I'm Doing a No-Buy Challenge & You Should, Too!

I used to be thrifty. Frugal, even.

No, really! While I've never been a minimalist, I used to be the kind of girl who would go shopping, carry items around the store, and then put them back one-by-one rather than spending money on things I didn't need. I wasn't miserly, but I was close. But then, Covid-19 happened...

Confession: in 2020, when quarantine was new and scary, I spent A LOT of time online shopping to distract myself. IT WAS SO EASY. And instantly gratifying!! That cute shirt, perfume, makeup, or diet book could be mine in two days with free shipping!!!

I fell hard and fast for the gimmicks and flashy marketing. Anything that promised to make my life easier or make me "better" and I was on board. It was easier to buy, buy, buy product after product in hopes that it would suddenly be the key that unlocked my Best Version of Me.

It's been two years, and I have to admit that that habit and ease of online shopping hasn't delivered on its promises. I am no better off because I have that pastel dress or new "Bible Highlighter" set. (Surprise! It's literally just regular highlighters with snazzy packaging). In fact, the convenience of online shopping has led to a disconnect between me and my wallet and my stuff.

I want to focus on being more intentional with my spending, but also with what I'm bringing into our home. I want to mindfully start practicing contentment and gratitude.

As a youth pastor, I'm supposed to already be doing that, though, right?

The truth is that no matter how close you are to the Lord, it's easy to fall for the trap of consumerism, and look for outside solutions to internal problems. It's easier to hope that this book or that home organization bundle will fix whatever I'm trying to cope with or figure out, and absolve me from having to do that hard work by myself. But the reality is that my stuff hasn't fulfilled me, or helped me become my ideal version of myself. New couch cushions didn't suddenly make my apartment look like it came from the pages of a magazine, and therefore symbolized that I had my life together. That new book on how to establish routines didn't help motivate me establish routines -- it just cluttered my bookshelf.

But you know what has led to greater peace, security, and hopefulness? Gratitude. Being content with having enough. MORE than enough. Contentment is about recognizing our blessings for what they are. It is the practice of mindfully rejecting our culture's demands for more, more, more, and resting in the abundance that we've already been blessed with.

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

-1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

-1 Timothy 6:6 (NLT)

I don't have to have more in order to be more. I

I don't have to try to have the newest, latest, or greatest in order to impress others or show that I am Good Enough.

I am the Lord's, and He is mine. He isn't impressed with stuff. He isn't wooed by my half-hearted attempts at "fixing" myself or "self-improvement." I don't have to clean up and be anything other than I am for Him to say I'm enough. He's given me so, so many blessings and I want to do a better job of appreciating what I have, not what I wish I had.

With that being said, I'm excited to share that from February to August, I'll be attempting my first No-Buy Challenge.

If you have never heard of a No-Buy before, it's where you commit to (surprise!) not buying anything unnecessary for a period of time. YouTube is a wealth of information and tips when it comes to No-Buys, and there are no hard and fast "rules." The beauty of the No-Buy is that it is deeply personal to you and your spending habits -- it can be as strict and militant or as flexible as you want it to be! It can be for a year or for a week. Really, it's just whatever works for you.

Here are the rules for MY personal No-Buy Challenge for the next 6 months:

1. I CAN NOT buy: beauty products, books, clothes, candles, or fast food. *The one caveat here is that I can replace items that I run out of, but only when I run out, and I CAN have Chick-Fil-A, but only once a month.)

2. I CAN: have two dinner dates with my husband per month; buy school supplies since I'm going back to school in August; have one "experience" per month. Experiences are more important than stuff, so I wanted to leave some wiggle room here in the event that I find something I want to do (like a museum visit or day trip somewhere).

That's it. Those are my rules. It's as simple as that.

It sounds kind of silly to basically have "rules" focused around not shopping unless I need something, but hey -- I'm not perfect! I'm still learning how to find luxury in simplicity, how to not allow retail therapy to be the answer, and how to make my money work for me, and not the other way around.

Your home is a living space, not a storage space. -Francine Jay

Content people don't always have the best of everything, but they make the best of everything. -Rachel Cruze

I make myself rich by making my wants few. -Thoreau

The secret to having it all is knowing that you already do. -Anonymous

I want to encourage you to consider participating in a No-Buy Challenge, too. Remember, this isn't really about saving money (although that definitely doesn't hurt!) It's about growing in contentment with what the Lord has already given us. It's about saying no to more stuff, and being more intentional about what we bring into our hearts and homes.

What do you think? Would you ever consider doing a No-Buy? If you decide to, let me know so we can encourage each other through the journey. <3