Doing Without │ The Art of Choosing Not to Buy Anything New For a Year

Just reading the title of this post makes me squirm, or rather, it did.

How does one not buy anything new for an entire year? Is it possible to live a year with only the things I already own? Can people do this? Is this logical? Why would I do this? 

On January 1st, last year, I asked myself all those questions and decided to dive in and do it anyway.

I tried this "No Buy" thing for a year which meant I didn't buy anything new to add to my wardrobe, my house, or anywhere else (of course, I purchased food and basic necessities). Instead, it was just me and my favorites tied together by a mutual love of each other. And guess what? It was the best "non-consuming" year of my life.

Here's how I did it, why I'm doing it again, and why you should try this too.

We don't need what we think we need

Let's be honest: We want because we want and are used to getting what we want, particularly if it's cheap. Think Target, Amazon, and the like. That's why our houses and closets look like they do. We're so used to consuming and justifying the purchases because they're inexpensive. Now we have more than we need, living chaotic lives surrounded by the very stuff we thought we needed - that we don't use. I try not to buy off of Amazon if I can help it. It's maybe once a month, and it's usually home essentials I can't find anywhere else (like specific vitamins or organic dryer sheets). But occasionally, something else random will hop into my cart, like a t-shirt or a cute pair of sandals.

But during this year of not buying anything extra, I may have put those things in my cart, only to take them out when I realized how easily I fell into my old ways. It was hard, but also very eye-opening to see how normal it was to buy extra little things. And it is a powerful thing to go without. Instead, I used the t-shirts I already had and wore the sandals (seven pairs!) sitting in my closet.

We have everything we already need.

If you've minimized your closet, you know this to be true. My closet is very minimal (minus shoes, ha!) A great idea that many minimalists talk about at the start of the new year is turning all of your hangers around to see what you do and don't wear. When you wear something, turn the hanger back the right way. By the end of the year - or really, in just a few months - you know exactly what you wear (and what you don't) by how the hangers sit.

Now, clothing wears out. I had to replace two tops with two new ones because they had holes. I also had to replace one pair of shoes. I also added one pair of jeans, but that's because I donated one pair. So if I did buy something new, it was only to replace an unwearable piece or an item I didn't want to wear anymore. I also purchased two new purses but got rid of two that I never used or had wear beyond repair. I only replaced six or seven items in my closet for the year. 

Honest moment: I thrifted one sweater to wear for Christmas last month and then donated it back to the thrift shop when it was over. I believe that was the only "unnecessary" purchase I made, and I gave it right back to where it came from.

But for the rest of the year, clearly, I had everything I needed to wear, and believe it or not, I've pared down my closet just a couple items more over this last year. 

As for the house? I didn't purchase anything the entire year except for one small vase - a vintage, thrifted vase. Nothing else. No artwork, no dinnerware for the kitchen, no utensils, and no throw pillows. In fact, I gave away some throw pillows that I wasn't using. So, over the course of the year, I actually ended up with negative household goods.

It's empowering to choose not to consume

Choosing not to consume is like going to the gym: It's hard, and I don't want to do it. But when I find myself choosing not to buy (and using what I already have and love), and I do this day after day - by focusing not on what I want on a whim, but rather being intentional with what I already have - it's not just freeing but empowering. It makes me feel like I can do anything! It gets easier to say no with every day that passes when I don't give in to consuming needlessly.

Of course, there will be emergencies and special occasions when we need to buy something extra. My son is getting married this spring so I had to buy a dress and jewelry for that occasion. Yes, it's only for that one occasion, but it's also a momentous and very special event! Those purchases (to me) don't count for the non-consuming year I had undertaken. And the dress I bought I will be able to wear again. 

I also had a birthday and celebrated Christmas, so I still got things I wasn't planning on adding to my life, and I'm grateful for them. We get - and consume - so much more than we realize. So the reality of not buying anything for a year was doable, challenging, and rewarding.

What do you have to lose? A cleaner closet? A more organized house? Money in the bank? These are all gains and choosing not to buy anything for a year can reveal where each of our consuming weaknesses hide. Remember to ask yourself with every purchase: Is this a need or a want? Do I already have something that will work? You can do this "No Buy" year and you can do it better than you think.

The start of this new year means I'm trying this challenge again. I may add one or two items to my wardrobe. But judging by the way I've been handling my minimalist closet for the last seven years, I will probably add that item, only to remove something else I don't wear.

I'm in love with having less because it's freeing.

Give this "No Buy" challenge a try. Maybe you do great for a month and fall off the buying wagon the next month. That's okay. Get yourself back up and focus on the whole reason for this: You want freedom. And the freedom not to buy is a superpower. Imagine that? We have a superpower that benefits our lives all because we learn to live with fewer things.

Doing without has never been more satisfying because when you do life with less you realize how much you already have.