Today was my daughter's birthday party. I don't know who decided every party needed party favors but I have always hated receiving them and putting them together. They seem to always just end up as clutter or easily breakable and thrown away. So I changed my perspective in light of my low buy year. I bought food safe bags and preloaded them with a napkin and a hot cocoa mix. At the party once things were winding down I added the leftover donuts to each bag for kids to take home. They were cute, easy and each kid was excited about having donuts for the ride home. Also helped with not having an excessive amount of leftovers. Many parents thanked me for having a consumable item as they were leaving. I'm only seeing a win win win situation here.

One moment that felt empowering: Embracing visible mending and completing a project. My favorite sweater got some big holes and I wore it well past it's prime. Decided that no buy January would be a great way to dive into finally mending it. I finished it this past week and it's beautiful. Pic included because I'm proud of myself. One moment that still felt challenging: Already starting summer camp plans for kids and they want to try new sports which requires new (or at least new to us) gear. Would love to hear from others how you balance letting kids try new things without filling your homes with gear/stuff from extracurriculars that we aren't sure about how long term they will be.

Hi! Just a quick question - I am curious to know how many of you are decluttering a little bit during your no-buy challenge period? How has that felt? Would anyone be interested in doing a community "decluttering session" together, where we all log on at a set time and declutter together for additional accountability/be able to chat together? I like to ask that because I really see decluttering and becoming an intentional shopper / buying less STUFF as two sides of the same coin. If you don't do both, you aren't going to get the sustainable, meaningful life change. What questions do you have that I can help with?

One of my biggest challenges is feeling like I need something new for every event I go to whether it’s a night out with friends where I feel like I need a new top or a 50th birthday party that I feel like I need a new dress for. I have so many things within my closet that fit the need for all of these different things. For example, my sister-in-law is throwing a 50th birthday party for herself and I was thinking that if I stuck to my no-buy January, then I would make a planned purchase for this event. In my head, I’m thinking well this is different because it’s planned and it is thoughtful. So I was looking at all these dresses and they were really cute and I would certainly like them, but then I thought I have two sequin dresses in my closet that I bought for no particular reason, other than I liked them and I thought I want them for this life that I don’t really live (there aren’t many opportunities as a mom of two, to wear sequin dresses to). So, I tried on the two dresses and I am going to pick one of those to wear and not buy anything new. A lot of this is mental work for me. I grew up very heavy and clothes did not fit the way that they fit other girls my age. Shopping for a prom dress was literally a nightmare, and I would just cry. Since I’ve lost weight, I’ve been able to dress the way I always wanted to and I get lots and lots of compliments on it. So I think that I feel this pressure to always have something cute and new, because it is sort of a reputation that I have and I love it. But, the benefit of having so much in my closet is that I can put things together in different ways that feel like they are still me but also new. So that is what I am working on. If you’ve read this far, thank you! This was more of a diary/stream of consciousness to help me get this out.

Hi everyone! Writing from Tennessee with a renewed energy to control my spending, reduce the clutter and show my kids what good and intentional spending habits look like. I am a mom of 3 and as other parents know, the pressure to have the "next cool thing" and the clutter that comes with giving in to that relentless pressure - it's all very consuming. I'm on a personal journey to control my urge to spend, thereby saving money for family trips and home renovations. These first 2 weeks have been so fulfilling AND I'm so proud of myself for the progress and mindset shift already. Anyone else delete the Amazon app from your phone this year? Curious also - if anyone had Amazon Prime and has opted to cancel their subscription. I'm considering the idea that having the subscription is enabling my spending to some extent... "Well, shipping is free anyway..." Cancelling my Prime is something I'm thinking of. Open to your thoughts or experiences! Silly photo added for fun. :)