No-buy Challenge: 5 Incredible Benefits Of Buying Less Stuff

Ever feel like you’ve just got too much stuff? 

Whether it’s a closet full of clothing that you’ve worn once, a box full of old video games that you never play, or that mysterious bottom draw in your bedside table full of random objects that “might come in handy someday,” we’re all a little guilty of owning things that we simply don’t need. 

Over time, our obsession with stuff has spiraled out of control. So much so, that even our planet is now struggling to keep up. 

Although drastic changes need to be made across the globe by the powers that be, changing our own individual purchasing habits can have a much bigger impact than you think. 

And in my experience, challenging yourself with a no-buy month, or even a no-buy year, is one of the best ways to do this.

What Is a No-buy Challenge?

A no-buy challenge involves foregoing buying anything that’s not completely essential, and instead using the items in your home that you already have. Crazy, huh?

This means not buying the latest iPhone if your current phone is working perfectly fine, visiting your local library and loaning books instead of buying them, and actually wearing one of the five winter jumpers you own instead of buying a new one every season. 

Each no-buy challenge can be different and there are no set rules apart from those that you create yourself. This means you can adjust the difficulty level to suit your needs.

A No-buy Challenge Truly Changed My Life

In 2021 I committed to a no-buy period of six months. The rules were simple – don’t buy anything that I don’t actually need.

But I decided to take it one step further.

If I found myself needing something, I would first look for it at a thrift or charity shop.

Sustainability was a big driving factor for me at the time, and I was so sick of the decision fatigue that came with making purchases that weren’t even essential in the first place.

I’ll admit, this commitment was tough, but I stuck it out and I’m so thankful I did. The no-buy period allowed me to take a step back and see my purchasing habits for what they truly were.

I was easily manipulated by advertising. Purchasing these non-essential products was me trying to fulfill a need that I didn’t even know I had.

And that’s really what the advertising game is all about, isn’t it? Creating a problem for someone, then selling them a product to solve it.  

Over these six months, I saw a drastic change in the way I responded to advertising, and I started to see just how manipulative they could be.  

I also saw just how much of an impact our purchasing habits are having not only on our planet, but on our mental and physical health too.

Here are a few reasons why considering a no-buy challenge could be one of the best decisions you make for yourself this year.

1. A No-buy Challenge Can Reset Your Dopamine Levels

Let me tell you something – retail therapy is very real.

When I removed non-essential purchases from my life, I almost felt like I was on a slow, extended come-down from some sort of drug.

We don’t actually realize just how much stimulation we get from shopping until we remove it from our lives almost entirely.

The dopamine we get from shopping is not that much different from the high we get from a drug.

We are constantly chasing that dopamine high that comes with purchasing an item that we know, or at least think, will make our lives better.

And when we finally get the item? My god it feels good.

But over time this wears off, and we start searching for that next Holy Grail that will give us some sort of stimulation and fill a hole that we think we have.  

Pursuing a no buy-challenge allows us to escape this hamster wheel that does nothing but fill us with expectation and cheap (depending on how expensive your taste is) pleasure.

And if you find that removing this source of dopamine from your life genuinely makes you feel like crap, then you’re exactly the type of person that should be pursuing a no-buy period.

2. A No-buy Challenge Will Help Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

The more we consume, the more we weaken our planet’s life support systems. 

From increasing air pollution and flooding our oceans with plastics, to wiping out rainforests and destroying natural habitats, our overconsumption habits go far beyond a cluttered home or mind.

In fact, a United Nations report from 2016 revealed the worldwide extraction of material for human use has tripled over the last four decades, an issue that’s having a “severe impact on human health and people’s quality of life.”

By purchasing less, you’re decreasing demand for a product and thus decreasing the amount of materials needed to manufacture it. 

The more this becomes a habit across the globe, the more chance our planet has of sustaining our lifestyles. 

3. A No-buy Challenge Will Make Your Mind Clearer

If you’ve ever experienced decision fatigue, you know that the freedom of choice can be debilitating. 

There’s a reason why Steve Jobs was famous for wearing the same outfit every day. Making decisions is draining. It’s estimated we make more than 35,000 decisions a day, many of which are over things that offer little significance to our lives. 

Ever had buyer’s remorse? Think of how much time and effort you spent in the lead up to the purchase to then begin regretting it just days later, a process that can easily be avoided once you build healthy purchasing habits.  

If the rapid rise of minimalism has taught us anything, it’s that living a life with less can be much more rewarding than once thought. 

4. A No-buy Challenge Will Save You Money

Well, this one is obvious. The less stuff you buy, the more money you’ll have. Whether you’ve got a debt you need to pay off, children you need to take care of or a mortgage you’re trying to repay, pursuing a no-buy challenge can drastically transform your spending habits and have a profound impact on your financial life.

Calculate how much you spent on unnecessary items last month and enter that as a monthly deposit in a compound interest calculator. If you invest that $200 into the stock market each month instead of spending it on clothes, in 10 years at a 7% interest rate you’ll have almost $35,000.

These decisions may seem small now, but over time they add up. The $200 you’re about to spend on that pair of jeans is not $200. When you start thinking like an investor, luxury purchases start to hurt. 

5. A No-buy Challenge Gives You More Freedom

Owning less stuff can give you the freedom to do what you want to do. Owning less physical possessions means you can move houses more freely and travel easier, allowing you to explore opportunities that you may have otherwise overlooked.

The less your lifestyle costs, the less money you have to make. If you’ve built up a good amount of savings from buying less stuff, you can afford to quit that job and jet off to Europe for four months on a whim. 

Developing a healthy relationship with your purchasing habits during a no-buy challenge can also give you freedom from the advertisements you’re constantly bombarded with. When you’ve already decided you’re not purchasing anything, an advertisement is much less effective.

I almost treat it like a game now. How much money can I suck from these advertisers without giving them anything in return?

The answer now? Quite a lot.

Try A No-Buy Challenge: You Won’t Regret it

I hope I haven’t made a no-buy challenge sound easy – because it certainly is not.

If you’re truly looking to grow and eliminate bad habits that have been formed over a number of years, then you shouldn’t expect the antidote to be a walk in the park.

But a no-buy challenge goes far beyond simply buying less.

It can help you free yourself from manipulation, reduce your carbon footprint, and reduce the decision and mental fatigue that comes from buying stuff that doesn’t make your life any more fulfilling than it already is.

Just try it once. It can change your life.

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About the Author: Jack Waters is a former journalist turned creative thinker and writer, on a mission to become better every day and live a more fulfilling life.