Tracy’s reflections on her life-changing 2023 “no-buy” year

In 2023 I decided not to buy any clothing, accessories, footwear, or photography equipment for the year. I integrated my word-of-the-year for 2023 “thrift,” into that project as a way of increasing my focus and resolve. Now, more than midway through February 2024, I have incorporated no-buy in these categories so throughly into my life that I didn’t even think about giving a report about how it went until a friend asked me the other day if I planned to write one. Julie, this is for you.

I’m not the first person from the Fit Is a Feminist Issue bloggers to do this. We all took our inspiration from Mina, who did it back in 2018 and then blogged about buying new running gear early into 2019. Sam, Catherine, Martha, and Diane have all embarked on the Buy-Nothing Challenge and blogged about it at various junctures.

Overall, I got more out of this year than I expected to, and not just the obvious thing of saving money. It’s almost embarrassing now to think back on a time when shopping was something that had such a presence in my life that I felt the need explicitly to put the brakes on it for a year. Who was that person? I neither miss her nor aspire ever to be like her again. The casual expression of privilege through mindless shopping for things in excess of what I need to support the life I intentionally choose to live actually now makes me cringe.

As noted in our word-of-the-year update post back in May 2023, I chose my no-buy categories for a reason: “These things all made the list because they are things I tend to spend way beyond my needs on them. There is simply no need to browse the clothing every time I go to Costco, to buy earrings every time I travel, or to keep adding to my camera kit when I already have more equipment — and it’s good equipment — than I regularly use.”

My deliberate no-buy initiative has been over for almost two months and so far I have made two purchases in the restricted categories: a five-pack of underwear and a new pair of pajamas.

The year was seriously beneficial to my overall sense of well-being and contentment. Here are some reflections on how it changed me:

