We bought a home last summer and then had several very large, well-budgeted expenditures in late 2024. We just have naturally cut back without a vow or resolution and all, but one unbudgeted purchase so far this January was due to an emergency.

Our biggest impulse purchases were food related. Meal prepping ingredients that can be mixed and matched has helped reduce that. Also, making DIY versions of convenience foods. Yesterday, I made 10 egg/bacon/cheese breakfast sandwiches. 5 on biscuits and 5 on English muffins. They went in the freezer and only take 2 min to microwave. I also made 12 frozen pucks of cooked oatmeal flavored with nuts, seeds, fruit, etc. these also take just a few minutes to nuke. With these on hand, we have filling breakfasts even if we are running late. And they cost a fraction of commercially prepared items or fast food versions.

I will try to stop looking at social media “lifestyle” influencers who make you want to live in a house that looks sterile. Living in a well-loved home with functional furniture and decorated with family photos and children’s artwork worked well when I grew up. Not wanting more decorative “stuff” this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometime last year I started a mission to methodically declutter our entire house. I wouldn’t say we are going full minimalist, but definitely minimal-ish. Once you get going on decluttering, it’s pretty rewarding to see the results in certain area and it’s very motivating to not want to buy more things. I also follow a lot of people on YouTube who support this and believe similarly and it’s very motivating. I think I’m about halfway done decluttering and aim to finish by the end of summer. It has been proven study after study that more stuff does NOT make people happy, beyond their actual needs.

I am not opposed to having nice things or replacing things that get worn out/used up. But I don’t need 20 sweaters. I’m down to my 10 favorites and even that I should cull further. And I don’t need to buy more. Just for example.

Love this!

I will chime in that I am under-taking a big house organization project and it does help me buy less. Now I know where everything is and how much of it I have, and I know when I need to re-order. Whereas before I was such a slob, I just wouldn't be able to find things so I would have to order more. That said - everyone else is probably less slobby than I was so you might not see such big improvements

Minimal-ish PP and I agree. It also helped me consolidate all my “extras” of things in one place so I have a much better sense of my inventory. My husband does not like to run out of things, so it also helped show him “look we have 3 backups of that, we don’t need more.”

I’m going to try to use up everything I have before buying more. All the travel size toothpaste, dental floss, shampoos, and skincare items. I have so many. That will last me 6 months at least!

For some reason, it is always easy to not spend money in January. Maybe because we got everything we needed for Christmas or because we are tired of all the holiday eating out and are happy to cook and eat at home. I stocked up on clothes for my toddler for the next year already (just bought oversized last year) so I’m hoping this year we will spend less on baby things!

I'm prioritizing spending on experiences, food, and health. No spending on clothes (except for rapidly growing DS) or stuff that sits in the house. The things I am spending on are dates with spouse, fitness classes and health club, and a nice vacation this summer. We are doing a staycation for spring break and eating at home more. I removed my amazon prime app from my phone to make it more inconvenient!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometime last year I started a mission to methodically declutter our entire house. I wouldn’t say we are going full minimalist, but definitely minimal-ish. Once you get going on decluttering, it’s pretty rewarding to see the results in certain area and it’s very motivating to not want to buy more things. I also follow a lot of people on YouTube who support this and believe similarly and it’s very motivating. I think I’m about halfway done decluttering and aim to finish by the end of summer. It has been proven study after study that more stuff does NOT make people happy, beyond their actual needs.

I am not opposed to having nice things or replacing things that get worn out/used up. But I don’t need 20 sweaters. I’m down to my 10 favorites and even that I should cull further. And I don’t need to buy more. Just for example.

Love this!

I will chime in that I am under-taking a big house organization project and it does help me buy less. Now I know where everything is and how much of it I have, and I know when I need to re-order. Whereas before I was such a slob, I just wouldn't be able to find things so I would have to order more. That said - everyone else is probably less slobby than I was so you might not see such big improvements

No more Amazon purchases for me. Amazon makes impulse buying too easy.

If I need something, I can get it elsewhere, perhaps even forcing myself to go in person. That way I am more likely to pass up purchasing stuff I don’t really need.

Plus, Bezos is sucking up to Trump and weakening the Washington Post. I don’t need to be economically supporting that. So abstaining from Amazon is good for my wallet and my conscience.

