Failed the No-Buy challenge? Try the Low-Buy. It’s easier to win

This version, Low-Buy, not No-Buy, is flexible, more forgiving. It might actually last longer, do us all some good. Here’s how to get started.

Aim, then shoot. “Set specific goals and define your reasons for adopting a Low-Buy Challenge,” says Bidul Agwaan, vice-president of corporate development at LoanTap. “Is it saving money, reducing clutter, or breaking a shopping habit? A clear goal will help you stay motivated.” And unlike a No-Buy, let your natural spending tendencies play guide. “Analyse your expenses over the past month or year to identify areas of excess,” Agwaan says. “You may find, for example, that a significant portion of your money goes towards dining out or a shoe collection. Recognising these patterns makes it easier to work out where the coming challenges lie.”

Find the middle path. Those who’ve attempted No-Buys liken it to quitting smoking cold turkey – it’s more dramatic than doable. Low-Buys, on the other hand, allow for wiggle room and substitutions. “Pick where you fall between constant consumption and extreme restraint,” recommends Ferdin Sylvester, director and co-founder at OneEarth Foundation, an environmental non-profit in Goa. “It’s all right to choose experiences over material purchases, to value quality over quantity. You might want to spend on a trip you’ve been yearning for, rather than going on a shopping spree.”

Stretch it out. No one goes vegan overnight. No one builds a gym habit in the first month. No-Buy adopters (and eventual abandoners) tried to do too much too soon – and failed. “The best thing about Low-Buy is that small, occasional treats are allowed,” says Sylvester. Start off with a slightly lower spending limit. Get used to it before making a sharper trim. Gradual changes, he says, are more likely to take hold as habits.

Think outside yourself. No-Buys were about doing more with less, being crafty with discount sales, digesting bulk buys over time, and showing off emptied-out containers on YouTube. We’re built different. We shop on Instagram, bargain on WhatsApp, get 10-minute iPhone deliveries, and pay with our smartphones. Use it to your advantage, says Nivedita Bansal, executive editor at the sustainability magazine Talk Dharti To Me. “You now have access to sustainable products, refurbished goods and second-hand items, so a Low-Buy is more feasible today than in the past.”

When the urge to splurge strikes while doomscrolling, use it as an opportunity to scout sustainable, durable alternatives, rather than a short-lived repetitive purchase. Send surplus items to thrift shops to ease the guilt about hoarding. Or simply consider how long an item will be in your life, versus how long the planet will spend decomposing it – the math almost never justifies the deal.

Learn from history. Deprivation feels wretched. No one wants to feel wretched forever, which is why No-Buy devotees gave up, despite making videos titled 50 Things I Just Don’t Buy Anymore. Instead, Bansal encourages participants to reframe their shopping habits to be sustainable in the long-term. “It’s not a goal, but a process. It’s about building the intention to buy consciously,” she says.

So, rather than deciding to never buy something, she suggests waiting a week to see if the urge to own it is still as strong. “The delay creates time to reflect on the necessity of the purchase.” Check where you might store it, how many similar items you’ve tired of and which once-loved items now stand neglected.

Start screening. Black Friday ads on Insta, coupon codes on Gmail, bank cashbacks, end-of-season sales are all triggers. But on a Low-Buy, they needn’t be. Everything is tracked in a digital world – so look back at your own spending history and use it as a budgeting guide. “Spot patterns and see if they match your goals,” Agwaan says. Maybe you’ve bought too many non-essentials only because they were 70% off. Maybe most of your spending is on Friday afternoon, as a reward for the past week. Maybe you went on a No-Buy in March but splurged in May. “Examining what you buy and why will give you a deeper understanding of what truly adds value to your life.”

Go public. One tip from the No-Buy era is still useful. Hold yourself accountable to other people and get them to watch what you spend. Use their details to log in – having to ask someone for an OTP often makes you question an impulse buy. Bansal says that involving friends and family has an added bonus. “You become a proponent of mindful consumer behaviour for them.” Get them to cheer a Low-Buy streak. Tell them about your small wins. And if it all gets too much, reboot. That’s how the Low-Buy trend started in the first place.

From HT Brunch, December 14, 2024

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