The time has come to lock in and save my money rather than wasting it.
Currently I am living pay day to pay day and I am sick of it I know that I could stop spending for the sake of it and actually get money moved into savings for the items I really want or for things to do in the future. Right now I go shopping and have to bring something home just to make sure it doesn't feel like a wasted trip, which then slowly drains my bank account as I am going shopping far more times than I actually need to just so that I am not sat around the house. When in fact sitting around the house could be more beneficial as I could work on levelling up my content and decluttering, both things that I have neglected massively lately and want to take control of once more.
There is so much I want to do and achieve going forward as I work towards elevating my life however, for those I need to have plenty of money for those things so I need to get saving my money rather than wasting it. The past few years I have realised items have been purchased without any thought and they just sit unused & looking around it has really opened my eyes. All that money could have gone on experiences or towards items I have really wanted for many years.
With the eye opening lately I have decided that going forward I am going to do a low buy year in the hopes of building a better relationship with money & spending and also shopping going forward. The low buy year should hopefully teach me what to cut out and where my money actually goes rather than me scratching my head each month wondering why my bank account is empty. So here is exactly why I am doing the low buy year...
To save for jobs around the house
We still need to start work on our all new living room which isn't going to be cheap, we have big works to do in the garden & on the driveway which will certainly cost a few thousand pounds so every penny saved will be a massive help for getting these done going forward. There are also other rooms we want to do smaller work to once the bigger jobs are done so I really need to get adding to a home savings account to get started on these jobs at long last.
Sick of having an overflowing wardrobe & nothing to wear
My wardrobe is well and truly overwhelming. I look at it and struggle to put outfits together and often wonder why I even purchased specific items as they are definitely items that aren't going to suit the style I am opting for and my current body shape. The amount of items I have with tags still on them is ridiculous now and I have spent a fortune on clothing just so I haven't come home empty handed. I am sick of feeling overwhelmed and confused every morning and hopefully a low buy year will help me reduce the wasted money and help me start curating my perfect wardrobe.
I need to start saving for when I hit my goal weight
With the amount of weight I am actually aiming to lose let's just say none of my current clothing items are going to fit by the time I hit it so a whole new wardrobe rotation is going to be needed. Rather than spending on items that might fit for a few months I need to start looking at the long term. Instead of the t-shirts and jeans for the sake of it I can put the same amount of money into a savings pot so when I hit that end goal I can go out and buy a more elevated outfit which will suit my style going forward. the rebuild isn't going to be cheap at all so every penny really will help.
I am working towards the dream life
Recently I mapped out what my dream life looked like and to be honest I soon realised that if I carried on the way I was already there was no way I was going to get to it. By implementing the low buy I can save more for those items I want to help me elevate my life and build that dream rather than draining my accounts for something that is going to hold me back. By doing a low buy year and implementing other changes I should be able to start working towards that dream life at long last.
By doing the low buy year all the above should be more than achievable but to make sure I am sticking to it I need to set myself some rules for what I can't be buying. So after looking at where all my money goes I have decided that whilst I am doing this low buy challenge (still no end date) these are the things I won't be allowing myself to buy...
Books
I have enough books in the house to last me a life time and honestly I couldn't tell you when the last time I read was. I don't need to buy any due to hype as they are just going to be sat on shelves gathering dust for far too long. Before buying any new books I need to read the ones I already own and declutter those.
Face Masks
Our bathroom shelf is overflowing with face masks and honestly I couldn't tell you the last time I used one. My family tend to buy me these for birthdays and Christmas and then I get it into my head I am going to have pamper nights and buy even more which then don't get used due to me being lazy. I dread to think how much I have wasted on these over the years so going forward I am not buying anymore.
Skincare
I spend a ridiculous amount of money on different skincare and then forget to use it so it ultimately expires and gets thrown away. As part of my low buy year I am planning on not buying any skincare until what I have has been used up. Once I have emptied a product I can then replace it but I am no longer having half used products being replaced by new items. I will be making sure I get some sun cream & after sun before locking in on this though as these are two necessary items.
Lego
The amount of Lego I have still in boxes is absolutely ridiculous. I see a new set and say I need it and will definitely build it but then the moment passes and I forget all about them. Looking at all the boxes on our Lego display shelf just shows us how much money I have wasted so no more Lego until all my current ones are built and going forward Lego might be gifted by family rather than me spending in store so it is a treat.
