2026 No Buy

[Eatingmusselsfromashell]

I am planning a strict 2026 clothes no buy. I’ve tried in the past but the maximum I achieved was 3 months or so.
I’m sick of the cycle of seeing/ wanting / buying. I want to couple my No Buy with some other habit changes. I would like to limit screen time to one hour a day (except when listening to podcasts/ books and language learning). This is the year to brush up my Spanish and German for trips later in the year. I am annoyed at the hours of life I have wasted scrolling online sites.
I’ve tidied wardrobe in preparation and am ebaying / charity shopping anything which isn’t currently working for me.
Anyone else want to join me for moral support?

Caitlin Pawlowski on You Tube has talked about this today on her channel. It's an interesting watch.

Interesting @Cyclingmummy1one of the reviews refers to the length being on the short side.
The only options left were in the short length. Never mind, if the fit looks wrong, at least I can return them straight away! Thank you for the heads up though.
The jeans were good in this length but appreciate that wide legs need to have a good length fit wise to avoid the “swing yer pants” look!

I've literally been trying to keep out my mind what my pile for Vinted once cost as all I can do now is recover as much as possible and not make the same mistakes again

@Johaanah I know exactly what you mean. It's like we are drawn to the same things over and over despite already having them. Well I managed to practise this yesterday, collected an order which handily looked dreadful on me so returned. Popped into the sales and wasn't remotely tempted. Saw a jacket I liked but it was a pattern and reminded myself that plain colours on jackets work better for me, which I realised with my wardrobe clear out. I've made a list in my phone of actual gaps in my wardrobe and I'm hoping this will stop me being swayed. Vinted sales trickling in so good to get the stuff gone, trying not to think of the £ wasted !!! It's literally bags and clothes that are my downfall. Everything else - shoes, make up etc I just buy when they have worn out or been used up.

I've started a wish list on Amazon for some items I want to upgrade. I get an Amazon gift voucher from work most months for £25, which adds up.
I'm after a better LED face mask, I don't think the one I have is all that good so I have to sell it on FB and have enough in gift cards available before I replace it.

So it really hit me yesterday. I went into town, for something DC related, and realised that when I am hanging around in town waiting for a DC, I browse the shops. There are clothes shops, and gift shops and interior shops and charity shops, like a whole fucking street of shopping that had somehow fallen out of my head on this challenge.

There are huge red SALE signs, and discount baubles, beautiful clothes, shoes, everything I don’t need but wanted. Had a chai latte and a big cake instead, but then I was bored, so I thought, I’ll pop to the bookshop, and remembered, no Burner, we are not buying books this year.

Then I played this game with myself outside an expensive florist, hey Burner, flowers are not on your list of no-buy! You can have flowers. You deserve flowers. I didn’t buy any flowers, but the mental jujitsu of going to town was exhausting. I know there is an easy fix, to pack a book next time, and curl up in the warm cafe, but I had massive FOMO looking at all the shoppers.

I don't know how people enjoy window shopping either @ThisIsMyBurnerPhone it's just an exercise in frustration for me if I'm not supposed to buy anything. It helps a little knowing the marketing is designed to make us want it all, it's not just that we're weak people, we're being played. It's also an exercise in why people giving up bad habits can sometimes put on weight, you don't sound like you were hungry for cake but like you ate it as a distraction. Well done on resisting the flowers. I've realised they're my one luxury, because they die so they don't add to the "stuff" in my home, so they're allowed. But you're right, they are shopping too, I'll have to make sure to don't start buying excess house plants or more flowers than I have vases for or something.

No expenditure as of yet.
The last of the shopping from December has arrived.
One return made so far.
I'm shopping from my wardrobe today inspired by Melissa Murrells smart tracksuit, hoodie & fur coat look on Instagram. So my old Tesco's black cashmere trackies with wide leg pants & a Dkny Black fur coat from 2 years ago worn with a cream cashmere hat & scarf purchased from Tk Maxx last year.

I have bought pants , nothing exciting , just some M&S Big Pants as some of mine were a bit past it .
Apart from toothpaste , I plan not to buy anything else for the near future .

I need to ignore the adverts from Roman that sneak into the side bar , I bought a couple of blouses last year and now they're tracking me !

I love Mellisa Murrell, and a follow quite a few instagram stylists but I find that they really do influence me to buy mindlessly, I convince myself that I follow them for style inspiration, but I'm too weak not to buy.

Even reading this thread is making me want to look at (buy...) stuff posters are mentioning, the post upthread that mentioned a new LED mask had me wondering which one doesn't work and if its the Current Beauty one that the poster was thinking of buying and should I upgrade? I also saw a post where someone mentioned trousers from M&S that come up short and thought that they could be good for me as I'm 5ft 2. This is the mindset that I desperately need to shake off once and for all.

I'm still holding out - no idea how, but I'm hoping that once we get through January it'll get easier.

@Johaanah Yes I found myself doing the same! Someone mentioned toast and I found myself on the toast website wondering how I got there. Lots of gorgeous stuff but i resisted. I wouldnt dare after the massive shoe splurge/failure on day 3!

I think once the sales have died down it will definitely be easier. I never impulse buy things that are full price. Also I rarely buy or regret buying anything I got full price as I have usually dithered over it for ages if i have to pay full whack.

