Learn to offset your spending urges

The It trainers everyone on your timeline seems to be wearing. The trendy accessory you swear you’ll keep forever. Even the latest Ganni collaboration. During your no-buy year, you’re going to come across things you feel you just have to have – and that’s OK, says Mychas. “Feel your feelings and don’t punish yourself for wanting, but there are ways of scratching that itch without actually buying anything.” Throughout her no-buy years, Mychas found that the most powerful tool was a wishlist. “I wrote down everything I wanted at the time and told myself that if I still coveted it at the end of the 12 months, I could buy it as a reward. It acted as an incentive to stick to the challenge, but more often than not I found that the items were just a fad that I didn’t even like by the time I could buy them.”

Learning to delay her gratification was another tool Mychas used to keep herself on track, particularly in overcoming an ‘I want it now’ mentality. “I started by decluttering my wardrobe, and let me tell you, nothing will deter you from wanting to buy more stuff than being surrounded by all the expired make-up and tags-on clothing you forgot you already owned,” she says.

Look at the maths of your wardrobe

Calculating the cost per wear of every item Mychas owned was crucial in banishing urges to buy new. It’s easy to try for yourself: simply divide the original cost of the item by the number of times you’ve worn it over a set period. If you’ve styled the secondhand blazer you scored for a fiver every week since you bought it but your must-have designer mules are still collecting dust, it’s easy to see which items are worth the investments. For Mychas, the most cost-effective was something she hadn’t even paid for: a pair of vintage Levi’s hand-me-downs from her mum, which put her spending into perspective.

However, if you find that you still crave a cool new top or pair of shoes to style with your existing clothes, organising a swap among your friends can be a great way to add new pieces to your wardrobe without spending. Better yet if they replace your usual plans to socialise via shopping trips. It might be easier than you think to recreate the magic of those vintage Levi’s.

And if you do fail? Go easy on yourself

During a no-buy year, you’re breaking patterns and thought processes that you’ve had for years. It’s not simply about resisting your usual boredom-induced Asos order but rather learning to manage emotional spending in a way that feels healthy and not punishing, which is no small feat. Mychas admits that during her first attempt at the challenge, she broke it at around the six-month mark. “During a difficult period I found myself spiralling back into old habits of mindless overspending,” she says. “I felt really ashamed and embarrassed, but now I look back and think that I should’ve given myself more grace because I was still improving my overall financial health and impact on the environment.”

“Don’t punish yourself for wanting things or for the occasional misstep if, on the whole, you’re making great strides towards your goal of shopping less,” she adds. “It’s about progress over perfection. If you slip up once and buy a new lip gloss or get sucked in by the Reformation sale, just forgive yourself and try to move on in a positive way.”

“I bought nothing for a year. Here’s what I’d tell people starting their own no-buy challenge”