Day 3 - NBY Defined

I suppose I ought to figure out what exactly a No Buy Year (NBY) looks like for me.

There are those who are super serious when they say "no buy" and try to not buy anything for as long as possible. I mean, yes, sure, I could go through the pantry and freezer and figure out some creative meals to use up the odds'n'ends, but I definitely will be buying groceries each week – even non-essential groceries (although, to be fair, there is a part of my brain that determines treats to be "essential" to keep me from making Very Bad Decisions just because I couldn't have a cookie or some chips. Moderation, darling – it is the ideal way to live).

For me, a "no buy" is to stop me from buying all those non-essentials that just take up space. The things that make me happy in the moment of purchase but after I bring them home, they just... sit there, shiny glow of promise faded, not fulfilling my life's aspirations. For some reason, a cute throw pillow just can't magically fix everything that is going wrong in your life, no matter how much you secretly believe it can.

Many times, the frivolous items just sit there in the box. Ugh. I really do not want "cardboard" to be the dominate decor design in my life. But I can't get rid of them because I do intend to use them, I promise! I really do! Then I forget they exist as I pursue the next shiny thing to clamor for my attention. And so the cycle continues.

Thus, the NBY.

My current loose interpretation of NBY is no new frivolous items until I've either used up the current frivolous items or gotten rid of the frivolous items that won't work for my lifestyle and have figured out what would. (Ideally, the acquiring of new appropriate lifestyle items will happen after the NBY – I'm anticipating a very long, very interesting, very bizarre – or possibly hopelessly mundane – wishlist by the time I give myself permission to buy new shinies.)

In my world, frivolous items are skincare, makeup, candles, clothes, toys (yes, I am a full grown adult, but have you seen Lego sets these days????), and the random trinkets that advertisers carefully curate to tickle my fancy and convince me that I must buy this special item now and suddenly my life will all make sense! I can't define a frivolous item better than that, but the point is I'll know it when I see it.

I will allow some purchases, of course. I am only human. I know I will crack eventually. But I will fight as much as possible to eschew the frivolity as much as possible, and hopefully discover the hidden frivolity that has been lurking in the back of the stack of cardboard from impulse purchases of days gone by.

So, if I go somewhere interesting, I will allow myself a souvenir without shame. If there is something truly unique, such as a handmade item from a small independent seller crosses my path and calls my name, I will cave with only some faint regret but with extreme satisfaction. So yes, there will be purchases.

But good lord I do not need to buy any skincare or makeup from the local Sephulta next year. Or probably even the next. Or the next year after that. I really do need to regain control of the bathroom storage.