Reviewing My Low-Buy 2021

Hello, gorgeousness! In case you missed it, in 2021 I embarked on a low-buy year. My goals were to cut costs and generally consume less. I won't buy anything unless I used up everything in a category and needed a replacement. Everyone's version of doing a low-buy year can look different because obviously, we have different goals and plans.

Looking back it was an ambitious project and I am pretty glad I stuck it through and continued to follow the rules I have set up although I can be a rebel about it at times, I am so proud of myself. 

Some people have asked me, was quitting my previous job making me do all of this low-buy stuff? To be honest, it had nothing to do with me being unemployed. I simply wanted to change my spending habits.

Before my low-buy, I would spend half of my salary on an irrational amount of impulses every month. Literally 1K down the 🚽.  Although I like having pretty things and enjoy many hobbies, I really do appreciate it if I can take down my spending habits a notch. 

So, was my low-buy 2021 a success?

Overall, pretty well! No big purchases, I succeed in buying fewer items, I even overcame my weakness of buying clothes! I might have bought probably 4 pieces including my Eid kurung during my low-buy. I would say yes I broke the rule but in my defense, I needed a few new dresses because I gave away so much stuff and did a preloved.

I was also successful at using up products and repurchasing them. I did buy a couple of new skincare items such as the COSRX moisturizer and the Axis-Y serum and I did buy them separately. I also didn't purchase a lot of stationery last year. I was gifted most of them by my family and friends for my birthday and stuff. My washi tape collection has gotten pretty big though but that's because my baby sister gave them to me (read: I stole them from her) but I promise you I'll be using them to the fullest.

My overall total purchases on Shopee (a popular online shopping platform in Malaysia) were shockingly low as well. I used to spend probably around 3K to 4K a year but in 2021 it came down to RM2138.50 and that's a real number since I track my spending manually. That's one of the perks of keeping a journal.

So yeah I think that was pretty much it. It wasn't as painful as I thought going low-buy and I was clearly able to keep my spending under control so I am really happy about that. I can say it was a success, yea?

What's next?

I am totally doing this project again in 2022 as I am really curious to see what happens towards the end of the year. I am going to continue good habits with spending and saving. This whole low-buy thing totally changed the way I look at money, how I spend my money, and how to actually manage them. 

I will just take the previous low-buy rules and apply them to the current year. I hope to be a little more careful with the clothing part. I want to take the time to really make use of what I already have.

The pandemic is apparently still here so I won't be needing as many new dresses. We should be valuing people and experiences more, right? And I believe this deserves to be mentioned as well that we sometimes need to live a little. Have fun but know your limits. If that means buying your favorite drink from your local bubble tea shop, then by all means.

Overall, this is my plan for the year, financially. I am sticking to this habit and mindset. It's doing me more good than I expected so I am pleased to continue a low-buy for 2022. Wish me luck, guys!

Have you done a low-buy before? How did it go for you?