Why I Am Doing A No Buy Year
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In 2023, I decided that I wanted to do a no buy year. I planned for that year to be 2024, but then I broke my leg in January 2024 and that became impossible. I planned a no buy year for a number of reasons. Even though I have cut back on buying things over the past few years, it still feels like my home is full of things that I have forgotten about. Because I have ADHD, if I can’t see something I literally forget that I have it. I do mean literally. Of course I can’t, nor do I want to, keep all of my clothes, accessories, hobby supplies, and other possessions out where I can see them.
I decided that the easiest way to see and remember what I have would simply be to have less. If I am not digging through closets, boxes, and storage bins, it is easier to see and enjoy what I already own. No matter how organized you are, too much stuff can become overwhelming and hard to manage.
Learn more about my no buy year.
Why I Am Also Decluttering
- I want to be able to appreciate the things that I already have. When you have too much stuff, it’s hard to really see what you actually own and be able to use it! More than once, I’ve known I have something but I can’t find it so I have to buy a new one.
- Cleaning will be a lot quicker and easier. If I’m not spending time picking things up and putting them away, cleaning will take a lot less time. I don’t enjoy cleaning and I don’t have a lot of time and energy so faster cleaning will make my life happier.
- I don’t want to hang onto things. When my parents sold my childhood home, we had to clean out 25 years worth of random stuff. My mom is extremely organized but 25 years of organized stuff is still a lot of stuff. We rented a dumpster and between personal paperwork, holiday decorations, childhood school work and art, and toys too old or worn to sell or donate, we literally threw away one ton of stuff. That’s one ton of things in a landfill. If those things didn’t have enough sentimental value to keep and weren’t in good enough condition to donate, why hold onto them all of that time? It would have saved time and money to get rid of things actively over the years, instead of paying to rent a dumpster and to dispose of it all. I am a sentimental keeper of things but in the end, things are just things. One special birthday card that is kept because it is cherished means a lot more than fifty random ones.
- I want to avoid choice paralysis. When I decluttered my makeup a few years ago, I was surprised at the sense of relief that I felt. When we have too many things, it can be overwhelming to pick one. Especially when it’s something that we do daily, like picking out which makeup to use. Less things = more tim
More About My Uncluttering
Clutter Is Overwhelming
Some of the things in my home truly overwhelm me. They feel impossible to organize or sort through. Paper is one of the biggest of those things: mail, birthday cards, receipts, pet medical records, random stuff, no matter how much I shred or recycle, it never ends. Every time I sit down to scan things and shred them, I swear that four hours mysteriously pass and I barely make a dent. Now that I have been diagnosed with ADHD, I know that plays a part in it but that’s not the only reason clutter is overwhelming.
When you have too many things, it’s also impossible to organize them and keep them organized. The photo on the right is one of the drawers from my bathroom vanity. Beneath the mirror and hand mask, there are more bins. As you can see, the bins only help so much when I have probably 30 skincare masks. This is too many masks. Some of the masks have definitely expired. More plastic bins and tubs is definitely not the answer.
Not Everything Has a Place
The other thing that is overwhelming is that some things don’t really have a place. Everything on Pinterest says, “Put things away! Do it when you leave the room! Then you won’t get overwhelmed!” Honey, no. It is not that easy for some of us. If you are neurodivergent; have mental health issues; have chronic illnesses; have mobility issues; etc. things that YouTubers and Bloggers make sound so simple are just harder for you.
I want to make things easier on myself.
I Know It Won’t Be Easy
The uncluttering and the no buy are both going to be really hard. That’s a big part of why I decided to start a blog to share my experience. I enjoy writing and while I have made YouTube videos in the past and enjoy that too, I just don’t have the time to edit videos in addition to my real job and my tie die business. I want to focus on doing the things I actually need to be doing rather than taking up the little time I have editing videos.
Unclutter vs Declutter
These terms seem kind of interchangeable but the way I am thinking about it is that uncluttering is the big goal and decluttering is each individual project. So I’ll declutter my bathroom or closet as part of the total uncluttering. I hope that makes sense!