Its bargains and the thrill of the chase that makes me purchase without thinking. That stupid mindset of looking at what I am saving rather than what I am spending!

I should know better as I used to work in marketing and promotions so know all the tricks but still fall for them.

I 'bought' a boots beauty box today.

I really wanted a space nk make up case to switch between handbags bags. I don't just put make up in it. It is like a little survival kit
Anyway... it is £26 for an empty case.

Boots has a beauty "box" the trending now one.
£35
Has lots of the Korean trending products i love (more for the stockpile)
AND it comes in a case very similar to the Space NK one.
And i have a LOT of advantage card points so used them. So free basically.
Wouldn't have bought it with hard earned cash though.

I am very pleased with how I have done. Not even bought a coffee at work and resisted a perfume too.

To be fair I don't feel like that.
Melissa Murrell likes Me & Em & Varley.
I'm 61 & not working any more & these are too expensive for me now. The alternatives are often H&M whichi find really poor quality these days so I don't buy. But I do find the account really useful & when I've posted I've always been answered which is extremely rare in Instagram land.

I have bought….. a second hand cat basket from vinted, using my vinted balance so only £8 including delivery.

I hope this post doesn’t influence anyone…

I am increasingly thinking that Social Media and my over-buying are completely interrelated. I have deleted apps and try not to go on them via browser. I know mumsnet is also social media but the lack of visuals makes a big difference for me.

Next step is to use screen time limits on my phone for the web versions.

I did it too @lostntranslation and @Johaanah ; there is a thread about hats which instantly reminded me that I'd seen a fake fur trapper hat I wanted and moments later there it was in my ASOS basket. I have at least twenty hats already.

It's still in my basket and I didn't buy it but I still want it 😖

I’m glad it’s not just me, I honestly feel like I need therapy sometimes. I do wonder if it’s a shopping addiction and then i feel
so guilty when i look at everything i own and think of the money wasted, especially because Dh who earns most of it doesn’t spend unless he’s desperate.

@Johaanah I heard/read it somewhere about how the definition of an addiction is that even when you're not doing it you're still thinking about it and wanting it and counting down, or distracting yourself, until you're allowed/able to do it again. So yeh, although it's not out of control and I'm not in debt or prioritising it over my lived ones or anything like that, it's an addiction all the same. I keep telling myself there will always be something available that I want so I don't need to buy it now and I can't have everything.

I drink few coffees in work but that's normal spend, and I am not in office very often at all. I am happy with the membership (exercise and motivation) I purchased, plenty I can do and way cheaper then anything similar.

The main thing - no unnecessary clothes, beauty and perfumes. I am not going to be posting about normal spending here - I will focus on things like this although in reality I am more couscous of all spending and waste and I have taken some notes to reduce waste in other areas.

I’ve bought some hump moulds for my pottery group.

I’m telling myself that they’re to share so it’s not too bad.

But no-spend January has turned into two spends in the first week of January 😬

One week in and and no shopping! Tbh it's so cold at the moment that I have been living in my thermals with a big jumper (of which I have plenty!). I have been browsing but I have been using it as inspiration for outfits from my own wardrobe. I am feeling very positive about the No Buy at the moment 😁

Well done people for trying hard to avoid the January sales. I haven't looked at the sales at all for clothes/shoes/bags personal stuff. This is positive for me as good quality clothing on offer is my weakness.

This is the first January for ages that I have managed to not buy another wool jumper! But I probably have enough lovely ones to last me the rest of my life and I keep looking at my Whering app and telling myself that.

It is my birthday in January and I usually end up scouring the sales and asking DH to get me some clothes I've found. This year he has got me a new electric toothbrush and some headphones, both of which I need as they are broken.

I confess to having also bought a new phone and laptop around Christmas, but again these were necessary upgrades to replace a 5 year old phone and 8 year old laptop.

I am also unsubscribing from all online clothes/shoe shops that send me emails. However, we are in the process of renovating our kitchen and various purchases are still being made for that.

I lost one a glove out dog walking this morning. My usual gloves for country walks are in the wash, and it was so cold, I grabbed my leather town pair and somehow lost one on the way round. They are Oliver Bonas, leather with a small heart. I love them and am gutted to have lost 😞

I signed up for a yoga arm balance workshop, and as I haven't been looking at shopping sites online my sidebar (& most online ads I am seeing) is now promoting yoga workshops to me - its a pleasant change. Actually its a relief.

So if you stop looking at clothes online, and search something that interests you that is healthy or at least not shopping, you might be able to change your sidebar ads too.

hopefully you will find it on your next walk - often people leave lost items on a fence or somewhere,thinking the owner will be back looking for it.

Can I still join, please?

My income is currently really low (trying to stretch my maternity leave - I’m not in the UK so it’s possible to take up to 18 months and more, provided one enjoys eating tree bark 😅) so I’m doing No Buy 2026 out of necessity.

My biggest weakness is clothes and I have not realised how addictive shopping was for me. The last thing I bought (in December) was a coat and since then I literally have to sit on my hands every evening, feeling restless and miserable.

I really hope this year helps me to turn things around. I don’t want to accumulate any more things, I already have enough good quality, we’ll-made clothes. I don’t want to feel guilty about shopping. Hoping to post here for accountability.