My No Buy Year comes to an end but what of the want-a-holism?

Ground zero

A little over a year ago, I embarked upon a No Buy Year, challenging myself to only purchase necessary items and services (groceries, medical expenses, household bills and a couple of exceptions such as birthday & Christmas gifts for others, though not for myself). I thought it would be fun. It was! But it was a whole lot of other things too.

Post-deprivation spending spree?

A common fear among No Buy Year participants is that after the experiment is over, with no rules to keep you in check, you might lose control after all that deprivation, and drain your bank account in one go. When 1 September 2025 rolled around, 12 months after I began my challenge, I was a little concerned that this might happen to me. I'd heard of a woman who went into full spending spree mode after her No Buy Year, and that spree lasted two whole years! Thankfully, I haven't done that (yet - touch wood), but that doesn't mean the Wanting feeling has gone away.

Want-a-holism: a peek into my brain

The whole purpose of spending a year not buying essential items was to explore the nature of wanting. For the record, I've never been a shop-a-holic (I'm usually quite frugal) but, like most humans, I have been known to suffer from want-a-holism. When I see something nice on Instagram, for example, I want it, and once that fuse is lit, that item can occupy my thoughts for a considerable amount of time.

Examples of my thoughts:

I really want that.

It's so cool.

It would look great in my home.

I need it (this thing I never knew existed until five minutes ago)

Can I justify the expense?

If I spend $20 less on groceries every week for a month, I could claw the money back.

Where shall I put it?

The green one's nice.

But so is the blue one.

Maybe I should get both.

No, that's greedy. One is enough.

But do I really need it?

Probably not, but I still want it.

It's so cool.

It would look great in my home ... and on it goes.

The List

During this experiment, each time I wanted something, I wrote it down. Then, at the end of the 12 months, I reviewed the list. Some of the items are quite sensible, e.g. I actually could do with screw-in cup hooks to re-mount the curtain rail that fell off the wall after the stick-on thingamies detached. On the other hand, the inclusion of other items on my list is quite perplexing. Why, for instance, did I so desperately want an antique 1970's ceramic duck pitcher? I was browsing in an antique store when I first spotted it, and I can recall the Wanting being rather intense. As with most items, the feeling eventually faded and I forgot all about it. Had I bought it in the moment, I would now be the owner of a peculiar knickknack that I don't have anywhere to keep.

Word nerd moment

I recently learned that the word 'want' comes from the Old Norse word, 'wanten', meaning 'to lack'. 500 years later, it took on an additional meaning: 'to desire'. The progression from one to the other makes sense. If we want for something (i.e. lack), we will want (i.e. desire) something to make up for that perceived lack. Say, a person feels lonely so they go out and buy a TV. They may feel temporarily better while watching their favourite shows on a bigger screen, but is this solution really addressing the underlying issue? If what they're truly lacking is a sense of belonging and connection, watching TV will simply numb the lonely feelings. The need (lack of belonging and connection) is still there. Satisfying a want can never satisfy a need.

During this experiment, it became all the more clear to me that the items we want so often serve as proxies for the things we humans actually need: peace, purpose, contentment, belonging and love. So, why are we missing these things? Or have they been with us all along? Perhaps the real question is why we can't access what already resides within us.

10 No Buy Year Takeaways

1. You will save money. In one year, I saved between $1500 - $2000.

2. Having less makes you more creative with what you've already got.

3. While most people will be supportive of your challenge, the occasional person will take it as a personal criticism of their spending habits. Don't take their taking it personally, personally.

4. You won't feel as deprived as you think you will.

5. But if you do feel deprived, you are far more likely to fall off the wagon. So ... whenever that feeling arises, take the opportunity to explore why you feel deprived. What are you really missing out on? What do you really need (not want)?

6. It's surprisingly freeing when you know you can't spend money. Go to an event by all means (I allowed experiences) but just enjoy it for what it is, and avoid the gift shop.

7. If you plan on embarking on a No Buy or Low Buy Year, be clear on why you're doing it because your 'Why' will shape the parameters of your experiment.

8. You will almost definitely fall off the wagon at some point. Rather than seeing it as a failure, treat it as a learning experience. After all, this experiment is about increasing your self-knowledge as much as it is about addressing consumerism.

9. The wanting feeling is fleeting if you make time to sit with it. When you turn your attention to it, it may initially get stronger, but if you can stay curious and open, the wave will eventually pass and the real reason beneath the wanting will rise up. Keep noticing. Tricky feelings may appear. They too will pass if you stay curious and compassionate towards the part of you that feels that way. It's amazing how making space for any type of overwhelming feeling lessens its power over you. Then the desire to buy stuff tends to fade away.

10. And finally, have a re-entry plan for your first month after the experiment ends so you don't go crazy with the credit card.

Where to next

I don't actually think there's anything wrong with wanting to buy things. It is, however, worth considering what kind of wanting it is you're experiencing. Is your next purchase coming from a place of inspiration or are you wanting (lacking) something in your life that needs attention? It may just be an opportunity to cultivate some curiosity about what lies underneath.