NO BUYING FOR A YEAR EXPERIMENT – the rules and goals for NO BUYING for a year

The title for this experiment is ‘No Buying for a Year’. I am planning on not buying stuff for a whole year. 365 days from January 1 to December 31.

Here are my rules:

• No buying any clothes
• No buying shoes
• No buying handbags
• No buying accessories
• No buying makeup (unless replacing same)
• No hair products (unless replacing same)
• No buying any possessions, including:
  • Home decor
  • Christmas/Easter decorations 
  • Kitchen items
  • Physical books (I have a Kobo e-reader that is linked to my library account)
  • Electronics
  • Whitegoods
  • Candles (I love buying candles, so this will be hard!)

Exceptions to the rules

• I can replace a clothing item, only if something gets damaged or lost, and it is an absolute essential item. 

(For example, if my running shoes get a hole in them, I can replace those shoes because I need running shoes to exercise)

• I can buy replacement only makeup and hair products

(i.e. if my foundation runs out, I can buy the same foundation as a replacement)

• I can buy a replacement item, if something breaks and it is an essential item 

(for example, if the toaster breaks, I can buy a new toaster because that’s an essential item in the home)

The goals for no buying for a whole year

If you have been reading along with my blog, you might be wondering, why, why, why is she doing this seemingly crazy activity of not buying any stuff for a year.

There are several reasons for no buying any stuff for a year.

1. I want to enjoy the stuff that I own but not feel overwhelmed by it.
2. I want to spend less time thinking about possessions, acquiring possessions, maintaining possessions and getting rid of possessions. Less stuff = more time.
3. I want to be less consumeristic. 
4. I want more money to pay off my mortgage.

I also have a number of goals that I want to achieve from the experiment of not buying any stuff for a year. 

My goals:

1. I want to free up my mind so that I can be intentional about getting rid of possessions and clothes. (Yes, I am not only not buying stuff, I am also getting rid of stuff!)
2. I want to get rid of the ‘not wanted’ possessions in my house.
3. I want every item in my home to be in the right location.
4. I want to open closet doors and not feel overwhelmed (or hit on the head by falling clothes)
5. I want to discover the clothes that I love to wear and the occasions I love to wear them.
6. I want to get rid of the ‘unused or unwanted’ clothes in my closet.
7. I want to change my mindset about how I view possessions.
8. I want my pantry to be organised and current.
9. I want to spend less. 
10. I want to save money.

I will expand on these points over the next year in my blog posts. 

I am (*mostly*) looking forward to this experiment of not buying any stuff for a whole year. 

Whispers. ‘I can’t believe I just typed that!’ 

‘Eep. Buying no stuff sounds hard!’

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