My 2022 Healthy Low Buy Year

 

This year I’m challenging myself to a Healthy Low Buy Year. Many people over the past few years have done “no buy” or “low buy” years, where they limit their purchases to various extents in order to achieve a goal, such as getting out of debt, saving money, breaking a shopping addiction, or resetting their consumer mindset. I’ve added the word healthy to mine because one of my main goals with this challenge is to improve my physical health.
Here are the reasons I decided to do a Healthy Low Buy Year:

Replenish my savings account
Since I retired at the end of 2018, I’ve been living off a combination of savings and occasional part-time jobs. I’d like to fatten up my savings account not out of necessity but for peace of mind.

Improve my health
I’ve been making many changes over the past few years, mainly with my diet, in order to resolve some health conditions. The final piece of the puzzle which I’ve struggled with is completely eliminating processed sugar, so I’ve designed my guidelines to make this as easy as possible.

Save time and money by shopping less and have more time to do the things I enjoy
I don’t think we always realize just how much time it takes to shop, whether it’s online or in the store. Especially when shopping at the store there’s travel time, finding and choosing the products we want, paying for our purchase, then returning home and using and/or putting the item/s away. I’d much rather spend more time pursuing my interests and hobbies and being with family and friends.

As a personal challenge
I’ve been living financially lean for many years, even while doing not-so-frugal things such as eating out. I want to push myself even more just to see if I can meet the challenge.

Lessen environmental impact; help avoid/prevent waste
The less we need and purchase, the more resources are preserved. There’s also less waste generated and fuel consumed in transporting the item to the store and then to our homes. And I hate when I make bad purchase decisions which means I have to then return the item, donate or pass it along to someone, or in the worst case scenario throw it away.

My Healthy Low Buy Year began on January 1. These are the rules/guidelines I’m using:

Use up what you have
Although I’m a minimalist, some supplies, albeit consumables, have accumulated due to supply shortages over the past couple years. Now that things have generally leveled out I feel comfortable going back towards shopping when supplies truly get low. I also received many consumable gifts during the holidays (thanks family!) that have yet to be used. In general, I believe using what you already have on hand is a valuable rule.

Streamline errands/driving trips (Goal: once per week)
This will save both time and money on fuel costs, which means I’ll have more time to spend at home with my cats, pursue my hobbies, and just do whatever I feel like doing.

Groceries: Only healthy necessities/basics that fit Paleo diet
The Paleo diet is what I’ve mostly been following for the past few years, and my body feels best when I’m 100% compliant. I want to eliminate those last few areas in which I sometimes fudge things and find it hard to comply, namely processed sugar. This will target my health goal as well as save money, since any Paleo-friendly pre-made items such as crackers, breads, or desserts I will have to make myself from scratch rather than purchase.

Eating Out: Only when traveling or meeting family/friends; eat Paleo as much as possible 
We have an out-of-state trip planned in February, and we’ll likely be taking some day trips or out-of-town trips during the course of the year, so there will be times where we’ll have to get food from a restaurant. We also occasionally meet family or friends to eat out, such as to celebrate a birthday. I will be choosing the most Paleo-friendly options available when I do eat out.

Hobbies: Purchase materials only when all current projects are completed, materials on hand are used up, and I have a clear idea what's needed for the next project
I have recently gotten back into crocheting and am making items with the intent to sell them. Last year before I planned to do my Healthy Low Buy Year, I purchased a good amount of supplies, so going forward I will only buy additional materials once I’ve used up what I have on hand.

Clothing: Necessary replacements only
I’m not a fashionista and am fairly minimal in the amount of clothes I currently own, but I certainly have everything I need plus a little extra. Assuming no major unexpected crises occur, I don’t anticipate needing to buy anything.

Toiletries: Necessary replacements only
Ditto my clothing explanation. I actually have extra of my basic toiletries due to the pesky pandemic and previous supply shortages, so until I get close to completely running out of a particular item I won’t be buying it.

Exceptions: Extra of consumable necessities may be purchased to meet online order minimums; store rewards that expire may be used
If I’m placing an online order and need to add a bit more to get free shipping, I will allow myself to add consumable item/s that we regularly use - for example, coconut oil or facial tissues. Also, if I receive store rewards (not coupons) that enable me to purchase free or nearly free items that will genuinely get used, then I may use it. I don’t anticipate this will happen often, but to give a couple examples:

1. I received a Michael’s $5 reward that would’ve expired in February. Although I have plenty of yarn, there was a color that was out of stock when I was shopping last year with which I wanted to make a scarf. I found the color I wanted, and after the reward was applied plus a coupon discount my purchase came to just over $3. This purchase would normally have been over $10. I would’ve purchased this yarn eventually, and the price was much lower than I would’ve paid in the future.

2. I received $10 Kohl’s Cash expiring in January. In this scenario I did not redeem it since there wasn’t anything I needed or even wanted. I could’ve looked for a pair of sneakers which would’ve eventually gotten used, but I currently have two pairs, plus the thought of shopping for them was very unappealing, and I’d easily be spending $40-$60 even after the Kohl’s Cash was applied.

You may have noticed that my guidelines don’t cover every possible category of spending, and that’s because some categories are either fixed necessary expenses (such as housing) or categories that are well budgeted in which I don’t overspend (such as gifts and donations and electronics).

So far my Healthy Low Buy Year has gone very well, and fortunately I can say it’s been pretty easy. There were a few times I had a fleeting thought of purchasing something unauthorized, but it didn’t evolve into a craving so it was easy to dismiss. I realize this may change as the year progresses, and I’ll need to be mentally prepared if challenges arise. I’m enjoying paring down the food pantry, shopping less, and spending more time at home crocheting, cooking, reading, and hanging out with my partner and the cats.

Are you interested in trying a low spend challenge, or have you completed one in the past? If an entire year sounds too intimidating, you can do a low spend week or month. Challenge yourself in a category where you tend to spend too much or where you’re buying things that aren’t healthy, such as sugary snacks or fried foods. Determine why you want to do a low spend and how you will fill your newfound time. Good luck and enjoy!