I’ve never attempted a full no buy year, although I’ve considered it. I totally relate to your all or nothing attitude! I also recognise this trait in myself in other spectacular of life. It’s the fear of commitment and failure 😢

@@mukatsa 100%, glad I’m not the only one!

Yeah I guess in reality my "no buy" has become "buying what maybe a more normal level of stuff that a person without a shopping problem would buy" 😅 I'm actually thinking of maybe REALLY doing a no buy next year after I've learned a bit more, so this might be my "training" year. I'm still going to try to do better for the next 6 months though and stick to only my predetermined list of exceptions.

@@Alexas.nobuyyear there’s definitely something to be said for a gradual approach! It will probably end up being more sustainable long term and make a true no buy easier to adjust to next year

Yes! Cold turkey often backfires! 🦃❄

Thank you! Me too, I think 😅

Thank you - happy to be an example of an inconsistent, imperfect human being haha😅

Thank you!

So for some reason, the strict "no buy" DOES still appeal to me, even as unrealistic as it is in practice. I don't know if it's just because it IS unrealistic, but achievable, like running a marathon or climbing Everest, that it appeals. However obviously the process of life and "buying stuff" is not like running a marathon or climbing a mountain in a lot of ways...so I don't know. I do kind of want to go "more extreme" next year (and prove something to myself?) but we'll see. Thank you for your comment and making it EVEN MORE worth my taking the time to share videos 😊

Aw thank you - there are STILL plenty of bloopers, they'll be back! Haha

Thank you, happy to connect with you here!

me too!

I hope my chats this week justify your excitement haha. And I think part of the "surprise gifts" will be a battle of relinquishing control too, which is maybe yet another unexpected and interesting angle of consumerism that's cropped up as I think about my former attitudes towards stuff 😅

Warning: you might get a vacuum cleaner!

Haha well, you can set it for DAYS if you want to!

I have done this! But then I'm stuck until I finish all the books, and juggling waiting lists/extended holds etc. so I caved this time 😅

Thank you!

I agree with your assessment that it is an algorithm feeding the feeling that there is a big movement of people toward minimalism and "no buy". When we start watching this kind of content, the algorithm starts feeding us more of it. However, I still see a plethora of influencers with 10's of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of subscribers that are all about the giant clothing "haul" content and other consumer oriented content...in fact, they tend to have way more subscribers than the most popular consumer conscious and minimalist KZfaqrs, unfortunately.

Well for me I suppose it's about living in line with my values, or at least trying to...this week I am kind of digging in to "lifestyle/product-focused" influencers and how they have normalized overconsumption, even on "normal" levels, for example where I might not have 100 pairs of shoes, I do have 30 and only really probably "need" 5. If EVERYONE has 30 instead of 5, or 20 lipsticks instead of 10, or whatever it may be, it's still a sinister level of overconsuming when applied to the general population. So even if the average person can see the "ridiculous hauls" as not normal, the concept of normal becomes inflated. I know this isn't directly addressing the aspect of feeling like what we do has no impact so therefore people give up...but I guess I'm trying to say that "enjoying the excess" can in fact make a difference on a larger scale, and that every drop in the bucket in the other direction (of the bucket on the other side?) therefore must also matter too...

I agree with this, and could even say that some of the most popular "conscious" KZfaqrs that I've seen DO still feature more products than the less popular ones...(not all of course).

@@Alexas.nobuyyear yes, what is the “normal” amount has become very skewed in our view. I’ve counted all the clothes I own to keep tabs and the number might feel good compared to what I see online, however I am no fashion influencer. My reality is that I work from home and live in sweatpants 😅 so all my nice blouses are catching dust. I have to actively remind myself what my true needs are. And I’m glad that my algorithm is also getting trained to suggest more channels like yours that deal with these issues!

Haha we'll see if everyone thinks more is better! But I just have a lot to get off my mind this week 🙃

Thank you!

I have a "donation box" for books waiting to get swapped out/donated at half-price books...the tricky part is deciding when to go since there'll always be another book to add when I finish one haha

That's actually a great idea, including the Black Friday period. I'm almost certain it'll bring additional thoughts up for me so I might have more to talk about at that time anyway! I did live in NZ but it's been, goodness, 9 years since then? So I'm not sure I have valuable comments on the CURRENT state, because I feel like generally in the past 9 years it's gotten much more prevalent. NZ in general has a huge value on nature, preservation, at least trying to respect indigenous peoples rights, and the surroundings are beautiful, people spend more time outdoors...so there are some key differences. Perhaps after my next visit I can add some more ideas to that!

Thank you! And my big problem is that sometimes I think I have a reason to reach for the phone, like looking something up, getting a last bit of "work" done (email), or even taking pictures instead of just being present - and if I use a regular container I can still go get it for a "quick task" and then "put it back" - but it is still a disruption. The fact that the container LOCKS for a set period means that I can guarantee a few hours of uninterrupted time, and my brain knows I CAN'T go "look something up" or grab a photo of the moment. Again I hope this is not something that other people need because I hope others have more self control or are less distracted than me!

Thank you! Been planning the shelves for over a year so it was good to FINALLY get those up. I am VERY prone to over-worrying about my health right now! But, I'm trying to relax on this and certainly to stop falling into the buying traps. I think it's to do with having a baby around and really feeling like I gotta be around for at least the next 18 years. I've thought about whether deleting the apps would be best - I have drastically reduced my time on there and I guess I keep hanging on because I have grand ideas of reviving my music projects and it is a helpful tool for accountability - that's why I'm here for no-buy, after all...I need to either pull my britches up and actually get started on that or pull the plug on the apps I guess!

