I’m Quitting Shopping for A Year — My No-Buy Year

In 2019, I gave up shopping for a year. That year turned into three years. Now, I’m picking the challenge back up.

In 2018, I listened to an incredible audiobook, Essentialism, by Greg McKeown. Many books out there encourage us to live with less, but they never impacted me as much as Greg’s book did. Rather than looking at how to live life with as little as possible, Greg makes the reader question what they’re living with and why. From information overload to late-night online shopping, overworking and busy-but-not-progressive productivity, Greg asked the readers to look at their lives and take control by asking themselves: What is essential in my life? By doing so, the reader could identify how to regain control over their choices and, consequently, their money, thoughts, energy, and time.

After finishing the book, I went into full-essentialism mode. In 2019, I quit shopping for a whole year. For that whole year, I didn’t buy anything for myself: I didn’t buy coffee, alcohol, clothes, books, decorations, no holidays or day trips, no hobby materials, plants, take-out, jewellery, stationery, tickets to events, or even a snack or pastry at a cute bakery. The rules were tight, and I stuck to them: I couldn’t buy anything for myself; the only things I could pay for were groceries, my rent, bills, pet insurance and other essentials. I…