They're cute, they're fun, they're the epitome of millennial consumption. These days, you can get a subscription box for so many different product categories - food, razors, beauty products, organic pantry items, wines - and even just for states of being, like the "single people's box" and the "mother box". 

I'm all about 'treat yo'self', and I subscribed to a box like this for a long time, so I totally get the appeal. It's like someone is sending you a surprise present every month. Who wouldn't want that? The issue is - like most things in life - there's a trade off.

Pro: All that stuff I just mentioned. Fun, amazing, great, surprise, treat. 

Pro: Great way to try out new products without committing to the full size. The box I subscribed to was organic beauty/sustainable living products. A sample of a shiny expensive eye serum that is normally $500000 is a great way to see if you it before you splurge. 

Con: There's no way on god's green earth that I'm going to splurge on that overpriced eye serum anyway, so what was the point of the sample? Also I swear I will never say splurge again. 

Con: It's a lot of packaging. A LOT. The box itself, the little card that tells you about all the products, then the products themselves. They're more often than not packaged in plastic or aluminium foil packets that can't be recycled. No self-respecting #zerowaster could have one of these subscription boxes and still use the hashtag. 

Con: You don't get to choose what's in there. I realise that's half the point, but it also means that you now have 45 lipstick samples in your drawer that you're never going to use because you don't wear lipstick. What's the point in having a konjac and activated charcoal face sponge if you don't  actually want or need a konjac and activated charcoal face sponge? It's like the antichrist of minimalism. 

Pro: I'll be honest, you do get some cool things in there. In the last box I got before I cancelled, I got a set of 3 produce bags for waste-free grocery shopping. And I've used them every grocery shop since. 

Con: Those produce bags were something I was looking at buying anyway. So it saved me time, and potentially some money, but it's not like I discovered a life-changing product that I never would have found otherwise. 

Overall? 

A win for indulgence/excitement/trying expensive products you cant otherwise afford - but a loss for the environment/minimalism/my desperate attempts to sever my internal links between material acquisition and happiness. 

Go figure ;) 

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.

I'll be the first to admit I love shopping a little too much, and am undoubtedly guilty of buying a lot of things I don't actually need - particularly in the fashion department. I am making a conscious effort to change this behaviour, starting with a whole month without purchasing anything new. I love a great hashtag, so let's call it #nobuynovember.

Why?

Consumerism, fast fashion and a throw-away culture are more prevalent now than ever before, and this is problematic for a number of reasons. Gone are the days when we fix our possessions - whether that be a sock with a hole or a smartphone - and instead we are throwing them out and buying new ones.

Our constant demand for unnecessary items is wreaking havoc on the environment, animals, and human beings, and I'll be the first to admit that I've been engaging in this kind of behaviour for far too long. When we make purchases on impulse, we don't take the time to consider whether we actually need what we're buying. We don't think about who has made it and under what conditions, what t's made of, how long it will last, the impact on the environment when we discard it mere months later like a child bored of a new toy.

By going a full calendar month without buying anything new, I'm aiming to highlight my own behaviours, and reinforce more positive ones: making do with what I already have, taking care of what I own, and letting go of the constant need to have the newest, best, most fashionable possessions. Because after all, they are just that - things - that deep down I know I don't want or need.

I'm going to stay conscious, and write down the details of anything I have to stop myself from buying - what, where, how much, who I'm with and how I'm feeling at the time, what I do instead of buying the item.

This way, when I look back at the end of the month, I will hopefully be able to draw some conclusions about my spending habits, and prove to myself that almost every month could be a month without buying anything new.

What is included?

I will not be purchasing any brand new items: electronics, clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories, skincare, makeup, homewares, fitness equipment, and so on. 

Anything purchased second hand (ie. from an op shop), food and drink, and feminine hygiene products are allowed. 

Give it a go

I'm sure I'm going to need some moral support, so why not try it with me? I'd love to include everyone's results and lessons learned at the end of the month, so let me know in the comments, on Twitter or via Facebook.