Buy nothing in 2025 challenge (or minimal purchasing!) - anyone want to join in!

[LuminousStar]

Hello! In the vein of the decluttering threads I've been thinking about doing a challenge where I buy as little as possible in 2025.

I realise buying "nothing" is impossible, especially as a parent. But as my life is endlessly complicated by clutter and junk and taking care of objects, as well as money (or a lack of) so I am going to try to buy as little unnecessary stuff as humanly possible in the coming year. Not to mention all the clutter sitting around making me feel guilty because I haven't used it / read it / sorted it! So I wondered if stopping the junk coming in as much as possible might change my mindset!

Instead what I will do is write down anything I am tempted to buy and hold out instead. If something becomes absolutely necessary I will allow it. But there are often other ways around problems that I am often inclined to ignore (mend, home made solutions etc) I will have to rely on more.

Obviously groceries and essentials are allowed, as are non-physical items or treats (holidays, events, e-books, subscriptions within reason). But I figure that even my grocery shopping could do with a bit of pruning! And if I need something that makes life infinitely easier, of course I will buy it.

And at the end of the year I am perhaps planning a little treat if I manage to do a good job - maybe a budget for some new clothes or something.

Would anyone like to join in?

This is a tremendous challenge and I congratulate each of you who are doing it! I have successfully completed 3 years of buying little to nothing and am much " wealthier" in many ways- economies, time , drawer and shelf space, mindspace! However it mustn't be seen as a punishment or deprivation for it to work and become a good habit.
Mine started by deciding to downsize after all of my adult children finally became financially independent and housed. I no longer needed to hang on to so many things-- and they didn't want anything!
By regrouping everything by category that was scattered about the house I realized how much I had and needed to part with. Just how many hair products, cleaning products, clothes, shoes, linens and towels, tablecloths and etc does one really need?
I have since moved into a much smaller home and got rid of over half of my belongings. I still have too many. All this decluttering was definitely the trigger to stop buying.
I despise waste and am determined to never buy anything I don't really need ever again. This has been so freeing.

I have been panic buying a few bits over the last few days 😒 but I'm ready for no buy 2025. My no buy list is: clothes (unless I drop a size), make up and toiletries for me (I have enough to last a few years), home decor and candles, meals out and takeaways unless it's a birthday.

I have to stay out of B&M and off tiktok shop, cheap random purchases are my downfall.

I would like to join please! I strongly relate to several posts upthread (neurodivergent and struggling with daily life, children embarrassed about the state of the house, multiple crises and emergencies that have knocked me down again and again over the past four years).

So far there are two things on my list that I really need to buy in 2025. One is a new large saucepan as mine has a hole in it; the other is a sports bra as I have started exercising and don't do washing often enough just to manage with the one I've got already.

I get points through my work that I will use to buy makeup replacements as needed.

I'm working on my allowed list and the budget for the various items today, but it will include concerts/tickets etc.

Looking forward to feeling more in control in 2025!

Charity shops are my downfall. 2 spare bedrooms chock a block with clothes. I really need a new kitchen, doors falling off current one. Also new stair carpet. Going to try and stay out of them. Fingers crossed for me!.

Oh, count me in please! Like @Preg1989 , I’m on SMP too and 0£ from January! I’m also contemplating going down to 2 days a week when I go back to work, or maybe even taking a career break until my two youngest are in school. (Although this fills me with dread as I don’t know if I can really cut back my spending habits to allow this without causing worry each month… but I don’t want to leave my babies and nursery is so expensive… but that’s another thread!). With that in mind, I need to break my spending habit sooner rather than later so we can make an informed decision about going back to work. I’m such an impulse buyer - little things. And Amazon / Vinted do not help me! I also need to declutter. I’m thinking the one thing should be donated/thrown out each day will help me too.

