No Buy Year

RHemmings

ChihiroSen said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

I agree fully with the sentiment....but I would struggle to have a NS week, let alone year! But you have inspired me to strive for NSDs (12 per month should be enough of a stretch). 

I too would struggle to never spend. It’s more what my money is spent on that is the focus for me this year. Just no more ‘things’

This is exactly where I am too. I want to buy things that will improve my life and that of my family. 

thriftwizard

Many years ago, I took part in The Compact, which was basically a year of buying nothing new, with a few exceptions like underwear, school & sanitary supplies. American-inspired, but there was a European group of us too. It was a really good challenge, and I did just manage the full year, but nearly came unstuck with white goods; a large family (5 offspring of our own, plus one extra) and an insistence on cooking everything from scratch works out hard on equipment! Both the fridge & the cooker "died" during the year; the fridge was easily replaced secondhand, but a succession of Freecycled cookers went bang on us. The one that saw the year out was pretty tiny for 8 people at 50cm, but somehow we did manage, even a 23lb turkey & all the trimmings for 11 at Christmas. 

After the year was up, I insisted on buying the best cooker we could afford & fit into the kitchen, a 90cm Rangemaster. That's still with us & working fine, 17-odd years later. As no cooker had lasted us more than 5 years before, I think that taught us a valuable lesson, akin to the Sam Vimes theory of Boots. You can acquire for free (Freegle, FB marketplace & local groups) or secondhand, make do & mend, or even do without, and that gives you a chance to save for better things than instant gratification will ever allow. Not sure I'm in a position to do it again, as we may be moving this year (downsizing house, upsizing garden!) but I wish you well and will be cheering you on from my still-frugal sideline!

Time2count

I hope to achieve this in 2024.
Will obviously have to pay rent/bills/groceries etc and I have planned expenses paid for in pots - gifts and days out. But I hope to buy nothing for myself, unless as thiftwizard mentioned, there was a home emergency making it necessary.
Good luck to all of us taking part!

Rosa_Damascena

thriftwizard said:

Many years ago, I took part in The Compact, which was basically a year of buying nothing new, with a few exceptions like underwear, school & sanitary supplies. American-inspired, but there was a European group of us too. It was a really good challenge, and I did just manage the full year, but nearly came unstuck with white goods; a large family (5 offspring of our own, plus one extra) and an insistence on cooking everything from scratch works out hard on equipment! Both the fridge & the cooker "died" during the year; the fridge was easily replaced secondhand, but a succession of Freecycled cookers went bang on us. The one that saw the year out was pretty tiny for 8 people at 50cm, but somehow we did manage, even a 23lb turkey & all the trimmings for 11 at Christmas. 

After the year was up, I insisted on buying the best cooker we could afford & fit into the kitchen, a 90cm Rangemaster. That's still with us & working fine, 17-odd years later. As no cooker had lasted us more than 5 years before, I think that taught us a valuable lesson, akin to the Sam Vimes theory of Boots. You can acquire for free (Freegle, FB marketplace) or secondhand, make do & mend, or even do without, and that gives you a chance to save for better things than instant gratification will ever allow. Not sure I'm in a position to do it again, as we may be moving this year (downsizing house, upsizing garden!) but I wish you well and will be cheering you on from my still-frugal sideline!

That would have really stressed me out! I need space on the rare occasions that I cook! I made a huge vat of soup yesterday and that took a) a lot of psyching up to turn the heat on and cook and b) a freezing cold kitchen this morning in an attempt to air the place. Still, it will be a healthy start to the NY and with what I estimate to be 25 of (my size) portions will see me through the winter to spring.

Speaking of cookers, I read something from Martha Stewart earlier saying that integrated deep fat fryers are a poor investment of space (and extra 2 hob burners are more useful), use a lot of oil and are a PITA to clean. I guess she's never heard of an air fryer - the second hand market will be awash with them soon! I barely use my own 5-pot hob or oven, no doubt a range would be more ornament than use round here.

I am determined to buy a second hand soup maker and a brand new combi microwave this year.

Floss

Rosa_Damascena said:

Speaking of cookers, I read something from Martha Stewart earlier saying that integrated deep fat fryers are a poor investment of space (and extra 2 hob burners are more useful), use a lot of oil and are a PITA to clean. I guess she's never heard of an air fryer - the second hand market will be awash with them soon! 

Are they a thing in UK cookers?

Rosa_Damascena

Floss said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

Speaking of cookers, I read something from Martha Stewart earlier saying that integrated deep fat fryers are a poor investment of space (and extra 2 hob burners are more useful), use a lot of oil and are a PITA to clean. I guess she's never heard of an air fryer - the second hand market will be awash with them soon! 

Are they a thing in UK cookers?

They were about 35 years ago, just as the nation was getting wise to the risk of chip pan fires! I remember a friend bought a new build mansion and everyone was cooing over it as she demonstrated some fritters. I of course was hiding in the garden trying to avoid the smell. Since then we have realised that heating the same old oil up time and again does us no good.

Florenceem

No buy sounds great to me.  Count me in.

thriftwizard

Rosa_Damascena said:

That would have really stressed me out! I need space on the rare occasions that I cook! I made a huge vat of soup yesterday and that took a) a lot of psyching up to turn the heat on and cook and b) a freezing cold kitchen this morning in an attempt to air the place.

Oh, you'd really hate it here! We only managed to install a cooker hood a couple of years ago; OH's favourite saying on the subject was "Nothing says "home" like the smell of good home-cooked food!" That said - we've never owned a deep-fat fryer, or fried very much at all, and the kitchen window is wide open, even in winter, if we do!

PipneyJane

I can’t commit to a no buy year, but I will read along with interest.

At a minimum, I have to replace my stove, my fridge-freezer, the dishwasher - which died in 2022 - and (possibly) the washing machine.  


The microwave-combi oven is also looking a little dodgy.  After 23 years of hard service, including 20 years when it’s been my primary electric oven, the turntable no longer rotates when anything heavy is placed on it.  Even a cake tin full of batter won’t turn.  (For the first 7 years in this house, the stove could not be wired in, so we could only use the gas burners.  Largest thing I ever roasted in the microwave was a fully stuffed duck, one Christmas, complete with roast potatoes, etc.  It’s amazing what you can fit into a pizza tray.

- Pip

Belle2024

Hello all. This is my first time posting although I have been reading tips and experience on how to cultivate good habits of saving and spending. I really need to do a no spend year to save the money for 1. my September trip to see my dad in Hong Kong with my DD. We haven’t been there for 5 years. 2. car insurance Xmas MOT etc. I am really glad to have found this forum.