It’s that time of the month again – time for a no-buy year check-in!
To recap, last year, I decided to embark on a no-buy year. To keep myself accountable, I’ve been posting monthly check-ins to share exactly how much I’ve spent and whether or not I’ve been able to stick to my no-buy year plan.
Unfortunately, I spent a whole lot less in January than I did in February. To read my January no-buy year check in, click here.
To be honest, there was a moment when I considered skipping this check-in altogether. It would have been easier to brush aside this month’s slip-ups and start fresh in March. But, the whole point of these check-ins is to be transparent. And the truth is, a no-buy challenge isn’t easy. This month made that abundantly clear.
If you’re also struggling with your no-buy year, I hope this post acts as a reminder that life freaking happens! I’m not going to give up on my no-buy year just because I spent more this month than I had anticipated, and I hope you don’t either (if you’re in the same position, of course).
An Overview of My No-Buy Year Plan
Between my January check-in and the original post introducing my no-buy year, I’ve shared my no-buy year plan twice. So, I’m not going to bore you with all the details again. If you want to see my entire no-buy year plan, click here.
I will give you a super quick Cliff Notes version, though.
At the end of last year, I created a ‘can-buy’ list that outlined all the purchases I could make during my no-buy year. This list included essentials such as groceries and rent, but also items I only own one of, like running shoes, for instance. I figured that if one of these items got lost or broke, I wanted to be able to replace them.
I also made exceptions for the following purchases:
- Classes (within reason)
- Spotify/Netflix subscription (no other subscription services)
- Bike maintenance/repairs
- Gifts (only for super special holidays/birthdays)
- Plane/bus tickets and fair
- Festival/concert tickets (within reason)
- Eating out (only for special occasions)
Lamp (Iβve been on the hunt for one FOREVER)—> I bought a lamp in January woohoo!
I also started a purchase list to track anything I might end up buying outside of my no-buy year plan. The goal was to keep this list empty, but that didn’t happen. So, I’m glad I’ve had a way to track these purchases so that I could stick with my no-buy year and not feel like I was giving up.
Did I Stick with My No-Buy Year in February?
The question is, did I stick with my no-buy year plan? The answer is no. But, in my defense, I didn’t totally go off the rails either. I didn’t spend money on clothes, home dΓ©cor, or any of the other things I used to waste money on. The money I spent outside of my no-buy year plan was all while traveling.
At the end of my January No-Buy Year check-in, I mentioned that I would be going to Puerto Rico for a wedding. I expected to spend a bit more in February because of that trip. However, I was confident that it wouldn’t be much because I had booked my accommodations and transportation months prior, so most of the big-ticket items had already been paid for. Or so I thought…
My plan was to camp for a majority of the trip, but Mother Nature had other plans in store. It stormed five out of the seven days that my friend and I were there. And keep in mind, I live in Washington state, I’m not afraid of a little bit of rain. But, it was STORMING. Lightning, thunder, the whole nine yards. Camping on the beach would’ve ended badly, so we had to find alternative places to stay every night.
If you’ve ever tried to book accommodations the day of, you’d know that they get pricey. Plus, since the weather wasn’t great, we couldn’t just spend all day on the beach like we had planned. So, we were spending way more on food and activities. As a result, I wasn’t able to stick with my no-buy year plan. But like I said, I was still intentional with my spending. I stayed at hostels instead of fancy hotels, bought groceries when possible and didn’t buy any souvenirs.
February 2024 Spending: No-Buy Year Expense Report
Now for the fun part, what I actually spent in February.
Below is my credit card statement for February 2024.
