the 2025 no buy is here

celebrating day 1/365

It's January 1st, 2025, and I'm embarking on my No Buy Year journey! After thorough preparation and sharing my journey on TikTok, I've created a comprehensive plan to set myself up for success. Here's everything I've done to prepare and the rules I'll be following this year.

2025 No Buy Preparation Checklist

Before starting this journey, I completed several important preparation steps:

1. Personal Assessment

• stuff - Complete inventory of what I already own

• interests - Understanding what truly brings me joy

• motivations - Identifying why I want to do this

• lingering trauma / work - Addressing underlying issues that are triggering me to shop

2. Preparation Steps

The big declutter - I went through every room and category of items, honestly evaluating what I use and need. Items that no longer serve me were donated, sold, or properly disposed of.

Values assessment - I used www.lifevaluesinventory.org/ to identify my core values like belonging, creativity, and a concern for the environment. This helped me create a spending plan that aligns with what truly matters to me, rather than accumulating more stuff.

Emotional data collection while buying - For the past month, I tracked my shopping impulses: what triggered them, how I felt before and after purchases, and what needs I was trying to fulfill through shopping. This revealed important patterns in my spending behavior; like the fact that I’m severely anxious during my period (thanks, PMDD) and I tend to shop a ton during periods of anxiety because I’m addicted to the dopamine bursts.

What are the actual rules? - I created specific, detailed guidelines about what purchases are allowed and forbidden. These aren't just vague intentions but clear, actionable rules that leave no room for interpretation or loopholes.

Accountability plans - I've set up multiple layers of support: daily check-ins with my partner, weekly updates on TikTok (and here!), and tracking my success in a dedicated journal. I also joined an online no-buy community for additional encouragement and even attended a Debtors Anonymous group since their programs align with compulsive shopping!

Deleting the culprits + Online cleanse - I removed all shopping apps, unsubscribed from marketing emails, unfollowed brands on social media, have been non stop blocking triggering creators (sorry, guys, I’ll see you next year) and deleted saved payment information from websites. This creates friction between impulse and purchase!

3. Financial Planning

I've created a revamped budget that focuses on aligning my spending with my core values. This new approach also takes into account my past spending patterns, helping me identify and avoid triggers for impulse purchases, emotional spending traps, and unnecessary consumption cycles that didn't serve me well before.

4. Essential Tools (AKA My Arsenal Against Impulse Purchases)

Time to meet the dream team of self-control tools (because apparently willpower alone isn't enough 😅):

• YNAB - For budget tracking

• Indyx - For inventory management (so I can't pretend I "forgot" I owned 17 black t-shirts)

• DMAchoice.org - To reduce marketing mail (goodbye, tempting catalogs I never asked for)

• Ad Blocker - Because those targeted ads know me WAY too well

• Block / Delete Buttons - My new best friends for digital boundaries (sorry not sorry, Instagram shopping)

5. Removing Shopping Triggers

Ah, the great digital purge of 2025! Time to Marie Kondo those shopping triggers right out of existence.

eBay account? Deleted. Pinterest? Goodbye inspiration boards. Apple Pay? Not today, Satan! And don't even get me started on ShopPay (which apparently was invented by the devil himself). When it comes to unsubscribing, we're not just hitting that gentle "unsubscribe" button - we're going straight for the block button because these marketing emails are PERSISTENT! 🛍️🚫

Well, drum roll please... 🥁 After months of preparation, decluttering enough stuff to fill a small country, and saying tearful goodbyes to my shopping apps (we had a good run, eBay), here are the official rules that will guide me through this year of intentional non-spending. May my wallet rejoice and my storage spaces breathe a sigh of relief!

The Rules for 2025

Restricted Items

• Personal Items

  • Clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry

  • Home decor and general "stuff"

• Shopping Platforms

  • No Amazon, eBay, or thrift stores

  • No impulse or emotional purchases

• Food

  • Limited to one takeout meal per week (dining out preferred)

Moderate Shopping Areas (only when needed)

• Beauty essentials (refills only)

  • Makeup, skincare, and haircare

• No unnecessary "improvement" items

  • Skip extra vitamins, organizers, or habit trackers

Allowed Purchases

• Essentials

  • Groceries and cleaning supplies

  • Necessary replacements (except clothes)

  • Medical needs and hair appointments

• Hobbies (with limits)

  • Knitting: New yarn only after completing a project

  • Reading: One-in-one-out book policy

  • Exercise: Try new activities but use existing equipment

• Services

  • Repairs (tailor, cobbler)

  • Planned, intentional gifts

Special Exceptions - These are in consideration

• Birthday (June): If I reach a point of guilt-free spending by then and it feels right mentally, I may set aside a small budget for a thoughtful personal treat

• Travel: Allowed to purchase mementos

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Day One Progress

I spent the first day actively trying to keep myself busy and away from scrolling, especially after my December binge bonanza (aka The Great Holiday Shopping Spree of 2024™). The compulsive urge to shop has been present all day and the fact that my luteal phase anxiety is through the roof, well let's just say I've been playing non-stop Animal Crossing (my villagers are probably concerned about my mental health at this point), binge watching pilots of TV shows to try and find something addictive, went on three walks to try and keep my attention busy, I cataloged more of my clothes on Indyx (hello, forgotten purchases from 2023!), and scrolled on TikTok until triggering things came along and I had to yeet my phone to the other side of the room like it was made of lava.

But, the day is almost done! Well, I do mean almost since it's evening and usually sitting on the couch while watching bad TV is when I do my shopping - my prime "add to cart" hours, if you will. I'm going to lock my phone in my timed Ksafe bin (goodbye, sweet temptress), tuck myself in with a knitting project, and hopefully make it through day one in the clear.

Tomorrow will be the real challenge as I'll be back in an environment I shop in a lot, but I have prepared my "Anti-Shopping Survival Kit": a bag of word search puzzles, my knitting project, books, an audiobook, and enough fidget toys to open a small toy store.

We can do this! (Future me, if you're reading this while online shopping, PUT THE PHONE DOWN!)

Oh, and here’s my vision board for 2025! I figured if I can stare at the rules all day, they’ll become engrained in my brain.

okay, love you, bye

Denise