My year-long No Buy is over
How did it go and what have I learned?
One year ago, I decided to embark on a fashion-related No Buy 2024:
I explained my reasoning, by having “noticed a focus on what´s missing, instead of focusing on what I already have”, after spending 2023 re-evaluating how I dressed (and my life, in general).
I learned alot that year, but also spent “too much time scrolling, wanting, and also buying”.
For 2024 I decided to not buy anything fashion-related: Clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, jewelery, also including workout-gear, underwear and tights.
If that was a goal in inself, I succeded. I didn´t buy anything.
But the goals for me, was to find more appreciation for the things I already own, to not let consumerism exploit (even more) my human need for dopamine-hits, to put to use my innate resource of creativity, and to further hone in on what my actual wants and needs (and what separates them) are, in relation to how I present myself through my clothes, in my everyday life. Less screen time and more money would be added bonuses.
My main goal was to be thankful and satisfied. And I think I am, most of the time.
I started noticing this feeling of satisfaction in June, and wrote about my No Buy halfway through the year:
Is satisfaction a good thing?
“No thank you, I´m satisfied” is surely a good thing when it comes to eating (or drinking). It´s a nice feeling of plenty, but just enough.
Any more would mean feeling a bit uncomfortable, perhaps losing control, maybe even leading to a sense of shame or guilt.
Some say you should never be satisfied. “Being satisfied” has taken on meaning that you´re not driven or ambitious enough, that you should always be striving for optimalisation, for innovation – for more!
I have always wanted more, in many ways. But the funny thing is, the more satisfied I feel, the more drive I have and the more I get?
I´ve been more “productive” this year than in a long time, in the sense that I have started and finished many projects, both at work, taking on new roles and responsibilites as well as getting better at skills needed to make digital content, and by taking on a (quite demanding) part-time study at the University in addition to working full time.
I´ve seeked new experiences and tried new things. I did a solo boxing class. I joined my partner´s band as a backup-singer. I set boundaries and raised my voice.
I´ve also been attuned to when and why sudden bursts of “wanting more” appears. What is going on in my life, when this “WANT” takes hold? And what is it that I actually want? I try to listen. I try to be curious, more than scared.
I do not owe all this to just not buying clothes for a year! But it is related.
In February, I talked a bit about habit-stacking. It turns out feeling good about small things can lead you taking more small actions to feel even better.
Not buying clothes for a year is a small thing, even if you´re into fashion. I believe everyone can do it, if they want to. It might be hard, for some. (But if so, it might be just what you need to do.)
Not buying clothes for a year did not make me a better person, in the sense of being superior to others. But setting a goal for myself and achieving it feels good.
Through shifting focus, and even restricting myself, I´ve re-connected to my love of clothes, as well as fashion.
My lust and hunger for Nice Things has been satisfied through books and YouTube-essays and runway analysis and Pinterest.
And I´ve also found writing about clothes here on Substack to be a creative outlet. I like words, and I feel confident writing, even though English is not my first language.
Per now, I have no ambition making a living from writing (I used to work as a freelance writer, before I got a job with a pension plan and great colleagues), or using this as a “stepping stone” to launch a career as an…influencer.
That makes this space a place of pure surplus! No schedule, no pressure, no commodifying my creativity.
And it so happens that some of you find your way into this space, by reading. That is very much appreciated, and makes me quite thankful.
So. Now what?
LET´S GO SHOPPING!!!! Just kidding. Sort of.
I am going to buy some things. I have a list that is very attuned to my actual needs (like new socks and also clothes and shoes that actually fit my body from now on).
I am confident in my wants (like a black wool suit, a pair of baggy-ish but structured beige pants, a loose-fitting black cotton shirt and an all-year pair of barefoot shoes).
But I am also easily seduced and enamoured by beauty and fresh ideas, and aware of my tendency to want more in the “wrong way", aka quantity over quality.
So, as a guideline, I will stick to the Rule of Five for new clothes. I´ll make some exceptions for these Five, when it comes to replacing socks and underwear.
But I am not as sure about a hard limit for secondhand items. Maybe 1-2 per month?
I will continue to appreciate the things I already have, and take care of them. And the best way to do just that, is by using them, even using them up.
And THIS my friend, is the key win for me this year: Moving from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.
I am working on it, and it has worked.
Speaking of work, some final remarks (before I go shopping lol):
In the “personal style discourse”, the basic mantra it boils down to is: Know thyself. What you like and why and how to apply this to your wardrobe, to feel good.
Getting to know yourself is not a “project” that you finish. You evolve. Your “personal style” as well as your tastes will too.
But some things will ring more true than others. Getting to know yourself and what you like, what you want and desire (and not), and WHY, is work. Just listening to others and buying what they tell you is desirable, is easier.
But is everything supposed to be easy? To be convenient? Effortless? No.
You´re worth the effort. I am too. Happy New Year.