my 2024 intentional buy rules
because a "no buy" is too restrictive and a "low buy" doesn't resonate with me
The truth is, I’ve attempted to do “no buys” for the past 3-4 years. Did I ever succeed? Take a look at this post and you tell me. I don’t want to discourage anyone from doing a no buy because maybe it is realistic for some people. However, living a life without buying anything considered “non-essential” takes a lot of self-motivation and self-awareness that I, after years of self-reflection, do not have.
So introducing the intentional buy. I have been more of a “if it’s an intentional purchase, it’s something I should be excited about, instead of feeling guilty about” person. I also just really love the word intentional. I love the idea that my actions, thoughts, and relationships should exist in my life with careful curation and purpose.
I will be going on an intentional buy this year, mainly because I get overwhelmed by material and digital clutter very easily. I hate knowing that there will always be an environmental impact on the items I buy, and spending my hard-earned money (as an academic) on useless non-essentials make me sick to my stomach. If I’m doing it with intention, it won’t be as detrimental as an impulsive and useless purchase. For context, I took inspiration from this Reddit post when creating my intentional buy list.
these are my intentional buy rules:
This is the first time I’m setting a real number to the number of non-essential intentional purchases I am allowing myself grace to buy. In 2024, I plan on making no more than 36 purchases (3 per month). These include non-tangible purchases, such as any new subscriptions outside of productivity, career, or learning-related and beyond my Spotify + 1 television subscription (I switch between TV subscriptions depending on what I like to watch, but I can’t have more than 1 TV sub at a time). I made 100 non-essential purchases last year, and while cutting this number down to over half seems like a stretch, I know that moving into the new apartment increased this number substantially. If it weren’t for the move, I think last year’s non-essential count would have been around 50!
Stay the hell away from Amazon. I’ve been guilty of using Amazon more than I’d like last year—a contributing factor is having access to my parent’s account without paying for the membership and benefitting from the Prime shipping. However, it does sicken me that I’ve chosen 2-day shipping instead of choosing the option to combine everything in the same shipment, making multiple orders throughout the day instead of combining them into one (an example of instant gratification), and taking advantage of their return policy. Instead of Amazon, I’d like to explore local markets that sell items that I need, find a similar online retailer like Amazon that is a more sustainable option (i.e., thrive market).
Gift experiences or something homemade/edible instead of purchasing gifts (new or thrifted). I’ve never thrifted gifts (though that is a great option for those who like material goods), but Mr. Beans and I have spent way too much money on material gifts last year (I got him a Steelcase Leap, and he gifted me a Tiffany necklace). This year, I’d like to focus on attending more concerts/festivals, travel, trying new recipes, and normalizing cooking with friends instead of always eating out.
Explore secondhand options instead of always opting to buy new. This is what I struggle the most at. I can never seem to find items that are worth bringing back home. It might be the stores I end up at, but I would like to actively take the time to visit thrift stores in my local area. Unless there is a specific item (brand, color, other characteristics) that I know will take too long for me to find at a secondhand store, online secondhand options (Ebay, Poshmark) should be first option before buying new.
All the non-essential items I purchase must be pre-funded using a sinking fund on YNAB. I posted a screenshot of what this looks like in the third section of this post. Pertaining to this rule, I still need to wait 30 days before purchasing, even if I have money to spend. I will be keeping track of this using my Wishlist Tracker. There are a lot of functions I love in this tracker, and one is the ability to automatically entering the date once the item has been entered.
If something breaks, repair it instead of making an excuse to “buy new” and labeling that item as an essential. I’m writing this as I have a battery-dead Dyson vacuum in my apartment. While I’m tempted to buy new, I know that replacing the battery ($100) is more cost-efficient than buying an entirely new machine ($500). This applies to clothing and other types of appliances. I’ve also noticed that high quality items tend to have a relatively decent warranty period or the brand’s return/replace policy is quite generous.
Stop trying to swap to a more “eco-friendly” version of a product if it is not of better quality. One of my values is being gentle to the earth by creating as little enviornmental impact as possible. I’ve been on a journey of trying to swap items out for more low waste options, but every single time, I’ve been disappointed. The latest one has been the laundry detergent and oxi-boost from Blueland. I found my laundry loads smelling mildew-y and having to re-run the load with a generic Tide detergent that we brought from Mr. Bean’s old apartment. I will be ceasing experiments on various brands/products and sticking to what works best. However, if there is a product that I’m still trying to find a better option for, then I’ll be open to the more sustainable versions of it.
No more experimental items. Most of the experimental products I purchased last year ended up being regrets, either due to quality issues (Ruggable, Blueland) or the realization that the item is not worth that steep of a price tag (Palermo House’s loungers). This rule affects both my finances and health when it comes to skincare products. My rosacea flares have kept me hiding from the sun (due to pain) and people (due to embarassment) in the past, and I would rather stick to what I know works instead of play around with what works and what doesn’t. It is imperative for me to stick to what works best (La Roche Posay, MD Solar Sciences, Paula’s Choice), and stop wasting any more money on skincare items that I’ll end up giving to my mom.
