To give this a go? Buying nothing new for one whole year.

[HurtSoul]

I want to give this a go!
Has anyone managed his before?
Looks like charity shops and eBay have everything you need?

I want to do it just to set myself a challenge, to save some money & because I feel sickened at the waste of all the shit I buy brand new!

metro.co.uk/2018/12/30/mum-goes-two-whole-years-without-buying-anything-new-children-8293035/?ito=social

Thank you Cornflake and GreyClouds, that’s useful. Silly question but do cots all come in standard sizes so a new mattress would fit an old cot of another brand properly? I know that having a mattress that doesn’t fit is another SIDS risk and don’t want to waste money by making the wrong purchases.

I can’t imagine I’ll manage it ( not helped by no charity shops in the country where I live) but I think it’s a good starting point for all purchases - ie you need to justify it on basis of need rather than just want. I really don’t need eight pairs of blue jeans with only minor differences between them.

We mostly do this (there’s some things I just wouldn’t get 2nd hand e.g mattresses etc) and especially for the kids because 2nd hand clothes particularly, are great condition and quality. Much better than brand new Primarni or supermarket brands.

I think as an individual it’s a very interesting thing to do.

But on a bigger scale, if lots of people do it, even for a couple of months, it could kill off a lot of retailers. And that’s not good for the many thousands of people who work in retail or the high street/communities or the pension funds, charities etc that depend on the rental income, or the councils that need the business rates.

Torn!!

Then again, much much much better for the environment if we make and use and throw away less stuff.

Then again it’s also the people involved in manufacturing across the globe who lose jobs if the stuff isn’t being bought.

Then again, far too many are sadly exploited and abused anyway.

My hungover head hurts too much for this on NYD, but it’s a very interesting concept, OP!

@Chewinggumwalk this was exactly the concern I had reading this thread. Everyone talks of all the great branded stuff they buy from charity shops but if everyone thought like this there would be nothing in shops

And there's the concern that our High streets are suffering cause of austerity as it is. I'm not encouraging waste and I commend the thinking here but think it's better to be a mindful consumer than buy nothing at all.

I also sort of agree with the point of going to work to be able to afford nice quality things. Torn about this as you can tell...

You can get some great clothes in charity shops if you live in an affluent neighbourhood but, where I am, they're full of worn out Primark clothes. For that reason, I buy my secondhand clothes on ebay.

One of the problems I have with buying secondhand is that I buy even more stuff because it's cheap and then the house ends up full of clutter which makes me miserable.

Aim for this year is to not buy any new or secondhand clothes. I've definitely got enough to get through the year. If there really is something I desperately need, will only buy it if I absolutely love it. Also, going to declutter! The happiest time for me is on holiday when I've only got a suitcase full of clothes. Life is so simple when you haven't got much choice. That's what I hope to achieve by the end of the year.

Yep! When my parents died and I cleared out their house, they had such a lot of junk (Dad collected anything and everything) it took 18 months of auctions, ebay, charity, tip etc....Whilst I have never been a big spender, it made me realise how materialistic and wasteful we are as a society and I developed a 'you can't take it with you' attitude.

I set myself a savings challenge in order to retire early (lol), read FIRE blogs and all that jazz. So since then I ebay, sell my own junk, took on an extra job for a bit and save like a mad woman. I only buy new when necessary - 2 youngest boys went to uni, so I had to kit them out in September.
It's quite fun getting bargains on ebay for holiday clothes and if they don't suit then I sell them again.
I'm not as strict as I was a couple of years ago, but do ask myself, 'do I really need it?'
Martin Lewis is fab.

Gladrags9

Start selling on eBay far more satisfying than buying

I think I could probably do it, leaving aside food, toiletries and presents.

I'm in my late 50s and have enough clothes and shoes to last the year, especially if I manage to lose some weight which would allow me to wear lots of clothes in my wardrobe that I currently can't!

I don't buy any books now, except as presents, as we use kindles.

However, if any electrical appliances broke, I would replace them with new ones. My 'overflow freezer' in the garage is on its last legs, I think, as it's very noisy. However, it was bought in 1979, so it's done pretty well! The only other household item I'm thinking about buying new this year is a duvet to replace our current one. That's not as old as the freezer, but it is over 25 years old.

I'm out of work for the first time in 9 years and am going to do this until I'm settled in a job again... could be a while!

In the past I've bought oodles of shite in the January sales just because its discounted.

This year the only thing I needed was a new coat so I've got a second hand one off eBay which was only 20 but looks brand new and worth around 150, I'm delighted.

I did it for two years when times were really tough and now that I can afford not to I still buy very few new clothes, handbags or accessories. In fact even kitchen equipment. As others have said, charity shops and EBay are very hand. I make an exception for underwear and tights. I drift into charity shops when I'm passing, rather than going out on a mission to find a particular item.
I don't think this will ever become popular enough to be a threat to retailers - many people think it's skanky to buy and use second hand. However you can get clothing that's clearly hardly used, or even still with the retailers labels on. I brought a slow cooker in the box for £5, a lovely dinner set for £10, a Jasper Conran suit for £10...

