Buying Less as a Form of Protest

Practicing a Low/No Buy Year

When I began writing the outline for this piece, I knew it felt important to write about my desire to do a “low/no buy year,” but on my farm/garden blog? As with most creative pursuits, my mind began to criticize itself immediately with thoughts like, “no one cares about this,” “this is totally irrelevant to your blog,” “just stick to practical farm and garden info,” etc. So, with a head full of self-critical thoughts, I decided to write it anyway.

I started thinking about some of the principles of permaculture: to use and value resources, to apply self-regulation and feedback, and to produce no waste. These are values I held before I had ever heard the term “permaculture,” but it is useful to think of them in the context of all areas of my life. I’ll reference these throughout the coming paragraphs to tie in spending less and wasting less with permaculture practices.

Gift Economies & Circular Economies

“use and value resources,” and “produce no waste”

I received Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” as a holiday gift and have found a lot of inspiration in parts of it. The book talks about the concept and practice of a gift economy, specifically in Indigenous cultures. What is a gift economy? From a Masterclass article,

“A gift economy is an economic system based on gift-giving, in which goods or services get exchanged with no expectation of remuneration, reciprocity, or quid pro quo. This system differs from a market economy, in which individuals exchange goods and services for money, or a barter economy, in which goods and services get exchanged for items or services of equal value.”

In a gift economy, the more you give, the “richer” you become. It's a sort of snowball effect that happens when you freely give somone something they need that you no longer need. The other person may feel inclined to reciprocate that gift, but with no expectation from you. Rather, the economy is based on generosity and reciprosity. I want to make an at-length post about gift economies in the future, but it is a huge topic to tackle and deserves its own blog post. In the meantime, Tom Tresser has a talk on this (skip to about 6 mins for a description of the gift economy).

Aside from a gift economy, my goal has always been to get closer to a circular economy, at least on a small scale. A circular economy is one that closes the loop of creating waste. Instead of creating —> consuming —> discarding, things get endlessly repurposed in one way or another, so that no waste is actually created. A circular economy addresses issues causing climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, by separating economic activity from consumption of finite resources. I’m a visual learner, so I’ll share an eye-pleasing infographic about circular economies:

source

Now, with gift and circular economies in mind, consider our current economic system and the cycle of overconsumption it not only encourages, but requires. That is what I want to protest in doing a no/low buy year.

Where it Started

“apply self-regulation and feedback”

In my early twenties, I discovered the “zero waste movement” via Lauren Singer, who created the “Trash is for Tossers” blog. I don’t remember how I came across the blog exactly, but I remember being drawn in by the beautiful images of legume-filled mason jars nestled in a thrifted tote bag. Glass jars with bamboo lids lined pantry shelves and wooden-handled scrub brushed hung next to kitchen sinks. I loved the idea that I could save money and have less of a negative impact on the environment. I soon found other content creators like Gittemary Johansen, Immy Lucas of Sustainably Vegan, and more documenting their “journey to zero waste” and was hooked (I still follow the latter two content creators and actually still love them and find their content inspiring and useful– you should check them out if you’re interested in positively changing your consumption habits). I decided, while in my first semester of college, that I would dedicate myself to creating zero waste. None at all.

plastic waste

I started saving all of the glass jars from Aldi grocery store purchases, washing ziploc bags I had already used and saving them as if my life depended on it. I asked my dad to go with me to Whole Foods to buy dry beans in cotton bags because I was too embarrassed to do it alone (hello, early twenties mentality). I made other changes, too, like making more food at home instead of ordering takeout, using cotton cloths instead of paper towels, I began using glass jars as water bottles, and I brought my groceries home in a variety of canvas tote bags.

I quickly realized that while, in some ways I was saving money by buying dried beans and rice in bulk, I certainly was not meeting the aesthetic, visual standards of these internet content creators. I always felt immense guilt when I had “failed” by forgetting to say “no straw, please” at a restaurant or something similar. I remember my mom telling me that I needed to just forget it all– that it was a noble pursuit but that I was becoming too stressed and that I shouldn’t carry the weight of all human consumption on my twenty-two-year-old, pursuing-a-bachelor’s-degree, metaphorical shoulders. She didn’t understand, I thought, how important this is to me. I’m going to make a difference, and other people will see me doing it and change their habits, too! I did take what she said to heart, though, and tried to be less strict and more forgiving of myself when I “failed,” which certainly helped me stay motivated.

