I finally tried a 'no buy' month for clothes and the result was weird

Honestly, I saw a post about fast fashion's carbon footprint and decided to not buy any new clothes for 30 days. I thought I'd just save money and feel good, but after about two weeks, I got super stressed. I kept seeing ads and felt like I was missing out on stuff I 'needed'. Ngl, it made me realize how much I shop just out of habit, not need. I ended up fixing three old shirts instead of tossing them, which I never did before. The weird part is, my carbon tracking app said I only saved like 12 kg of CO2, which felt small, but my trash can was way emptier. Has anyone else done a no-buy period and felt more aware of the marketing push than the actual environmental win?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan4227h ago

Yeah the part about feeling the marketing push more than the win is so real. It's like they've got our brains wired to see a gap and think 'buy' instead of 'make do'. I notice it with tools too, not just clothes, this constant itch for the newer version of something that works fine. That empty trash can feeling though, that's the good stuff right there.

webb.blake7h ago

My no-buy month for coffee out was a real eye-opener. I saved eighty-seven dollars, which felt huge, but the bigger shock was how many times I almost walked into a shop without thinking. It was pure muscle memory, like my feet were on autopilot. I started making a pot at home and actually finishing it, instead of buying a new cup every time I left the house. The marketing for that afternoon pick-me-up is absolutely everywhere once you try to ignore it.