Anonymous wrote:I’m spending less on essentials, for example I got Dove body wash at the store this week, instead of getting the stuff that I usually buy at Lush.

We are eating out less, which is big for us.

But the biggest thing has been that when I lost my wallet, a while back, and got new credit cards with new numbers, I never put the one with the new number on Amazon. So I haven’t bought anything on Amazon for quite some time, and I’m so happy about that that I’m not going to put one of the new credit cards on there. Amazon is mostly all junk anyway. If I need something, I’ll just use my DH’s account.

"Amazon is mostly all junk anyway."

Amazon is mostly counterfeit junk from china.

Anonymous wrote:I just donated a truck full of clothes and nick knacks from my house. And didn’t thrift anything new which I’ve been known to do from time to time. I’m drowning in stuff and need nothing. I’m going to start selling things instead of buying them this year.

Like SUV truck or 18 wheeler?

Anonymous wrote:I’m a major shopaholic and for me, shopping is like second nature and not something I can easily quit. But the consumptions is hard to justify. So I’ve started using Facebook marketplace more to hunt for pieces/things we need, and that has significantly cut back on my spending while giving me a way to still “treasure hunt” when I’m idle.

I am shifting more to ebay etc for clothing. Why am spending $300 for a brand new item when I see the same slightly used item on ebay for $100 or less? Really took me a while to realize it. A lot of great high quality clothing for sale on ebay and Poshmark.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, in 2025 I plan on not purchasing any new make-up or skin care (have enough to last for awhile) toiletries will only be restocked when fully used, no perfume etc.
As far as clothing, I plan on only buying socks/underwear when necessary. No new actual clothing purchases. I have everything I need.
Also not buying anything from Instagram or social media ads.

The skincare products are what get me. I don’t even buy high end items but every month or so I am out of the serum, moisturizer, etc.

If you are actually out of an item you like, it’s okay to buy more. The problem is having 5 varieties of product that all do essentially the same thing, and buying a 6th one because it looks interesting. Pick your favorite and buy only that one as needed. And it’s okay to donate or trash the ones that didn’t work out. It’s hard knowing that you spent money on them, but if you aren’t going to use them, you won’t get your money back by keeping them in a drawer.

Good advice, thank you. Last year I did a lot of research on products and bought too many, some which irritated my skin and ended up just sitting there.

Anonymous wrote:I’m spending less on essentials, for example I got Dove body wash at the store this week, instead of getting the stuff that I usually buy at Lush.

We are eating out less, which is big for us.

But the biggest thing has been that when I lost my wallet, a while back, and got new credit cards with new numbers, I never put the one with the new number on Amazon. So I haven’t bought anything on Amazon for quite some time, and I’m so happy about that that I’m not going to put one of the new credit cards on there. Amazon is mostly all junk anyway. If I need something, I’ll just use my DH’s account.

This may not be an option for you, but even more frugal would be a bar of Dove soap.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, in 2025 I plan on not purchasing any new make-up or skin care (have enough to last for awhile) toiletries will only be restocked when fully used, no perfume etc.
As far as clothing, I plan on only buying socks/underwear when necessary. No new actual clothing purchases. I have everything I need.
Also not buying anything from Instagram or social media ads.

The skincare products are what get me. I don’t even buy high end items but every month or so I am out of the serum, moisturizer, etc.

If you are actually out of an item you like, it’s okay to buy more. The problem is having 5 varieties of product that all do essentially the same thing, and buying a 6th one because it looks interesting. Pick your favorite and buy only that one as needed. And it’s okay to donate or trash the ones that didn’t work out. It’s hard knowing that you spent money on them, but if you aren’t going to use them, you won’t get your money back by keeping them in a drawer.

Anonymous wrote:Sometime last year I started a mission to methodically declutter our entire house. I wouldn’t say we are going full minimalist, but definitely minimal-ish. Once you get going on decluttering, it’s pretty rewarding to see the results in certain area and it’s very motivating to not want to buy more things. I also follow a lot of people on YouTube who support this and believe similarly and it’s very motivating. I think I’m about halfway done decluttering and aim to finish by the end of summer. It has been proven study after study that more stuff does NOT make people happy, beyond their actual needs.

I am not opposed to having nice things or replacing things that get worn out/used up. But I don’t need 20 sweaters. I’m down to my 10 favorites and even that I should cull further. And I don’t need to buy more. Just for example.

Love this!