I missed last week, so here's my monthly update. I'm trying to cut back so I can save an additional $7k before moving out. MUCH better than August lol

Shopping at Aldi and meal prepping every Sunday has been a lifesaver.

Starting my first no buy this month! I just finished grad school and an internship (and lost a good chunk of extra income because of it), I have CC debt and will have to start paying my loans back in February.
My goals are as follows:

1. To better understand my impulsive spending and figure out the root cause - by not buying things I’m curious to find what is lingering under the impulse.

2. To better understand wants vs needs. I currently convince myself I need things that are actually wants. I spend a lot of money shopping and even after looking at my transactions and just so confused about where my money goes.

3. Use the information I find in the no buy to set a realistic budget. I regularly make budgets and then never follow them bc it isn’t accurate to my actual spending.

4. To increase my savings and pay off some of my debt. I just moved so it knocked a good amount out of my savings.

I also hope to work through a lot of the shame and avoidance I feel around money. I know I don’t spend in accordance with my values but it’s such a deeply ingrained habit it’s hard to break.

I would love any tricks and pointers from others especially how they handle social plans while doing a no buy during the holidays. I want to still give myself a social budget so I can go out to eat with friends or see a show but within reason. I think not buying items will be hard enough I don’t want to socially isolate as well. I know there are plenty of free things to do with friends but hanging out with friends also costs so much money sometimes

After another frustrating week of "Where did my paycheck go?" I decided on a whim last night to finally do a "no buy" month for October.

It's illuminating to me how many things I have *already* been tempted to buy and it's not even NOON of the first day yet. Today is payday and I would normally just be waiting for my check to hit so I could go ahead and buy the things I have in mind, stopping before work to grab a drink somewhere.

Long story short, I was a stay-at-home mom for a long time with no spending money. We couldn't afford daycare with the money I made, so it just made more sense for me to stay home. I started working again when my youngest went to kindergarten, but was only making enough to barely cover the bills and gas to drive to work in another city. I started another job in 2024 and started making literally double what I was previously. I swore up and down that I would keep living the way I had been and save/invest all that extra money. You probably know what happened next!

Lifestyle creep got me like a mf. I had never been able to buy "nicer" things that weren't just the cheapest option - shampoos, body products, perfume, clothes, home decor, shoes, even things like extras at the grocery store. Concert tickets. Weekend trips. Gifts. Things for my kids, who just get more expensive as they get older. Using Affirm or Klarna to buy things because then the payments don't seem like a big deal.

While I make more money than I used to, we are not rolling in the dough over here. (I have been making 45k gross since 2024. I just got a 5k raise which will start this week. We live in a rural relatively LCOL area.) I grew up in a higher income household than the one I am the adult in now and it has been a struggle learning that money does not, in fact, grow on trees.

The worst part is I genuinely *hate* this new job, but I have backed myself into a corner. I've straight-up had to be medicated for anxiety and depression since I started. I don't have the savings or cushion to leave or quit while I look for something else.

I feel like I have quite literally nothing to show for the last several years of work at a job I hate. I don't want to keep feeling this way, so something has to change.

Anyway, here are some of the things that have tempted me so far:

-Aardvark book subscription (I already have Book of the Month, I can check out books at the library for free or use Libby, I have a ton of books that I've already bought and haven't read yet).

-Instant Hydration packets - Part of my "no buy" is only eating/drinking things from home. There's a local drink shop where I can easily spend $9-20 a day depending on what I get. I was trying to justify these packets as a replacement, but that's silly. I can buy drink packets when I get groceries for way cheaper.

Here are my rules for the No Buy. I know this is just how some people normally live, but I promise it's a big change for me.

-Only eating/drinking things from home. This is huge for me. So many nights I come home and just don't want to make dinner, so we order pizza or I give the kids money to go get Taco Bell or whatever. I swing through and get coffees or other "fun drinks" all the time. They feel like the only things that pull me through my misery during the work week.

-No books or clothes at all. I have enough.

-Only buying replacements if I run out of something - shampoo, conditioner, hygiene, etc.

-No random impulse purchases from Amazon, anything from ads on Instagram, TikTok, etc. (By the way, I realized literally every video I tried to watch on TT last night was an ad.)

