Let it be said up front that I am not a new year’s resolutions person.
I hate the phrase New Year, New You! I’m more on board with rejecting the idea that the “old you” wasn’t good enough, and embracing shifts that are slow, steady, and intentional. The cultural norm of grandiose behavior changes that begin on January 1st and fail just weeks later isn’t really my thing. I’ve rejected new year’s resolutions as a matter of principle for years.
But this year, I’m breaking my own tradition. For 2021, my new year’s resolution is a commitment to a modified no-buy year. Here’s why.
The “no-buy year” phenomenon isn’t new: with a quick Google search, you’ll find dozens of other blogs and articles by people who’ve tried the same experiment. There is an entire no-buy culture out there, a world of rebellious non-spenders who’ve learned how to mend their clothes, repair broken mug handles with Gorilla Glue, and embrace an exchange economy with friends and family. I’ve been secretly envious of these no-buyers for years, wondering what kind of willpower they had that I didn’t. I love paper books and clothes too much to truly be a minimalist, but I admire minimalism greatly.
There are valid critiques of this minimalist, no-buy movement that feel important to name before going further: for one, it’s inherently privileged to embrace the idea of giving up spending. As blogger Polly Barks puts it:
“…trendy minimalism and a desire to seek less comes from a place of privilege. There is our minimalism by choice, and the minimalism of necessity… we must acknowledge that those of us with privilege let go of physical possessions in the hopes that it somehow absolves us of the sins of existing with privilege. Minimalism by choice requires a robust bank account and, likely, a family home to return to when you run out of your money after your round-the-world “discovering yourself” adventure.”
Yes. All of this. In a season where the COVID-19 pandemic has forced hundreds of thousands of Americans into involuntary minimalism through job loss and economic hardship, and where these hardships have fallen disproportionally on Black and brown communities, there’s no ignoring the distinctly white privilege of deciding to seek less as a lifestyle choice.
And.
As someone who cares deeply about climate change and the environment, there’s also no ignoring the impact of capitalism and a culture of endless consumption on the planet. If you’ve never seen the 20-minute film “The Story of Stuff,” go watch it now—I guarantee you’ll be moved to examine your own consumption habits by the end of it. Our personal lifestyle choices aren’t the biggest cause of climate change (that honor goes to the 100 companies who are responsible for 71% of global fossil fuel emissions), but they do matter, and embracing more sustainable habits now is also a way of adapting to the lifestyle that a livable future demands.
It’s a privilege to choose to consume less, but it might be an even greater privilege not to. As the saying goes, “we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” By committing to consume and spend less, I know I’ll be acting as a better steward of the planet I hope all children will thrive in for generations to come, including my own.
There are a few reasons that 2021 seemed like the year to jump on the no-buy wagon:
- I’m more aware of my physical belongings than ever: This year, being at home 99% of the time has made me more acutely aware of the quality of my surroundings: with two small children who are entropy in physical form, it’s normal for the chaos and clutter level to be high, but in non-pandemic times, I was able to escape to the relative calm of an office space for a good chunk of most week days. No more. Now, no matter how many times a day I try to clean it, my primary office space is a kitchen table that’s usually covered in cracker crumbs, dismembered LEGO figurines, broken crayons, and orphaned puzzle pieces. I’m surrounded by stuff that we don’t really need, and am craving a season of decluttering that’s free from the accumulation of more.
- Personal financial reasons: There are personal financial incentives for embracing a no-buy challenge this year, as well. For the first time in my adult life, I’ll be quitting my full-time job to focus on graduate school and a major writing project, and the expenses that are normally covered by my income will be covered by part-time work and a loan. I’m highly motivated to use as little of that loan as possible.
- Wanting more time to devote to climate action (and self-care!): I’ll freely admit that I’ve gotten into the habit of using shopping as mindless entertainment, and wasted plenty of hours over the last few years browsing Amazon, eBay, and Poshmark. Between school, parenting, and work, I already have less time to devote to climate activism than I’d like, and I’d like to shift some of the time I’ve been spending shopping (and constantly re-organizing things I don’t really need) to more direct engagement with climate action groups. 2021 is going to be a critically important year for collective climate action, and I want to participate as much as I can. I’d like to reclaim time for self-care, too—also an essential sustainability practice that I’m not quite as good at as I’d like to be.
There’s nothing magic about starting a no-buy year on January 1st, but after a year as magnificently shitty as 2020, there’s some appeal to a fresh start at the beginning of the calendar year. Since I’m a newbie at this no-buy thing, and because I have two young kids who are growing like weeds, I’m going to be doing a parent-modified version of the no-buy year, a version not quite as austere as what I’ve seen some others undertake. I’ve crafted a list of guidelines for myself that explicitly allows for buying necessary clothes, school supplies, and birthday/holiday gifts for the kids, and I’ll be getting as many of these items used as possible. In future blog posts, I’ll share how I’ve spent the past several weeks preparing for this commitment, what my personal guidelines are, and updates about how it’s going.