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 agree with @IndianSummer78that it sounds like a low buy would be a good step if you are not feeling your wardrobe, @Dunnocantthinkofone.

That’s brilliant @Paetina- such a great saving. It’s really helpful to tally it up - I’ve been doing the same and find it very motivating

I agree with the others @Dunnocantthinkofone , don't want to enable you, but maybe this year is for getting your wardrobe in order, rather than low or no buy? My wardrobe is full of things I love, so I know the need isn't there and I just don't need to acquire more nice things. Sounds like you're in a different position.

Oh good! You’ve all given me the go ahead 😂
I will have an enormous cull and buy some intentional replacements and try fir the first time ever to plan deliberate items in specific cuts and colours rather than grab whatever whim based fancy I happen across

Just trying to keep on top of where I'm at with this. I started posting on feb 27, so I'm 2 months in. I feel I'm probably safe around vinted now, and I've even done some more wardrobe culling and listed on vinted and that's been fine. I still haven't decided what I'm doing with the summer sale, but I'm currently sorting out my retirement plans and that will decide things for me. I've bought some new anti chafe shorts for dresses as I was down to my last one and it was frayed. But those are a necessity, otherwise no shopping. That's not saying much. I should be able to go two months without shopping! But I'm glad to be doing this.

How's everyone else getting on?

Hi @dudsville I'm doing ok. Got a larger annual bonus than expected (paid in April) - didn't go wild but gave myself a smallish budget (£100) to spend on non-essentials (ended up with couple of small home items I'd been eying up and a couple of beauty items- carefully selected). Happy with the compromise. Aiming for a very low May buy/spend as have no birthdays, no holidays and no big nights out planned.

I've finally come to the end of a massive clothes clear out, I went through all my summer stuff and I've probably got rid of 1/3 of my wardrobe via vinted and charity donations. This is years of hanging on to things and some bad purchases. What's really helped is I now have a list in my head of things that don't work for me and it's now so much easier to pick things from my wardrobe.

However! Had a stern word with myself and the problem is the constant hunt. Needs to stop. So it sounds ridiculous and it shouldn't be this hard but May is a total no spend month and I must do it. I seem to have unsuscribed from lots of marketing emails but replaced it with following new people on insta, showing their latest purchases. It just gets in your head!

Sounds good, both @Paetinabonus treat and @coolcahuna 's clear out.

I've accrued an extra packet of money that I've put into my savings last night - that's the result of not shopping and selling on vinted. That felt good.

I wish I could knit. I have a vinted purchase of a great piece of knitwear, but the sleeves are far too long. My mistake, I knew this at the time when the item was in the shop but forgot. I'm going to spend the day trying to work out how to find a knitter.

I asked co-pilot to help me with my colours and it offered to make some suggestions from what I have in my wardrobe so I feel like I have bought some new things but they were already there just waiting to be paired with something new. Okay, so it hallucinated a pair of mint green trousers but overall it went surprisingly well and told me I definitely do not need more work trousers. We also discussed lo-pro trainers and I’m still holding off. I have ballet flats that would do the same job for work outfits.

Other things I didn’t buy this month include a Rose & Rose pink boho blouse, Arket striped tshirt dress, Free People denim jacket, all of the shoes in M&S, multiple pairs of earrings.

Oh, it did tempt me with a Sézane cardigan - to give an honest account of the experience.

Came on to bemoan the fact that I will need more moisturiser shortly. I use Nivea Q10, whichever is on offer. I think the last time I purchased some, they were 3 for the price of 2, so I ended up paying about £6 per pot a while ago. They are double that now! I have some small L’Occitane freebies that I’ll use up while I scout for offers on Q10. If any of you happen to see Q10 on offer anywhere, please do @Cheapskatemumme to alert me where I need to go for it, thanks!

Superdrug have an offer on @cheapskatemum they also have their own version of Q10 a lot cheaper but I’ve not tried it.

Great! Thank you so much

Bought some today @D20. I didn’t realise there was a special Q10 for over 60s. I bought that one as I’m in that age bracket.

My 2026 has been "buy nothing new" rather than "buy nothing" & I've been doing pretty well.

I knew there would be a sample sale locally for a brand I love and I carved out an "exception" for that from the beginning.

I got a wonderful dress (worn already to a work event), 2 gorgeous sweatshirts which fill a sweatshirt/mid season jumper size gap in my wardrobe, my first ever jumpsuit (silk & very wearable), a shirt I will wear lots with jeans etc, and 2 pieces of fabric - one to make a dress or shirt and one piece to make a summer top.

I’m much less tempted by summer clothes in general because I have some lovely pieces that rarely get an outing (except this heatwave weekend yay). I know the ‘new school uniform’ itch will get me come September though.

Are you tempted all year round or do you have specific times when you need to hold yourself back?