Aw thank you and I am 100% with you on health/groceries, it's so interesting that I didn't feel the need to care so much when I was younger but now it's a different story - obviously I should have still wanted to be healthy 5 years ago but hey, better late than never (I hope)...

Protein alternatives are easy to come by! From the super cheap...dry or can beans, tofu to nuts, gluten flour (for diy veggie meats) or buy your own...but that's expensive. There are a lot of super great vegan blogs out there that teach you how (I'm just vegetarian, but I eat mostly vegan meals). It doesn't taste like chicken is a weird name for a good blog! There is also protein in basically everything...fruit, oats, veg...it all adds up. It's pretty rare to be protein deficient in our country. Greens are great for you, but less so in prepackaged drinks (there's just not much in the powder vs a homemade smoothie with large handfuls of fresh greens), and they don't contain much protein at all. If for some reason you don't eat beans, tofu, mock meats (not healthy unless you make your own), then perhaps a protein shake like orgain? Hope that helps somewhat! (It doesn't taste like chicken has a really yummy vegan steak recipe 😋, you should check it out!)

Glad somebody gets me 😄

You're right! The library did have some of the titles I bought and I even actually started reading a couple of these free on my Kindle (through the library app) but I had to return before I was finished and realized that I wanted to be able to take notes on the books after starting them, because there were ideas of value to my goals. I'm a sucker for "knowledge" even on this challenge, I guess. Regarding washers breaking down I'm not sure one can reliably plan for such a scenario - laundromats exist, but more likely than not we would consider the washer a replacement (provided we could afford to buy another one at the time, otherwise we would wait and save) and buy another washer. The rest of my family doesn't need to be inconvenienced because I am attempting a no-buy challenge. (We are a multi-generational household with kids and grandparents living here). To this point though - my husband did insist we spend a little more upfront and buy a "speed queen" washer and dryer, because we only want to ever buy one iteration of these appliances for our lifetime. And both are still under the 5-year warranty they provide so I guess I have a few more years to attempt a "better no buy" without having to worry about the washer breaking down! Thanks for inspiring further reflection!

Haha well I do think there are reasonable cases for buying things!

At least in my opinion. So many people get sick doing all the right things. Sometimes people just get unlucky

Yes this is right on. There is no guarantee and we can't control so much of what "might be out there"...I was reading another article on nitrates in our water and now want to test our tap water and make sure we are ok - but as someone in the suburbs of a decent-sized city, I probably am fine. It never ends! And like you said some people are really good about eating right and exercising and the worst can still happen to them.

Hello, I am her! Nice to meet you 😉 Thank you for this comment. I am genuinely happy to hear that some people (like you!) are light-years ahead of where I was starting this year from, (and possibly even where I am now), and are able to spot these problems in the videos you see online! If you care to entertain my perspective: did not start a "no buy" because it's currently trending (and maybe my plan to drop the "no buy" from my video titles going forward can speak to the fact that I'm not motivated purely by jumping on a trend). Unrelated maybe but I have also noticed that in general social media spotlights the "Extremes", either hyper-consumerism or owning almost nothing, and most "real" people will fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. I'm a real (non-influencer) person. (And I feel like this is true at least as long as my "ad revenue income" does not equal my regular job's salary? But I do understand why accepting ad revenue may be problematic in communicating my goals, which is why I did a whole video about that too). I appreciate the critique that my videos thus far have largely shown the same behavior that influencers do, and perhaps this is a sign that me trying to have a conscious disclaimer about "stuff" is not enough to differentiate from this. I do in fact have a week of videos (the next 6 days) planned where I DON'T talk about or show any products at all (other than what I'm wearing etc. because I can't appear naked!) so if you feel like giving my ideas another chance you can stop by and let me know what you think - Wednesday I actually will talk about how I stopped watching influencers who seem motivated by trying to get us to buy stuff (having products affiliate linked, sponsors, etc. which I've resolved not to do on this channel) and Thurs/Fri are about influencing as a "job" in general and how "consumerism" has kind of made influencing less valid as both a job and source of entertainment. However the fact that you already spot these problems may be a testament that YOU do not need to hear my ideas or my personal journey to getting to this point. Finally - it might have taken me 6 months to slowly reach any level of clarity/progress - at the beginning of this channel I was so deeply entrenched into seeing stuff, wanting it, buying it, the cycle of influence, that when I "went on a no buy" I mainly WAS struggling with seeing stuff, still wanting it, and trying NOT to buy. And failing. It was, very "stuff" focused. I would LOVE if in my next "update" I do not have any products to show or talk about in detail because I have been more successful - and regardless, the ratio of videos with "stuff" vs. "no stuff" here is going to start getting taken care of this week, because I can finally see more clearly and I do want to rectify this.

Well! Sort of snippy! Alexa is elegant, real, very articulate, and fearless! She is educational AND fun! A winning combination! Bet you keep watching? 😎

No buy haul video… links in bio! 😁👍

@@alliebeardontwalk8463 I solemnly swear I will never have affiliate links in bio ✋😆 I am equally annoyed about this in content that I watch, and am taking steps to improve my channel's future videos. I also believe in principle that it is wrong (or unethical) to sell to people you can't interact with.

Thank you - however, I am specifically not going for an "edited" look on this channel. The goal is to be as close to "real life" and authenticity as possible.