Limit subscriptions and have no more than one subscription per category. I’m already paying for Spotify, Canva, Google One, and Peacock. I never pay for more than one TV membership at a time (i.e., if I wanted to switch back to Netflix I would cancel Peacock first). The decision to subscribe is purely based on what these platforms are showing and what I’m interested in watching. I recently cancelled my Fantastical membership (calendar app). It is a great tool for meeting management but I haven’t been able to sync my work calendar into it, so it is a waste of money as i now use Outlook calendar.
let’s chat specifics:
Clothes—While I own a capsule wardrobe (and track the items using my lovely Notion Capsule Wardrobe Tracker), I have some gaps in my current wardrobe that I would love to fill (one day and slowly). This includes two comfortable trousers that are business casual and formal, a full length blazer (I only own a cropped one), a fitted t-shirt, and a long-sleeved shirt. There might be a couple more that I might want to add as my lifestyle shifts but those are what would make my wardrobe almost perfect. If I were to add new clothing pieces into my wardrobe, I must do the one-in-one-out rule (buy one item, donate one that’s already in my closet) and buy something unique.
Hobbies—What is a fulfilling life without some hobbies? I currently have three main hobbies at the moment: 1) reading, 2) photography, and 3) content creation. Reading is the cheapest (aka free), photography was insanely expensive upfront but I have no need to spend any more (the camera itself was the expensive purchase), and content creation (I find myself buying little things here and there, such as a Canva Pro membership or little design icons). I am okay with adding one more hobby to the list, but it must be something exercise-related. One of my personal goals for 2024 is to start an exercise routine, so investing in some sort of equipment that will greatly benefit my physical health is one that I’m willing to carve out a sinking fund for.
Dining Out vs. Home Cooking—This is one of the more difficult categories that Mr. Beans and I struggle with, find that precarious balance between eating out and cooking food at home. As our dining out budget has slowly dwindled near the end of 2023, our groceries budget increased (quite steeply, I might add). This is a work in progress, but I’d like to really figure out how to address this slowly increasing grocery budget. Some ideas include subscribing to a meal prep plan, cooking more basic meals (and making it taste good with condiments or seaweed), and buying more frozen veg instead of fresh (because I’m always finding moldy vegetables in the fridge and it drives me nuts).
Furniture—Moving into a new place requires some amount of new furniture to be added into a place. In 2024, I want to be more intentional with using items I purchased last year and have gratitude for being able to afford more than what I need. Realistically, I have everything I need and I don’t want to add more furniture (clutter) to fill up this apartment. I will be strict with this category, and make sure that if I wanted to add a new furniture item into the apartment, it is something that I’m going to love and use for the rest of my life.
Tech—This is one of my easier categories, since tech is expensive upfront and I like to take months before making any tech related purchases. Essentials include: my laptop/computer, cords, airpods, phone, mouse, keyboard, and hard drive. Non-essentials include: add-ons to these items, including laptop or phone cases, key caps, key switches, laptop/iPad stands, speakers. I have everything I need, techwise, at this moment. If an essential were to break, a replacement of it won’t be included in my 36 non-essential list. If I were to purchase an add-on, that would be considered a non-essential.
my current non-essential wishlist
Updated as of January 2, 2023
PopGrip for Magsafe + Magsafe Charging Stand ($160)
Skims Cotton Jersey T-Shirt in Marble & Soot ($100)
Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Cleansing Balm ($29)
I purchased the La Roche Posay Cleansing Oil last month, but I’m now realizing I prefer using balms to remove makeup. I’ve used this Paula’s Choice one years ago and loved it (but stopped buying because it was a bit expensive). I’m currently debating whether to sell or return this item.
Reef Fanning Sandals ($65)
The ones I currently own are starting to peel at the sole.
Suri Toothbrush ($112)
I would love to gift this to Mr. Beans. He currently uses a manual toothbrush and once expressed to me that he’d love an electric one some day.
Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette ($745)
I’ve wanted this since 2020, but it was sold out after going viral in 2021 or 2022. I’ve been on the fence about buying this for so long, so it might stay in my wishlist for another year if I decide to not purchase it in 2024.
Daughters of India Kyra Mini Dress ($165)
As a Christy Dawn lover, I wanted to support another woman-owned, sustainable and ethical brand. Daughters of India’s dresses are so beautiful, and if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I would obviously do anything to support an Asian-owned business.
how i’m budgeting for my 36 non-essentials
Here’s what my budget looks like at this moment.
I created a new category under non-essential, called intentional non-essentials. I like how wordy it is (despite how every other category is so succinct). I ended up collapsing two small sinking funds (Skims + Popsocket) and combined them with this intentional non-essentials category. It makes the most sense to me, and it will let me track all the purchases I’ve made at the end of each month. All I need to do is click on the number in between the two (in the screenshot), and all relevent purchases will appear in the preview.
The difference between “cushion” and “intentional non-essentials” is that cushion contains any unplanned purchases (perhaps unintentional), and is not considered part of the 36 item list. This could include expenses that cause me to go over-budget in one of my essential categories, fees/bills… I can probably give more examples as the year goes on.
that’s it…for now!
I plan on firmly stick to these rules strictly for the rest of the year, and will be providing monthly updates with a recap of my rules, what I purchased (or didn’t), whether my rules are feasible or not, what’s on my wishlist, and other reflections! I can only add to the rule list, not give myself more leeway with the ones I currently have.
I’m tracking these purchases using my No/Low Buy Notion Template—if you’re interested in joining me on this no/low/intentional buy, then feel free to send me a direct message on Instagram or post your rules on the discord server, Bean's Pals!