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?

Yes! Only buying if I need something and don’t have an alternative e.g. a moisturiser

Dh and I were out this morning and he suggested having coffee and breakfast out but instead we ate at home! Little things but we felt very proud of ourselves and quite grown up
I've meal planned this morning and then going to take down the decorations and start making a list of stuff in the freezer/ cupboards as this really helps me stay on top of things.
I have lots of meals in the freezer fo dd to take back to uni so keeping her costs down too !

Good morning to all and to the new joinees, you are so welcome! Thank you for coming on this adventure with us!

We got a takeaway pizza last night. I know sounds indulgent but I've been redecorating and yesterday decluttered about 5 massive bin bags of junk and it was a celebration of that, so not a bad thing. Also a bribe to my kid to encourage him to declutter and to my surprise it worked and he got rid of so much!! So actually a win I think! And the half the house has been pretty much repainted over xmas so I think we deserved it. Otherwise I've not been to the supermarket yet but am going later today and will be as reserved as I possibly can be.

Can I join too please. I’ve got so much stuff it’s ridiculous. Clothes, shoes, boots, skincare, hair care, books, you name it and I have stacks of it. Even cleaning products are getting stupidly out of hand.

I think in my case it’s because I had very little as a child and am now massively overcompensating. It would be nice to end this year with some savings and more space in my flat!

I do need to get a couple of bits for the camping trips I’ve got planned but apart from that would like to only buy food and any necessary toiletries.

Think I’m going to log any spends on my kitchen calendar then there is a visual reminder of outgoings. Anything I think I want will be put on a list with the price and how many hours I need to work in order to buy it. Hopefully that will focus my mind.

I'm in! I have far too many clothes, shoes and handbags - I certainly do not need any more. I also had to clear my cleaning materials cupboard just before Christmas, and have loads of every possible type of spray etc (think, 4 different bottles of glass cleaning stuff - all part used etc etc ). I'll be using all of that up before buying any more.

I'm also going to empty our two freezers before buying more stuff (we are two retired adults on a household!!!) and am planning to use some of our large garden to grow some food items if possible. Let's se how it goes.

I’d like to join please! My biggest thing is food waste and buying lunch at work! And buying the kids (4y.o) unnecessary things

@Iheartmysmart welcome! Yes I feel like some of my bad habits are partly because I am from a similar background. I love the idea of putting the number of hours worked next to potential buys! Maybe it will make us think a bit more.

@PumpkinSpicedLatte @NagathaCrispy welcome!

blackheartsgirl
I am sorry that you have been through so much… you sound lovely!
i hope that this year brings you much joy.

We didn't end up buying a tent but we've seen the one we want and have decided to delay the purchase until mid March
We did however end up having to buy a costa as desperate for the loo 😒.

I just spent £30 on a birthday present for a close relative. I resisted adding something unnecessary to get free delivery.

I am going to take a coffee for my walk now instead of buying one. Loving all these ideas. I am so crap with money usually.

If your local library is only small, is there any larger town or city nearby from where you could get a second library card and then use their digital book system (like Libby or similar)? Many libraries allow users from outside their city boundaries.
I have several library cards; it's a very low cost compared to what I borrow. In some libraries the digital books are free of extra charges and only require a yearly pass. But the selection of digital books depends on the library, but some big city libraries have the new books quite soon, too.

Some spends today but also kind of a win. Had to buy petrol and wiper blades, though according to Amazon the last time I bought wiper blades was 2022 so they should last a while!

Other spending is bedding related again 😂 so in December I bought a wool duvet to replace my existing washable duvet which made me either sweaty or freezing. Last night I tried it for the first time after airing it for a week - it absolutely STANK! It was intolerable (and actually massive) so I’m sending it back for a refund. Still obviously need a duvet so ordered from a different company and it’s £90 cheaper, which covers the cost difference of the replacement sheets and still gives me some money back.

