The Low-Buy Challenge: Thoughts and What’s Next

On January 1st, I started a 75-day low-buy challenge that ran through March 16th, 2026, and now that it’s over, I have a lot of thoughts.

The basic idea was simple: no shopping at regular stores. If I truly needed something, I could thrift instead. I also added a 75-day style challenge alongside it because I wanted to stop relying on new purchases to feel inspired. I wanted to wear what I already own, get more creative with outfits, and prove to myself that “bored of my closet” doesn’t have to mean “buy something new.”

If you’ve followed along, you already know this challenge didn’t end with some perfect, dramatic budget transformation. Real life still happened and the month-to-month numbers didn’t always reflect how much progress I was actually making.

But this challenge was never about being perfect. It was about breaking my habits around boredom shopping, stress shopping, and the “little pick-me-up” purchases that add up fast, and replacing them with more intentional choices. And in that way, it worked, I slowed down, I stopped impulse shopping, and I started thinking differently about what I bring into my home and into my closet.

In this post, I’m sharing what worked, what didn’t, what I learned (both financially and style-wise), and what I’m doing next, because I’m not stopping here. I’m continuing this low-buy journey for the rest of the year.

My Low-Buy Rules

Before I started, I knew I needed rules that were clear enough to follow on a random Tuesday, but flexible enough to work for real life. For me, the main rule was no shopping at regular stores for 75 days. If I truly needed something, I could shop thrift instead. That rule helped me cut down on impulse shopping, save money, and make more sustainable choices by giving pre-loved items a new life.

I also added one beauty-related rule that I really needed: no new skincare until I used up what I already had. I’m so guilty of buying the next “miracle” product before I’ve even finished what’s in my cabinet, so this was my way of forcing myself to use what I own and be more intentional about restocking.

And because I know I’m most tempted to shop when I’m bored, stressed, or just looking for a quick dopamine hit, I didn’t want this challenge to be only about “spending less.” I wanted it to be about building better habits. That’s also why I paired it with a style challenge, so I could focus on creativity and making outfits with what I already had instead of chasing something new.

What I Learned

I went into this low-buy challenge thinking the hardest part would be not buying things. What I didn’t expect was how much of it would be about noticing why I wanted to buy things in the first place. For me, the urge to shop is rarely about a real need. It’s usually boredom, stress, feeling uninspired, or wanting a quick “reset.” And once I started paying attention to that pattern, it got a lot easier to pause and ask myself what I actually needed in that moment.

Another big lesson was that the little purchases add up fast, especially in a family. A quick run into a store, grabbing “just a few things,” a last-minute need for the kids, an unexpected replacement, it all adds up before you even realize it. This challenge made me way more aware of those small decisions and how they shape the bigger picture.

Style-wise, pairing this with a style challenge was a game changer. I didn’t need new clothes to feel like I had new outfits, I needed intention. I needed to actually wear what I own, remix pieces in different ways, and pay attention to what gaps were truly holding me back from getting dressed with confidence. And when I did thrift, I learned that shopping from a wish list makes a huge difference. Looking for specific pieces and prioritizing quality over quantity kept me from falling into the same “buying for the thrill” cycle, just in a different place.

Wins I’m Proud Of

Even though I didn’t hit every financial target I set during these 75 days, I’m still really proud of what I accomplished, because the biggest shift wasn’t just what I bought, it was how I thought about buying.

• I stopped impulse shopping, even when I felt bored or uninspired. I didn’t magically stop wanting things, but I got better at noticing the difference between a real need and that “I just want something new” feeling. That pause, even just a few seconds before buying, was a huge change for me.
• I became more aware of spending, especially the sneaky little purchases. This challenge showed me how quickly “just a few things” can add up, especially as a family. Even when the budget didn’t look the way I wanted it to, I was paying attention in a way I honestly wasn’t before.
• I proved to myself I can go into a store and not shop for myself. One of my biggest wins was going into a regular store for my daughter and not browsing for myself at all. That sounds small, but it’s a big deal for me because I usually can’t resist “just taking a look.”
• I thrifted with way more intention, and I focused on quality over quantity. Instead of buying random “cute” things, I stuck closer to my wish list and prioritized pieces that felt like real wardrobe builders. I found (and loved) so many higher-quality materials that I’m trying to build my closet around, like wool, cashmere, silk, cotton, and merino wool. Those kinds of finds made thrifting feel less like shopping for entertainment and more like shopping with a purpose.
• I got more creative with my style and made my closet work harder. Pairing this with a style challenge helped me actually wear what I own, remix outfits, and experiment more instead of defaulting to the same thing every day. It also helped me see what gaps were real (and worth putting on my wish list) versus what was just a temporary “I’m bored” feeling.

