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?

Welcome @MorphingintoMargo, @Howmanyroses@lbnblbnb, @Quella@BlueEyedBogWitch and @Leftsidefacing. Fabulous to have you all here!

I nearly bought another perfume I don't need but I stopped myself before the checkout! It's only 2nd of January, way too early for that

Is anyone else subscribed to Tiffanie Darkes substack Its not sustainable? She’s got some good suggestions and thought provoking ideas. Worth a read instead of a Vinted scroll!

I got the SpaceNK sale email this morning and immediately went to click on it without even thinking, then caught myself on and deleted it.

I should unsubscribe but my loyalty points are stopping me (which is stupid because I can just look at them on the website if I want to).

Yes @WhitegreeNcandleI subscribe to her substack. I think she is brilliant and once I’ve finished my no buy I’m planning to do a ‘Rule of 5’ type low buy - but will probably go for 10 rather than 5.
Season 7 Episode 1 of the ‘Stressed but Welldressed’ podcast has her as a guest and is an interesting listen.

Starting today - unsubscribing from sales emails as they come through.

Plan is no clothing / toiletries / makeup now for six months, and continuing to sell/chuck old stuff. I’m keeping my Liberty beauty box subscription.

Winter clothes, (especially coats and knitwear) are my ‘thing’ - I know I’m not going to get through October and November this year with no large purchases in that area so I’m planning and saving for that between now and then.

Delurking to post. I’m saving my empties to recycle at Boots then use the voucher to buy toothpaste, shampoo etc.
I’m going to go through my wardrobe and be ruthless and only keep what I wear.

I saw some linen mix trousers in M&S today , I was tempted but I have a couple of pairs from last year and they're a git to iron.

I will need to buy toothpaste and new pants but apart from this I have enough toiletries to last a good while .

Thank you for the welcome @Eatingmusselsfromashell, like you @Leftsidefacingl’m keeping my Liberty beauty box subscription - there’s a couple of sentimental reasons that make me smile when I get the boxes now.
I have to agree that historically, eBay has been the/ my go to as a seller and agree sales>dickhead ratio is not that bad. I’ve a few (7 bags of vacuum stored clothes) bags I was going to have a go on Vinted, but think from the comments here, maybe stick with eBay?
I did my M&S sales returns today, £235 back in my pocket!
Thank you OP and lovely posters for already giving me a start on mindset/ framing.
Love the book recommendations and am eagerly awaiting my BorrowBox download for Atomic Habits.

I am going to give the substack a read - sounds really interesting! I received £70 from some Vinted sales just today and spotted a jumper that I really fancied for some time from a brand that is very spendy but at a bargain price and had to go for it with my Vinted balance. I thin my rule for this year I can only buy from my Vinted balance and if it's only from 2-3 brands and under a certain amount (which only appear once in a blue moon). And one in, one out

I found this last year! My brain went the other way and I struggled to find much that I wanted to spend on when I could! I would write things down that I wanted with the intention of going back to them after a month but other than a ground sheet for my tent I never did buy anything from my want list. I think I’m too stubborn.

Day 3 and no purchases! I usually do a 3 month no buy at the beginning of the year and did once manage 4 months. Winter clothes are my favourite so I'm not sure why it all goes wrong coming into Spring. Maybe it's just because I fancy something new!
I'm only focussing on clothes in my No Buy. I only buy beauty products when I need them and have no stash, apart from having a few bottles of perfume. I was given two sets of shower gel/body cream for Christmas which are both lovely and will keep me going for a while.

I actually find this time of year quite easy for a no buy. I don’t tend to buy in the sales unless it’s something I wanted at full price and often the best stuff goes before I am onto it and then there’s just the stuff no one wanted and probably something wrong with it. I don’t tend to have loads going on in January, it’s more a month of hibernation. I’ve got plenty of nice winter things and the weather is pretty samey (cold).

Spring is my problem. The weather changes and I wonder what I wore the previous year and the shops are bursting with new ins.

The ever decreasing quality of the stuff on offer is going to help me I think.

Today I have been thinking that maybe I need new fancy pjs... I don't - my pjs locker is overflowing I need less! Ironically I am not thinking of fancy pens, or new diary or a perfume I though of over the last few days :)
Still doing well

Agree, spring and summer are difficult seasons for no buy.

