Like many people I have decided to have a low buy year in 2025. I would have liked to commit to a no buy year but given that I have just had a baby who is growing and my body is changing from pregnant, to freshly postpartum to wherever my body lands in a few months there might be a need for some clothing (or altering of clothing) that actually fits. With that being said though like most people I have decided to scale it back and I wanted to document for myself the reasons why for those low days when a new thing feels like the perfect solution for an uncomfortable emotional state of being.

The Why:

Somewhere between 2019 where I had not bought anything new for over three years and 2020 when I moved to the UK and realised I needed some clothing necessary for surviving a UK winter I have somehow lost perspective with most things I purchase. I don’t think I am an excessive consumer however the convenience of online shopping has clouded my perception of what normal spending is and I have put together a list of reasons for why some reflection on how I’ve spent my money in the past four years is necessary.

#1 Respecting the planet:

I think it goes without saying that our planet cannot handle the level of consumption we have all become comfortable with. Whether it’s the amount of plastic in landfills, the unethical extraction of minerals like cobalt that pollutes rivers or the growing of cotton by fast fashion brands that requires the destruction of the rain forest. We could all do with scaling back, for me this means seriously thinking about a product from inception to my front door.

#2 Savings money:

Globally the cost of living has gotten higher and higher and staying on top of daily expenses makes saving money very difficult. As someone who would like to own a home around London and send my son to university one day this means reprioritising putting money away and I know that spending less on nonessentials will go a long way.

#3 Setting a good example:

I became a mother in October 2024 and this has brought with it a new responsibility to be a more conscious consumer. I would like to teach my son the value of hard work, of money and of treating the things you own with respect. This becomes increasingly difficult when items are treated as disposable and the convenience of purchasing an item far outweighs the value of hard work and money. This is by far the most important reason for me as I would love to model what it means to be a thoughtful global citizen.

#4 Clearer and intentional space:

I have become hyper aware of the fact that with a baby in the home it can be very easy to accumulate clutter. While we did a good job of safeguarding against this while I was pregnant there has still been a fair bit of stuff that has come into our space. We have play mats, a mobile, soft cubes, changing pad, pram and the list goes on and on. Whilst I think it’s impossible to have a baby and not have any changes to your environment I would like to only bring things into our home that align with our values. This means staying clear of any items that are trendy and sometimes convenient for a short amount of time.

Additionally as my husband and I grow older we are now aware of what our tastes are and how to mesh them. We are beginning to invest in timeless pieces (a lot of them second hand) that we plan on keeping for the rest of our lives.

We are hoping that added layer of purchasing intentionality of not just buying what is cheapest and most convenient not only for us but for our son will lead to spending a lot less on household and baby rearing items and this will help us maintain a clutter free household filled with only what we love and value.

#5 Making and mending:

This is perhaps one of the things that links most to my desire to go back to writing. Over the past few years I have invested in quite a few hobby based items. Be it knitting, crocheting or sewing equipment, all these items were bought with the intention of slowing down my consumption and aid in my creating items for myself and my family. I have found this difficult when the convenience of a buying a blanket far exceeds the slow paced effort of making one. This approach has also bled into mending items that require a small amount of repairing. Buying clothing with a click of a a button is a lot quicker than the effort of pulling out a needle and thread and repairing a tiny rip or button on an item of clothing. This once again is not aligned with the values of respecting the planet, its people and teaching my son the value of ownership. And so going into the new year I will be spending time finishing off items I have started by spending some time learning how to make and mend.

Those are my five reasons for my low buy year in 2025 and hopefully every other year as I become more thoughtful about my purchases and return to a place I was a few years ago (with the minor tweak of having a baby).

Here’s to a richer 2025, both financially and mentally.