Update on My No-Buy 2024 Pt. 1

Introduction – Update on my No-Buy 2024

Already 2025 is upon us! The last year, with its challenges, both politically and personally, has gone in a flash.

Readers of my blog will remember that I wrote an article entitled “Not Buying it – No-Buy 2024”, in which I outline my attempt at doing a No-Buy Year. Yep, a challenge in which I bought nothing but essentials for a year.

There are different versions of No-Buy Challenges (Read about them here), but essentially, within reason, you set the rules to suit your circumstances.

 In the article, I outlined the rules I had set myself for the No-Buy Year. I will briefly recapture them here:

 …I will not buy physical items such as books, clothing, knick-knacks, stationery, or electronic devices.

I will be allowed to replace things that have broken. I already know that my phone is on its last legs.

I am allowed to go out for meals and buy the odd coffee, but I am trying to keep those to a minimum.

I am still buying essentials such as food and toiletries, but I will thoroughly check my pantry and cupboards first.

How did I do? What is my verdict on my No-Buy Challenge and on No-Buy Challenges in general? These are probably the main questions on the reader’s mind right now.

I’m afraid you’ll have to wait to hear my views on a no-buy challenge. This week, I will give you an outline of 2024—Not Buying it.

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What I bought each month – Update on my No-Buy 2024

JANUARY

In January, I bought the following two things:

1. Dining Table

2. Stationery (Pen and Undated Weekly Planer pad)

When I moved into my flat in 2014, I bought a fairly large IKEA dining table for my lounge. I then quickly turned it into a dedicated space to drink tea. I practice Asian tea ceremonies, which require more equipment than brewing tea the English way. Moving my tea stuff for mealtimes didn’t happen. I got tired of not being able to sit at a table when eating. It had all sorts of implications, including lunch al desko and friends eating on the couch. I saw my ideal table and it was reduced by 40%. Buying a dining table/desk for my study has made a massive difference. I now eat more mindfully and can invite others over for meals.

I also bought some stationery in the Journal Shop in Shoreditch. My main motivations for the purchase were twofold. I thought I needed something analogue to plan my week more effectively and I kept thinking about it and looking at it in the shop. I hardly used the planner pad and regrated it as soon as I bought it. It served zero purpose!

FEBRUARY

I bought one thing in February:

1. iPhone 13

In February, I finally replaced my cheap and broken Samsung phone with a refurbished iPhone. It is still going strong; it has been nearly a year, and I couldn’t be happier. Whatever we think of mobile phones, and yes, there are loads of downsides to them, they are really essential to mastering modern life. Buying a refurbished and an older model meant that I saved money and didn’t contribute to waste in quite the same way.

MARCH

In March, I made three purchases:

1. Down Jacket

2. Fancy tea strainer

3. iPad

I went on holiday to Devon to revisit the place where I went to school and do some serious hiking. On my first day and first hike, my four-year-old down jacket got ripped and wasn’t repairable. So, I went to Exeter the following day to replace it. The old jacket wasn’t expensive and lasted a good four years, so I didn’t feel too bad. It needed replacing sooner or later.

While in Exeter, I visited a teashop called The House of Hope and Mercy in the Jungle. I am friendly with the owners and want to support them. While there, I bought a tea strainer made by a local craftsperson. While I didn’t need the strainer and ended up finding it impractical, buying something on holiday had been allowed. With hindsight, I should have held off as the item added nothing of value to my life.

In preparation for my trip to Devon, I bought a new iPad. Same as for my phone, I purchased a refurbished model. For one to replace my old and broken Samsung tablet and for the other to not have to take a laptop on holiday. I tried to live without a tablet for about 4 months but then realised that it serves a purpose at times. Again, going back to what I said above, however much we think we don’t need devices, in today’s world it is hard to be without it.

APRIL

I bought nothing, big pat on the back!

MAY

In May, I bought one thing:

1. Trousers

I bought a pair of casual trousers to replace my previous pair, which had been damaged. As I already have a minimalist wardrobe, I tend to need to replace torn or worn-out things, as I often only have one or two of each.

