I'm doing my first no-buy, low-buy challenge. And it started with me looking at homes in my area, the kind of thing Matt and I aspire to get to when we're not quite there yet.

The more I make it real, the more I look and get clear on what an ideal space would be for us in the coming years. Like when Chloe starts school, I know we don't want to be in the school zone we're in currently.

So there have been all of these thoughts and conversations floating around about a future home and what we'd need to make that happen. We've already started a bit of a savings, but we hadn't really had a clear vision for how much we need and all of the fine details, so I called and spoke to a financial advisor recently.

Long story short, we want to save up for a house, and we're trying to make that a tangible reality.

That got me thinking: what can I do on my end to make this happen sooner?

2025 was kind of a whirlwind for us. We did a lot of traveling, Chloe was in her second year of life, and I was really bustling busy with all of it (not that that's slowed down).

And in all of that, I loosened up the reins on letting things in, and I definitely loosened up the reins on my spending. So there's a lot I can accomplish if I start really challenging myself to spend less and stop buying things I know I don't need.

Why 6 Months (Not a Month, Not a Year)

I see a lot of people doing no-buy years. A no-buy month would definitely be too short for me. I don't feel like it would make enough of a dent to even be worth it, and frankly it would be too easy.

But a no-buy year feels too long, just because of all the seasons and change that can happen in one year. I only have to think about last year and everything that came up.

A six-month no-buy or low-buy challenge feels realistic and easy for me to grasp. Then I can reevaluate at the six-month mark and tailor the next list to whatever makes sense for the second half of the year.

So that's the plan. I'm running mine from February 1st to August 1st, which carries me through spring and summer.

How to Set Up a No-Buy List (5 Steps)

Since I'd never done one of these before, I started actually watching no-buy videos with real interest, not just scanning through them for work like I might have in the past. One creator in the minimalist space had a five-step list for deciding what your challenge should look like, and I found it really helpful for structure.

1. Decide what type. Is it going to be a no-buy or a low-buy?

2. Determine why you're doing it. Mine is saving up for a home, plus some travel we want to do. But primarily, my big focus right now is getting a down payment together.

3. Set your rules. This was the part I found really interesting, because I'd never thought about having rules and exceptions built into the list. When I heard people say "I'm doing a no-buy year," I always thought, you're just not going to buy anything for a year? That's insane. We all have to buy something at some point.

The exceptions are what make it realistic. Things like "I'm not buying this unless I run out" or "unless the specific thing I've been watching for months finally goes on sale." That grace keeps you from feeling like one purchase broke the whole challenge and everything goes up in the air.

4. Tailor your environment for success. That means decluttering the things you currently own and seeing what you already have that could be repurposed for something else.

5. Make your temptations invisible. Now, I'm not a big shopaholic. I don't like malls and I don't do much in-person shopping. I did do quite a bit of online shopping in 2025, but I don't feel like I have such a shopping problem that I need to worry much about temptations. For me, just having the challenge and the rules in place is something I can follow. We'll see.

My 6-Month No-Buy List

1. Clothes

I bought a decent amount of clothes in 2025. Nothing crazy, but probably a good $250 or so across a variety of things, plus a fairly recent swimsuit. Everything I'd buy now would be because I like the style or just want it, not because I need it.

So I'm committing to no more clothes for the next six months. The one exception is if I need a couple of tanks or tees when it gets really hot, because we don't have air conditioning and I'm running a little light on that category with a full summer inside this window.

We've also floated the idea of a cruise this summer, and I want to keep my commitment through that. No pre-cruise wardrobe, no vacation shopping spree. I'm giving myself one caveat: if I'm in Mexico and see one really cute piece I'll actually use, I can buy it, because I really like usable souvenirs.

2. Makeup

I could probably take this one to the end of the year. My exception is only replacing something when I run out. My foundation is getting low, and I want to use it to the very last drop, but once it's empty I'm allowed to replace it.

A few days ago I did a full declutter of my skincare, hair care, and makeup. It wasn't drawers and drawers like some people have, but it was more than it should have been, and that top drawer was significantly crowded when I first opened it.

I have my makeup down to exactly 20 pieces now, including brushes and tools, and it all fits into a little bag. I'm posting these on Instagram as part of my Getting Back to Minimalism series, chopped up into these fun little ASMR-style quick shots. It gives me content, a creative project, and it's something I'm already doing anyway.

