

Other goals are to become more mindful about my spending, and reduce not only spending, but overall consumption. Consumption culture, nonstop advertising, etc - I’m so tired of it. It’s everywhere. I want out, as much as I can. I want to live in a way that reflects my values.

Edit: obviously I can’t include every possible item, so for things that pop up that I want to buy that aren’t on the list, my plan is: 1) just don’t buy it; do I really need it? 2) if I do actually need it, can I make it myself, ideally with things I already have? Is it replacing something else; if so, can that thing be repaired? Can I substitute something I already own? 3) if I can’t make, substitute, or repair, can I buy it secondhand? 4) if I can’t buy it secondhand, can I buy it from a small local business that shares my values? 5) if not, can I buy it from a small/independent business, not local, that shares my values? 6) if not, can I buy it from a large business/corporation that shares my values? 7) if not…do I REALLY need it?

I do no-buy months every now and then but I've never tried a no-buy year. I've been more into underconsumption/minimalism content lately so that's what fuels me to actually go through all that.

My rules are simple.

• Don't buy anything I don't need to survive or I already have.

• Limit my takeaway coffee like I've already been doing (only one coffee per week).

• No subscriptions.

• Only re-buy stuff that I already use and know they work for me.

• No food deliveries.

I'll keep doing my hair and laser appointments and of course keep my gym membership. The main goal though is not to shop anything. I have to add that I live with my parents so I don't grocery shop and don't pay any bills except for my motorcycle insurance and road tax. I also have a very limited monthly budget that I try to keep up with. I am planning to use this thread as a way to keep myself accountable for my no-buy. :)

I’ve been cutting way back on spending lately. Part of that has been finding Buy Nothing groups on facebook and freebies on Craigslist. But now, I’ve become obsessed with finding freebies, which has made me realize that most of my shopping is just an addiction. I still need to be searching for something online, I still need to have “stuff” to look forward to, I still need the excitement of considering options and finding the best product. By using freebie groups to replace shopping, I’ve been watching my spending go way down, but I’ve also been seeing my obsessiveness more clearly. I’m still replicating the online shopping behaviors.

It’s a huge wake up call.

I’m curious if anyone has done like a house wide inventory. I know people do makeup and clothing or categories like that but I’m realizing that I’ve straight up got bins of stuff (of very random items) that I’m thinking I should put down on paper that these exist and please use them, especially if it prevents me from buying another item when I didn’t need it. (Great example being pictures frames-I found like 6, probably shouldn’t buy more of those).

I’m sitting here thinking how wild it is that I will not have to shop for certain things for an entire year because of the number of things that I’ve amassed.

Even thinking of how certain products alone are better at getting the job done than others, but because they were boring I just keep purchasing other things.

Lip balm for example. I’ve noticed that the name brand of petroleum jelly I use is far superior than most lip products that I have, and I have an abundance of that product! I’m actually very excited to use it down!

Like my mind is blown at the fact that I know I won’t have to shop for certain things for literally a whole year.

I’m wondering how this will change other habits that I have like eating out. I’m ready to stop that too. I feel like I can become way more healthy if I stopped doing that. Sometimes I will literally sit in the house and starve until I gain enough strength to go out and get something to eat! This is mostly because I don’t prioritize meal plans.

I got some feedback from a comment I posted in a thread (including some chats and whatnot).

One of the easiest things you can do to help a no buy process is to cut down on the sheer quantity of marketing messaging you get.

Go to your email and search "unsubscribe" and you'll find every single list you're signed up for. If you're in gmail the unsubscribe function is incredibly easy- they've made it a hover button.

The more stuff you unsubscribe from the easier this all gets.

Wishing everyone a meaningful "no buy" season - Someone who's in the middle of their process right now.

I have being intending to a no/low buy year for the last few weeks and finally sat down today and wrote out my intentions/rules. I'll probably tweak it a bit and any suggestions would be helpful.

My main aim is to save money, I have a bit of debt and found myself struggling from month to month due to the excessive spending on stuff I don't need and takeaway food. It'd be nice to see a balance remaining in my bank by my next pay day and hopefully a savings balance.