JUNE

In June, I bought three items.

1. Top

2. Books

3. Camping Stuff (head torch)

The top was my first entirely and utterly frivolous purchase—the first purchase purely because I liked it. I have no excuse; I am not supporting a local artist or an eco-business in the process. I should not have bought it, and I have well and truly broken my no-buy year.

I went on holiday again in June and bought some summer reading materials as part of that. Did I 100% need new books? Would the library or my to-be-read pile have sufficed? Yes, but after buying something frivolous last month, I felt my attempt at zero shopping had already failed. To my credit, all books were second-hand, and at least half were resold after reading.

My third purchase was a head torch for my camping trip, which I didn’t have and needed as I had no other torch. I went to Decathlon, a massive shop, but bought only one thing. No shopping spree.

JULY

In July, I bought only one item:

1. Teaware (Gaiwan)

After a meal at the Lime Tree, my friend Tess took me to Edmonton Green indoor market for some shopping. I can’t remember whether she needed anything or just wanted to while away the time. I went inside one of the charity shops, where I found a piece of teaware. It was second-hand and affordable. Did I need it? Definitely not! Did I want it? Not sure! Was it a frivolous and stupid purchase? Definitely yes!

AUGUST

In August, I bought one thing:

1. Tea tray

I returned to Devon with my friend Susi. I returned to the teashop mentioned earlier. While in there, I bought a new tea tray to replace the old one that had broken after less than a year. It was definitely needed, and it was definitely a replacement for something broken. So, it’s all good.

SEPTEMBER

In September, I bought one item:

1. Blazer

In September, I went jeans shopping as I needed to replace a worn-out pair of old Levis jeans. I bought a blazer as Uniqlo wouldn’t refund trousers that were too big. Instead, they asked me to buy something new for the same value. I love the blazer and have worn it on many occasions. However, I think it is wrong when shops won’t let you easily return online purchases that you only bought because your size wasn’t on the shelf and they would not stock it.

OCTOBER

In October, I bought three items:

1. Jeans

2. Teacup

3. Fairness jug.

4. Travel rucksack

I finally bought a pair of Levis 501 Jeans to replace the torn ones I had attempted to replace a month earlier.

I went on a work-related trip to Amsterdam, where I visited Moychay, a well-known tea shop. While there, I purchased a teacup and a fairness jug. Again, this was in line with my rules for a no-buy year. Did I desperately need them? Of course not! Did I want them? Yes!

I bought a travel rucksack to replace two old suitcases and to have something that is more comfortable to carry around. Did I really, really need it? No, and I kind of regret the purchase.

NOVEMBER

I bought two items in November:

1. Travel Mug

2. Folding Chair

I bought a recycled travel mug as a birthday present. I was eager to replace a very cheap and very old travel mug, so it gets well-used. I go on long hikes and travel around for work, so it gets well used.

Furthermore, I also replaced a 10-year-old cheap folding chair that had broken while my friend sat on it. For reasons of health and safety, I didn’t think it was wise to try and

DECEMBER

I again bought several things in December:

1. Teaware

2. Trousers

3. Shoes

4. Fancy Trousers

5. Vest

I went home to Berlin to see my parents and celebrate Christmas. I bought some teaware (a pattern here), a small teapot, and a coaster. Not that I needed them, but I liked them. Again, this was in line with my rules, allowing me to buy one or two things on vacation.

I also bought new shoes and two pairs of trousers to replace worn-out ones.

Sticking with clothing, I bought a very warm vest as I had zero winter jumpers.

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Intermezzo – Update on my No-Buy 2024

Okay, I failed my challenge. There is no way around that! I bought way too many things to claim a No-Buy year.

I do not want to diminish this, but for reasons of balance, I also want to mention some of the stuff I considered buying, might have purchased in the past, decluttered or used up and not replaced.

There are reasons for many of my purchases, which I will outline in a later article.