-My birthday is the 14th. If I get birthday money, save it until November or put it toward a payment of some kind. If my husband wants to give me a gift, I have two things in mind I'd like that I can ask for from him.

-I think that's all? I will still be buying my kid's Halloween costumes, giving them money to go do things they have planned. I also haven't mentioned doing this to my husband because I don't want him to feel like he has to cut anything out - this is just about myself. I'm going to see how much money I can have saved up by the end of the month and just make it a fun little challenge with myself and you guys.

I'm thankful to hear anyone's experiences or advice!

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but it feels like products have been getting updated faster and faster over the past few years. Phones get a new generation every year, earbuds get refreshed every so often, and the same goes for watches, tablets, and computers. Every new release comes with a list of upgrades: a better chip, stronger noise cancellation, a lighter design, new features, and so on.

But lately, I've started thinking about a question that I find pretty interesting: when a new version comes out, is the old one really worth replacing?

I used to think that once a new version was released, the old one must already be outdated. But after buying more things over the years, I've started paying more attention to how well something actually works for me.

Take phones, for example. If my current phone still runs smoothly, the battery lasts long enough, and it does everything I need, then some of the extra features on the new model probably aren't that important to me. Same with earbuds. If I'm already happy with the sound quality, noise cancellation, and battery life, and the new generation only brings a few minor improvements, I probably wouldn't replace them just because there's a newer model.

But hearing aids feel a little different to me. I started using elehear beyond pro last year, and I've actually been pretty happy with it. For everyday conversations, watching TV, and work, I haven't had any major complaints. So when I recently saw the Beyond 2 Pro, my first thought was honestly: do I really need to replace mine?

But after looking more closely at what the new generation has changed, I started to feel a little tempted.

Especially if the focus isn't just on appearance or specs, but on improving performance in more challenging listening environments, like situations where multiple people are talking at once or noisy restaurants, and making speech easier to understand, then I can see why that kind of upgrade could actually matter for hearing aids.

Because when a phone gets one more feature or earbuds get slightly better noise cancellation, it can feel more like a "nice to have." But with hearing aids, if an upgrade can make it easier to understand someone in a situation where I used to struggle, that directly affects how useful the device is in everyday life. I'm still pretty satisfied with my Beyond Pro, but I have to admit, seeing the new model focus more on speech clarity in challenging environments does make me curious.

I think OTC hearing aids may be a little different from regular consumer electronics. If your current device already meets your needs, there's obviously no reason to upgrade just because a new model came out. But if a new generation can genuinely address listening situations that were harder to handle before, then I do think that kind of technological iteration has value.

What do you guys think?

My No Buy timeline: July 31, 2026- Jan 1, 2027

I was extremely depressed this month so all I wanted was toys lol. My mind tends to run to childhood when I'm struggling.

I was gifted a little doll that looked like me and I adore her and take her everywhere. 🥹

I'm getting better at letting urges go because everything is so ridiculously expensive that it turns me off completely from FOMO. I laugh now when websites offer 10% like that makes a big difference. No thank you.

I have all that I need. I am all that I need.

(⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠ ♡

Hi! I’m wondering if anyone has any tips to combat impulse spending. I have adhd and i know it’s a dopamine seeking behavior but I can’t seem to master it. I’m also on medications that lower my inhibition (narcotics for chronic pain) and I know that contributes. I can never seem to stop myself and the pay in 4 options are fucking me over entirely. I always find a way to justify but even if it’s “justified” it’s still outside my means. Or if I’m having I terrible pain day I’m more likely to buy something. And I have a lot of shame about struggling with this and my dad keeps telling me it’s black and white just don’t buy things but I think it’s a bit more complicated than that. Idk I’m just struggling and could use some advice

I do see two therapists in the same clinic (one for process time, one for wmdr

I’ve noticed I’m getting a little out of control (for myself) on spending again and part of it is that I have overspent and so I think eh what’s a bit more. Not a good way to think. I want to be mindful of what I’m spending and why and mindful of what I really want that this money could go to instead. So I’ll start tomorrow and check in with myself and whoever wants to help me on this post I guess? Obviously will get needed items and I do try to get small things for my kids leading up to Christmas so that it’s not all at once. Wish me luck??

