No-Buy/Low-Buy 2023

So, as I've mentioned, I'm doing a No-Buy/Low-Buy year in 2023.  Why?  Because my finances need CPR, I have too much STUFF, I've literally outgrown my craft room, and I need a reset in my life choices.  Enter No-Buy.  I first learned of this concept from a YouTuber Cinzia DuBois in her channel Lady of the Library a few years ago.  In the past I had tried things like "yarn diets" that were popular in the early 2000's in the crafting community, but Cinzia was taking this to a "whole life" level of no buying.  And this year it seemed most appropriate since I've gotten careless with my spending as of late. And again, I have so much stuff and not enough time to use it, so it seemed like a great time to give this a try.  Should be easy, right?  Famous last words, especially for a hoarder with OCD, who spends money to soothe oneself.  

The No-Buy Rules:

• No Yarn

• No Fiber

• No Fabric

• No Stationery

• No Eating Out Alone

• No Clothing (except blank shirts/pants to use Vinyl on)

• No Makeup

The Low-Buy Rules:

• I can purchase replacement items of things I have completely used up, if they are necessary.  

The Permissible List:

• Patterns for yarn/fabric I already own

• Eating Out with Friends or Family

• Medical Expenses

• Subscriptions with no physical products

• Groceries

• Manicure every 3 weeks 

• Anything I want with birthday money or gift cards I might receive.

I'm logging this in at least 2 places in my planner stack to make sure I stay accountable to the challenge thru the entire year.  In addition to following these rules, I also want to save at least $25 per pay period.  It's not much, but it's more than I have been saving, and I need to start somewhere.   

Now, even though Cinzia warned against it, I couldn't resist buying a few things in the last week of last year in preparation to go cold-turkey on the crafting purchases especially.  I definitely have more sock yarn than I will be able to knit thru in a year now.  And I stocked up on some good quality vinyl and iron-on for future Cricut/Silhouette projects. 

 Have you ever attempted to limit yourself from purchasing a specific classification of products or everything in general?  I'd love to hear your stories in the comments!