• It got me into a “glass half full” mindset really quickly. As soon as actual shopping was no longer an option, I turned to “shopping in my closet” to see what had been languishing in its dark corners, squeezed between other things, for years without being worn. It may sound cliché, but instead of dwelling on what I couldn’t have (new things!), I began to appreciate the things I do have. There is not one single occasion in 2024 where I couldn’t find sufficient choice among what I already had in my closet. This attitude has extended into other areas of my life, making me see the things I have differently.
• It fuelled my motivation to get rid of things. Not only did I have sufficient choice in the clothing department, I soon came to see that I had very many things that I would never wear again. I made a first pass through the closet pretty early on and put the obvious contenders aside for donation. I gathered up a bunch of shoes and offered first choice to a friend who takes the same size. She went home with ten pairs of shoes and boots. I still have too many. If 2023’s no-buy project was about awareness, 2024 is about action. Right now I am doing Project 333 and it’s another step in gaining a sense of what I truly need. I am also working my way through Joshua Becker’s The Minimalist Home, room by room (to me, it’s way more approachable than Maria Kondo’s method). I expect that by the end of the closets chapter about 60% of what’s still hanging in mine will be gone.
• It freed me up to do other things. I don’t know how much time I spent browsing (physically and online) for things I didn’t need, but between the literal time saved and the mental energy of knowing that “I’m not shopping so why browse?” I have felt much more available to other things. I started a new blog on veganism, I am writing most mornings, and I have lately rediscovered my love of weight training.
• When I do buy something, I am more deliberate about my purchase. This is not just with the things that were on the restricted list, but with everything I buy now. I think carefully about whether I need it. I consider realistically how much use I will get out of it and whether there is anything I already have that would serve me just as well. Last week the purse I’d been using all year was looking pretty ratty. Instead of buying a new one I remembered I have a like-new purse in my closet. I swapped the like-new in for the ready-to-be-retired bag and I’m all set now for probably another year. The questions about need are sincere questions, and a possible outcome is that I will in fact get something new. But it will be a well-considered purchase.
• I learned something from my lapses. I had three departures from my no-buy commitment in 2023.
  • First: In the late summer I decided I needed a smaller camera bag for day-trips. Since I take photography seriously, I wanted a decent bag. I went with the 21-litre version of my excellent 31-litre WANDRD PRVKE bag. It turned out not to be a great purchase. It’s a fine bag, but it’s still quite large — larger than what you want for a day trip. And it was a huge splurge. And for it to function well as a bag for photo gear, you need the camera cube that fits inside. The one for my 31-litre bag didn’t fit. So I ended up buying a new cube. I have used the backpack with cube exactly NEVER. Regrets? Yes, but I’m hoping to give it an honest try on a short trip I’m taking to Newfoundland in June.
  • Second: Also related to photography, I have long been wanting a 70-200mm lens. But I was holding off because I have also been going back and forth on whether to switch from a DSLR to a mirrorless camera. Mirrorless is really the future of digital photography. But the switch is expensive. Partly as a result of my no-buy year, I came to appreciate my DSLR system and made a decision to stick with it for at least the next few years. That decision made me think, “so I should get that 70-200mm f/2.8 I’ve been thinking about.” With my birthday coming up in September, I went for it. Regrets? Not really. It’s an incredible lens and takes outstanding photos. I used it to take the photo illustrating this post. And in the overall scheme of things, the larger decision about sticking with the DSLR for the next few years justifies the purchase.
  • Third: New running shoes. But that’s something that was going to be inevitable from the get-go. When the practitioner I consulted about some ongoing foot problems recommended a different style of running shoe, it felt wise to follow the advice. Regrets: No.
• I’m not as attached to “things” as I used to be. Not only am I not as attached, I have actually developed an aversion to things that I don’t need or appreciate for their aesthetic qualities. Maybe there are other categories of things, like those to which I have a sentimental attachment, but mostly if I don’t need it or like the look or feel of it, I don’t want it around. It took the whole year to solidify this idea in my head, and as I said I’m not yet acting on it all the time with respect to the things I already have. But my desire to acquire new things that I can’t use is pretty much non-existent at this point. I have more than enough art for my available wall-space, some of it not hanging. I am also aware that there are some artworks and decorative things in my place that I don’t really like. Some came to me as gifts that I have felt obligated to keep, even display, for fear of affronting someone. I like Joshua Becker’s observation that we tend to attribute extra value to things simply because we own them, irrespective of how they actually fit into our life.
• It’s helped me a lot with FOMO in all areas. I used to be as susceptible as anyone to FOMO — fear of missing out. I think this prompted some of my shopping, where I would think that not purchasing something that I like would be a missed opportunity never to return. This feeling was especially acute when travelling because it might often literally be the case that I will never come across those particular earrings or whatever again. I had FOMO too about experiences others were having or events others were attending. Like this week, for example, a lot of the philosophers are in New Orleans for the APA. Months back I was invited to be part of a panel that would have had me attend as well. I thought ahead to what it might feel like to have to travel in February, with variables like the weather and my workload undetermined. At the time it felt like possible stress I don’t need. As it turns out, the weather is fine. But I’m glad I didn’t commit to having to write something that isn’t what I want to write and that would have taken me away from the writing projects I actually care about, just so I could go to New Orleans. Even though the gathering of friends from all over the place in a fun city tugs at me a bit, I’m happy I didn’t let FOMO motivate a commitment that doesn’t align well with my current goals.
• Not buying things has become a habit and I plan to keep it. As you can tell from what I’ve said already, I’m really feeling energized and lighter as a result of my year of not buying things in my three “problem categories.” I think of the year more as a reset than as a deprivation. I honestly didn’t feel as if I was fighting against any urges or anything through the year. Instead, I experienced it as a kind of freedom because, once it was decided that those things were off the table, for the most part I just followed the guidance. Now maybe that says that I chose just the right time to embark on this challenge, such that it hardly presented itself as a challenge at all. It did redirect my attention in a positive way though. And having done it deliberately for a year, I’ve established it as a habit that suits me well.

Upshot: it was a good year. It helped me gain a foothold on who I am and what makes me happy. I’m not working my way down to one bowl and one spoon or anything like that. But 2023 has positioned me well for 2024, which is going to take it one step further, into actively shedding, discarding, and letting go of things.