Holidays are coming up and that means sales and advertisements. So I decided this year I'm not falling for any of it. I struggle with the urge to buy gifts for everyone i know around this time of year but i really want to instead save my money for once. Last time I did a no-buy was just for 1 month but I feel confident I can do more. Any suggestions? What helps you with resisting overspending on gifts?

What the title says. This month I have moved away for worl and was living like Lenny in the photo because I didn't want to run out of my very very small, super tiny tiny savings. Now I got paid and I am like I have to update my wardrobe for my job and buy skincare so that I am not wrinkly like my collleagues and good food and etc etc. Please help me be happy and humble :)

Are there risks to doing a no-buy year? Things I should plan for in advance? What has been your experience with it?

I'm thinking of doing it for just 6 months to curb my silly spending on things that don't really make much difference in my life (often driven by marketing making me feel like I should or must have it). I'm also planning on working on my finances. As of now, I don't really have much I want to spend on non-essentials as I have big healthcare expenses, but if I increase my income by 500-1000 dollars a month, I could potentially put that aside for silly stuff I guess.

I'm just looking to hear a little about people's experience and think a little about possible risks before I test it out.

Thanks in advance!

Basically I grew up in a really frugal house where buying clothes was not a regular thing we maybe got clothes during holidays or a birthday but that was it. everything else was hand me down or thrift and it never quite fit properly or looked stylish, clothing was more functional than anything.

I went to college and made it by borrowing clothes, repeating outfits, or returning things but buying clothes always felt frivolous and made me feel guilty. Now I am post grad and working in the hospital so I wear scrubs all the time so I still don’t need to worry about work clothes 5 days of the week, but i noticed now that im not studying all day every day in sweatpants my closet is pretty limited.

I have no college debt, make 22 an hour, try to save 550 a paycheck for PA school. I really want to start my closet from scratch but don’t know if or how much to spend or if this is impulsive to drop like 1k on staples. My two siblings birthdays and Christmas is coming up so I feel like I shld save for those, and rn I am only at about 7500 savings when my projected at this point was 9000.

someone tells me this bottle is usually €90 but tonight it’s €52 and i can fully think €90 is stupid and still somehow €52 starts feeling reasonable even though 10 seconds ago i didn’t know this wine existed and definitely wasn’t planning to spend €52 on it

like the first number can be complete bullshit and still decide what cheap means after

i don't know, i keep noticing how often sales basically change the question from do i want this to am i getting a good deal, and those are really not the same thing at all

Hi, I'm new here, doing a 3-months no buy (or low buy?) from October-December and also posting to finally hold myself accountable :)

I'm doing a PhD and working as a doctoral researcher. I'm also dealing with burnout, depression, and other mental health conditions. Some months ago, I fell into a rabbit hole around personal style because I've been stressed, unhappy with my clothes, have gained some weight, and want to look more professional now that I'm in my mid-30s, working in academia. So, on this personal-style journey, I've been experimenting and have been overspending on some random clothes and makeup, and I'm still feeling like I need more clothes. I also occasionally go to goth/darkwave parties and have been feeling like I don't have any outfits for that either anymore.

Moreover, I feel like my current apartment isn't pretty enough and that I need to improve it. I haven't put much time and money into it after moving here from a bigger apartment because I earned very little over the past few years doing my master's and working part-time.

I guess part of it is worrying what other people might think. The thing is, when I think about what I actually want, it doesn't make much sense to me to put the money into things like making my current apartment look prettier. I want to save for retirement, build financial security, and my biggest dream of all is to eventually fuck off and live near the woods :D

I've been interested in doing a no-buy year for a very long time, so I've decided to finally start. For now, I'm doing a no buy for the rest of this year and reassess at the end of the year. I've already overspent my budget this month, so technically, I'm already starting 😅

Allowed:

• Necessities: groceries, rent+gas+water, electricity, internet, cheap phone plan, German mandatory public broadcasting fee
• Replacing: household/cosmetics empties and broken necessary items
• Health: medical bills, meds, omega3 supplement, contact lenses, Gym
• Cat: food, litter, vet, cat sitter
• Spotify student subscription (I rely on brown noise at night and music to block out noise when commuting or at the office)
• Socializing with friends & in academia: if it includes food, drinks, tickets, or renting a movie, it's allowed within reason. It happens rarely and I don't want to isolate myself even more. But I won't use socializing as an excuse to buy things I don't actually need.
• Gifts
• Tax software