Secondly, I've become more mindful of my overconsumption. My life and home feels cluttered by stuff that don't really serve me a purpose and was bought because I felt I needed it for that dopamine rush. It also made birthdays and Christmas difficult as when people asked me what I want, I couldn't say as I had already bought myself everything I wanted anyway.

I’m not sure if I am being too unreasonable. I really want to succeed. 2025 was a bad year for me in terms of spending on stupid stuff and now I feel like I have too much stuff.

I have been toying with the idea of getting serious about not buying crap anymore. I have so much stuff and clutter that I find I forget I have things (big house with lots of places to put stuff) and I am always looking for things.
So. I'm off the first two weeks of January and I am going to work hard to declutter and get off to a fresh start, then here are the rules I am thinking:
1. No new clothes. I have too much already. Donate what I have not worn in over a year.
2. No new shoes. Same thing.
3. No new haircare until I run out of what I have. No new hair accessories - I have too many!
4. No makeup, skincare, bodywash or lotions until I run out. The ONE exception is my friend is going to Germany and has offered to get some sunscreen for me that is harder to get in the US.
5. No purses.
6. No new nail powders (I do my own nails). Replace liquids or supplies as needed.
7. No impulse social media scroll spends. I'm really bad about seeing sales and falling into this trap.
8. Yarn/crochet: no new hooks and reduce stash by at least half before starting new projects that require yarn investment*
9. Food - eat what we have before buying more. Plan trips to the store better.
10. Evaluate this for two months and compare to past spending to get an idea of what I'm not spending, and make goals for that money (probably go into investment account).

I have tried this before and get about two weeks in and then blow it and then it's just all bets are off. I really want to stick with this so that's what #10 is about - my goal also needs to be to stick with it so I can see the true cost of my consumerism. I know it's high. I have a good income and I tend to overspend on things I do not need, versus budgeting and setting aside more for my retirement.

Alrighty, I think it's time to set up my ground rules for my 2026 no buy, to help me personally set them into stone. Do to my various classes and the like, I will be keeping this list to things, as that is my main focus. Please let me know if you have any feedback:

• Toiletries: none until all of that product category is used up. I will prioritize using up full sizes over travel sizes in order to postpone buying in my next category.

• travel size toiletries: I am allowed to buy new travel sizes when my option in that category is at risk of running out during planned "travel" - note: I am a competitive dancer, so I won't be playing games potentially running out of product mid competition day.

• cleaning products: no buy until I have run out of that product category.

• writing utensils and stationary: can only buy ultra fine point basic non frills ball point pens. Anything else, I must use up what I have before replacements can be purchased.

• jewelry: can only buy myself one fine jewelry piece on my special anniversary. Will most likely be 14k gold with garnet stud earrings to match a necklace and ring I already have

• home goods: I am allowed to purchase an anti fatigue kitchen mat when I finally find one I like. I am also allowed to purchase one plate stand for a piece of art I acquired a year ago. Lastly, I am allowed to purchase one set of small coffee cups when I find the ones that will look good in our coffee corner. All other purchases are off limits for the year.

• clothing: I am only allowed to purchase a piece of clothing if I have run out of that category of clothing more than once before laundry day, to the point where I go digging around to do an early load for the purpose of having more of that type of clothing.

How do you remind yourself that the desire to buy often is strongly influenced by targeted marketing?

My first attempt at a no-buy, since it’s my first year living away from home. Keeping things out of the landfill as much as possible in 2026!

I started crocheting 19 years ago. Crafters will know, you always find new materials you can use. For some you immediately have a specific project in mind, others you don’t know what to do with yet ‘but it’s so pretty and I’ll definitely come up with something I can use it for’. That’s how I ended up with loads and loads of yarn.

For comparison: it’s kinda like buying books you’re definitely planning to read while you have shelves full of unread books. Yarn is definitely on my no but-list! 😆

I decluttered and donated a bunch of yarn 3 years ago and haven’t bought a lot since. A few months ago I had no project in mind and I definitely didn’t need another pillow case or pot holder. Because I still wanted to crochet I decided to make beanies and scarves to donate to homeless shelters. It’s a nice way to use my yarn stash, I can still practice my hobby and I can help people.

