We are officially getting into the holiday season, which means it is shop o’ clock. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll be shopping this season, just like most of us. But I also think it’s really important that we go into this season of the year and this season of our money, understanding what it is we truly need and want. Here’s how I’m avoiding over shopping this holiday season and 7 things I’m not buying.
Retail Sales are Reaching New Highs
Holiday retail sales are predicted to soar as high as 966.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. In 2021, overall holiday spending reached a record 889 billion Americans are expected to spend about $1,455 each this season, according to Deloitte ‘s latest study.
That’s around the same as 2021’s average of $1,463 per person. A lot of this stuff that we’re rushing out to buy between November and December is crap. Pardon my French, but it’s true. I don’t believe you are a bad person for buying stuff.
Recognize that the quality of items is going down
What I do believe is that a lot of what is being made in 2023 is not as good as what was being made in 1995. Take clothes, for example. Clothes used to be mostly made of natural fibers like silk, wool and leather. The clothes that are being made, especially over the last few years, are no longer made that way.
Natural fibers used to be way more common. In 1975, fabrics derived from fossil fuels like polyester, nylon, and acrylic represented just 30% of the global fiber market. In 2021 that figure was 64%. By comparison, in 2021, wool represented just 1% of the global fiber market, and silk was just under point 2%. Although the total production of most fibers has increased significantly in that time.
So in order to avoid filling my home with a bunch of garbage that’s going to fall apart and that I don’t really need or value, I’m going to share an anti-haul or a list of 7 things I’m not buying this holiday season.
What I’m Not Buying this Holiday Season: 1: New Tech
I have a laptop. And I have an iPhone, I do not need an iPad. I would never use it. What could I possibly even use an iPad for? Adding in more tech feels very unnecessary. And at $799 for a new iPad Pro, this is an expensive piece of clutter. My laptop is only a few years old. I bought a new phone earlier this year, I do not need any new tech for several more years.
What I’m Not Buying this Holiday Season: 2: Blankets
I love being cozy. So do not take this as a knock on coziness. However, in the Kara/T-bone household, we are well stocked on cozy blankets. We are a two person household and we have three cozy blankets. There’s no need for any more cozy blankets. The blanket wouldn’t get used and they would take up space that we really don’t have to lose.
We have limited storage space in this apartment. I do think blankets are a really great example of something that’s easy to over consume because they have a purpose and they are a great gift. Everyone loves a blanket. But really take a minute and ask yourself if you need another $150 blanket– especially in a year as expensive as this one.
What I’m Not Buying this Holiday Season: 3: Candles
Candles are another cozy winter item that I love. I am a candle girly and I am proud of it. But ever since I started making my own candles, I stopped buying them. I like making my own candles because it’s a chance to practice sustainability by repurposing glass jars that I already have.
Making candles is also a great hang. It’s a great way to get friends over to do something with our hands. So we’re not just watching screens. Plus by making candles, I found that not only is my home more cozy, but I have great handmade gifts that I can then give away to people.
What I’m Not Buying this Holiday Season: 4: New Bedding
I have to admit this: if there is one thing that I will spend dumb money on, it is bedding sheets, comforters and pillowcases. I consider my bed a sanctum and I am a bad sleeper. So anything that I think that will make my sleep better or that will just make my bed comfy, I am willing to throw down for.
I also seem to think that every time I move I deserve new bedding. A new set of sheets for a new apartment! I don’t know where this belief came from. But as someone who has moved multiple times in 2023, I really need to slow down on the bedding purchases and just because there’s going to be sales coming in hot and heavy on bedding, does not mean that I need to buy a new comforter.
What I’m Not Buying this Holiday Season: 5: Home Workout Equipment
Generally, I think it’s very helpful for everyone to have home workout equipment. I know that a lot of us struggle with the motivation to leave the house and go to the gym. So having some free weights or having a treadmill are generally really good things to buy for your house. However, I think there’s a very insidious workout gear treadmill, pardon the pun there, that it’s very easy to get stuck on.
It’s very easy to be endlessly consuming workout gear. The yoga mats, the supplements, the different water bottles, all of these things that get sold to us under the guise of making us more healthy. Health is very important to pretty much everyone. So it’s very hard to counteract this marketing because we feel that if we don’t buy, we’re not taking care of ourselves. And that’s obviously wrong.
What I’m Not Buying this Holiday Season: 6: Meal Delivery
Meal delivery services are another thing that I think can be very valuable. I am not here to knock meal delivery services. In fact, I really wanted a meal delivery for myself because T- Bone and I have had a really hard and really busy year. And the thought of getting all of the food that I need delivered directly to my house for a week sounds amazing. Grocery shopping has gotten so expensive!
But ultimately, right now is not the time for me to dive into a meal delivery service. I am still working out treatment and food around what I can even consume with my Crohn’s disease. Now is not the time to invest in a meal delivery service that could very easily deliver me a bunch of food that I can’t eat. That would just be a waste of money and it would be creating a ton of food waste which are two values that I hold very dear. I don’t want to create more food waste and I don’t want to waste money. So for now, a meal delivery service is a pass.
What I’m Not Buying this Holiday Season: 7: Clothing from Amazon
My Tiktok For You Page used to be my safe space. It used to be just where I could go and I would get hilarious skits and lovely cottage core videos of women running through flowers and dresses. It just felt so calm and so peaceful. And now my Tiktok is absolutely over run with dupes. Is anyone else getting this? Everything is dupes!
And it’s always Amazon dupes. The one I keep seeing is this Amazon dress that is a dupe of the Skims dress. I just will not be giving any of my money to Amazon period, but I’m definitely not going to give my money to Amazon when they’re knocking off other brands.
So that’s my holiday anti-haul, AKA all the things I’m not going to be buying this holiday season. I hope it encourages you to create your own “Things I’m not Buying” list. I’m really curious about how you’re approaching your holiday spending and how you’re approaching your holiday budget in what has turned out to be a really expensive year.
If you’re more of a visual learner, we’ve got all this info in a YouTube video below. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube. We put out new videos every Monday.
I am not buying any holiday gifts.