Many years later, I’m happy to see a corner of the internet and my community, however small, committed to making sustainable choices without the pressure of aesthetics. It is truly counterintuitive to decide to produce less waste only to run out to a shop to purchase brand new reusable grocery bags or containers. Generally, the most environmentally friendly things you can do are to make do with what you have, mend what you can, and “do without,” or just buy less. This is the central idea I’m focusing on during this low buy year.

~zero waste vibes~ that captured my heart in my early 20's

Focusing on producing less waste and buying less stuff during college made it so that during that part of my life, I could afford to eat pretty healthy and save money for important life experiences instead of objects. This practice played a massive role in the person I became, and the kind of life I strive to live now.

Zero Waste & Class Awareness

“use and value resources” and “apply self-regulation and feedback”

Something important that I didn’t recognize back in college was the class difference between myself and the posh, zero-waste young women living in New York City and London that I admired. They had more resources, walkable cities with package-free shops, nice parks, and familial financial support that people like me rarely have. I was raised by a single mother who worked extremely hard to provide for us, but nonetheless was in a low-income home. This is not to say I suffered. In fact, my mother did an incredible job of not letting it be known to me that we were poor until I was older. I had a great childhood filled with time together, experiences, and my family helped each other out financially whenever possible. My grandmother, Nanny, who was born during WWII and had a tumultuous life herself, was (and is still) very resourceful and instilled that in me by just existing and doing her thing. I remember some of the simplest yet most delicious dinners in her house as a child, and she seemed to always have a pot of coffee on. Proof that frugality doesn’t mean missing out on the finer things in life.

I’m grateful for my experience because it made it crystal clear to me that having nice things isn’t what makes life enjoyable or exciting. This wasn’t a realization that I had one day, it was built into my consciousness over a long period of meaningful time spent with loved ones. I have continued to value experiences and time together over physical things throughout my life, and certainly now, in my early 30’s.

Pandemic-Era Shifts

It’s important to note that during college (pre-pandemic), I was putting myself through a significant amount of stress from feeling like I wasn’t doing enough to make an impact if I did anything that felt like a “failure,” i.e., forgetting my reusable grocery bags or succumbing to a takout food craving that resulted in styrofoam containers. I admire my younger self for adhering to such values with such little resources, but damn, could I have been the tiniest bit more forgiving of myself.

During 2020, I began to focus on surviving, making essentials like groceries as affordable as possible, regardless of the amount of plastic used. As pandemic restrictions lifted, I learned that coffee shops no long accepted bring-your-own cups due to contamination concerns and disposable masks littered sidewalks. I noticed that my own habits had become a bit more lax as well, having shifted into one-day-at-a-time mentality rather than noticing the big picture. While my habits were still very much focused on sustainability, I knew I could do more.

This, along with many other factors, is part of what led to moving to the Ozarks, focusing on growing food and healthy soil sustainably, and essentially everything I’m doing these days. Sustainability is a series of lifestyle choices we make every day: saving veggie scraps to make broth, composting, limiting water consumption, buying mostly used/thrifted items, etc. While I do practice these good habits, I want to refine my relationship with consumption and truly only buy what I need. Though I recognize that I likely cannot produce zero waste, I can consume less based on convenience and make better habits that are both more environmentally responsible AND make my life more enjoyable. That’s why I’m inspired, again, to reevaluate my consumption habits and make some positive changes that will hopefully last a lifetime. One way I’m doing this is by practicing a low/no buy year in 2025.

What is a Low/No Buy Year?

No Buy Year? Doesn’t that sound extremely restrictive? Aren’t you setting yourself up for failure by being so intense? Ah yes, more self-sabotaging questions that popped up in my head while considering diving into a year of buying less. Fortunately, it isn’t as restrictive or impossible as it sounds. During a no/low-buy year, I will allow myself certain purchases. I’ll still buy gifts for friends and family on special occasions, make experience-based purchases, eat at restaurants with people I love, buy only needed items related to my hobbies, and replace items I need that may break or run out throughout the year. It isn’t so much about restriction as it is about realizing priorities. YOU make the rules for a no/low-buy year, not a random stranger on the internet, or the gatekeepers of a movement.

Why Do It?