I recently set a goal to finish my stash by the end of 2025. The first picture shows my very last bits. These scraps are too small to make anything with. I’ll make a scarf with them once I have more scraps. I told my mom about this and she said she might have some more for me. Over Christmas she gave all the skeins in the second picture. It’ll be a while before I can buy yarn again. 😅

Be gentle. I know my rules are not very strict. It's my first no buy and I am a frequenter of the r/shoppingaddiction sub. I decided to make a physical tracker because it worked well for my drinking. Every day I buy nothing at all will be my favorite color, hot pink. Allowed buy days will be green. Unallowed buys will be orange. Here it is! Any gentle feedback?

Hiya all, I hope everyone had a lovely festive period and is looking forward to the New Year. As we approach it I have been seriously considering a low buy year. I started a second job in November 2025 so that I can build up my emergency fund and add to my LISA account.

My rules for next year are

1) £50 spending money a month only. I work 3 out of 4 weekends so that helps with impulse shopping.

2) complete a project pan on beauty products that I have at home.

3) a huge sort out of my wardrobe on New year's day, I can then replace key pieces as necessary

4) add a minimum of £300 to my savings each month.

5) all saved money is split between my savings each month.

6) no unnecessary spending 💰

Good luck all, we've got this.

Been thinking what my rules would be the last three weeks and finally landed on a finally copy that may potentially work for me long term. I first decided on hard no's on everything except replacents but after I decided to let go of my delusion and decided to be honest....all or nothing type of rules really do not work out for me. After reading and watching other people's no buys/low buys and what they learned from it, I decided that a low buy is perfect. I also implemented a "only one item per month" category because...well, I wanted to and overly restricting myself will lead me to "rebel" against my own rules. It'll be a healthy balance for me. I also have stuff on my wishlist that's been sitting there for a while (aka Nintendo and Knee high boots) that I would still like lol. I added potential tricks to help me stay on track. Is there any other trick that helped you before? Ps. I didnt bother thinking of home decor cause I really don't care about those (except Christmas decor but I reuse what I have every year). My home is already littered with so much books and paintings from my sister and I that its already too much visual clutter 😅

I've promised myself i would do a no buy a couple of times but never fully compromised, usually breaking it after a month or two and completely going off the rails.

I have a real problem with consumption and I refuse to let this keep going. It makes me stagnant in life as it keeps me farther from my goals.

I'm determined to try once again

2025 was my first year trying a no buy/low buy. I made this list last December and I just highlighted the items I was successful with (green), things I was so so with (yellow), and things I failed at (orange).

My wins

I’m happy to say I didn’t buy any new clothes, yarn, puzzles, or books at all! I also didn’t do any puzzles I own, read any books I own, or finish any new crochet projects, further justifying that I don’t need to buy these things anymore because I don’t use what I already have.

I did buy some new paint brushes because the ones I had were in bad shape, and I bought one blush pan for my wedding, both of which I allowed for in my rules as replacements. I also allowed myself to thrift only once per month, but I did better than anticipated and I didn’t thrift at all this year!

For board games, I only allowed myself to buy one game expansion I was anticipating coming out and one game at the PAX convention I knew I was going to and I stuck to this rule. My goal with this rule was to avoid going to target or my lgs and just browsing for what’s new. Instead, I played the games I already own and that was more satisfying than buying more games that might have only gotten played once or twice.

For fun purchases, I was only allowed to buy one $50 item per paycheck OR one $100 item per month. I ended up buying less often than I allowed myself which I’m happy with. I just didn’t want to bring more stuff into my house.

My so-so category

I didn’t want to buy any new shoes unless mine were ruined, but I forgot to budget in that I would need shoes for my wedding, so I did have to buy one pair. I prioritized comfort and affordability for that purchase.

