My Low-Buy Year

In the interest of living a sustainable life and divesting as much as reasonably possible from the mega-corporations that dominate our lives, I attempted a deliberate low-buy year in 2025. Here were my rules:

• No impulse purchases. If I get the urge to buy something, I must sit with it for at least 1 week to ensure that I actually still want it.
• Buy local as much as possible. No Starbucks, only cute gay local coffee shops. Flour from a local mill, eggs from a local farm, veggies from the farmer’s market or a CSA. Local pizza shops, not big chains. Makers markets near me, not Etsy slop. Amherst Cinema, not AMC. You get it.
• Fewer than 5 clothing items, from thrift stores only. I have only thrifted my clothes for the pasts several years, but after learning that the Hot or Cool Institute estimated that the average person should buy no more than 5 new clothing items per year to align with the 1.5°C warming target of the Paris Agreement, I decided to see if I could do that for myself.
• No new hobbies. This is a bad habit of mine. Gaming is already an expensive hobby, as are fiddling with technology and collecting physical media. Whenever I got the urge to start a new hobby, I reminded myself of all the hobbies I want to do but don’t make enough time for (reading, baking) and all the hobbies I’ve done for a few months but then abandoned (painting, Meshtastic, building RPi computers).
• No new beauty or skincare products. I’ve found that simple face wash, Pond Cold Cream, and the occasional exfoliation is all my face needs to feel great. Plus, the shampoo and conditioner I’ve used for years is still available in stores, albeit expensively at Ulta. No need to experiment further; “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In 2025, I did not visit a nail salon once, and I received only two haircuts.
• Supporting artists is always allowed. This was the most permissive rule, as you’ll see. Physical media (CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, books, and even games) allow us to divest from streaming empires and support artists. Plus, they stick around for a lot longer than streaming services do! Art experiences like concerts are encouraged as well. Facebook Marketplace should be monitored for deals on games, and thrift stores have lots of DVDs and Blu-Rays.
• Absolutely nothing from BDS consumer targets. This includes Amazon, Disney, Airbnb, Chevron, and Intel. While not a BDS boycott target, I also stopped buying from Target after their removal of DEI policies. (I haven’t bought from Starbucks for years due to their repeated union busting.)
• No major video streaming services. I don’t have Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, or anything else. I even stopped paying for YouTube Premium this year, despite that damn site being a major part of my media diet. I only pay for Nebula (many of my favorite YouTube creators are on there anyway) and last month I purchased a Dropout subscription to watch Demi Adejuyigbe’s new comedy special and some other series. For music, I switched back from Spotify to Tidal mid-year once their involvement in the military-industrial complex become too big to ignore; switching music streaming services is extremely easy.
• Food, toiletries, and other consumables don’t count, but be smart about it. A girl’s gotta eat, that much is unavoidable. As a vegetarian, my personal carbon footprint from food is very small, so I can’t be made to feel bad about the occasional plastic-wrapped treat. I already do a lot to cut down my spending and environmental impact: I use reusable grocery bags, I meal prep for maximum food efficiency, I only eat out 1-2 times per week, I use glass travel containers, I never use produce bags, etc. “Consumables” also includes things like COVID-preventing face masks, regular car service/repairs, anything cat-related (food, litter), therapy, doctor’s appointments, etc.
• Gifts for others don’t count. I like to spoil my loved ones, okay?

…So, did I manage to do it? Read on and see.