I miss my no buy... & has it changed the way I shop for good?

Including what i've added to my wardrobe since and total spend so far in 2025

My no buy ended in February, and while some might imagine it’s been joyful to shop again at liberty, i’m here to tell you, that, well…I miss my no buy.

The day after it ended I didn’t go wild on Net A Porter or make a mad dash to Rodeo Drive, instead it was just like any other day, business as usual.

A few weeks after it ended, I found myself feeling overwhelmed by the endless possibilities (a past version of me would have loved this), like when the waiter hands you the menu and you notice they have everything, your brain goes blank. What to order? What do I even like these days? What do I really want? What if I make the wrong choice?

What I couldn’t have predicted was the mental arithmetic it has taken to make a decision when i’m given unlimited choice. Knowing I wanted to purchase a chocolate brown bag has taken up far more brain power than I had anticipated using.

The incessant scrolling, the saving, screenshotting and monitoring. I used to love it, the research, the process of looking for a needle in a haystack, but what i’ve come to realize is I don’t want to be on high alert for any ‘it’ item. Even if it is on my wishlist. Ultimately, I don’t want to be online as much as I used to.

When there’s no constraints, it takes so much of my energy. Energy i’m just not prepared to give most of the time, especially since leaving Instagram. The amount of time and energy that seems to have been stolen without my consent is infuriating. My no buy gave me so much peace, and that translated into space and time for other things that fill my cup.

I want creativity over consumption. I want to let myself be bored without thinking it’s a problem to solve. I want to enjoy what I have. That’s exactly what my no buy gave me, and I never felt limited. I love style, talking about it, appreciating it and exploring it. I want to experience it like any other creative act.

And while there’s nothing bad with wanting, I have to ask myself where do these wants come from? What is the why behind them?

Thankfully, I had my trusty traffic light wishlist to identify the purchases I’ve spent ample time percolating on, as well as the gaps I felt would be worth filling. This alone has created a monumental shift in how I approach shopping since doing my no buy because it creates time and space. My brain needs to see if I still want something when no one else is talking about it any longer. It also ironically creates more space to notice those special pieces that spontaneously catch my eye every once in a while that feel like they were waiting for me to find them. When i’m chronically online, walking with my face in my phone, I miss the piece sat in the window display of a cool independent designer, the fun thrifted item, the vintage piece that no one else will have. I want to spend more time looking up and more time noticing.

With regards to my Substack and the outfits I share, I want you to notice me wearing the same pieces over, and over, and over again, because that is the true test of a ‘favorite’ or a ‘hard working item’. As such i’m seriously weighing up whether or not to just do another no buy again.

Maybe it would be different if I was building a wardrobe from scratch, but other than the odd thing here or there, and replacing damaged items…I’m good. My no buy has only confirmed this. Sometimes I find myself creating gaps, but thankfully my traffic light wishlist helps me call myself out on what are actually wants, not needs. And look i’m not going to shame myself when I do buy something that’s a want (recognising it’s a want is actually helpful) I get to honor that desire when it feels intentional. There is information there regardless. An opportunity to get to know myself better, my reasoning and the why behind my purchases. Sure, sometimes it’s not that deep, but also, sometimes it really is. There’s a desire to belong, to be relevant, to be included, to be seen, to be the first, to matter. We’re human beings with human brains, and i’m no exception.

What i’ve purchased since my no buy ended & why