@RobinEllacotStrike I have some Merchant & Mills fabric and a pattern book that I still haven’t done anything with. That’s embarrassing 🙈

I've fallen off the wagon big time! I've bought summer weight trousers x3 and another dress. Need the trousers as I've changed size since last year. I did not need the dress, buying the trousers for new back into the shopping habit. Ah well.

We're away for my daughter's wedding soon and I have spent a fortune on two dresses, trousers and a blouse BUT up to now I'd bought barely anything and I do feel that they were mindful purchases so I'm feeling pleased with myself.

Hello, I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from your thread, thank you. I am
not buying new clothes from Jan 2026 to July 2028 as I’m supporting my DD at Uni. After all bills and commitments, I have £10 disposable income a month. Hence, i’d appreciate some advice on how to keep clothes going.

my work trousers, heavy duty M&S chinos, have frayed at the bottom edge of the hem to the extent the turn under of the hem has detached completely. So i have a raw frayed edge now. What can I hem over to seal the edge, does bias binding still exist? (If I re hem with a new turn-under the leg length will be too short.)

i am on to my last pair of pjs. I’m a single mum so it doesn’t matter what I wear to bed. Anyone got any ideas of other clothing I could re purpose around the house as nightwear? My teen son’s boxers have stated to fray in their elastic at the waistband so I was wondering if that would work rather than put them in the recycling.

finally, my leather work brogues now have a completely detaching sole at the front. Can a cobblers take the entire sole off and replace? Or do they usually lay a new sole over the old and if the original is flapping off, it’s a no go for the shoe? (I’m a bit ashamed to ask this in person in a shop in case it is not possible so thought to ask here first.)
With my thanks in advance.

Could you wear them with a purposely frayed edge for work or demote to casual wear?

Any local free sites for some replacement pjs? They always seem to come up on mine for some reason. Use an old tshirt?

Regarding the shoes I really wouldn’t be embarrassed asking a cobbler whether the shoes can be fixed. I do find them to be expensive though. Buying second hand may be more cost effective.

@D20 thank you for your ideas. I am enjoying how creative this challenge is making me. I have discovered on line how to make bias binding. I have an old pair of DS’s jeans that I can cut on the bias to make my own, apparently, then bind the bottom trouser edge. I have dress making shears and a sewing machine so this is all doable, i just need more knowledge and skills which I’m acquiring. A frayed hem at work wouldn’t be acceptable . I need to look clean and neat.

you’re right that cobblers are expensive. I have also discovered (yay Google) that what i need is ‘shoe goo’, a particular flexible bond, and then wrap the shoe in masking tape to press upper and sole together while it dries. £5 rather than £30+.

A friend’s very elderly father has passed away and she was lamenting what to do with all his beautiful clothes that are too worn for charity shop but are lovely fabrics and so too ‘good’ for textile recycling. I think I’ll be brave and ask if it would be ok if I had them. i could wear his very soft cotton dress shirts as night shirts - he was a lovely gent, always in a dress shirt and tie into his nineties (!), so this does not bother me. my friend has already given me his tuxedo for DS, which i’ll put aside aside until i have funds to get it altered for DS eventually, as i was never trained in tailoring. (Did dress making at school.) it is the most fabulous baretha wool and whiffs of cigars and has a ripped silk lining but i can see its potential!

Faded Linen yes bias binding does still exist.
Have you tried looking in charity shops - not the larger charities
which i can't name but you will know who I mean, but smaller lesser known charities often have things much cheaper as they have all voluntary staff, no managers to pay etc.
There is a small church charity shop not far from me which has some really good bargains. I got a lovely M&S shopper for £2 which looked brand new and they often have shoes which look never to have been worn for £2.

@Bitolderandwiser yes you’re right, not all charity shops are equal. There is a little one the town over which has a v local cause and has good bargains still, circular recycling if you will, all within the local community.

i asked my friend if it was ok to have her dad’s shirts and she got v emotional and was so - overwhelmed with gratitude, i want to say. Which is not what i was expecting and makes me so glad i overcame my shame to ask her. Win win. Her dad’s shirts are indeed worn at collar and cuffs so no good for a charity shop but they are ‘Wells of Mayfair’ - who went bust in 1992!!! the fabric quality is divine , so soft and comfy, luminous colours, linen and silk mix. They smell of cedarwood and old fashioned soap.

my friend got so excited that she dug out stuff she didn’t want to part with to charity as it was ‘too precious’ , but me as a charity she’s fine with 😆. Unworn long line gents’ cardis from Johnston of Elgin, shawl collar, pure cashmere, I’m slim so they work like an unstructured jacket on me, and paisley silk/wool fringed scarves and silk Liberty pocket squares. I will put them all carefully in a drawer for a while to make sure she hasn’t acted in haste and wants any of it back. Beyond generous. I need to pay it forward somehow.

Oh that’s so lovely @FadedLinen