recent posts
Welcome to No Buy Year!
After years of endless shopping cycles I decided to hit pause. This blog is my real-time diary of choosing intentional living over impulse buys.
I’m sharing what happens when you start appreciating what you already have, instead of acquiring more. From shooping my own stash to budgeting my finances – I’m not reinventing the wheel, I’m sharing what worked for me… and what didn’t.
Glad you are here, let’s do this together!
This blog documents my personal journey and experiences; it is not financial advice.
Category: Budget Friendly Tips
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Follow me When you commit to a No Buy Year (or Low Buy Year), your primary goal is to strip away mindless consumerism, pay down debt and reset your relationship with money. But as you cut out non-essential spending, one crucial financial pillar becomes impossible to ignore: your emergency fund. Without it, a single unexpected…
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Follow me If you told me couple years ago – when I was deep into impulse buying makeup and chasing retail “deals”- that a cashback app like Woolsocks exists, that would be dangerous for my wallet. Back then it would have felt like a free pass to justify spending: “Look, I’m getting €2 back, so…
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Follow me If you’ve been looking at local news lately or scrolling through Reddit, you’ve probably noticed the annual winter anxiety setting in. Everyone is asking the same question: Have you turned on your heating yet? With natural gas prices hitting high marks and overall energy costs, people are looking for quick fixes. A recent…
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Follow me When you’re committing to a No-Buy Year or a low spend challenge, boredom can feel like your biggest enemy. Shopping and hunting for deals has become our default habit for leisure, reward and stress relief. But breaking that cycle doesn’t mean your weekends have to be dull. Here are 22 completely free activities…
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Follow me One of the most important lessons I’ve learned while trying to better my financial situation is that intentional savings setup is crucial. Clear goals and locking in on them give me piece of mind – even though I haven’t achieved my goals yet, some day I will. I just need to keep going.…
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Follow me The marketing teams at supermarkets are absolute masters at convenience. Pre-chopped, pre-packaged, beautifully bundled fresh meal kits are designed to catch your eye when you are tired, hungry and trying to figure out what to cook for the week. And even though it is a healthy and cheaper alternative to eating out, you…
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Follow me If you’re following along on my No Buy Year journey, you know I’m all about finding intentional, clever ways to slash monthly expenses without sacrificing my quality of life. End of the year is the time when discussion about healthcare insurance in the Netherlands starts all over again, because we can switch providers…
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Follow me You just started your No Buy Year – you decided that financial health is more important than knick-knacks that clutter your home. It is an exciting and terrifying journey. You start with clearing out your shopping carts, unsubscribing from marketing emails and brace yourself for what a No Buy Year detox is going…
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Follow me My perspective can be way different than that of someone who just started budgeting and living more mindful, as going without (unnecessary spending) is a muscle that we need to train. Even people like me – earning minimum wage – can struggle with just saying no to certain purchases. It is a process…
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Follow me If you are traveling on a budget, booking the right accommodation for your stay can save you a lot of money. Today I will share our best travel tip that we practice for years now when going on holidays. Packing light and cooking your own food are the ultimate secrets to keeping travel…