Also my daughter (6 years old) made me laugh the other day. She said the following to my DH…

‘mum says tidying up is just about hiding all our stuff so you cant see it. If you have nowhere to hide it, she says we sell it on Vinted… [all true, I did say this… but here is where she added her own understanding…] so that means when other people buy our stuff, they just hide it in their house. And sometimes mum buys their stuff on Vinted and then she just hides it in our house….’

this is enough to make me think I need to stop buying clutter and stuff we don’t really need! 😂

@Whataretalkingabout - amazing that you have already done this for three years! Thank you for advice! So excited to think I might have more time and headspace. And yes to that it must not feel like deprivation.

Also hoping it will push me into eating healthier. I don't cook healthy food as much as I would like due to lack of time, lack of energy and often buy ingredients that get wasted. Hopefully with more time on my hands, and more mindful grocery shopping I will be nudged harder to think more about food shopping, have a cleaner kitchen and so on.

@Melancholiest @HallidayJones6779 @Beaverbridge welcome to the thread :)

On a side note this no buy idea was inspired because I was reading a book about mindful eating by Thich Nhat Hanh. Aside from the eating stuff, I also started thinking that I too often mindlessly buy things without really thinking about it. So hoping that this might make me much more of a mindful consumer / purchaser as well as with the eating...

I'm in!

My no-spend will be on clothing. I've plenty and always say I'm not buying any new ones unless I need to (eg drop a dress size, or lack clothing for a purpose). I will get a pair of work trousers as need them, but that's it for a long while.

The rest is limiting spending...

Takeaways are limited to one a month, at payday.

I bought a costa card earlier in the year when they had their offer on where you got £5 free when you topped up by £20. I topped up the max you could, so I've got £75 of coffees pre paid. DD1 and I have a weekly coffee meet up so they are already pre-paid!

I'm knocking playing the lottery on the head. I can get my 'wishing I'd win' kicks on the premium bonds I've already got and add to monthly.

Beyond that I already enjoy scouting for bargains and have a few 'rules' I try to stick to.

Cinema trips are only ever on meercat days, although I have a couple of free tickets left from the 6 I get per year from my bank. I have PLENTY of theatre trips and a concert trip for DD2 already booked and paid for so don't need to worry about entertainment for the next 6 months.

I paid for disneyplus using a paypal credit I got, but won't renew that. We'll keep prime and netflix though as they are well used.

I'm in.
I've been single for a while and I also buy stuff to lift my spirits
I need to curb that.

I didn’t renew my next pass as a start. It was so easy to order something and have it delivered.

i’ve got enough clothes, so apart from the jumper (ordered with Christmas money), I’m not ordering anything more. Also have enough moisturisers and make-up.

@HallidayJones6779 your daughter's interpretation is hilarious.

Thank you for this thread - I shall join in, and have a think about what I want mine to look like.

@GRCP I forgot to welcome you earlier in the thread I think, apologies and welcome!

@ThatAgileGoldMoose @TipsyAndObscure @DrMadelineMaxwell welcome!

Also, I've been inspired by the Netflix program 'Buy now: The shopping conspiracy'.
Great program and with a watch imo

I'm trying to do this in 2025. I need work done on my house so I am hoping to save money to put towards that. I am also horrified by how many expensive clothes I have that I barely wear, so I am planning to give some to charity shops and sell some. I can probably manage without anything new. And like others, I have enough unused beauty products to last a good few months at least, although I will need to keep buying moisturiser.
I have already decided that I will allow myself to buy some new saucepans, one pair of new boots for the winter and one pair of new shoes for the summer, and a summer weight duvet. At the moment, that is all I am planning.
My biggest issue is going to be presents I think. I can cut back on what I buy for myself but I am going to find it more difficult to cut back on presents for family members, especially my children and grandchildren. I buy lots of clothes for my DGC (babies and toddlers), partly because I just love buying children's clothes and partly to help my DC as I know they struggle with money with young children. I already buy virtually all these clothes in sales (often a year ahead) and secondhand, so if I cut back I would have to buy fewer clothes. I am still thinking about this.

Oh, can I join? I really need to knuckle down in 2025.