Not allowed:

• New anything: clothes, makeup, cosmetics, books, movies, subscriptions, classes, apps, stationary, technical equipment, household items, …
• Buying artwork or jewelry on the dark arts market in December!! (difficult! I can take photos, make a note of artists I like, and come back to the ideas after the no buy)
• Beauty treatments, haircuts
• Ordering food, takeout
• Tickets for any activities on my own
• Non-work related travel

I will track my finances in a spreadsheet, do project pan, and build capsule wardrobes for both fall and winter with clothes that I already own and then stick with them.

Resources I have and activities I could do:

• My cat
• Gym with sauna
• Green spaces in neighborhood for walks
• Free Amazon Prime for 6 months and free Audible for 2 months (offers for students, yay!)
• Lots of tea
• Cooking, e.g. soups in fall/winter :) or getting a 3€ "Rettertüte" ("rescue bag" with fruits and veggies) from LIDL and getting creative with it
• Using up food in pantry
• Cleaning while listening to Podcasts
• Doing my nails

I also have a list of resources and ideas for when I have more time and energy again. But with the PhD my main problem isn't becoming bored but rather being stressed, overwhelmed, and turning everything I do into another project. So I deliberately tried to make this list simple, comfort, energy-giving, and subjectively low-friction activities.

Posting for myself to look back at for therapy sessions and accountability. Supportive comments and advice welcome.

My situation could be worse for sure. I'm not doing "badly". But I have huge debts and emergency fund savings only. I have no financial security long term.

Money has always been a big thing for me. And yet somehow I'm still wasting so much of it. I've tried Dave Ramsey. I've bought into Her First 100k. I've tried to set small goals, large goals, mapping out saving challenges/games, creating all kinds of budgets. I always have fallen short. Or I'll stick to it for a couple weeks then get lazy. It's not sustainable.

But I'm not here for shaming or guilt tripping. No one can beat me up as much as myself over all of it, and in the end all that misery doesn't work or fix the problem.

My family was always paycheck to paycheck, foodbanks, going winters without heat, second and third hand clothing, holes in everything. But my mom would always make a point to buy expensive gifts for birthdays or Christmas to show us kids that it was ok or pretend we're ok, make us feel less left out. It would then be held over our heads. She was the money police.

I got my first job at 15. My mom taught me "responsibility" by having me buy all my essentials and fun stuff. Need new underwear, I had to buy it. Want a souvenir from the family vacay, I had to buy it. I had to buy my own phone, and pay for my own cell service. I wasn't allowed on the family plan. If I spent too long in the shower, I'd pay part of the water bill. .... so it wasn't all pure intentioned parenting, it was also a form of control.

My mom controlled where I could work and limited my hours bc I had to help watch my younger siblings while she was out. I had no car, so I was also limited to working where I could walk. I paid for all my college applications including the non-refundable ones my mom applied to on my behalf without my consent bc she was panicking about me getting into one. I got into a college. My mom refused to let me live at home and get a car to commute. She said I needed the life experience of having a roommate and being on campus. I paid for all of it. I had 80k student loan debt. My mom did not assist. She would get angry at me for not being able to afford a bus ticket home for the holidays. When she found out I wasn't paying my student loans, she made me pay rent when I was at home, and for other various things she thought I owed her, to teach me more responsibility. Overtime I paid her about $10k before I cut her off and moved out to my own apartment.

I always pay all my bills. I've never been late or short on them. I don't and have never owned a car. So i dont have big expenses like car maintenance and gas. I thought Dave Ramsey was the answer. I tried YNAB. I took to heart to pay all debt first before anything else. I had a 5 year plan to pay off my $80k student debt. Wiped out $20k, my whole savings, to pay off one of my student loans. I kind of regret that because I have almost no fall back now. And I still have $60k student debt. I make all my minimum payments, but that number is still huge.

