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?

The items I bought from Never Fully Dressed have gone straight back - to high a price tag for shoddy cheap fabric. No more impulse buying for me!

I got rid of one garment (a skirt) from my wishlist. It’s been there for over 4 months. It’s huge for me because I didn’t lose interest, I still wanted it but managed to convince myself that the skirt wouldn’t bring me joy because I’m not 100% aligned with the brand values. Aggressive FOMO marketing and greenwashing are not my things so I am a bit proud of myself that I voted with my wallet this time.

I realised that in the long run it doesn’t matter for me if it’s a low buy or no buy, as long as I can see a positive impact on my wellbeing, clutter levels and finances. It’s a bit like dieting - going all out doesn’t work in most cases, slow and steady does it. It doesn’t matter that I fail sometimes as long as I’m sticking to my goals and getting back on track immediately. So far I haven’t bought anything in the January sales. It’s a big difference compared to last year when I heavily overspent the money I didn’t really have and had to use savings to pay off my credit card.

The shopping my wardrobe exercise really helps me. It brought back the joy from wearing things I already own and spending some time every evening to plan my outfit for the next day is a good replacement for mindless browsing of online stores.

Welcome @NoBuyBore @RedApplePie @Thedarkside1985 @Valkirie @DecemberGloom. Fantastic to have you here.

I’m continuing to do well on my no buy, having not spent on clothing or accessories since December 5th. I’ve read quite a lot since then, so can feel my concentration improving, but unfortunately am still spending far too much time looking at phone screen. A more concerted effort with this is required!

I’m continuing to charity shop / eBay and am getting to very manageable levels of clothes but still want to thin down footwear a bit. Being able to see what I have in a thinned down wardrobe is helping greatly with squashing the urge to buy more.

Hope you are having a good week @lostntranslation. Sending very best wishes.

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughtful posts, strategies and resource sharing.

Should I just take all my stuff to the charity shop - so that’s my donation for the year in Lieu of money …
or spend ages putting it on Vinted then getting led astray by other things on Vinted!

im leaning towards just taking it out of the house and being done with it.

if you have the time & energy to sell it, sell it.

if its causing you a block, if you don't have the time or energy, its OK to donate.

out of sight, out of mind.

That’s what I’m thinking. Want it gone!

Perhaps you could try Vinted first, if only because a very significant proportion of donated clothing goes into landfill.

Thank you @Eatingmusselsfromashell yes my week is going much better! I have decided that whilst all around me might be challenging at the moment I am in control of me and my reaction to it.

I think it has really helped with the low spend as I still find myself browsing online shops on autopilot, but I tell myself impulse buys are emotional so it gives me the breathing space to change my mind about the item.

I did spend £35 on a massage oil and cream that was recommended to me for joint pain. I am putting that in the necessary health bucket so it doesn't count. I work a quite physical job and sometimes get aching feet at the end of the day (thanks menopause). I am hoping this cream will help a bit.

I will need to buy some things to help sell our house (paint etc) but the only furnishing item I am allowing myself to buy is a washable runner. I am being strict on this as usually this is the kind of area I would just go mad and spend loads on accessories because I have an excuse to spend. I am actually enjoying chucking things away/donating more than buying new. The house will sell better uncluttered anyway.

Oh and I am using the spending tracker that was recommended and I love going on there and feeling smug about how little I have spent this month. That's really helping motivate me.

It's lovely reading everyone's posts and it's really helpful to keep accountable.

Oooo could you let me know what the spending tracker is please?

£32 today for replacement school shoes for DS, but I think necessities are permitted!

@DecemberGloom Yes it's called spending tracker and has a brown wallet logo on the app store. Recommended to me upthread when I asked. It is really straightforward to use and you can set recurring items.

I sold two sport items on vinted and promptly transferred the money. DC trains figure skating and the money are enough to pay her training expenses and membership in the association.

Bad news is that another garment that I sold on VC got lost by UPS. While they are investigating my funds are frozen and the plan was to use them next month.

I've had a super intense week away for work with barely time to check personal emails. Now I'm home I keep thinking I deserve a little reward....

Step away @LivingDeadGirlUK or buy a little something that will take you offline. Cozy colouring has been great for taking me offline. You can even print out some sheets so you could get started right away.

I have a big event at work next week and was thinking of getting a new top. I did force myself to look into my wardrobe and I found a top I could wear. So I successfully shopped my wardrobe. Money and time saved.

I have not bought anything yet! Happy so far, I am not ready for decluttering and organising my clothes but I clearly have enough to get by.

Any room for a late comer lurker?

I'm trying to replace my dopamine hits, rather than a wholesale ban. So I'm making a capsule wardrobe from what I have and only filling in essentials either second hand or new if it's in my budget on my list.

I have no lippie left so I'll replace that but that only. Despite an offer code ticking away in my emails which will get deleted.

With my book addiction I'm trying to use the library. The downside to that financially is that it's costs £1.30 per reservation at my library, and some books I have wanted for a while are 99p on kindle. So I'm trying to find a middle ground.

My other emotional spends are candles and flowers. I'm using only what candles I have (more than enough after Xmas gifts)

Most dunelm stores have a textile takeback facility where they take textiles, clothes and shoes (must be clean but they accept ripped/torn items). They sort them and either reuse or repurpose rather then send to landfill.
Might be an option rather than charity shop?

I mentioned earlier that I'd bought a dress I'd wanted for 3 years in a sale.

Well, it's arrived and it's really disappointing. It arrived crumpled in a token bit of tissue paper. The colours are far more muted than they looked on the website, it's not lined and it's really tight on the shoulders.

Full price was £250! It's going back, obviously. But I was really gutted. I genuinely cannot believe they sell that absolute rubbish for that price but Libertys stock the brand so I guess it's seen as quality.

How disappointing @NutButterOnToast . I'm pleased you aren't going to fight to make it work.
I'm repeatably shocked at the lack of lining in expensive clothes that are crying out of that extra finish. Hang so much better.
I'm shopping my wardrobe, gamifying my choices, uploading to Whering. That's ticking a box in my head.

That’s a good idea thank you.

It is really disappointing @NoBuyBore when you think you're buying from a small, good quality business and you're prepared to pay what you think it's worth. Until it arrives!

At least that will be some money i can add to savings now.

What a great thread!
I plan to do this at the start of every year and fail miserably.
My plan this year was not to buy anything EXCEPT a black padded hooded coat in the sales to keep for next winter as I have loads of coats but not with a hood for the never ending rain obviously not a dressy coat as I have several)
Following the idea of some posters I am going to try to keep my plan until Easter then if I succeed extend it to summer.
Good luck!

Pay day tomorrow which means I've survived my first month without buying anything!😃
Although I didn't go completely spend free, when I had the urge I took myself to the shops and bought something small like a pepsi max or a tub of grapes or mango. I think it conned my brain into thinking we were treating ourselves!lol😂

Checking in a week after last posting. Just essential buys (food, replacement consumables) this week so a good one. I got paid Friday and had a very healthy balance in my current account before my salary went in. My recycling bins (due for collection on Tues morning) are looking pretty empty and I'm enjoying the extra headspace from not having to track deliveries.

I'm now getting an urge to declutter more (seems to happen alongside a no/low buy phase).Not too much to cull as I had a massive clear out 1-2 years ago (over 12 months).

How is everyone else getting on?