The No-Spend Month

Taking consumerism to a new low.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

If only I had a cool VW bus piggy bank to collect my money in this month…

Well, I could go buy myself a Volkswagon bus piggy bank, but that would be precisely against the point.

That’s because his month I am challenging myself to a no-spend month.

Yes, this is a little different than what I usually write about here. But it also revolves around a topic that I think is super important, and it’s a way to keep myself accountable.

I’ve realized in recent years — particularly since the start of the pandemic — that my consumerism has catapulted to new heights. When there’s not much to do outside in the world, online shopping is, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), always something to do. Despite the fact that I have five perfectly good sweatshirts to wear while lounging (or working) at home, I need another one. Despite having too many pairs of socks to count, I need a new set of Scandinavian wool socks. Recently, I’ve been starting to question myself when these thoughts go through my head, and I’m beginning to fully recognize that my spending habits have gotten a little bit crazy.

While I know that this is entirely my own fault, I also understand that my mindset around spending is in part driven by American culture. Specifically online culture, which I have participated in a lot more since that first pandemic lockdown happened in 2020.

Influencers on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are literally paid to tout the newest designer brands and review flashy technology before it even becomes available to the masses. Even those content creators I follow who are not fashion bloggers or technology reviewers make money from sponsorships where they are promoting their new favorite jewelry brand or meal kit service. Truthfully, I don’t blame them. We all want to be compensated for our work (and content creation is work — don’t let anyone convince you otherwise!)

The question I’ve been asking myself recently, however, stems from all this constant promotion of consumerism:

When will it stop?

That’s where a no-spend month comes into play.