I like doing those use-it-up challenges, finishing the products I have before I buy or toss anything. I'm actually trying to rush through a few things right now just to get my pouch even smaller than those 20 items.

3. Facial Products

Facial products are actually a little worse off than the makeup right now, because I received a lot of nice ones for Christmas. They're in my stash, I'm going to use them and complete them, and then I'll get back down to a level I'm happy with.

I like when things fit with space around them in my cabinets and drawers. It's easier to see everything, and I don't have to question which lotion I'm reaching for. Opening the medicine cabinet to a wall of serums doesn't need to be a decision in my day.

The one exception here is makeup remover, because my little container of CeraVe is down to a couple of swipes. Beyond replacing what runs out, anything else I see is just marketing telling me my skin could be smoother.

4. Toys

For the love of God, I do not need any more toys for Chloe. She does not need any more toys.

She got so much for Christmas, which was so much fun because we went to so many Christmases this year and saw people who rarely get to see her. But we ended up with way more than I expected, and one of my Getting Back to Minimalism videos is absolutely going to be toys.

It doesn't matter if she hits the next age level and a new bike or different learning games would suit her better. She's three, she's doing something new every few months, and she still doesn't need more toys in the next six months of her life.

5. Cookware, Dinnerware, and Kitchen Appliances

Nothing I'd use to cook food. I say it that specifically because I do have a kitchen project coming (more on that in the low-buy section below).

This one will challenge me a little. We're currently using wheat straw plates and bowls because I got rid of a lot of our ceramic ones that kept cracking and chipping, and they were so heavy nobody was actually grabbing them. The wheat straw works fine, though it stains when we eat something saucy like spaghetti, so it's a temporary fix we'll eventually replace with something that has real longevity.

Same with the pans. We noticed a couple of little dings on the bottom of one of our ceramic pans the other day, even with me hand-washing them with a soft sponge and telling everybody not to use high heat. I told Matt the next time we really need to order pots and pans, I want stainless steel, something we can be rough with that still does its thing.

But none of that needs to happen in the next six months. I have other priorities.

6. Linens and Furniture

I'm assuming this one continues through the whole year. We have one extra set of sheets for the king beds so one can be washing while the other's on, and with four beds in this house (including Chloe's crib and the one in the garage that's rarely slept in now that my daughter's at college), we don't need more than that.

And I don't need any more furniture. I could talk myself into it, for sure. I'd love to upgrade Matt's computer chair (he doesn't want to change it), I'm always eyeing my bedside tables, and our dining chairs are getting a little stained right as Chloe's almost out of her high chair.

So it's not that the house is so perfectly furnished I could never buy anything. It's that I need to challenge myself to skip even the upgrades, for the sake of saving toward the thing that's actually the priority right now.

My Low-Buy: Home Improvement With a $250 Cap

My low-buy category is home improvement, because that's where my focus and excitement have gone. Decluttering all this stuff, but also finally upgrading the things I've looked at and ignored for a long time, like spots on the wall that need patching and painting.

And the kitchen. I never take photos or videos in my kitchen because I hate the lighting and I think the cabinets are dated. It's not a terrible kitchen, it just doesn't look great, and I know it could.

Touring all these houses, the thing I kept getting excited about was the kitchens. Light and airy, with light flowing through them, and they didn't even have to be big. The light is the big thing for me.

So if I can't afford a new home right now, it's a whole lot more affordable to paint my cabinets white and get some really nice handles than to buy new cabinetry (or a new house). And when we eventually rent or sell this home, those upgrades can pay us back. It's an investment in the space.

But I could easily use "home improvement" as an excuse to buy whatever I want and stop saving entirely. So I'm giving myself a cap: $250 a month for anything home improvement.

Plenty of months I won't do any home improvement at all. It's not a $250 bill I'm committing to spending. But in any single month, paint, supplies, shelves, handles, all of it stays under that cap, and that extends to future months if I want to give my closet or another area a little facelift.

Checking Back In August

That's my no-buy, low-buy list for at least the next six months. At the six-month mark I get to see how it felt. Maybe it was barely a challenge and a full-year version would have been fine, or maybe six months was exactly right.

I'm also planning some bullet journal spreads for this, to track the challenge and maybe even how much I'm saving. If I make one, I'll share it over on Instagram.

And if the reason you're drawn to a no-buy is that stuff keeps flowing in faster than you can deal with it, my free masterclass, Break the Clutter Cycle, is built for exactly that pattern.