As a professional home organizer, I have spent years helping people declutter their lives and create more organized, peaceful spaces. And one thing I frequently hear from clients as they sort through their belongings and add items to the discard pile is, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why I have this.鈥
There鈥檚 a line from “Fight Club” that sums this up perfectly: 鈥淲e buy things we don鈥檛 need, with money we don鈥檛 have, to impress people we don鈥檛 like.鈥 The first time I heard this, it really changed my perspective on consumption.
I realized I wasn鈥檛 buying things for myself. I was buying to create an image of someone I wasn鈥檛 鈥 a version of myself I thought I wanted to be. Often, I was spending money that could have been better allocated toward more meaningful pursuits.
That鈥檚 when I decided to embark on a Year of No Shopping challenge for 2024. The rules were simple: no purchases, except for essentials such as food, toiletries and medical supplies. Anything outside of the basics was off-limits. I did allow myself three 鈥渇reebie鈥 purchases for the year 鈥 because I鈥檓 human.
I also committed to decluttering my home by removing two items each day. I made sure these were responsibly donated, recycled or sold rather than tossed into a landfill because I was determined to recognize that throwing discarded things 鈥渁way鈥 doesn鈥檛 mean they just vanish 鈥 they end up somewhere.
Canadians buy an average of 70 new pieces of clothing a year, according to the non-profit , contributing to 12 million tonnes a year of textile waste being sent to landfills in North America. And that鈥檚 just clothing. I needed to ensure I wasn鈥檛 contributing to pollution in our land, sea or air. This also made it easier to say no to new purchases, knowing how much effort had to be put into properly parting with them later.
Letting go of things wasn鈥檛 always easy. I had attached so much of my identity to my possessions that parting with them felt like losing a part of myself, like clothing pieces that no longer aligned with my current style but held memories of happy times. Gifts from loved ones were difficult to throw away 鈥 even though the items themselves may not have brought me joy, the memory of the person who gave them to me did.
On the flip side, almost anything I had ever purchased because an online influencer told me I should was very easy to get rid of. Be it a fancy hair curler or a heart-shaped snowball maker, examining these items taught me that I never needed to buy them in the first place, and reminded me to be more mindful about saying no in the future.
Over time, I began to find that my sense of self wasn鈥檛 tied to the things I owned, and I felt more connected to what truly matters: relationships, time and mental clarity.
These lessons have been reinforced during my humanitarian trips to Ukraine. Since the war began in 2022, I’ve been travelling back and forth from Canada to deliver aid to the front lines. I’ve witnessed the unimaginable: people leaving everything behind in hopes of survival. It has profoundly reshaped my understanding of the difference between need and want. When your life is on the line, possessions simply don’t matter.
During one of my trips to Ukraine, I found myself compelled to buy items from local artisans. The war had left the country devastated, and these artists were struggling to make ends meet. Over the course of my three-month stay, I bought seven items 鈥 four more than my allowed three freebies. While these purchases helped me connect with the local culture and support my people, they didn鈥檛 align with the original challenge I had set for myself. No matter how I tried to justify it, I knew I had broken my promise to myself.
This experience sparked a renewed commitment to my no-shopping challenge for 2025, with even stricter rules in place. This year, I’ve eliminated even small indulgences like coffee and tea purchases. While I鈥檓 still allowing myself my three freebies, my goal is to get through the year without using them.
A few months into 2025, I鈥檝e found that the challenge is becoming easier. I鈥檓 creating new habits and loving the sense of freedom that comes with it.
Living this way, I鈥檝e learned a lot about how deeply consumerism is woven into our lives. Everywhere I look, advertisements tell me I need to have more to be happy.
For much of my life, I鈥檝e been an emotional shopper, acquiring possessions in an attempt to fill a void that could never truly be satisfied. It wasn鈥檛 until I began to dabble in minimalism and interrogate my love of stuff that I experienced true transformation. The longer I stick to the challenge, the more I realize how little I truly need to be happy.
How to Stop Shopping
If you鈥檙e considering a no-shopping challenge, here are some tips that helped me stay on track (find more on social media at ).
1. Start small: Try a month or even a week of no shopping. Once you see how liberating it is, you might want to extend it.
2. Pause before purchasing: Ask yourself if the item is truly necessary or if it鈥檚 an impulse buy to fill a temporary void.
3. Declutter regularly: Removing items from your home not only clears physical clutter but also emotional clutter, helping you stay focused on what truly matters.
4. Discard responsibly: Sell or offer items for free online first. Donate with dignity (clean, undamaged items), then sort the rest into recycling and trash. Avoid the landfill whenever possible.
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