“Why I’m doing a no-spend year to reset my shopping habits”

Jessie, 31, from Suffolk, is a freelance brand and digital marketing manager and the founder of personal finance Instagram account @howifundthis.

As a teenager who grew up watching influencers showing off their shopping hauls and makeup collections on YouTube, with friends who wore designer clothes, Jessie developed a complicated relationship with shopping that lasted into her twenties.

In 2018, she spent £820 on clothes, which made her realise she wanted to change. Jessie became a second-hand shopper and developed a low-buy approach to spending over the last few years.

This year, she decided to challenge herself even more. 2023 is Jessie’s no-spend year – she’s committed to buy no new items that she overbought in the past. Clothes and beauty products, in particular, were her Achilles heel. She’s already saving around £140 a month.

Here, she tells us why she committed to a no-spend year and how it’s going so far.

I’m a competitive person so I find challenges quite motivating and fun. With the right parameters in place – ones that don’t feel too restrictive to you – a no-spend challenge can give you a deep dive into your relationship with money and spending behaviours. It also frees up money to spend on what you truly value in life.

I understand that committing to a no-buy year and seeing it as a challenge is a real privilege, as I know many people don’t have this choice. 

There were several reasons why I decided to do a no-spend 2023. In the past I’d wear shoes that weren’t quite right for me, buy clothes on a whim in the hope they’d make me feel better, and I had dozens of half-used skincare products in my bathroom cupboard.

I never questioned my spending as I’ve thankfully never racked up debt and I’ve always been good at returning items I no longer wanted. But I realised I often used shopping to fill a void. This made me want to cut down on the number of possessions I own, and only have things in my home that I actually use and love. 

I’ve also become very aware of how we’re constantly being sold to from almost every angle. This cycle of consumerism and feeling as if we need to strive for the “next best thing” felt exhausting last year. 

I’m a sucker for a second-hand purchase and most of my wardrobe is now secondhand. I’m not buying any clothes this year as there’s only so much one person needs, but I do miss browsing Vinted.

I love buying skincare products, especially the novelty of beauty gift sets that come out at Christmas. I’d love to make a big dent in using up some of these products this year. 

I also tend to buy lots of “just because” gifts for friends and family, little things here and there. I’m still buying them gifts for birthdays, Christmas and any other special occasions this year but I’d like to find other ways to show my appreciation outside of those moments.

During my no-buy year I’m still spending money on things that bring me the most joy, but cutting back on things that don't have any real impact on my life and happiness.

I’ve stopped spending money on:

And I’m still allowing myself to spend on:

It’s difficult to quantify exactly how much I’ve saved. But I used to spend just over £200 a month on average on non-essential spending and now it’s £60. Previously I was spending about £20-£40 on clothes and an average of £15-£20 on beauty products every month.

It feels great being able to put aside the money I've saved towards something I care about much more. 

Such as picking up a book at the supermarket while doing the food shop. The moment usually passes quite quickly and if I really needed or wanted something badly, I'd buy it. I'm not aiming for perfection. But it helps to think towards longer-term goals and how that money could be put towards the more expensive occasions I have planned this year. 

I haven’t yet been in a situation where I’ve felt guilty for spending money, or when I’ve wanted to buy something but I couldn’t.

I suspect it’s because my parameters don’t feel too restrictive compared to my usual life. But this has surprised me most so far.

Since starting my no-buy year I’ve realised how much I used to turn to shopping as a coping mechanism when my self-esteem was low or if I’d had a bad day. I didn’t think this was too much of an issue as I never spent in a way that derailed my finances.

But I’ve realised that what I was buying wasn’t getting to the root of the problem. It’s opened my eyes to healthier coping mechanisms that will help me in the long run. Whether that’s calling a friend, going for a walk, doing Pilates, or reflecting on why I feel how I do instead of buying something to fill the void. 

It involves deliberating purchases when there’s so much choice for everything these days, making sure I’m home to receive the parcel and then finding time to return items. I hope I remember this going forward because my no-spend challenge has freed up my energy and time for things that actually matter to me.

A no-spend challenge is personal to each individual. It might sound contradictory, but a no-spend challenge doesn’t have to be restrictive. If you love buying a new book each month, you can build your challenge around this. There’s no reason why you need to stop that if you don’t want to.

Aim for progress, not perfection. There are likely to be slip-ups along the way, and that’s okay. But it doesn’t mean you have to let them derail your challenge completely. 

Remember, this is just one person's story. Do you relate to Jessie’s experience? Has it inspired you to try the no-spend challenge? Share your point of view.