By Anastasia Bezrukova
If you’ve been following Minori for a while, you would know that mindful-consumption and sustainability are a core aspect of our mission. 2020 was a rough year on our mental health and well-being, but also on our finances. So we thought, why not kick off 2021 with a no buy challenge? Not only will we practice being sustainable, it’s also a way to focus on what we have already.
The Minori No Buy Challenge is over now, and we were blown away by the enthusiasm and participation that was strong throughout the month! Some brilliant people even decided to continue this challenge for as long as they could. We had over 130 participants from all around the world, even from as far away as Australia! One of these participants from down under was Sanida from @flukebeauty. We spoke to her about what her experience was like.
What was the biggest expense you were trying to cut back on during your no-buy?
My biggest expense that I was trying to cut back on was buying lunches at work and beauty products. I made a strict rule that no beauty products were to be purchased in January unless I was replenishing. I also cut out buying and consuming alcohol, buying my lunch at work and buying clothes.
What were your difficulties, setbacks, or temptations?
The temptations were definitely all of the new beauty launches that came out during the no buy challenge! Being active on social media means that a lot of other content creators are posting about and reviewing products. It is sometimes hard to switch off from the constant sales pitch that is Instagram. One almost has to have a digital detox at the same time as their no buy challenge to resist the temptation of online shopping. I had one unplanned beauty purchase which was an investment towards laser hair removal. Although it was unplanned for January, it was something that I had wanted to do this year. A clinic was offering 50% off so I decided to take up the offer. This worked out well for a bunch of reasons so it didn’t feel like a set back in my promise to myself!
What is your advice to other beauty content creators on how they can reduce their product waste and overconsumption?
The best way to start is to take a thorough inventory of the products that you already own. Follow by decluttering and organising, all before you start the no buy challenge. Throw out the expired items and really evaluate each product you own and make a plan for using it up.
My policy is to use up something, then shop my stash and grab the next one in order of expiry.
For example, when I use up all of my cleansers and exhaust that category I can buy 1 cleanser to replenish it. I also filmed my declutter on Instagram stories so that I could have a record of it somewhere and refer back to it if I needed to. It also made me feel more accountable that way and it opened my eyes to how much stuff I already own.
What habit do you hope to carry forward into your life after the challenge is done?
I think that the no buy challenge has made me pause before making any purchases (not just beauty related) which is something that I think will stick with me. I’m proud to say that although there were times I have been tempted and added things to the cart (or even made it as far as the checkout) I was able to stop, think and walk away from the purchase. Delaying a purchase and the sense of instant gratification means that the rational side of me can step in and make the right decision.