Credit Card Statement for February 2024
DATE OF PURCHASE | PURCHASE | PRICE | ON CAN-BUY LIST? (Y/N) |
---|---|---|---|
2/29/24 | Groceries | $149.35 | Yes |
2/28/24 | Gym membership | $64.95 | Yes |
2/27/24 | Groceries | $61.57 | Yes |
2/26/24 | Vanguard Roth IRA contribution | $999.06 | Yes |
2/21/24 | Tax return | +$232.57 | N/A |
2/20/24 | Groceries | $41.92 | Yes |
2/14/24 | Valentine’s Day gift from grandpa <3 | +$100 | N/A |
2/13/24 | Lyft to airport | $39.72 | Yes |
2/6/24 | Airport food | $26 | No π |
2/6/24 | Gas | $31.15 | Yes |
2/6/24 | Airport food | $19.19 | No π |
2/6/24 | Shuttle to airport | $53 | Yes |
2/5/24 | Groceries | $74.14 | Yes |
Venmo/Zelle Statement for February 2024
I went to Puerto Rico with my friend, so to make things easier, we put all of our purchases on her credit card so we could easily tally everything up and pay one another back.
That’s why you’ll see a large sum on this statement – it’s what I sent her for the trip.
Without further ado, here is my Venmo/Zelle statement for February 2024… yikes!
DATE OF PURCHASE | PURCHASE | PRICE | ON CAN-BUY LIST? (Y/N) |
---|---|---|---|
2/27/24 | Pay back friend for ferry ticket/gas | $33.70 | Yes |
2/27/24 | Half of grocery bill | +$112 | N/A |
2/26/24 | Rent | $1,000 | Yes |
2/21/24 | Plane ticket to Texas (April trip) | $500 | Yes |
2/19/24 | Puerto Rico trip | $759.60 | No π |
Purchase List 2024… So Far
Here is my purchase list so far, including my January purchases.
DATE OF PURCHASE | PURCHASE | PRICE |
---|---|---|
1/14/24 | Eating out | $4 |
1/16/24 | Boot insoles | $48.90 |
1/22/24 | Eating out | $18.50 |
2/19/24 | Puerto Rico trip | $759.60 |
2/6/24 | Airport food | $19.19 |
2/6/24 | Airport food | $26 |
No-Buy Year Reflection and Looking Ahead
Last month, I mentioned that my original plan to only eat out for special occasions was quite unrealistic, and again, this was something I struggled with.
I never order takeout if I’m at home, and eating out with friends isn’t something I do often β we typically host potlucks or at-home dinner parties instead. However, once in a while, I like to eat out, and I don’t want to feel guilty each time I do. So, moving forward with my no-buy year, I’ll continue to be intentional when it comes to going out for food but not try to cut it out entirely.
I also struggled with not eating out in Puerto Rico. For one, my travel days were 23 hours, and although I packed snacks from home to eat at the airport, I didn’t bring enough to make it through the day. And, let’s be honest – eating yummy food is the BEST part of travel days, and I just couldn’t resist passing the time enjoying a warm meal. Plus, we had to eat out for most meals while in Puerto Rico because most of the places we stayed at didn’t have a kitchen for cooking.
In retrospect, I should’ve created an entirely separate “can buy” list for when I’m traveling (or just create a travel budget and pause my no-buy challenge) because it really is unrealistic not to spend money while traveling.
I don’t have any travel plans in March, so I’m really going to try to stick to my no-buy year plan more strictly, especially because I’ll be going to Texas in April (as you can probably tell, I travel a decent amount).
Next year, I’ll definitely do a low-buy year instead because I think it’ll be way more practical for me and my lifestyle. This no-buy year has truly been a great learning experience thus far, though!
Are you doing a no-buy year? If so, let me know in the comments what you’ve learned and if you’ve been able to stick with it.
julia a kasdorf says
im doing a 3 mo No-Buy Feb, Mar, and April. it has kept me out of bookstores, art supply & stationery stores, though i LOVE browsing in them. I also stopped cruising Amazon and Etsy for washi tape, etc..
I DO buy music supplies for my teaching business, which i find satisfying because i get to play with them myself (slides for playing bottleneck, bows for stringed instruments, clutch for my hi hat).
Id say my 3 mo No-buy is governing me well.
barefootminimalists says
Hi Julia! I’m so glad that your no-buy challenge has been serving you well. It sounds like you’ve made some significant changes to your spending habits. If there’s anything specific that’s been particularly helpful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Thanks for sharing your journey with us π