At the start of November, I made the commitment to go the whole month without buying anything new. No clothes, shoes, skincare - nothing. In my original post, I talk about the reasons why I wanted to put my wallet away for November, and what I hoped to learn. It's now December, and I can tell you that while it wasn't easy, it was definitely eye-opening.
How I got through the month
I'm proud to say that I stuck it out for the entire month, despite a few close calls with online shopping and holiday sales. Prior to this experiment, I was buying new items a minimum of once month, if not two or three times.
Throughout November I often caught myself $80 dollars deep online, not even fully conscious of how I ended up on the website, let alone with items in my shopping cart. What's worse is that nothing I was looking at was anything fundamentally necessary to my life. I have a wardrobe overflowing with shoes and clothes, enough makeup to last the next 2 years (at least), and no children to buy for.
I had to tear myself away from a few gorgeous pieces I saw in stores on my way to work at incredibly low prices, say no to shopping trips with friends, and resist Priceline's 40% off sale. If you're anything like me, you know that's no easy task.
I tried to remind myself of all the reasons it was better to walk away. By refusing to buy brand new, you save money, help the environment, and reduce the demand for cheap, poor quality goods that are made under incredibly unfavourable conditions. Focusing on the impacts of mindless consumption really helped me to resist temptation.
Lesson #1
Marketing emails are the devil. Seriously. Even if you're only signed up to the mailing lists of ethical brands, opening an email full of pretty new clothes, summer looks and killer sales every morning is going to prompt you to consume despite the fact there's nothing you need. I have unsubscribed from just about all the marketing emails I was previously receiving, and it definitely helps.
Lesson #2
Just because it's ethically made/organic/fair trade doesn't mean its okay to buy it - being an ethical consumer is first and foremost about reducing your overall consumption. One thing I caught myself doing at least twice during #nobuynovember was wanting to buy "ethical" or "environmentally friendly" products that I ultimately did not need whatsoever. Sure, a fair trade T-shirt is better than a $5 tee from K-Mart, but considering the amount of clothing that ends up in landfill (even if it's been donated to a charity shop), it's still not right.
Lesson #3
Give yourself a cooling off period. Before you buy anything, write it down, and wait a week before you actually purchase the item. This forces you to hold off on the purchase long enough to ensure you're not impulse-buying. By waiting, you have time to reflect on the item, how it was made, it's cost, and whether or not you truly need it.
By writing things down that I wanted throughout November, I was able to look back on the 1st of December and cross more than half of those items off the list, despite the fact I would have bought all of them had I not forced myself to wait.
Lesson #4
It started warming up here in Sydney throughout November, and suddenly I realised I had no sandals for hot summer days. Instinctively I jumped online to find some cute and affordable pairs, but upon remembering the fact I couldn't buy anything new, instead resigned myself to shoes I already had, no matter how sweaty they made my feet.
A few days later I was cleaning out my room, and found 2 pairs of sandals from at least 2 summers ago, possibly even older, that were broken but definitely fixable. I took them to my local shoemaker who fixed them both for $20. The fact that they were broken in my cupboard for so long highlights the fact that I prioritised buying new over fixing old - despite the fact it's cheap, good for local business, and far better for the environment.
All in all I've learned so much from #nobuynovember. I'm going to stay conscious and hyper-aware of my spending habits, continue waiting a week before buying anything, and avoid buying new whenever I can. I've even been considering going a whole year without buying anything new... maybe 2017!
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