“use and value resources, apply self-regulation and feedback, and produce no waste”

Everyone has different reasons for embarking on a no/low-buy year. My personal reasons are:

1. Reevaluate and reset my relationship with consumption and become more mindful about purchases.

Over the past decade, society’s relationship with consumption has changed drastically. Social media, especially TikTok, has convinced us that we aren’t living a fulfilling life if we don’t have certain things or if those things aren’t aesthetically pleasing enough and that trendy objects can make us happy or fill a void. The quality of physical items has dramatically decreased along with a massive increase of the quantity of items being produced. A recently released documentary called “Buy Now” highlights the many issues with the present scale of mass-production coupled with how easy and enticing it is to make impulse purchases online. You should watch it– it’s both gut-wrenching and inspiring. I want to be as mindful as possible about the ethics of my purchases. The most ethical purchase, of course, being the absence of a purchase. ;)

2. Reduce financial stress

Obviously, spending more leads to having less money to save, and a feeling of stress around money. I want to reduce that stress for myself.

3. Save money for important things like travel, home projects, and my future

Resetting my relationship with consumerism means that I want to remember to be mindful of my spending so that I am spending money on things that truly bring me joy, like experience with loved ones, travel, keeping up with my hobbies like art and gardening, and saving money for the future. You may have other motivations, like paying off a specific debt, saving for a trip or experience, or maybe, like me, you’re angry with the system and want to protest and contribute to a more circular economy.

Plan your Low/No Buy Year

It’s up to you how you want to practice a low/no-buy year. You can start with just one month, two months, or however long you want to shoot for. You get to decide what kinds of spending are okay and what kinds you want to avoid. It’s a good idea to evaluate your spending to start. I did this by going over bank statements and looking at where I was spending the most money, aside from bills and groceries, and decided what I was okay with continuing to buy and what I wasn’t okay with. Some possible categories to consider are: things you are allowed to buy vs not allowed, things you are allowed to replace vs. not, and experiences you want to save for vs. objects you want to buy. Make a list of your bad vs. good spending habits.

At this point, you need a “why”. Why are you okay with purchases of gifts for others, spending to support your hobbies, trips, etc.? This will help you stick with your plan and remember why you’re doing it when the urge to impulse-buy arises. I also made a list of things that genuinely bring me joy, to remember when I want to make an impulse purchase.

This is what my planning looked like:

Where is most of my money going?

• Eating out, quick food, and coffees

• Random junk at thrift stores

• Impulsive purchases for random things I don’t need but think I need

Good consumption/spending habits:

• I try not to buy too much plastic

• Composting, sustainable gardening/farming practices

• Reusing jars and food containers

• Planning this no buy year

Bad consumption/spending habits:

• Do not put much money into savings

• No budget

• Impulse purchases

Possible solutions for bad spending habits:

• Repair items before replacing them

• Create a budget

• Pay more attention to spending habits

• Meal plan and stick to a list when grocery shopping

• No impulse stops after work on the way home

• Use my library card and download Libby

Things that genuinely bring me joy:

• Creating art

• Spending time with friends

• Having good meals

• Going on trips

• Slowly improving the quality of our home

• Listening to records

• Going on walks, observing nature

• Connecting with like-minded people

• Good coffee, good tea

• Eating healthy and delicious meals

• Giving handmade gifts to friends and family

• Cooking healthy meals for myself and loved ones

• Having people over for food and drinks

• Baking from scratch

Things I’m Not Buying

• Thrift store items, especially knicknacks (unless I can’t mend a clothing item and it needs to be replaced, then I’ll thrift it)

• New clothes or shoes

• Cookbooks

• Books (use the library or Libby instead)

• Electronic accessories

• Fast food

• Lunch out alone (can do this if having lunch with someone)

• Specialty skincare

Allowed to Replace:

• If anything breaks beyond repair and needs to be replaced

• If hygiene items run out

Allowed to buy:

• Gifts for others

• Eating out with friends

• Coffee or tea with friends

• Travel and experiences

• Art supplies

It is currently the beginning of the second week of January and I’m happy to report that I haven’t spent any money on anything other than groceries and one experience with a few friends. I’ll share more on this practice throughout the year with occasional check ins. I’ll link some YouTube videos that inspired me below to give you somewhere to start if you’re looking for inspiration.

Immy Lucas:

Uncomplicated Spaces:

Cara Nicole:

How We End Consumerism:

For me, practicing a low/no buy year is nothing more than working towards sustainability and and a more ethical life. Implementing some principles of permaculture: using and valuing resources, appling self-regulation and feedback, and producing no waste. Our consumer habits must change if we want a healthy, sustainable place to live. I hope that after reading this, you are feeling energized and inspired to take action, not feeling lethargic and hopeless. There is work to be done! Sometimes that work just looks like nonaction *insert wink face emoji*.

Happy new year, friends! I hope you’re resting, staying warm, and not buying stuff. Comment or message me if you’re interested in practicing a low/no buy year!

Cheers,

Allyson