Hi! I’d love to join in too. We’re moving house in the spring so I want to stop buying rubbish so that I can afford some new bits of furniture in the new house. Emotional shopping (when bored or wanting to cheer myself up) for clothes and beauty products are my downfall!

I'm in please. I simply feel that we already have too much stuff. I am not quite ready to start Swedish Death Cleaning but I want to thin things out.

My exceptions will be two or three items of clothing if I need to replace something. A few garden plants, a new iron and probably a few books as I like to support our local indie bookshop. It will be one in, two to the charity shop.

As a pp said, presents for family are inevitable and I do not begrudge that expenditure.

I'm in! Happy new year everyone

My acceptable list:

There are a small number of rare items I have been searching for for years, they are OK in the unlikely event I find them.

Necessary replacements of tights/bras/pants

Day trips (good for my health)

Any toiletries I have genuinely run out of

Meals out/takeaways we very rarely have anyway, so will just keep them at current low level. I don't buy coffees etc. so won't start!

My banned list:

Toiletries/make up that has not run out

Clothes other than specified above

Any books until my five carrier bags of unread books are empty!

Tech/appliances unless replacing something non-functioning

Bric-a-brac from charity shops

Happy New Year! What an inspirational thread. I feel overwhelmed with “stuff” largely off Amazon / Vinted.

So my banned list is anything physical ordered online unless it’s a present or digital / consumable (food). feel like I need to pick my battles so just focusing on this for 2025!

I will be joining. I made my last purchase yesterday (NYE) and I'm certain I do not need anything!
I have candles/shower gels/hair stuff coming out of my arse after Xmas, birthday and general impulse buying. They are my top impulse buys, which are really so pointless but I simply cannot resist a pretty packaged nice smelling hand soap which is a tenner and seems a bargain. Take aways also a problem, luckily I had one today and it wasn't great and I wished I didn't waste the £20 on it.
I need to declutter also, we are looking to move and I honestly feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff and look forward to a fresh minimal start.
Wishing everyone the best of luck!

I would love to join with a particular focus on a successful January to begin with.

Motivated by three things:

1. My reaction to wasteful gifts this Christmas. I am no longer comfortable with wasteful ‘stuff’. Its been a great and unexpected catalyst for change
2. would like to overpay our mortgage this year, making 14 payments in the next 12 months
3. If I can, I would like to treat myself to a ‘me gift’ at the end of the year.

I am fully stocked up on make up, skincare, toiletries for the next 3 to 4 months at least.

There won’t be a take away in the house until January payday, 3.5 weeks away (gulp).

We have 3 birthdays in January, 2 of the gifts are purchased since Christmas in the sales and the third will be a treat of dinner out at the end of the month.

I hate meal planning so I am not sure that’s a realistic commitment for now but I will be tracking all food spends and sticking to lists.

Rules for us, exceptions that will be allowed:

• Birthday gifts, within budget (!)
• Retaining Netflix and Audible
• Booking holidays
• Clothes, if needed by kids
• DH needs clothes (I do not)
• Dog grooming
• Updating Travel Insurance

I have car service & MOT in Jan so I can’t save anything this month. I might need to book my dog in for a heart scan ((£397) as he’s elderly & the vets are on a major ‘upsell’ drive atm. Other than that, I’m going to be frugal as I want my savings to grow.

Unless I get a sniff of the government means-testing pensions, then i’ll
be having a merry old time spending the lot! No point being penalised for saving🤣

I'm in. My circumstances are changing so DC will have to go to afterschool club a few days of the week which is £15 per session so at least £120 to £180 per month I need to find.

I'm going to cut back on takeaways but still have some as a treat but definitely stop buying clothes for me.

I have spent a bit on vinted but née to look at selling now too.

I'm fully stocked with makeup at the moment and like a PP I have a costa voucher I will use for a pick me up.

No more overpriced work lunches either.
i also need to get some essential repairs done on my house and the microwave is on its last legs so will be hunting for a deal.