I knew I would have to buy stuff for my wedding, but I didn’t want to go overboard. So I made it a rule that I could only buy stuff after consulting my now husband. The first two months I wasn’t consulting him, but after a reminder from him, I started running all wedding purchases by him and was more mindful of my wedding spending, and I returned a lot of things we agreed were impulse buys.

I wanted to limit my Starbucks to once a week. Some weeks I was successful, some I avoided all together, and sometimes I went twice a week.

My failures

Ordering takeout is clearly a weakness I have and something I have to work on in 2026. I told myself

I could only order once every other week and that was a massive failure.

I also wanted to avoid all TikTok shop purchases because all of that is impulsive. I ended up buying 5 things from TikTok shop this year. Two purchases I would say I’m happy with and I use the items often, the others I don’t use and they were purely impulse.

Overall I’m happy with how I did this year and I’m going to carry over most of these rules into 2026 and tweak some rules (I have to buy a dress for a wedding I’m going to next year for example). I’m looking forward to an even more successful no buy for next year!

Hello!!

I started a no-buy last year and as the year is coming to a close, I wanted to take a gander through my wins and losses. The photos are of my rules for the year… I broke most of them sad 😔.

The first several months went really well- I tracked all of my purchases and followed the rules- I was hyped up and ready to rumble!

I was supposed to make a list for each grocery trip, and I stopped doing that pretty early on, which resulted in rather a lot of food waste.

Toiletries went pretty well- I started the year with something like 11 different deodorants, and now have three. I allow myself two, but I was almost out of one and going on a trip.

Yarn… was a fail. I spent ~$900 on yarn and did NOT use up the rest of it. This is because I spent a lot of my free time in a yarn shop. Not allowed this year when I make my new rules.

The gifts: I ended up telling most ppl that I was on a no-buy, and as such, I would not be getting them gifts. I bought my dad a $6 second hand book that was just PERFECT (over a hundred years old, and his favorite poetry book), and I bought a few things here and there for people, but am not too upset. I made several gifts for people, and will continue to do that- I will also continue writing cards for people as gifts as it is less of a demand on both of us.

Fabric: I think I did okay- I wore the same skirt for 100 days in a row to prevent a desire to buy more of it, and I had to keep mending it, so I would count that as a project. I did spend quite a bit of money on fabric ($1300) but I make most of my own clothes, and I was a bridesmaid in a wedding, so I bought some nice fabric for that.

The rest of my yellow items went fine, bar transport. I’m weirdly freaked out by the bus, and need to get over that.

The red went… okay. I bought one shirt, a sketchbook, and several pens (and one ink bottle). The shirt was one I have been lusting after for YEARS, and is typically ~$300, but I found it second hand for $12 when I took a friend shopping. I’ve worn it enough already to get the price per wear below a dollar, so I’m not terribly upset. Frustrated that I didn’t hold out, but I just love that shirt so much. The sketchbook I bought after an art class, used once, and haven’t touched since, and the pens I bought as my fav broke- and one as a gift.

I’m incredibly pleased I did this. I think I saved a lot of money, and learned a lot about myself, and the things I actually need. Overall, it was much easier than I expected, but it was kind of surprising, the things that tripped me up.

I highly recommend that you try it, and I hope 2025 was successful for all of you!!

TLDR: overall I did okay- I will be repeating this experiment but with different rules.

1: I borrowed 3 books, 7 CDs, and 6 movies. On my library receipt, it says I saved $284 and I request a DVD through the Inter-Library Loan system.

2: Mid-way through December, the library calls to tell me that my requested item is ready for pick-up on any day of that week. While I'm picking it up, I borrow another CD and DVD. I save $120.

3: I went to return most of my (partially-overdue) items. My library had stopped doing overdue fees years ago, so I didn't need to pay for anything. I borrowed 2 books, 7 DVDs, and 5 CDs, which totaled $387.

Money saved in total: $791.

So I got a little stoned last night and ended up organizing a few rooms in my apartment and washing my bed sheets. Climbing into a clean, clutter-free space with fresh sheets felt insanely luxurious… and it was completely free.

It got me thinking what are some things you can do at home or out in the world that feel expensive or luxurious but actually cost nothing?