Part of my plan to tackle impulse purchases for my Year of Less is to write down anything I think about buying and waiting before making a purchase.

So far this year I've not purchased a few things.

Everything I thought about buying in January would've been an online purchase due to being in lockdown which makes shopping easier to resist. I'm still not sure how I'm going to deal with impulse purchases when standing in a shop but for now, with essential shops still shut, this approach seems to be working.

1. Book

There was a reference book I wanted to read but the library was shut, I really didn't want to buy another book and then inspiration struck - an audio book. I checked the library app (thanks for the tip Betty) but the book I wanted wasn't available so I joined Audible for a month and downloaded it. Yes, I parted with some cash, but saving money isn't the goal, consuming less is the aim and a digital copy creates no clutter.

I don't think I'll ever abandon the printed page entirely, I love the feel (and smell) of books, but a few audio books won't do me any harm.

2. Phone chargers

Once upon a time we had three phone chargers with long cords, only one now works and it lives in the lounge for both of us to use. I wanted one by the bed so I could charge my phone and scroll. After some thought I realised I could use my power banks instead of letting them sit in a drawer largely unused. Now I keep them on my desk so they're not out of sight, out of mind. I've got into the habit of keeping them charged. Problem solved and no purchase necessary.

3. Pens

We used to have loads of pens floating about the place but we seem to be down to the last few. I decided a good quality refillable pen would be an eco friendly alternative to the stockpile of plastic disposable pens we've been using. When I started looking online I realised that if I was going to buy a pen to use long term I'd need to try it first, some pens just don't feel right in your hand do they? Others don't write nicely. I decided that I'd spend a while in WHSmith after lockdown. I haven't been yet obviously but it's something I am weirdly rather looking forward to. At some point I will make a purchase but it'll be one that lasts, until then I'm fiercely guarding my one remaining Biro.

4. Notebook

I wanted a notebook for a specific purpose. I had a very clear idea of the qualities it needed to have. I found one on the Paperchase website that ticked all the boxes but I stuck to my rule and waited a while to see if I still felt the need to buy it. I have plenty of unused notebooks, and having waited a while I decided to stop being so pernickety and just use one of those.

5. 2021 Diary

I buy a diary every year and write in it daily for a few weeks, sometimes into February or early March if I'm lucky, and then it's forgotten. I have a calendar to write appointments, birthdays, to keep track of deadlines and hours worked, and this gets used daily, all year round. But my diary just gets ignored, so for the first time in many years I decided not to buy one. I'm using last years as a notepad so it doesn't go to waste.

This wait-and-see system has stopped a few unnecessary items from entering our home, and I've saved approximately £50.00. Yes I'll probably spend some of that on a new 'forever pen' but in terms of using what I have, and limiting purchases I think I can call it a win. I just need to keep it up for the next 11 months, by which time I'm hoping it'll be second nature and impulse purchases will be a thing of the past.

So far this year I haven't made a single non-essential purchase - yes I know we're only 25 days into the year so I'm not claiming that this is a huge achievement, I'm simply saying 'so far, so good'. I've used the time to ponder what will constitute essential spending for my Year of Less.

I wrote about my desire to buy less, to be a more mindful consumer, in my resolutions post, but I hadn't got it all figured out. Essentials are obviously food, toiletries, and gifts for others. I also decided that I could buy clothes but only if I needed them, and the item being replaced leaves my possession.

Books are to be borrowed from the library when it reopens. That's if I need to - I currently have over 50 books on my shelves waiting to be read.

I'm adding seeds, and plants and anything garden related to the list of essentials. My garden and greenhouse have always been something I enjoy but they were an absolute godsend last year during lockdown. I'm not about to deny myself the pleasure of garden pottering.

Other items that I buy are usually house related. In 2020 I purchased photo frames, supplies for DIY jobs, two towel rails, a mirror for the lounge, and I feel that these are all justified purchases as they improve and enrich our surroundings. The thing to do here is be certain that I'm not acting on a whim.

Which brings me neatly to the subject of impulse purchases. I rarely give much consideration to whether or not I should buy something, so this year I've decided to write down all the things I consider buying and wait before making a purchase. I have six things on that list already, two of which I'll probably buy.

As you can tell it's not a total spending ban, they never work for me. The point is to limit what I add to my home. I'm definitely guilty of buying stuff in charity shops because 'it's nice and only a few quid', only to return home and never look at it again. Or to buy something I think I need on a whim only to discover I didn't really need it in the first place.

Which brings me to clutter. I'm not striving for minimalism but, despite decluttering many times over the years, I still own a lot of pointless stuff that just needs to go. 

I always feel better when it's tidy, the surfaces are uncluttered and everything has a home, it feels like I have more space to breath. It's time to be ruthless...

What would be on your essential shopping list?

xx

Last year I decided to make monthly resolutions but with the year we had I stopped making any after March, and focused on getting through the weirdness that was 2020.

This year I've decided that I want to focus on less. Accumulating and having less to be specific. To be a more mindful consumer.

An Instagram post I saw at the end of 2019 sparked the idea, this person purchased just five items over the course of the year (barring gifts for others, and essentials like food and toiletries). Five items - a shower squeegee, a silicon food pouch and a coconut bottle brush, and two lovely Christmas decorations (a rather splendid ceramic carrot and turnip).

I admired the dedication that required. She said it was simply a case of making the decision that she wouldn't buy anything, that she had all she needed. (I'd link to the post but I couldn't find it when I scrolled back).

I'd been thinking about this post over the course of 2020 and I think it's what prompted me to buy my final purchase of the year - a book called The Year of Less by Cait Flanders. I've already read it and I've realised that giving up unnecessary spending is more than just deciding, it's a process of breaking habits that have been formed over a number of years.

I haven't got it all figured out yet, but I'm hopeful that I can shift my focus to using and appreciating what I have, and doing some more decluttering in the process. Of course I see the irony of buying a book to help me stop spending but it was an interesting read (although the author talked a lot about her life and not as much about her spending ban as I'd have liked).

The first and probably most obvious change I can make it to use the flippin' library! I signed up for a library card a few years ago and other than taking shelter in there from the rain one day I haven't actually borrowed a single book. Of course my local library is shut at the moment, but it'll reopen when this latest lockdown is lifted.

I kept a list of all my spending last year and books are definitely one area in which I can spend less. I might not need to use my local library much as I have more than 50 books sitting in my TBR pile, which is more than enough to keep me entertained for an entire year. But if I need a reference book, a cookery book, or am tempted by the latest 'must-read' then I'll be making my way to the library.

I've said this many times before but clothes are another area for improvement, I have more than enough, although I can foresee a few things I might need. But need is the key word here.

For example I know I'll need some vest tops soon, ones to sleep in, as the elastic is going on the ones I have (they're all a good few years old), and I'll need some new underpants at some point, honestly some of my current ones are in a shameful state, I hope I don't get run over.

I don't foresee any occasions coming up that will require a specific clothing purchase, weddings, evening events, and other special occasions won't be on the cards for a while thanks to the continuing pandemic, but even if an invitation came my way I'm confident that I have something suitable in my wardrobe already.

As I say I haven't got it all figured out just yet but the intention, and basic idea is there. Being in lockdown again with non essential shops shut certainly helps in the short term, allowing me to work on resisting online impulse purchases.

There are other things I would like to do this year but I'm not sure I'd call them resolutions, I'm pretty certain that wanting to grow coral coloured sunflowers, and double the amount of peas don't count :) but that raises the question are seeds an essential purchase? I think we can all agree that they are, yes?

Are you making any resolutions?

Take care and stay safe.
xx