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?

I did a big wardrobe clear out and most of it is either charity shop bargains that I've never worn as not quite right and a few things brand new where the pattern is too big. I know I can't wear big patterns but it's interesting that it's mainly the charity shop buys which seem a good idea at the time and cheap. So I need to be alot more mindful x

Honestly I think the idea of charity shops are better than it is in practise. I can't think of one of my previous purchases I've worn regularly so I don't go anymore.

@ChipshopPickledEgg yep I do love a rummage but I think the item needs to be spot on now. I'm going to donate back alot of what I bought and be alot more selective. Great buys over volume of buys. Also thinking ' how many things will this go with? " which I'm terrible at doing and get items that only go with one thing.

Morning all.

Some 99p Kindle deals bought (new month's batch) but no other items this week. I have been adding and removing beauty items from baskets all week so still chasing the highs of last month. Have treated myself to a nice Easter Egg so that should provide some distraction over the next couple of days.

Checking in a week after my last posting - hope that lack of other posts is because everyone is finding no/low buy easy now so no support needed rather than because everyone is busy with frenzied shopping.

Nothing bought this week other than consumables (food, drink etc). Still browsing and putting things in baskets but then not pressing 'buy'.

@Paetina I do the basket and delete thing too. Whenever I do buy something I'm getting much better at buying only the thing I need and not ten other things that have caught my eye as well. Things sit in my basket for months before purchasing now, I used to be so impulsive. It's mid April and I'm pleased with how the month is going. I'm definitely finding it easier this year than last year. Weirdly I've been finding it easier not to over eat too. I guess I'm developing better self discipline in general. I expect everyone has been busy with Easter weekend and that's why there's less posting.

Still managing to stick to my clothing no buy. There are some quite old things I would like to replace in my wardrobe but they are ok, just not what I would choose nowadays. Still managing to stay strong.
well done to everyone who is sticking to their plan.

Well I prematurely got down my summer stuff which prompted a massive wardrobe clear out and it's really made me think. I'm terrible at clearing out from previous years and I've removed 1/3 of my summer stuff to donate or sell. I've set myself some rules as there are some clear patterns I could see with what I removed..anything too fussy, anything with ties and any big patterns. So I feel much clearer about what I have and where I've been going wrong and can now see what I have. I think it's going to need another sift through and continuing to stick to low buy, no impulse buy, no buying just because it's a bargain. It's not a bargain if you then donate it to charity a year later.

I think I might be 6 or 7 weeks in to this now. I've ridden a few waves but held on. I'm feeling increasingly stronger with regard to the upcoming summer sales, but I'm not out of the woods yet. Like @IndianSummer78 , I'm doing this alongside giving up sweets/chocs/high fat foods and it's feeling OK.

I'm another who is currently retrieving my high summer gear as I'm doing 3 weeks in hot humid Asia in a week's time. I'm determined not to buy anything new. Plus I'm 4 kg heavier than last summer & on my 'Winter' weight with a bit of a tummy !
I'm currently setting up a packing list on Whering & trying various combinations of clothing. Last time I went to Asia I limited myself to back and white but I now have burnt orange, umber & antique green dresses that I would like to wear for some formal meetings.

Hi all 👋

That’s me at over four full months - the longest I’ve gone on a no buy so far - but definitely hanging on by my fingertips. I’m not confident that I will get to a year - perhaps six months then a low buy is more realistic.

My wardrobe is becoming nicely streamlined after lots of ebaying / charity shopping and getting dressed is much easier as a result. I’m following the ‘Don’t keep if you wouldn’t want to buy again today’ and the ‘hell yes’ concepts. The ‘hell yes’ is something I will definitely take shopping with me when I go from no buy to low buy. I’ve tried a few things on lately and a few times been a bit tempted, but they were not ‘hell yes’ items - perfect in shape, fabric and colour. The thinking hard about my wardrobe has made me realise that shape and drape is such a crucial factor for me and I’ve been less focused on this in the past. For example, I’ve just ebayed a me and em brown leather jacket where it was too cropped for me and the brown was slightly too warm. Despite the leather being beautiful quality I was never reaching for it and wearing other jackets instead. When I start buying again I will look for a longer length jacket in a darker / cooler brown.

I’ve also found that I am moving away from dresses (and definitely floral ones) towards more trousers and jeans worn with silk shirts and blouses.

Well done @Eatingmusselsfromashell!

Morning all. A few transgressions to report. Got a strong urge to buy a flannel plaid shirt as I have been seeing them around so picked one up from Vinted (£6 inc post etc). A couple more 99p Kindle books too - have too many but am reading as fast as buying so backlog is static. I also used a voucher code to buy some blusher (£3 net). I'm not sure how feel about these purchases - not quite in the spirit of things but I get a lot of pleasure for low impact.

I'm going to do a wardrobe/makeup review this weekend (and dust off my summer clothes) - will make sure at least one clothing item and one unused makeup item leave the building as trade off for purchases.

Regardless, greater awareness and thoughfulness is making a difference. Bank balance is looking healthy - used some of it to sort out scratches on my car.

Similar story with me @Paetina still making considered purchases but trying my hardest to do so sustainably and frugally.