Where I Bent the Rules

I want to be honest about the fact that I didn’t follow my rules perfectly for the entire 75 days. There were a couple moments where I bent them, and I think it’s important to talk about that, because real life doesn’t stop just because you set a challenge for yourself.

The biggest example is that I did end up ordering two pairs of Levi’s during the low-buy window. They were on a major sale, they had been on my wish list for a while, and I was feeling stuck in that “groundhog day” loop with my jeans. I’m a jeans girl, I wear them constantly, and I wanted something that felt fresh.

And yes, this was an online purchase, which is also where I know I’m most likely to impulse shop. I don’t have a Levi’s store close to me that I can browse at, so I always order them online, and honestly, that makes it harder to return things. But that’s also why this ended up being a bigger win than it might sound at first.

One of the pairs didn’t work out, and I sent them back, so I only ended up keeping one pair. That’s a real mindset shift for me. Old me would have kept both (or found a reason to keep the one that wasn’t quite right) just to avoid the hassle or because I already spent the money.

I’m sharing this because the goal of a low-buy isn’t perfection, it’s progress. And overall, I went almost 75 days without buying myself anything new besides thrifting, which is huge for me. Even with this one “bend,” I still handled it in a way that felt aligned with what I was trying to build: buying intentionally, sticking to my wish list, and being willing to edit and return what doesn’t actually work.

The Financial Reality Check

I went into this challenge thinking the financial side would be the easiest part to measure. Set a savings goal, track spending, compare it to last year, done. But the longer I stuck with this, the more I realized that the numbers can tell the truth without telling the whole truth.

Here’s what the month-by-month comparison looked like during the 75 days:

• Month 1: We spent $361.97 in 2026 vs $638.81 in 2025. That put us at about 43% savings, which I was honestly disappointed by at the time because my goal was 50%. Even so, it was a strong start, and it was also my first clue that family spending can throw things off quickly even when I’m not impulse shopping.
• Month 2: We spent $1,312.33 in 2026 vs $997.52 in 2025. This is where I started to feel the disconnect between “I’m doing so well habit-wise” and “the numbers look rough.” It wasn’t that I was suddenly shopping like crazy for myself; it was that real life happened, and family needs and unexpected expenses added up fast.
• Month 3: We spent $1,346.58 in 2026 vs $345.41 in 2025. This one was tough, because last year’s spending during this time was so low that it made the comparison feel almost impossible to “win.”

The biggest thing I learned is that comparing a short window to the same time last year doesn’t always give a realistic picture. When I looked back at our spending patterns, it’s pretty clear that our spending trends upward later in the year, not at the beginning. Early in the year, we usually tighten things up after Christmas, then it gradually loosens as the year goes on (and then ramps up again around the holidays). So judging a 75-day challenge by a month-to-month comparison can make it look like things are “worse,” even when habits are genuinely improving.

That’s why I’m zooming out and focusing on the bigger goal: last year we spent about $24,000 on shopping/home/clothing, and my goal for 2026 is to cut that in half to $12,000. When I look at the year as a whole, we’re under budget overall, and we’re still pacing under that $12k goal, even if some of these months didn’t look great on paper. Moving forward, instead of chasing a perfect month-to-month comparison, we’re sticking with a simpler plan and keeping our spending around $1,000 per month as I continue this low-buy journey for the rest of the year.

What’s Next

Now that the original 75 days are over, I’m not going back to “normal.” This challenge did what I wanted it to do: it slowed me down, helped me break the impulse-shopping cycle, and made me more intentional about what I bring into my closet and my home. So instead of treating this as a finish line, I’m treating it like the start of a longer shift.

Here’s what I’m doing next:

• I’m continuing the low-buy for the rest of the year. Not as a strict perfectionist thing, but as a way to keep building the habits I’ve started and stay aligned with our bigger financial goal.
• I’m sticking to my clothing wish list. If I want something, it goes on the list first. I want to give myself time to think, make sure it’s actually filling a gap, and avoid buying things just because I’m bored or feeling uninspired.
• I’m keeping the budget simple. For the rest of the year, we’re sticking to about $1,000 per month. That gives us structure, but it’s also realistic for our family and leaves room for real life.
• I’m still choosing quality over quantity, especially when I thrift. I want my closet to keep moving toward pieces I love wearing and fabrics that last, instead of a bunch of “good enough” items that end up being clutter.
• I’m open to experimenting with a true no-spend month later on. Not because I think it’s the only “right” way, but because I’m curious what I’d learn from taking the low-buy one step further for a short window.