No-Buy Month -How did I get on?

 

Introduction

Let’s get the scoring out of the way. I failed! No, ten out of ten.

Below is my diary of my No-Buy Month and how I got on.

 

Tuesday 01.02.2022

Today is the day I am starting my no-buy challenge; I am excited but also slightly apprehensive. How will I fare? Will I fail?

I sit at my desk, open my to-do list app and immediately realise that I haven’t bought this month’s book club book. What shall I do? Skiving is not an option as I already missed it last month. As it’s a book group on professional organising, my local library will not likely stock it. So I have no choice but to press the purchase button on Amazon. (If you are wondering, I hate Amazon, but I have a kindle.)

After a morning of working, I go to my local shopping centre to visit Waitrose for grocery essentials. On the way to it, I walk, and there is a lovely shop selling fresh juices. Thankfully, it was closed because otherwise, I might have been tempted!

 

Wednesday 02.02.2022

Today is the second day of my no-buy challenge. Will I do better?

On my morning walk, I go to my local shop and stock up on milk and bread for breakfast.

After work, I decided to clean my long-awaited oven; bad move! I read the instructions of the cleaner I bought, which says to leave the emulsion in the oven for 6 hours. So how am I going to have dinner? Microwave meal? Sandwiches?

As I needed to do some leafletting to promote my business, I do this several times a week; I decided to walk via the Turkish restaurant. I had dinner there – Tea and vegetable stew.

 

Thursday 03.02.2022

In the morning, I receive an invite to sound healing, which I do regularly and love. I decided against it as it would have required buying a ticket.

I also go to Sainsbury’s to buy veggie sausages for dinner, but nothing else.

Today I did well and feel proud of myself.

 

Friday 04.02.2022

Today I plan to see an exhibition at the British Museum and afterwards meet some friends for drinks. I walk to the British Museum to save on bus fares, but as I try to enter the exhibition on Ancient Peru, I discover that I don’t have my free entry pass on me. No exhibition for Bettina.

What do I do now? I have an hour until having to be at the cinema bar. It is cold, and my feet are sore. So I go to a coffee shop, read my book and sadly have a Flat White with Oat Milk.

When I am with my friends, I drink nothing but tap water until one of my friends offers to get me a diet coke. Not sure whether this is cheating? Technically I do not buy anything, but someone else does on my behalf.

 

Saturday 05.02.2022

Today I am going to a history group meeting, will I manage not to buy anything? Yes, I brought tea in a travel mug to have on a bus.

Bought nothing all day!

 

Sunday 06.02.2022

Today is Sunday, and I am going to my tea meet-up at the Barbican. Yes, I am into tea, and a group of us London tea nerds meet on Sundays to drink tea together. I will bring some Japanese green tea and a cup. We have seventeen teas in five hours, a record!

Halfway through, I begin to feel hungry and slightly tea drunk; I and others buy a pizza. Bad Bettina!

I need to learn to be organised and prepare for getting hungry; next time, I will try and bring my own food.

Monday 07.02.2022

Today is Monday. I work all day and spend zero money. It’s easy when you don’t leave the house.

 

Tuesday 08.02.2022

Tuesday is grocery day. Did some shopping in Tesco, but only bought what I had on my list. No crisps, no newspaper, no other frivolous things.

 

Wednesday 09.02.2022.

After two days of doing okay, today did not start off well. I decide to take my new wireless noise-cancelling headphones for a trial so hop on a bus early in the morning to get to the Barbican for a day of work.

As I arrive at the Barbican, I feel hungry, hadn’t planned for this so have no food in my bag. So I go to a Café and buy some overpriced breakfast items.

Once I try to settle into the Barbican, I discover it is closed, so I make my way to the British Library. By the time I arrive, it is late, and there are no more reading room spaces. I go and work in their café; thankfully they don’t require you to buy anything.

On my way home, I buy a snack as I am hungry, and it has been many hours since breakfast.

 

Thursday 10.02.2022

Today I stock up on a few essentials in Sainsbury’s, but again nothing that is not on my list. A good day!

