The year is 2025, I recently turned 29, and it’s time to take my finances seriously. I may not be much of a spender — at least in comparison to many people I know — but there are definite ways I can improve. I want to spend more intentionally and retrain my brain away from the consumer mindset that’s been heavily peddled to us over the past few years.
This year, I’m giving the low-buy theory a try, and these are some of the rules I’m going to live by.
1. Use a Low-Buy Motto to Curb Temptation
We’re barely a week into 2025, and I’ve already been countlessly tempted to buy many (unnecessary) goodies. As someone who’s spent my whole life in the Southeast, even moderate winters turn me into an absolute wretched goblin, and my little sunshine-loving heart craves a sweet dopamine hit that the sun normally doles out.
I knew winter was going to be the hardest season for me to uphold my low-buy year. You know, trial by fire and all that. Yet, a rather self-deprecating motto came to me in a weak moment staring down some sweet Valentine’s Day-themed wares. “That’s not very low-buy of you,” I quietly said to myself, clutching my conditioner (the reason I stopped in the store in the first place) in my dry, winter-bitten arms.
It still hurt to walk away, but I successfully avoided the impulse to cheer up my mood with another superfluous purchase. So, my “that’s not very low-buy of you” motto is here to stay.
2. Track & Downsize My Subscription Plans
I collect streaming subscriptions like Pokémon because I like being able to watch what I want to when I want to. However, there aren't enough hours in the day to take full advantage of all of the streaming services I have.
So in order to manage my low-buy goals, I’m going to be tracking my watching habits. Which services do I use most? Which ones haven’t I opened in months?
The lowest ones on the list are going to be the first to go.
3. Use All of a Product Before Buying a Replacement
A super easy way to kick-start a low-buy year or season is to hold off on repurchasing an item before you’ve used the whole thing up. Getting low on body wash? Wait until you’re a few days away from being out to grab it from the store.
Of course, waiting that long is easier said than done sometimes. But, if you struggle with tossing the last bit away like I do, not having the replacement around can be a good deterrent. If you need to hack your natural behavior to get the results you want, that’s okay!
4. Avoid Picking Up Anything at the Checkout Line
Shopping psychology is fascinating, and I know I’m not the first to be struck by the maddening temptations of little snacks or goodies at the checkout line. These small purchases add up! So, there will be no buying anything at the checkout line in 2025 for me.
Related: 15 Ways I Measure My Own Success (They're Probably Not What You Think)
5. Cap Birthday Gift Spending at $50
I love giving gifts. I’m not much of a gift-getter but thrive on gift-giving. With three married siblings and six nieces and nephews (and counting), I find more and more of my budget going to mounting birthday and holiday gift costs.
Most of this stems from my own lack of self-control when it comes to buying gifts. So, to curb my spending in that area, I’m capping all birthday gifts at $50. This should help keep me on track and stop my gift spending from ballooning out of control.
6. Stay Within My Allotted Weekly “Fun Money” Allowance
Despite what a low-buy year implies, I’m actually quite good at sticking to a rule or parameter. I just suck at making them for myself. So, each week I’m going to commit to determining an amount that I’m allowed to spend on whatever I want.
I’m not trying to turn celibate with my spending as many braver no-buy folks are. Rather, I want to be more intentional with my purchases and break that craving to spend. I can’t retrain my brain if I never challenge it with tempting scenarios. So long as I stay within my allotted allowance, of course.
Related: 31 Days of Small Changes to Start Your New Year Right
7. Put Things I Want to Buy on a Month-Long Wait List
Other low-buy and no-buy folks have purported this method before me, and it’s one I’ll be using throughout 2025. If you struggle with impulse purchases like I do sometimes, then a great way to knock off that buyer’s remorse is to take note of the things you want.
Write them in a note on your phone or keep a running tally in one of the many unused notebooks I’m sure you have tucked away somewhere. Make sure to include the date and where they’re sold. Every month (or three or six months — it’s up to you), check back with your wish list. Cross off anything from the previous month that you haven’t wistfully thought about since and consider purchasing the ones you have.
As someone who doesn’t online shop much, there are not many things I come across that I want. But the few times I do, I tend to just snatch them up without thinking. However, this method will be great for making sure each of the purchases I make is worth making.
8. Make Shopping Lists Ahead of Time & Stick to Them
If you’ve ever gone shopping with a list and without a list, you know that you always go rogue and pick up way more than you need when you go without the list. Another easy way to keep me on track and avoid temptation is to make my shopping lists — whether grocery, crafting, gifts, etc. — ahead of time.
If it’s not on the list, it’s not going in the cart, plain and simple.
9. Take Advantage of My Craft Stash Before Buying New Materials
I’ve accumulated a lot of crafts over the past few years, and while it’s done wonders for my attention span and breaking up with social media doomscrolling, it can get pretty pricey. I have quite a collection of materials, and enough projects and patterns to last me well through the year.
Another way I’m engaging with my low-buy year is by challenging myself to work through the materials I already have, learn the new crafts I have the stuff for but never made time to try, and finish projects I’ve been meaning to for years.
Sometimes, you just need to scratch that “new project” itch. When that’s the case, try implementing a “one out, one in” rule. Only bring new materials in for a project when you fully complete one already in progress.
Deprivation Isn’t the Answer…for Me
When you really think about it, life is pretty short. I don’t want to deprive myself of going on a vacation with my friends or experiencing a movie I’ve been waiting for on Dolby IMAX. I don’t think depriving myself of the small joys in life is the right answer to achieving my financial goals. It’s practicing the habits I want to be second nature.
If you’re considering a low-buy or no-buy year like me, know that I’m rooting for you. This year is going to come and go either way and here’s to making our financial goals happen, one informed purchase at a time!
