Over the past few years, I've been exploring and educating
myself on the topics of sustainable living, minimalism,
and personal finance.
These themes go hand in hand with the term "eco-minimalism,"
coined by YouTuber Shelbizleee.
Essentially, it's a minimalist lifestyle
with the intention of sustainability
at the forefront.
Paired with my chosen financial alter ego, Budget Bitch,
eco-minimalism has allowed me to reconsider my relationship
to materialism and discover what is worth my coin.
That brings us to the low-buy year.
It's been done before.
In fact, some participate in a no-buy idea.
And now I'm taking my go at it.
I've had little success with low-buy and no-buy week slash
month trials in the past, but after being unemployed
last year and cutting down to bare minimums,
I'm more sure of what's necessary to live contently.
Another reason I'm doing this--
I want to be debt free by 2022.
I've got about $18K left across student loans and my car loan.
Being debt free feels very possible with my $43K income,
but I also want to challenge myself and my spending habits.
Here are the rules I set for my 2021 low-buy year.
One, create a budget.
Have a structured, not strict, budget.
For someone that's been referring to herself as Budget
Bitch for the past four years, I've
never truly sat down and made a thorough budget.
Now that I finally have a stable income,
I feel motivated to do it.
You can find a download link to my spreadsheet
in the description of this video.
Two, spend with purpose.
I put my money where my mouth is.
I'll be supporting local, small, and sustainable.
If I'm going to be spending money,
I might as well invest in a quality product
from a company with ethical work practices.
Three, wait on big purchases.
Anything over $50 can wait at least a month.
This doesn't include necessary expenses
like car maintenance, groceries, et cetera, more so items
that I have my eye on but are not a need, i.e.
a velvet armchair for my work-from-home office
or an electronic food compost I've
been obsessively researching.
If, after those 30 days, I'm still wanting it,
I'll consider a purchase.
Four, declutter periodically.
Resell items if possible.
Dispose responsibly.
When it comes to minimalism, it's not just
about keeping things you don't love
from coming into your house.
It's also about letting go.
If something doesn't spark joy anymore,
I'll go through a list of ways to get rid of items
responsibly--
try to sell it, see if someone I know might want it,
find out if I can reuse, recycle, or compost,
and donate as a last resort.
Five, don't want to?
Don't spend on it.
I do not give into events or activities
I'm not interested in or buy something just to fit in.
I recently said no to joining a Bachelor fantasy league.
I don't watch the show and don't care for the content.
Saying yes would be dedicating one-plus hours a week
and however much money my friends are putting down.
I didn't stay in a group chat long enough to see.
Will I feel a bit left out?
Maybe, but I'd rather spend that time and money elsewhere.
Six, use gift cards responsibly, when needed, not desired.
Does anyone else get a gift card and immediately
start cruising the site to see what you can score?
I'll be waiting out that initial urge
to shop until I'm needing or really wanting something.
Just because I didn't spend my personal money on it,
doesn't mean that I shouldn't treat it as if I had.
Seven, low buy clothing--
although I have a good sense of my style
and a well-stocked wardrobe, I still
like to throw a new piece into the mix every once in a while.
But with the current state of things
and with a 100% remote job, I won't
be dressing up for anything besides Zoom Y
nights for a while.
If I do feel like I want to get a little something,
I'll shop second hand and sustainable.
Eight, replacements, beauty slash toiletries--
last year, I interned for a major beauty retailer
and received a plethora of makeup, skin care, and hair
products.
Though I have already filtered through this
and given the things I don't want to friends and family,
I still have a small mountain of products to work through.
I'll just be replacing my tried-and-true products
when the time comes, though we hope they never will.
Nine, no buy home decor--
although I do love scrolling through home inspiration,
I have enough already to keep me interested for a while.
I've taken to minimally decorating and placing
some pieces in storage.
Then, when I want a bit of a refresh, I'll swap them out.
My exceptions-- fresh flowers, plants--
only if they're on my dream plant list--
and art directly from the artist.
10, give graciously.
Gift and donate as usual.
Finally, just because I'm doing a low-buy year,
doesn't mean I'm skimping on the gifts and donations.
I'll be gifting thoughtfully and donating to organizations