The Zen of a No Buy Challenge

I am in a constant struggle to explain this to people "IT IS LITERALLY ALL YOGA" and what I mean by that is yoga  translates to "yoke" or to connect the mind and the body. How the mind thinks the human goes. Asana or postures is only one small part of yoga. If you don't think it you don't do it. The state of your mind and your perspective is often the state of your life. Now I am not saying that everything that happens to you is because of how you think, however much of the way our life looks and how we respond is because of how we think.
If I like a bohemian aesthetic and I'm a bit of minimalist about having to many possessions and I desire a simple life, I am probably not going to care to much if my cups match or if I have extra sets in the garage.If I value exercise and good health then I will likely make time for those in my schedule.


In a "No Buy" year you start off thinking "Well this will really save me money". This is why "No Buy's" often happen. For me the "No Buy" was more because I moved to a smaller home after raising four kids after a divorce in a big rambling 1930's house and I was sick of stuff. Even though not a collector or hoarder I had the stuff of six people (my new husband included) and tons of storage to not deal with it. It was a major pain to move and I wanted less, far less. So here comes the "No Buy".
I was already frugal, and good with money but I desired more and this is what I could think of. I decided no "new" clothes, no shoes, no purses, books or jewelry. I had some caveats to replace things. So not buying kept me from shopping and not shopping gave me time. And having time gave me time to read, workout, and spend time with family and friends. You don't realize how significant this is until you aren't doing it, even if you think you are not a shopper now...trust me on this one.
Here are 10 things I discovered on my "No Buy" year that gave me a new sense of simplicity and a feeling of peace (there is the mind body).


To see more on my No Buy Year you can look at the VLOG here.


Contentment, self care, discipline is all in the first limb of yoga.


1. When you don't shop online or at the stores you have more time to spend on exercise or yoga practice.
2. You have more time to spend on reading.
3. You have more time to spend on hobbies.
4. You have more time to meal plan and cook.
5. You desire less because you are not looking. *This right here is in the Yoga Sutras!
6. You realize how much you don't need to be happy.
7. You realize how much you don't need period and how stuff weighs you down.
8. You have to deal with not filling that void that shopping filled. You have to ask yourself the hard questions and getting through that is really enlightening. It makes you realize what really adds value to your life and what doesn't.
9. You become more resourceful. You find new and creative ways to do things, this strengthens your mind and creativity.
10. You become creative with what you have. I came up with all kinds of clothing combinations once I had less, I felt better dressed this year than any.
11. I realized my perceptions of what I thought I needed actually were only perceptions, on a daily basis I could get by on so much less and that felt amazingly freeing.




If you feel like you would like to try a "No Buy" then some guidelines might be to try a week or a month. You will need necessities but that depends on you. Maybe you buy the basic foods and toiletries you need for a week and get by on that budget.
Maybe you want to try to budget for a month. Set up a minimal budget for what you need, food, bills, and gas and if you know you have something coming up like a date night then set a budget for that or make a plan to do it free. You set the rules.