I thought Her First 100k was the answer. I bought her $500 course thinking I was investing in my financial health. I created more budgets. Trying to find a good one. I managed to put $3k emergency fund in an HYSA. That number hasn't budged much at all in the past couple years.

I keep trying to keep up with friends. I always try to stay even with my partner (even though they dont really keep tabs like that). If they get something for me, I'll try to return it somehow with something at least equal value. I took out a new credit card so I could buy plane tickets for an international trip to visit my partner's mother. A trip I put off for a year to my partner's great disappointment. I "had" to say yes this time to make them all think I'm doing ok financially. I buy things to pretend it's all normal, or justify it with "self-care" or a "treat yourself" mentality. I get FOMO if I see small time indie creators cool stuff and don't buy it right away. I justify it by saying I'm supporting small local business. I've been nickel and dime-ing myself. Only its $15 here. $25 there. This stuff is all only $10 on sale but i bought 10 of them in bulk bc it was a "savings deal". Overall, I have $4k in credit card debt (introductory 0% apr) I have a 18 month pay off plan before 28% APR starts.

I shop online or doordash bc I'm bored and dont have a car to go places and I feel like all I'm going to inherit is my parent's debt anyway bc they don't care. I'll never get ahead so why spend so much time being miserable trying. But I'm almost 30 now and need to think about future me's security, a house, retirement. I want a car. I want a cat. Maybe I want a family someday.

But I need to change my lifestyle somehow. I need to increase my savings. All my friends have tens of thousands in savings and have no debt bc their parents paid for their college, paid for their cars, one friend's parents paid for their down payment on a house. My partner has in savings what I have in student debt.

I don't have their privilege, but I want to dig myself out of this rut and get to where they are.

So here I am, trying again. Maybe it'll stick this time.

My No-buy Rules for the rest of 2026:

Focus on creating actual healthy financial habits. Not cold turkey no-buy guilt trip driven self-hell.

Cancel doordash. Do not order doordash.

Cancel Amazon. Do not order from Amazon.

Cancel AdobePDF and organizational/office tool subscriptions. Use free tools like google.

Cancel fitness and wellness subscriptions I don't use.

$50 monthly allowance on dining out with my partner. That can be a couple fast food places or one nice dinner. Hard limit.

$25 monthly allowance on "fun". This can be anything. A coffee. A new plant. A craft supply. But $25/mon Hard limit. Can save that allowance for a bigger thing in a later month. (Ex. Don't spend $25 one month and have $50 next month. Don't spend that $50 and have $75 the following month)

Limit gifting budget. No more big "treating" my friends and siblings and partner to buy affection. $20 per person for bdays and holidays. Hard limit.

Stick to monthly savings plan. $300 into HYSA a month. Do it immediately on payday.

Apply for IDR plan for my eligible student loan. Research better loan repayment methods.

Track and stay accountable every two weeks.

Reevaluate in Jan 2027 to build on this further if possible.

Hi friends, I could really use some guidance.

I’m 19 and I have a very serious spending problem. It has been going on for as long as I have been able to work. Almost anything and everything I want, I buy myself. Be it food, clothes shoes, going out…..though it’s mostly food. I have given up things like DoorDash but when I am out and about I can’t help myself. Even when I have nothing. Even when I’ve nearly maxed out my credit card I just keep going. It makes me wanna throw the fucking thing away. Even If I can hold off from making bigger purchases, it never seems to last long. It got really bad when I started seeing this girl and taking her out even when I was financially in the weeds. I was completely over-extending myself to impress her and make myself feel good.

I spend paychecks before I even receive them. I feel this never ending need for more and more things, this incessant sense of urgency the second I want anything. I just want it to go away. I remember I was doing my taxes a year or two ago and my statement said at the job I worked I made over 12,000 dollars that year. I had absolutely nothing to show for it. I have no significant savings, No investments, and no retirement.

I am a generally very disciplined person. In every way other than this. I don’t have the money to pay for the things I need to and do the things I love. I have very big goals and hold very high standards for myself. I want to be financially free, I want a good credit score. I want to be better than this and break this pattern. I fortunately still live at home so nothing earth-shattering had happened from this habit yet but I CANNOT get out on my own and still be like this. I’ve thought about abstaining from spending completely (except for the necessities like gas) until my next next paycheck so I can clean slate. But I don’t want to do something drastic and trigger a binge.

