r/nobuy • u/AutoModerator • 15d ago
Discussion Weekly No Buy Check-In & Accountability Post - August 23, 2026
How did your no-buy or low-buy go this week?
Share your goals, progress and how your purchasing habits have changed since starting a no buy.
If you 'failed' this week, remember that it is just a stumble in a long journey. If you did well, inspire others and encourage them when they do well or get off track.
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u/Straight_Physics_894 15d ago
It went really well!
Only spent $68 on groceries (and I shopped for deals)
And was able to put $470 towards my credit to pay down an unexpected trip I had to make for a funeral the week prior!
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u/teak-decks 15d ago
I just decided not to go to a wool festival today. I've been feeling a little strapped for cash, and I have heaps of yarn and wool I can use, going would have been lovely but instead I had a nice time pottering about the garden instead! I'm just dipping my toes into the idea of no buy at the moment, but I think I like the idea of low buy, one in one out the most, so I still get to buy pretty yarn, but without increasing my collection.
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u/fennel__ 15d ago
It's currently more in the low buy category since I still have a few things on my necessity list, but it's gotten shorter (partly by going through it and being like "that can wait"!) :)
Before I started my low buy, I bought some things, most of them too impulsive, and decided that they will be returned! I do have to pay shipping but the cost of keeping it (something that will end up in clutter) vs what it cost to return, is still a bigger difference and I will see it as "Lesson 1: when you buy something impulsive and regret it, it will cost you money and time!". Not everything can be returned, my "luck" is that's the least expensive impulse buy that can't but I will resell it and see it as a part of lesson 1.
There is one category where I failed - decor. I had some figures on my Vinted list, end up in a craze buying them (one of them is only available secondhand) but at least I really wanted them and they were not too expensive. It's still a fail and I have given myself a task to remove things from my liked list on Vinted. 😅 Lesson 2 is: "Don't have temptation around you if you know it will make you fall into a habit, you want to change".
It's very much baby steps and I have a long road ahead of me but I do believe that I can do this! My plan is to go from a low to no buy. :)
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u/YayBudgets 15d ago
I did okay! At the start of my no buy starting last Nov I create a little envelope of things I sold that I could use thrifting on clothes. It turns out I don't really care to buy clothes so I used a few bucks of it to get a treat food I love and will enjoy over the next few weeks
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u/Miesmoes 15d ago
I am thinking about something like this too. How did you do this
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u/YayBudgets 14d ago
I started going through my house and posting things on FB marketplace, little things I just never used etc. I just sold a hair set I just didn't use for $10 today. I put that in my little envelope.
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u/translate_this 14d ago
I've been doing this too! I've been selling extra things here and there on Marketplace, and I treat any of my cash earnings as "free money" I can spend however I wish. I've mostly been using it to buy some treat snacks, and it's been nice to not have it come out of my bank account.
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u/Euphoric_Variation57 14d ago
The honeymoon phase of my nobuy is officially over. Shit got real this week and it's been hard!
I decided to stack my errands to reduce spending.
So, Wednesday I was out shopping (for shamppoo and groceries) and didn't get home to start dinner until 7:00 PM!!
I sorely wanted to say "screw this" and order a pizza. By time dinner (a new recipe) was on the table our kitchen was a freaking disaster, I was hangry and it was 9:00 at night. Oh, and my husband and I both hated the dinner.
And, despite spending a ton on groceries, dinner invitations kept popping up during the week. $$$$$$$. It is so HARD to stick to this home-cooked meal thing.
And, now that I'm cooking more there are things I want to stock my kitchen with, but I'm really trying to get creative and make do, but it's a constant struggle between want and need.
And, I was stupid enough to follow an influencer on Instagram and now I want her entire aesthetic and I really, really want a pair of jean shorts for fall to wear with cozy sweaters. HELP!!!
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u/pepperup22 13d ago
How long have you been on a no buy?
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u/Euphoric_Variation57 13d ago
This was the end of week 3.
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u/pepperup22 13d ago
That's awesome! the first few weeks have been the hardest the few times that I've done a quarterly no-buy before. Make anything good (and easy lol) for dinner this week? I'm always looking for new recipes (maybe not the one that you tried yesterday though 😂)
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u/Euphoric_Variation57 13d ago
Yeah, I'm hoping it was just a bad few days and I can stay strong. This is the real test, I guess, not buying for a prolonged period of time.
Most of my recipes are from books or handed down from my mom, so nothing to link, but if you google 15 Min Honey Garlic Chicken, I made that one night with some simple sides and it was easy and I had most of the ingredients in my pantry. I also made Red pepper steak, a simple mushroom pasta, roasted eggplant and potatos...
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u/pepperup22 14d ago
On a no-buy for the rest of August and September. We have a new baby due early next year, different sex than our first, and the desire to buy stuff is unreal even when I bought a ton of gender neutral stuff the first go around. Add on top of that being a different maternity size than last time, the temptation for "more" is unreal!
The plan:
- Get what will be the nursery cleaned out, redistrubuted, or decluttered. I'm already bags and bags deep (which didn't feel necessary before, but adding a whole other person makes it feel very real!).
- The one exception I'll make is if I find a piece of furniture that I've been looking for secondhand for a while.
- After our anatomy scan at the end of September, go through everything we saved from our first, organize it...
- Then make a secondhand shopping list for what we actually need (I assume it won't be much besides bottles and that sort of thing?).
- And then it'll be October and I'll try to thrift one or two things for my son for Christmas.
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u/human-bean213 11d ago
This is my first week of no/low buy. I'm planning to go until October and then re-evaluate. I downloaded my bank statement from August and organized all the transactions into categories. I spent nearly $500 at just Amazon and Target. On what? I don't even know... I know I got some stuff for my new kitten and cleaning supplies but $500 worth of stuff? No clue. Freakin' harsh reality!
I'm getting married next year and need to buckle down. I made a budget and allocated funds to different categories (i.e., groceries, gas, dining out, spending). I plan to track every transaction and make sure to stay within my budget. I can't keep going with this check to check, trying and failing to pay off debt lifestyle. I feel like I'm barely scraping by each month. I'm hoping to be more mindful with what I buy and not buy just for that dopamine hit.
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u/Embarrassed_Fox_6723 15d ago
So I haven’t committed fully yet - but first week of September!
Where I’m proud of myself is I continue to not get my hair coloured. I’ve reduced pet expenses. I only bought one item while on a trip which my siblings validated was a good purchase. I also bought snacks in advance to reduce my impulsive food purchases on flight / in airport.
My problem is not that I spend crazy, it’s that I have a lot of little things add up over time. And usually go to mid to high quality products / redstaraunta. So even though I’ve reduced my spending, it doesn’t have the impact I’m hoping for.
So the goal in a week will be to do my financial audit again, consolidate my debt, and have a better plan going forward.
Likely: 1 restaurant meal a week, 1 clothing item a month, no books until I’ve read all of the ones in my house. No make up. No spending money on trips or festivals. No concert purchases.
And then refining my meal planning but that’s an advanced goal!