Don't Buy Stuff

My goal for 2025 was to spend less money, save more money, and invest some. Turns out, it was a shitty time to start investing. But, I did at least put some more money into my retirement accounts each month, so that's a goal kept.

The low-spend part, thought? Epic, and I mean epic, failure.

I've spent far too much money this year, and to be honest, it's on stuff I really could have done without. A video intro that cost too much, a new logo that nobody likes, a new phone that could have been purchased used (I didn't need the latest model), and many other things.

I started to track my spending last year, and my expenses have tripled in the last two months. It's ridiculous.

Now, I don't have a shopping problem, but I do love technology. And like any nerd, I like new tech. So, I do tend to buy more toys than I really need. I browse eBay and track prices on Newegg and Amazon.

But it has to stop.

No Buy

You can't take it with you. My mom has told me this for years. As moms usually are, she's right. I don't need more stuff. So, it's time to stop buying crap I don't need. And if I do see something I desperately want, I will put that on hold and think about it for a while. Delayed, the purchase might never actually happen.

Add on top of all this stuff, the economy is about to get worse. If the economists are right, shit is about to get way more expensive and scarce. Even if that's only half FUD, we're going to be in for some interesting times. So, it's a good time to just stop buying things. For all of us, really. Only buy what you actually need. Shop sales for the things you do. And save as much as you can.

I'm not an economist, but I did fail a class once. But I think that buying less right now is probably going to be good for all of us. It can't hurt, at least.

So, that's the plan. Stop buying stuff. Focus on sustainable investing and building up my savings. I'm also turning off notifications from Amazon and eBay. A little less temptation will make this a lot easier, I think.

Another thing I can do is sell some of the things I have that I no longer need. I have a Pixel 7 that I no longer need or use. I have an iPad I hardly ever use. I also have a bunch of little stuff that I could sell. That would make me feel a little better about all the money I've spent this year. So, I'll do that too.

Anyway, enough about me. Have you changed the way you spend with the way things are going? Please let me know in the comments below or on Mastodon.

This is day 11 of 30 in 30. Getting close to half way.