No Buy: No Perfume in 2022
Why No-Buy?
2022 definitely started with a bang for me. So much so, that my credit card is almost smoking from the overuse it experienced in January. Why did I go so nuts? I can’t tell you, exactly. There have been some personal stresses, a little bit of anxiety related to a new job, and just generally feeling a bit inadequate. You know, the normal human condition stuff. What I can tell you is that when I spent that money in January, I felt numb. I wasn’t even particularly nervous about the purchases, I felt entirely detached from the whole process of scroll, click, buy…
That alone, is of significant concern. I can understand if someone LOVES shopping and enjoys the entire process from start to finish. If they feel excited about the packages arriving in the mail, the spritz of a new bottle…I currently have none of that, yet strangely I have been compelled to do it anyway.
If I am capable of spending excessively without emotion, then I think perhaps I need to break the cycle.
Enter the NO BUY.
I thought about doing just a month or maybe two, or possibly 6. However, if I am honest, I feel that more drastic action is appropriate. I want to give my newfound good habits the best chance of becoming fully embedded.
This is an interesting dilemma – can One maintain a YouTube channel centred on perfume, when she is not buying perfume? Sure, I have an abundance of samples, decants and bottles to talk about, but what about the new release stuff? What about the new and budding perfumers that are launching this year? I need some rules…
No Buy 2022 Rules
- NO NEW
- Bottles of perfume
- No new scented candles
- No new makeup, skincare or haircare.
- I can replace empties but only if there isn’t something else that I have that could suffice. If any of these items have expired and turned bad, or are causing adverse reactions, then I can dispose of them. However, I cannot declutter something just because it isn’t my preferred option. Perfume is not included in this replacement rule. If I empty a bottle of fragrance, I will simply need to focus on other fragrances in my wardrobe.
- I can accept (and buy) gifts. Vouchers have to wait until next year (most vouchers are valid for 12 months), or be used for ‘refills’ in accordance with the rules..
- Perfume Subscriptions – I currently have one perfume subscription and that is with Yuniqu. It’s a fully paid for subscription by me. I am going to keep the subscription, but I cannot open any of the packages until January 2023 (I typically receive one decant per month).
- Work related purchases:
- My YouTube channel is monetised. I earn just enough every couple of months, to purchase the equivalent of a 100ml bottle of a designer fragrance (sometimes not even that). Samples and discovery sets are OK if it is for the purpose of a giveaway. I can ustilise the channel earnings for things like filming equipment, software subscriptions, etc. Purchases cannot equate to 100% of earnings.
- I can purchase some raw ingredients to help train my nose and become familiar with individual perfume notes. I have allowed this because a) its not like I am going to be wearing or consuming these items, and b) they are for educational purposes. At the time of writing I have allocated an annual budget of $200, but this may change as of the time of writing this I am not sure if this is adequate.
- PR – This is a tough one. I typically dont receive much in the way of PR. If I should get the occasional request to provide feedback on a new release, I will only do it if it is a small artisan brand who I want to provide more exposure for. Also, where possible, I will limit the PR content to samples, not full sized items.
Other common questions regarding my No Buy
When does it Start?
It started on February 1 and will conclude on December 31st, 2022.
Will I be documenting about it during the year?
Yes. Both on my YouTube channel and in this blog. I have a few different themes of videos and posts that I will prepare on a regular basis. Mostly, I will be focussing on giving more detailed observations on perfumes that I already own. People also seem curious to know what things I am using up, so I will document those as well.
What did you buy in January…surely it wasn’t THAT bad?!
It was pretty bad. I did a video by request to address this question- you can witness the carnage here (please be kind):
How about you, are you doing a Low Buy or No Buy in 2022?
C xx