I didn’t buy anything new for a month — here’s what I learned —Margaret Fox

       

           New Year, New Me. This phrase has, I’m sure, been all over your social media feeds. I’m someone who likes to set goals, so I enjoy the fresh start of a new year. This year, I challenged myself to partake in the No New Stuff Challenge – the rule was that for the entire month of January, I could only buy the necessities (gas, groceries, hygiene products), but I couldn’t buy anything new. No new clothes, shoes, skincare products, nothing. I could only buy what I needed and only buy to replace essential items. 

This challenge wasn’t necessarily about saving money, but more about being conscious of what I buy. I’m not a huge shopper, so I didn’t expect this challenge to be too strenuous, but I wanted to start the new year with a different perspective. 

Honestly, this challenge helped me realize how ingrained consumerism is within our daily lives and how social media encourages this. Each day, random people show us so many ads and persuade us to buy things we probably don’t need. If an influencer claims that a curling iron “LITERALLY changed her life!!!” that doesn’t necessarily mean it will change your life (because, at the end of the day, it’s another curling iron). 

           Before the challenge, I sometimes went to Target or Marshalls “just to look around” and left after spending $20-$50. A new serum, a candle, maybe a necklace, and though I would use it all eventually, the items started to pile up. During the challenge, I would have to walk into Target or Marshalls and get only what I needed. It was tempting to buy all the random things! But now, I feel much more comfortable and empowered to walk into a store, get the things I know I need or will use, and then walk out. I question my purchases, too – do I actually like this, or did I see it on Pinterest? Will it be something I’ll actually wear, or did I just see it on my feed three times? 

It’s so eye-opening to see how many items are, at the end of the day, the result of trends. Trends exist for a reason, to keep you wanting more and to make other people money. Social media makes trends more widespread and with a much higher turnaround, so it’s impossible to keep up without draining your bank account and creating a bunch of waste. If this challenge sounds appealing to you, do it. I know it sounds preachy, but once you realize how endless the cycle of trends is, the more encouragement you have to take a step back, re-evaluate, and de-influence yourself.

Also, I’m not saying that you should never buy anything new again (if you see a pair of boots you like at Target, get them!), but doing a challenge like this may help you figure out what it is you actually like and value, not just what you think you should like and value based on someone else’s life. Your life is your own, so let others on social media be your inspiration and not your guide. Also, check out #deinfluencing if you need some inspiration. You got this! Happy conscious shopping!