Negatives:
Shirt (B Corp company and on my list although blaming PP for mentioning Sézane, they also tempted me with £10 off).
Knitted dress/sweatshirt dress bought second hand.
Trousers from M&S outlet (impulse buy but £4.50).

Positives:
I have been decreasing fast fashion influencers and increasing frugal and investing influencers. Just a few years investing and I’ll be a 28 year old with a million in the bank lol (it surely doesn’t matter that I am significantly closer to 50).
Almost convinced myself the low profile Adidas are too ubiquitous.
Resisted rejoining Liberty beauty drop (for now).
Barely thought about leather jackets and a lot of the alternatives for Spring jackets in the shops seem to be what can only be described as cagoules or anoraks so think I’m safe.

@Eatingmusselsfromashell , I haven't heard those veterinary "don't keep if you wouldn't but again" has given me pause for thought. I'm going to take a look at my wardrobe. Is "hell yes", the notion that you must live it to buy it? Is there anything in particular that's got you having on by your finger tips?

Hope the (work?) trip is a good o e @Cantonet , do you mandate to only take things you already own?

That sounds really measured {mention:Paetina}@Paetina, what's that a drop down from?

Your 28 year old comment made me laugh @d20.

I'm still going strong. I'm going to be about 5k short on my retirement savings plan because of unwise mindless shopping, so that's been a real motivator, not that I'll be able to make that up, but I can reach for it. I saw a perfume that I like was on sale recently, and rather than just buy it, I asked my DH to get it and put it away until my birthday later in the year. I'm looking forward to it!

I’ve been taking a different approach to the’would you buy it again’ brigade and not declutterring. My clothes still fit, but I always thought there was going to be something better out there. If I declutter then it makes space for more clothes so it doesn’t work for me. I’m using that clever wardrobe planner recommended by a poster on here that provides an outfit each day. You just match the items they use to the equivalent in your wardrobe. It gets me wearing everything not just the regular items I was reaching for again and again. I’m putting together outfits I would never have worn before. 9 times out of 10 they look great, and I’ve been doing that for six months and the outfits have been different every day. So I’ve not been bored.

@dudsville - a drop down from about £6-7k a year on clothes, beauty and miscellaneous home items. An extensive Toast habit with a chunk of Navygrey and Cos - new and sales. This, alongside a heap of beauty calendars, kits and boxes, caused the most damage- with the ocassional obsessional spree (e.g. on expensive candles). Only the 99p Kindle habit is still going quite strong in 2026 - but reasonably low impact.

Spend at that rate started during Covid - reasonably frugal up to that point (spending more on travel and home renovations). Spend dropped in 2025 - aiming for it to drop a lot further this year onwards. A large chunk of what I bought 2020-2024 ended up being given away or resold at a loss. Last year was more considred and things bought have been used/worn.

Same paetina. You're not alone. I couldn't believe the figures when I added it up. I thought to myself well this is getting ridiculous now and too much stuff in the home. Like you I'm doing much better since joining these threads.

Dudsville it's when you look at your clothes and think if you're excited to wear it. If it's not a "hell, yes!" then it's a "no" and you sell/donate/recycle/bin.

I do something similar with thinking if my home burned down and I lost everything but had infinite money to replace with, would I buy this item again? If not, then I know I'm not all that bothered about it, it can go and I won't miss it.

Wow, that's an amazing achievement!

Hj @Dudsville i'm here already.
Yes, i tried to only bring clothes i already had.
I did buy one new thing - a paid of very wafty linen trousers - mine seem to have been mislaid . I essentially brought my Med. Holiday Europe thats already listed on Whering from previous years.
Packed at the very last minute, as I just wasn't in the mood to try on outfits as it was so chilly these last two weeks. We went out for dinner when we arrived in HK at 8pm and it's still 26° and very humid. It's lovely to people watch here though - the girls are so chic.

Hmm I have hit a pretty big issue. After years (literally) of buying a multitude of cheap ‘bargain’ crap, I’ve realised over the past few months that I hate almost everything in my wardrobe, or it’s faded, or it doesn’t fit.

Hardly conducive to a no buy!

@Paetina that's amazing well done. It's a but terrifying when you add it all up ! I think the small thoughtful purchases are totally fine - I'm doing the same. Have a very small monthly budget for all clothes and beauty purchases. It's focused the mind, I'm working through my stash of toiletries etc.

You could do a low-buy instead Dunno. In your situation I think I'd be inclined to buy 3 bottoms and 5 tops now. Then mix and match with what you already have.

For starters, if you come across something that doesn't fit get rid, the faded stuff you could maybe re-dye but otherwise if you CBA then get rid. Then do a cull at the end of summer for anything summery you've hated wearing even if it fits. Next summer you can buy some new items.

Do the same with autumn, winter and spring clothes at the end of those seasons too. By the time next summer starts you'll have a good idea of what you like and don't like and what the gaps in your wardrobe are. So you can do a targeted low-buy next year too and not buying endless crap you hate again.

I'm fessing up to some new pretty bedding I absolutely don't need and haven't yet got anywhere to put. 👎

Hi @dudsville. Yes, as @IndianSummer78says it basically means that you have to really love something to purchase it. I would like to buy lots from one particular brand that I love - reluctant to link or be too specific as I don’t want anyone to be tempted. Mainly blouses and shirts. Have also seen 2 pairs of sandals from a shoe brand that I love. 😭