I'm in by necessity. Strapped for cash temporarily and it will do me a lot of good to wear the unworn/long forgotten clothes in my wardrobe. On NYE I put on a pair of M and S sequin wide legged trousers and a top (chilled evening at friends' house and just felt yuck. Took them off, straight into charity bag and took a Bombshell dress bought for a Covid cancelled event in 2021 from its box for the first time. Instantly felt and looked so much better (gradually losing weight so need to get over my self esteem - my friends know what I look like so I may as well wear the lovely dress as the dowdy trousers).

Yesterday I went to Aldi(!) in a lovely coat I've previously worn twice but had at least 3 years. Came home and dd was raving about it. I have plenty of clothes. Just need to get rid of the dull ones. It's got me quite excited!

I am also no longer working in a school so need to get out of the habit of buying teacher type naff clothes I no longer need.

Only buying replacement gym gear if needed (probably won't be), underwear replacements and new jeans if I lose lots more weight - assuming there aren't a few pairs that are too tight stuffed at the top of the wardrobe.

Just back from holiday and didn’t buy anything there or in duty free. Feel quite good about it.

Cleared out the toiletries, make up and hair stuff stash this evening. Sorted into categories and took photos so I know what o have. Now I can start “using up” what I already have, including some extra pampering as I seem to have a stockpile of facemasks !!!

going to do a proper clear out of the make up, but already feel more in control and aware of what I have rather than spending. I do not need any more nail varnish either 🤭

Bad news for my goals, so I've spent on my Jan luxury item already 🤨 and I talked myself into a loophole by making a purchase on Dec 31st. But my defence is that I was making use of the sales.

I've bought a leather gym bag and some sheepskin slippers in the debenhams sale.

Good news is that I've defined the parameters of my rules for mindful spending on; beauty products, clothing, shoes and bags.

• A budget of £1200pa to be distributed equally throughout each calendar month at £100pm.
• to be spent on a very considered luxury and quality product.
• any unused balance is rolled over to the next month for a larger budget.
• purchases made must be replacements. Already owned items are to be discarded.

I've had a handbag declutter and that's brought it down to 4 handbags from 12 (!). Hopefully some of those will sell on ebay.

Belated happy new year all.
These last few days have been spent unsubscribing from various clothing company emails and deleting the shopping apps from my phone.
Just keeping vinted so I can sell a load of stuff I've had piled up for ages.
I also have a Plum account and I've joined the 'no spend challenge' which adds an amount to my savings account for every day I don't spend (have set an arbitrary figure to cover work commutes and lunches). Will do that for 30 days and see how I get on...can extend if I want to. Hoping seeing the correlation between not spending and my savings increasing will spur me on.

Only necessary spend yesterday, even my food shop was with proper list 👌 that I followed. I purchased some audible books with credits I have, and that will continue for another month as I am on very low rate of 1usd but I will be cancelling after.

Urgh I have already slipped up, I went into a local charity shop yesterday and they had some lovely things, I only spent £20 but I did not need these things :( I am going to make sure I style them all over the next week.

At least you’re supporting the charity & didn’t spend much.
Is anyone else finding they’re getting a lot more stuff through the mail lately? I’ve had FIVE Woolovers sales catalogues & some from firms I’ve not only never bought from but didn’t know they existed!
I’ve cancelled an item I had on order that was awaiting stock but I still can’t find anything I want to buy with the money from the boots my relative gave me for Christmas that didn’t fit so was told to buy something else with the money….how mad is that???

I’m also being spammed by physical clothing catalogues and sale emails. I’ve been reading Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes and feel really sick about the environmental damage and exploitation of children in factories. It’s excellent reading for anyone who is lured by lots of fashion ads.

I'm trying to buy less and better quality, in December only brought one item, a dress from m&s January awaiting a order of or 3 from next sale, I never keep it all, as being petite most joggers and trousers are too long and because I'm between a ten and 12 in the waist I do struggle with sizing, have ordered from next their wide leg jeans,£29. I in blue, I have it in the black so that should fit. Sitting waiting to go back is 2 midi skirts too big, and 3 pairs of joggers too long, and one pair of barrel leg trousers that fitted but look awful on me.