Well friends, I’m at it again! Another month, another challenge. This time, instead of doing a clothing challenge, I’m doing a spending challenge, which I guess indirectly, is a clothing challenge, since I won’t be buying any!

I’ve decided to jump on the “no buy july” (#nobuyjuly) bandwagon and not buy anything at all, except essentials for myself, for the month of July. And if you remember from this post, I am also participating in slow fashion season (#slowfashionseason) in which I am not buying any new clothing for 3 months, even though second hand clothing purchases are permitted. So the timing of these 2 challenges is definitely complimentary.

No buy July

It’s unclear what the origin of this challenge is, like so many other Instagram challenges, but the purpose can probably be assumed. I suspect that the challenge was borne for one (or a few) of the following reasons:

• Somebody needed to save some money.
• Somebody decided that they wanted to enjoy the things that they already owned instead of adding more items into the mix.
• Somebody was sick of how consumerist our society has become and wanted to give a big FU to all the companies influencing how and what we buy!

I mean, if I were starting a challenge such as this, I think it would be for all these reasons.

The rules for no buy July

Just like any other challenge, there are no hard and fast rules. The rules can be catered to your own personal situation. The premise is to avoid any unnecessary spending. This can be clothing, toiletries, dining out, activities, etc.

For me, the challenge will encompass all clothing and toiletries, unless I run out and have to replace something that I routinely use. We have a family budget for dining out and entertainment. In recent months, we have exceeded the limit. So as part of the challenge, and to reset our spending in these categories, once that limit is reached, we are no longer permitted to dine out or spend money on activities (as it should be, really). My husband and I plan to have weekly budget meetings to go over what we have spent and if we have reached the limit on any category.

What I am allowed to buy during no buy July

I am permitting myself to buy any product that wears out. I do not need any new clothing items. However, I will need to buy a new daytime sunscreen and some face wash this month, but that should be it. And these will be replacement items from brands that I have been using for years.

I am also permitting myself permission to buy for other people. I will not be buying any new clothing for my family, but necessities are permitted. Also, my best friend’s and niece’s birthdays are this month and I will be purchasing gifts for them.

Tips and tricks that I’ll be implementing to help

My most recent post presented 9 tips for quitting fast fashion. I will be implementing some of these same techniques for this challenge, plus a few extra ones:

– unsubscribing from email lists and Instagram shop accounts that tempt me to buy.

– deleting any phone apps that tempt me to buy (eBay, Etsy and theRealReal are my weaknesses).

– removing the bookmarks of my favorite shops from my computer.

– avoiding any shops that entice me to buy (these are local secondhand shops for me, personally).

– journaling about any temptation to buy. This will be something new for me. I am not an avid journaler and have only dabbled in it from time to time, so I’m not sure how extensive this will be. But, if the temptation to buy something arises, I plan to journal about why I feel the need to buy a particular thing, in an attempt to address the underlying issue and to encourage more insightful internal dialogue in the future.

– revisiting some old personal finance blog favorites, such as The Simple Dollar, The Luxe Strategist and Budgets Are Sexy, as well as simple living websites such as Becoming Minimalist, Be More With Less and Simplicity Voices. It was sites like these that have had a huge impact on my life in the past and it’s time to revisit them.

– spending some time experimenting with outfits using the clothing and accessories that I already own. I have alluded to this in the past, but when I feel the need to shop, I will often just play dress up with the clothing and accessories that I already own. This always leaves me inspired and with some fun new outfit combinations.

– read more books. This is something I’ve been neglecting lately that I would like to focus on.

– spend some time decluttering. It’s been a while since I’ve done a good clean out of our house. I also have some clothing that I need to bring to local consignment to sell or post online.

– focus on an interior design project that I am working on for a friend.

With all of these things to focus on, I am hoping that I will be distracted enough to not shop. And honestly, at this point, I am quite hopeful that I won’t even notice or be tempted. I am very content with my wardrobe and we have some big personal finance goals that we are working towards. I definitely think that these will help. I will post an update once the month is over.

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So, tell me friends, are you participating in the no buy July challenge or any other money challenge this month? Have you participated in one in the past and have any wisdom that you’d like to impart?

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