Football Shirts
My wardrobe is full of football shirts from teams all over the world as I used to collect them & wear them almost daily however, life has certainly changed since those days and I very rarely go out in shirts these days and if I do it is only specific ones for game days. The amount spent on shirts over the years is ridiculous and with the price going up I have come to the realization I don't need every shirt out there. I will obviously be buying the shirts for my teams in the men's and women's game for the new season however, I am going to try limit myself to these shirts only.
Clothing
As I have said before my wardrobe is absolutely full of clothing I don't wear and probably never will wear. Going forward I am going to be putting a ban on buying clothing as I really don't need to add to the overwhelm that is my wardrobe. As I am on my fitness journey there is no need to be adding to the wardrobe as hopefully items aren't going to be fitting me a few months down the line so the purchases would be wasted money. I need to take stock of what I have already especially for the warmer weather as I should definitely have everything I need.
Home Accessories
The house really is cluttered with items that really aren't needed so I don't need to be spending any more money on accessories for around the house. This is specifically aimed candles too as they are slowly taking over every room and to be honest I don't even use them, it is rare I light a candle so why do I have so many? I am hoping by not buying these sort of items my bank account will thank me.
So those are the things I am not going to be buying in the hopes of saving a lot more than I previously have done however, as always I am going to be making a few exceptions to this for when I do really need something or if an items is going to help me grow in one way or another and those exceptions are...
Clothing
I know I have literally just said I won't be buying clothing whilst doing the low buy however, with my fitness journey I may need to buy some new items to replace bits that no longer fit me correctly. I want to make sure that my clothing always looks great and not like it has been thrown on with no thought so if a pair of trousers or a t-shirt gets to the point of looking ridiculous it is time to get rid and get new.
Weight Loss Rewards
I am working on creating a new set of weight loss rewards to match with how my life is changing direction, I am trying not to make it all clothing focused however, one or two rewards may all fall into an above category. These will be a one off reward for achieving a goal though and not an every few days purchase like they previously have been.
Items that help me towards my big goals
I am hoping that by doing a low buy year I have more money saved and some more money available for those items that are going to be for my goals. Granted these items aren't going to be in my budget however, if I do manage to have income left over for the likes of website branded wear for football matches and camera equipment I will be allowing myself to break the budget and low buy to purchase these as they are definitely worth while additions as they will help me towards my end goals.
Whilst doing this low buy I am hoping to build a much better relationship with money and spending in generally as my habits in these areas are super unhealthy and are costing me a lot currently so here are the some of the things I am planning to do to help me cut back on the spending when I get the urge to head out...
Less Shopping Trips
I currently say yes to every trip out just to get me out of the house and I am now realising I don't need to do this as there are plenty of things I could do at home which won't actually cost me money. I can catch up on jobs I have been neglecting and watch tv shows I love without getting fed up as I could have been out. Less shopping trips will certainly help my bank account.
Drawing
Whilst I am sat at home I am going to lean into drawing once more. This is something I loved doing back in the day and found really relaxing so I am going to aim to spend some time working on different images which I think could capture my other love of gaming & gaming landscapes too making sitting and drawing even more fun.
Gaming
The games room is overflowing with unplayed games and to be honest it is ridiculous how many I have bought in the past that have just sat gathering dust on the shelf. Rather than going shopping I am planning to incorporate gaming nights and weekends into my routine so that I am actually playing those games which in turn will help me be able to create more for my gaming site which is a win, win situation.
Lego
As I said earlier in the post I have so much Lego to build and with how long each set takes me I could very easily spend a good few months building these instead of going out spending more money. Sitting and building this will get me away from the screen for a while too which is certainly an added bonus going forward and will give me that much needed switch off from tech.
Creating
Instead of shopping I can do one huge thing that is going to help me reach my goals going forward... I can stay home and create content for my websites and social media accounts. I really want to grow all these so it is about time I put my everything into growing these to reach my full potential. I have so much I want to do for this so I am locking in and creating rather than shopping, I can't wait to see just what I can do by spending time behind the camera and on the PC rather than throwing money away.
I am really hoping that doing a low buy year is going to provide a massive, much needed shift in life going forward and helps me see my potential. I guess only time will tell if it will though. Fingers crossed that we are going to see a lot more content going forward too rather than disappearing for months as no shopping might as well lead to more productivity.
See you soon
Lucy.
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