 

Friday 11.02.2022

I am going to travel to Scotland next week, and I have a lot of preparation to do, including a large Tesco order for home delivery. Further, I also have my day job. I feel swamped and stressed.

I need a break from my desk, so going on a walk at lunch, where I buy a sandwich and coffee and have it on the go.

In the evening I sadly have to buy a new phone as my old one is now well and truly kaput. I can’t be without a working phone while being the organiser of a group trip to Scotland. I get the cheapest phone, though.

 

Saturday 12.02.2022

Today I am home all day and buy nothing, too busy with work and trip preparation.

Sunday 13.02.2022

This Sunday, I attend my regular tea meet-up. We are all a little more restrained with our tea consumption; sadly I am not restrained with my pizza eating. Where was the sandwich that I intended to make? Get organised Bettina, no excuse!

 

Monday 14.02.2022

Final day before going to Scotland. I go into town to buy essentials for the trip, hand sanitiser, snacks for the journey and some dental floss.

 

Tuesday 15.02.2022

Today I travel from London to near Manchester for the first leg of my journey up to frozen Scotland. I buy only a coffee for me and my friend J, who is kindly driving me.

We stop for a nice lunch at her mum’s house, who is truly an angel and kitchen fairy! Where would we be without her? We would sit in a Costa having a soggy mushroom toasty rather than a hearty home-cooked soup and crusty bread.

 

Wednesday 16.02.2022

The second leg of my journey up to Scotland. We break mid-morning at a service station and have coffee and a croissant. Bought nothing else.

 

Thursday 17.02.2022

First full day in Scotland, we explored the local area, a lovely town with lots of gift shops and cafes. I longingly stare at various depictions of highland cows but manage to buy nothing. No tea towel, fluffy, toy, painting or even card that has a highland cow on it.

 

Friday 18.02.2022

It was snowing, so we stay inside the Youth Hostel all day drinking tea, learning to knit and eating delicious homemade soup thanks to my friend T. She is the queen of soups!

 

Saturday 19.02.2022

The weather is still snowy and cold, but a couple of friends and I decide to go wild swimming. Nutters, all three of us! It might be freezing, but at least it is a free activity. No money was exchanged.

 

Sunday 20.02.2022

Another cold and rainy day, but we are braving it and going on a walk into town. We stumble across a little local shop that makes handmade cosmetics. I cave and buy some soap and bath salts. I might have spent money, but at least I am supporting the local economy and not Amazon or Tesco!

 

Monday 21.02.2022

Today is the day we go back to London. It’s a long journey, so we stop for lunch and share two pizzas and coffee. I pay for my share.

 

Tuesday 22.02.2022

The second leg of the journey back to London. We leave early as my friend S whom we kindly stayed the night with, must work.

Mid-morning, we had a coffee break at a service station. We have Flat Whites and enjoy the scenery of the car park outside. Got to love service stations!

A couple of hours later, we break for lunch at an OK diner. I have the veggie breakfast, yum!

Other than essentials, I spent nothing today.

 

Wednesday 23.02.2022

Back in London after a week away, and I have to stock up on groceries, which I do. I buy nothing else.

 

Thursday 24.02.2022

On my way from the gym, I do some more grocery shopping; I am stocking up a bit. The international situation scares me.

 

Friday 25.02.2022

Today I went on a long walk with my friend P to discuss the international situation. Lovely walk, good company, but a depressing conversation.

At the end of our walk, we stop at Finsbury Park café for a coffee and some food. I have a tuna melt.

 

Saturday 26.02.2022

After my trip to the gym, I walk to my local M&S to buy essentials. I cave and purchase today’s Guardian. Thankfully, nothing else. I have a subscription to the FT, so the Guardian is a luxury I could have done without.

 

Sunday 27.02.2022

I am attending my tea meet-up again. This time I am prepared, however, and bring a cheese sandwich.

Monday 28.02.2022

 

The last day of the month was the end of my experiment of buying nothing. I get ingredients for dinner and pick up a bathmat from Argos that I had ordered ages ago.

Want to know what I thought about it all? Watch this space!

Please check out my other posts here to get more ideas on how to get organised and more productive.

Contact me here to help get organised, and I’d be delighted to work with you.