Fingers crossed the next one doesn’t smell like shit too 💩

Hello everyone! I'm back from the supermarket and whilst I had a browse through the Middle of Lidl (!) all I was thinking was "thank goodness I am not buying any of this crap to fill up my house again". Also cut right back on groceries and spent under £20 - as I have a lot of veggies to use up and would normally mindlessly buy extras even when I have stuff in, to inevitably rot in the fridge. I did buy a single bottle of beer, which is about half the amount I would usually buy - as my little treat for tomorrow. I also offloaded a bag of clothes at the clothes bank and all the trash from yesterday in the bins outside - result!

My house is feeling lighter as a result and I haven't burdened myself with unnecessary food and drink that would make me feel guilty when I failed to use it up in time....

A few little spends today. Milk. A cuppa with a friend. But I used my costa voucher that I got from a child in my class for the cuppa. :)

I have a spendy purchase coming up, as DD2 and I have a trip to London planned in April. Hotel already booked, so at some point I need to buy the train tickets. And we will go to see Phantom, so I need to book those tickets - though I have £50 voucher to help soften the blow there that I got as a thanks from someone I was mentoring.

Trying to put that off til after the Jan payday! I've had a payrise and it was backdated in the Dec payday, so I'm waiting still to Jan to see what my new normal pay is after deductions etc.

Jan 1 was a successful no spend day, but yesterday I bought some hardware bits so I can put up the pictures that have been in the way for three years, and also had a very large vet bill (with more likely, my poor elderly dog).

People upthread talking about hours worked per item reminded me of the book Your Money Or Your Life, which I read 20+ years ago and should probably have implemented at the time. I still have it so will read it again and learn better this time.

I’m unable to decide whether to call for a dishwasher repair (I know the cost of the part and that alone is quite expensive) or to put a good new one on the credit card. Crappy dishwasher is only two years old and has already broken once, days out of its one-year warranty.

We are on day 3 of no spends and have won £150 on premium bonds so very happy with that!
Well done everyone

Great news, @worriedgal!

I will ask at the library @ForestAtTheSea. Thanks for the suggestion. I am very rural though, with no big towns nearby. I am surprised my little local library is still open because I am nearly always the only person in there regardless of the time of day or day of the week and the two librarians give off palpable waves of resentment if I ever disturb them by asking a question. I don't feel too bad about my book consumption tbh as I do read all my books - I am not someone who has piles of unread books - and it feels like an acceptable luxury.

For those who are interested, I did buy the new laundry basket after thinking about it overnight. I decided it was hardly reckless extravagance to replace my existing basket after more than 40 years!

However, I have nobly resisted buying various other items that I have been notified are back in stock. (Note to self: STOP asking to be notified about anything other than essentials. It just puts temptation in my way.)

I am finding it fascinating - and alarming - how much I am missing scrolling and buying things online. Definitely time to break this habit!

@Melancholiest have you considered looking for a second hand good brand one? there might be a refurbished or like new one on Facebook marketplace and if you get a decent brand it might cost a bit less than the other options.

@worriedgal that is fantastic news, congrats!

Oh gosh @Melancholiest do you mean the Alvin Hall one? I remember watching the tv program years ago. Had I taken his advice I’d probably be fairly well off now but instead turned into a fritterer of money!

do try your county library system, we are rural too and get loads of loans from across the county. We also have a village bookshelf that is very popular and well used.

I'd like to join too please! I definitely have far too many clothes and shoes and need to 'shop from my own wardrobe'. Having grown up with nothing, I seem to compulsively surround myself with lovely things that I then feel guilty about having because I don't need them (and can't really afford them given the financial goals I have).

We did a build last year that caused real financial stress and my aim this year by buying only what is needed, is to get towards the end of each month not wasting time working out what bills I need to pay versus what I have left in the bank. I know that will be excellent for my mental health and my credit score!

Ah congrats worriedgal. Not so lucky here on the bonds sadly. You can but dream...

Tomorrow is going to be a no-spend day. I'm stuck inside waiting for my Christmas gift from DH to arrive. A stupidly expensive phone. He gave me a big chunk towards it. I paid the rest as it was then going to come back to me as cashback. So when the phone arrives tomorrow I'm filling in the claim, then sitting tight for however many days until I get the £200 back.