If you’ve been keeping up with me this year you may already know my NYR is to stop buying anything, also known as “No New Stuff”.
Three months down, nine more to go, but who’s keeping tabs? Oh right, I am!
I keep a running tab of everything I don't buy! That’s right, no clothes, shoes, gadgets, or products, unless it’s vital to our livelihood: food, diapers, toothpaste, soap, and deodorant (only after we use all of the half used containers under the sink).
So, I ran the numbers and I’ve saved more than $2,200 in 90 days!
I had no idea how much of an impulse shopper I was, especially on clothes and house supplies and gadgets. (I was the girl who kept all five items from Stitch Fix even if I really only loved three of the pieces.)
So what have I learned so far, other than I may have stopped a mild shopping addiction?
I freed up a ton of time and mindshare! When you take away Amazon browsing or the desire to pop in to a Target to see what you may “need”, you are left with a lot of time in the week to focus on the things you do have and areas in life to be grateful for. Funny enough, we feel a rush and excitement when we make a purchases thanks to our endorphins, which is why buying things do make us feel so freaking good!
It's been interesting for me to replace that action of swiping my card to fix a "problem" (ie: We neeeeeed this juicer to squeeze lemons on our salad! vs. just using my hands to squeeze the lemon) with logging what I'm grateful for. It wasn't my intention initially, but I keep my running list of items I don't buy right next to my gratitude journal and it sparked this organic ritual of logging items with their total $$ and then picking up my gratitude journal to jot down a few things that made a difference in my day (Liv smiling up at me as she grabs onto my jeans to stand saying "mamama", Ryan preparing my breakfast, having a productive day at work).
Another "no new stuff" moment to mention happened when I was looking for toys for Olivia. I priced out a few things that I thought would be helpful for her to develop and excel. I was able to post to my neighborhood mom's group on Facebook and find exactly what I needed the very same day! For Free! That's faster (and obviously cheaper) than Amazon Prime! Even better than being free, I got to know a neighborhood mom I've never met and up-cycle a toy rather than buying another piece of plastic!
All in all, this resolution has helped me become more resourceful, less cluttered, more grateful and so much happier. That makes it all worth it!
I hope you consider the idea of "less stuff equals more happy" in your life, too. Let me know if you do! I'd love to connect and hear how it's going for you.
Laura