7 Life Lessons From “No-Buy” July
How to get your family to abstain from buying anything for a month
Fed up with the inflow of items into my home, I’ve been on an intentional quest towards minimalism and optimizing the 300,000 things in my house.
Thus, last month, I set a challenge for myself and my family to have a “no-buy” July. It was our attempt at a reset, an intermittent fast for our finances and our perspectives. The point of “no-buy” July was to abstain from the urge to buy anything new, to appreciate what we already have, and to enjoy more experiences.
Annoyed by all the Amazon boxes on trash day and anxious by the elusive way my savings account never attracts more, I halted all spending and shopping for one month.
It’s frustrating to deal with all the stuff in your house, and disappointing to see how unfilled your wallet remains after each paycheck. Maybe you can relate.
Some of us are good at earning money, but all of us are even better at spending money.
Overall, it was a hard and failed experiment, but also a success.
Here is what I learned.
“As we get past our superficial material wants and instant gratification, we connect to a deeper part of ourselves, as well as to others, and the universe.”
— Judith Wright
Life Lessons From “No-Buy” July
1/ Gamifying — Getting the entire family involved, made the whole experience more fun. I used a spreadsheet (the dorky finance nerd in me) to track our expenses daily. My four-year-old was the best reminder of the “no-buy” challenge whenever we started talking about what we wanted to buy. She was our conscience, always sitting on the innocent shoulder and shaking her head. My youngest would shout, “no-buy!” whenever an infomercial played too loudly. It made a great conversation at dinner and a healthy reminder that objects don’t necessarily bring you happiness. I made it a game, and in the end, we won.
2 / No-spend days — These are days when you don’t spend any money and have no cash outlays for the whole day. It is an engaging exercise in awareness and can get challenging without planning. I started with a goal of 20 “no-spend” days. I knew I had to buy groceries and wanted to keep the goal flexible and achievable. We ended with a total of 10 “no spend” days (excluding housing, utilities, and food expenses). Given an unexpected medical emergency, I’m proud of this. When was the last time you didn’t buy anything all day?
3 / Discovery — While looking for things to do outside, I discovered our love for hiking and being in nature. Usually, I pack lunch and water and head out for a few hours of exploring the wilderness. Straightforward yet satisfying. It’s now our favorite hobby as a family and has delivered a valuable life lesson. The best things in life are free and ready to be discovered. My toddler would agree that finding an odd-shaped stick or an exciting rock is just as cool as a new toy.
4 / Health is wealth — Because of a medical scare at the end of July, I got a rude wake-up call on the true meaning of wealth. My body suddenly failed me, and I ended up in the emergency room with a vital reminder. I am grateful that I don’t have anything seriously wrong with me and generally back to normal. Building up immunity, strength, and flexibility is now a high priority.
5 / Creativity — With less stuff around, I had more time to listen to new ideas and reach deep into my creative reserve. We up-cycled everything. The jars from our tomato sauce became cups and storage containers. We repurposed long-sleeve pajamas into much-needed summerwear. Old cans became planters, and egg cartons became art supplies. We became more open to saying yes to things that didn’t come wrapped in plastic.
6/ Delayed gratification — Especially nowadays, when you can get new things at the click of a button, saying a healthy “no” to yourself helps to reveal your values and real needs. Ironically, by using restraint, I felt more freedom. Freedom to create something out of nothing, to re-imagine something we already own, and to dream of what could be. It was powerful and gratifying.
7 / Gratitude — Like most of you, I am grateful to live with plenty of basics like food, water, shelter, clothes, and a decent internet connection. We overwhelmingly felt and expressed gratitude throughout the month. Giving thanks for everything around us became a daily ritual. We recognized that not everyone is as privileged or lucky to have their physical needs met.
Anything more is extra. Anything more is the cherry on top.
What We Bought
Yes, we did buy some things in July. We covered living expenses for the month and appreciate that we have the means to pay the bills. Here are the few exceptions we also spent resources on during July:
- Food (mostly groceries) — Food is the most significant necessity, especially as we are primarily cooking at home. We are fortunate to be able to food shop online and through delivery. However, this means that food expenses are running almost double what they usually trend when we make grocery store runs.
- Education — Learning is a priority and includes tutoring and online classes for my kids, as well as online courses for me. This category contains my SkillShare subscription, yearly Masterclass pass, as well as, a book allowance.
- Transportation — Transport is essential to us and includes monthly car payments, gasoline, maintenance, and any parking fees.
- Health & Safety — This included an unexpected ER visit, specialist visit, and medication for a health issue. Luckily everyone is okay. It also included the kids floating devices for the beach and sunscreen.
What We Gave Up
Here is a list of all the things we wanted to buy in July but put off purchasing on purpose. I’m listing here so you can see that most of the items were nice-to-haves, while a few were necessities. Either way, they all waited.
- Shoe storage for entryway
- Kitchen aid mixer to make bread
- Overnight luggage for kids
- Ice cream from the ice cream truck
- A new bra
- Coffee at our favorite coffee shop
- A new book I’ve been excited to buy by a well-known Medium writer
- Reading materials and workbooks for the kids
- A new light fixture for my studio office
- Chairs and table for the front porch
- A whiteboard to brainstorm ideas
- A beach umbrella replacement
- Random house stuff from Target
Final Thoughts
You aren’t going to save a million dollars, become a total minimalist, or find complete happiness in a month, but what you can find in a month is an appreciation for the basics.
“No-buy” July has given us a much-needed perspective check on real needs versus wants.
By participating in a “no-buy” month, my family and I found extra space, time, and money, which we’ll use towards life goals like saving up for a dream vacation and early retirement. We rediscovered things already in our home and found activities that bring joy without any cost.
Instead of focusing on what you can’t buy, a “no-buy” month can remind you to have gratitude towards the plentitude you live in every day.
Saying no to buying stuff now means you are saying yes to your future.
“Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.” — Richard G. Scott