Marie Kondo's Tidying Up is now on Netflix, for those who are interested. Am watching it now ....

I started doing this half-way into 2018 and now have a decent amount of savings. I need more to reach my target figure for the deposit so will continue this theme into 2019. 😻

Because of circumstances, for the last couple of years I have only been replacing things rather than acquiring more. I'm definitely more mindful about buying now. I do like to mooch in a charity shop, too. I'm lucky that there are some very good ones near me!

I do understand the worry that if we all stopped buying that would cause shops to close and people to lose their jobs. I think it's very unlikely that 'enough' people will do it for that to happen, though. Many people use shopping as a leisure activity, and over buying things is almost an addiction. I'm thinking of those 'haul' videos on YouTube ....

I think that buying less, and buying more mindfully, is a great thing to aim for, but I think I’d struggle with buying nothing new.

Clothes, for example - most of the charity shops near me rarely have decent clothes in my size, and I like to see clothes before I buy, so I’m not keen on clothes from eBay.

I’v been trying to buy more mindfully instead - so looking at clothes again (although we’ve been trying to do this with everything), last year, most of the clothes I bought were bought with the intention of replacing clothes that had worn out, rather than just wandering round the shops and buying stuff that caught my eye.

I’ve tested this idea

You load up an online basket - then leave it

The next day you have to try and remember what’s in the basket

If you can’t remember then clearly you don’t need it or want it

My Dd and I decided that we'd not buy any new clothing after watching THIS although, I did go onto autopilot and buy a couple of things for her for Christmas. That program really was an eyeopener and everyone should watch it.

This year, I'm going to buy little in the way of new although, I do have to have some work done on my house so, new is essential, there. But, in the main, I'm in. I'm also going to attempt to lose weight so that I can wear some of the too small clothing I already own.

Happy New Year everyone, but, not happy new purchasing!

Today I've deleted numerous emails from companies without even opening them. Usually I'd have a nose in case there was a deal to be had. If I don't look, I'm not tempted to buy stuff I don't need.

I thought about doing this and already today I couldn't resist (£100 off a set of Le Creuset saucepans an opportunity not to be missed!) But I will try to buy less this year. Some things are essential (kids shoes for instance), but I am definitely going to cut down on my spending.

On the whole @ferntwist cot mattresses are standard sizes, although like beds there can be a variety of sizes. It is worth looking up the product online, but our cot had a sticker under the cot base with the mattress size required, or you can measure it.

We used a family heirloom crib with both our children and easily managed to buy a made to measure mattress for a relatively cheap cost, online.

I started doing this about 6 months ago because I wanted to save up and buy some new furniture (irony right there!) I "colour code" my spending:
Green - things I need to do my job/live such as basic food, train tickets etc.
Amber - stuff I could cut back on (e.g.parking - if I walk, Dominos pizza once every 2 months) permitted in a limited way
Red - new clothes, new books, drinking alcohol, going out etc and are not permitted.

I have to say it worked!! I now save the money I was frittering away and I have done what I wanted to in the house. But it is boring!! It's kind of amazing how long I was spending in time just in spending money! So don't be surprised if you need to find a new hobby such as reading second hand books. My house has also become clutter-free with places for everything as when I bored I'd tidy a cupboard or the freezer. Weird I know, but it works.

My clothes are mainly ebay & charity shops-have been for quite a few years tbh-mostly because I hate clothes shopping!

I don't think I bought any new clothes for myself in 2018, apart from trainers. I get most of the kids clothes 2nd hand. You can get nice kitchenware in 2nd hand shops if you keep your eyes open and pop in regularly. Certainly there is no needs to buy books new, either ebay or library of there is something in particular you want to read. I am not massively one-one about being ethical but equally I don't see the point in adding to material pressures on the planet for no reason. I particularly dislike 'fast-fashion', it IS problematic.

Have a read of this inspiring book, Michelle McGagh The No Spend year. She cuts her spending to bare bones levels, has a small £15 ish per week food budget, cycled everywhere, including a holiday in Suffolk (from London).

www.amazon.co.uk/No-Spend-Year-spend-less/dp/1473652154/?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Mark Boyle went even further and didn't spend a single penny for a whole year (and beyond). He found work on an organic farm near Bristol in exchange for a place to live in his caravan (freecycled). He got some food from the farm, some he foraged from the hedgerow and some he skipdived. He did buy a few minimal bits in advance like bike parts and a solar panel, but in the main avoided "front-loading" goods before the challenge started.

www.amazon.co.uk/Moneyless-Man-Year-Freeconomic-Living/dp/1851687874/?tag=mumsnetforum-21

There's also been a group going for a few years called the San Francisco compact, whose members vow to only buy second hand stuff (excluding food, meds and essentials like knickers)

www.moneycrashers.com/compact-frugal-group-buy-secondhand/