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Our No-Buy Challenge

Date
Jan, 02, 2021

Since January 1st my family and I have embarked on a N0-Buy Challenge — or, as we also call it, a “time to reboot.” A no-buy challenge means you simply set the intention of not buying anything unnecessary and at the same time save more money. A no-buy challenge is becoming very popular and the more minimalist lifestyle is emerging. People simply want to learn to live more on less and with fewer belongings. There are many social media sites dedicated to the no-buy concept and minimalism that you can follow for support or inspiration. 

I have written about how, a couple of years ago, my family decluttered and downsized in an effort to have my husband take time off to be a stay-at-home dad and, therefore, needed to save some money. 

This challenge is similar, but we are committing to not buying anything that is not deemed necessary:

Food

Kids’ clothes (first we try fixing, buying used or borrowing if we can)

Supplies for the garden

Supplies and care for our pets

Business related expenses

Mortgage

Home repair if something breaks

Gas

Insurance

School supplies

Wi-Fi

So, this means no eating out or buying take-out food, no new clothes for us parents, no new furniture, not anything we can live without. 

Naturally, we’re allowed to buy groceries. Luckily we grow most of our food, so our food budget is generally very small; however, we will work extra hard to reduce food waste at home and eat what we have. Our food budget is $800 per month for a family of five who eat all meals at home. We do have lots of food in the pantry, fridge and freezer that we will use up first in order not to have foods that have been sitting unused for years. 

So, for this challenge, we will make do with what we have in the house; use up soaps, shampoos and lotions; read books we have; and play with toys we have. 

Our goal with this challenge is to stop, think and not shop in order to reduce waste, gain more time and save more money. 

December 21, 2020

Fredrika Syren

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