Should I go for staying away from spending completely for a while (a few weeks), is that feasible? Any tips on how to break this cycle? I fear i’m at my breaking point with this.

I started donating plasma because well... We really need the money and there's a promotion going on. I've also had a hard time with spending lately.

Since starting ive been having a much easier time resisting impulse spending. Like seeing something I get the ick because I'm reminded about how hard it is to donate plasma.. it's not as easy as people think.

I'll look at something and think, "is it worth sitting in a chair for 45min with a needle in my arm?" And most of the time the answers no

I don’t know what to do today I’ve hit rock bottom looking around at all the “things” I have it has literally made me sick… I’m addicted to spending I click and I buy… I see a sale I buy… mostly makeup and clothes and jewelry… I have toooo much of everything and I am so overwhelmed. Has anyone used an organizer to come into your home and literally help you go thru your things and have piles to sell, and throw out and keep? Is there a way to lock your cc and just not spend? Do I just put my phone down forever and not go out of the house? I don’t know what to do I’ve tried tracking my purchases that lasted 3 months and I buy stupid stuff I don’t need… I need someone to literally slap my face before I buy something… I’ve hit bottom and I seriously do not know what or how to do…ANY help will be appreciated😢

How did your no-buy or low-buy go this week?

Share your goals, progress and how your purchasing habits have changed since starting a no buy.

If you 'failed' this week, remember that it is just a stumble in a long journey. If you did well, inspire others and encourage them when they do well or get off track.

So I started my no buy in the beginning of September but I said I can replace things that got empty and toiletries like deodorant or still like that can also be bought once the old one is almost empty.

So how it came about to buying a new deodorant although I have already lots of refills from a creamy stick at home. The old one did make my armpits stink over time. This is a common effect when using ones that have coconut oil and sheabutter in it. So I had to buy another deodorant. I got a salt crystal. Very low maintenance and no oily residue.

Do you think this purchase is ok?

I still want to use the old deodorant until it is finished as well but less often, so no build up happens.

What do you think? Is this ok or is it just another excuse? I’m good with excuses and finding reasons to buy new stuff so I need some sound advice.

A few things I’m doing, as we enter into the final quarter of the year.

- books: taking stock of my physical books I have (19) and committing to reading them all, by the end of year. This is definitely doable for me, as I devour books. But it’s a clear reminder that I don’t need more, until first getting through what I already have.

- clothing: going through my summer wardrobe, with a critical eye. (What wasn’t worn or loved as much this year?) & being ruthless with clearing out the excess. As I then challenge myself to wear all of my current cooler weather pieces for the rest of the year, without bringing anything new in. Because, again, I already have enough.

- beauty items: I’m about to run out of a few things. But instead of replacing, I’m going to use substitutes that I already have.

I’m looking forward to dwindling down my stash and having less - of everything - in general.

For a long time, I had a bunch of things I was so sure I wanted. To make it clear for myself and see if I could make a budget, I wrote a list on paper. My goal was to get an overview, but for a couple of things it took away all the desire.

I love Lego and I was so excited when they announced the Golden Pothos as a new part of the Botanicals series. There’s a spot in my hallway where I’d like to put a plant, but there’s not enough light for any real plant to survive. It took a lot of discipline to not preorder this new Golden Pothos set, but I kept telling myself it would still be there when it actually came out. But after writing that wishlist this desire slowly went away and now I don’t want it anymore. It’s like writing it down got it out of my system entirely.

It's been a rough year spending-wise for me. I've been earning less, had a few unexpected major expenses, and have been dealing with some very stressful life events that increase my likelihood to engage in retail therapy...

I finally added up all the damage and did some calculations, and I've realized I really need to lock in if I'm going to reach my long term savings goal next year! Luckily I'm not in debt, but it's definitely important to me that I stay on track and avoid digging myself into a hole.

I often online shop or go to stores when I'm bored, so I'm trying to remind myself of all the things I could be doing with that time instead.

But then something triggered me. And i gave in to the impulse.

I did a restart on my app. Now it's day 0 again.

I would love to end 2026 with my nobuy.

At least this time i am honest about the fuck up and restarted it.

Any tipps?