The Year of Less for 2020

I have been doing a lot of traveling from Ohio to Tennessee this holiday season to visit my two nephews who live on opposite ends of the state. During one of these trips I downloaded a book to listen to... little did I know that it would impact my thinking and my resolutions for this next year... The book is titled "The Year of Less" has inspired me to try to live a more minimalistic life by decreasing the amount of money I spend on buying things as a typical America Consumer.

For those of you who haven't been following me, I have been working on paying off consumer and student loan debt. When I started traveling (about 2 years ago) I had approximately 115,000 in debt and starting 2020, I have <$50,000!!  Saying that, I have strictly managed my finances and have been very aggressive in paying off my debt. Also, this year in 2019 I gave away and/or trashed 517 items in my 30 day minimalism challenge. Since then I have continued to systematically pair down my possessions (although it’s tricky when you have stuff stored in 3 different places). I continue to attempt to place minimalistic ideals on my life and am striving to live more intentionally with less “stuff.”  It’s a slow process and one I am giving myself time to adjust to and make my own. It definitely has not been an overnight process for me but I’m hoping by the end of my travel career I will be ready to buy a house and live as minimalistic in that space as I can.

The plan: I will attempt to spend no money on "things" that are not consumables this year (with a few exceptions that I can think of right now).

Why I am Excited: I think that it will help on many fronts. I will spend less money, acquire less stuff and ultimately (I hope) have a better relationship with myself and my need to buy things.

January 2019: 
(At this time last year I was tracking my income and spending but not practicing a very strict budget yet... this is how much I spent on a lose budget last January) 
Budget for Store Shopping:    $150
Budget for Online Shopping:  $100
% of income used to pay off debt: 54.7%
% of income saved or put in sinking fund: 10.1%


January 2020 (In planning before reading this) :
Budget for Store Shopping:    $50
Budget for Online Shopping:  $30
% of income used to pay off debt: 67.0%
% of income saved or put in sinking fund: 11.5%


January 2020 (after reading this book) :
Budget for Store Shopping:    $10 (for toiletries or makeup if needed)
Budget for Online Shopping:  $0
% of income used to pay off debt: 67.0%
% of income saved or put in sinking fund: 12.7%


---------------------------THE RULES OF THE GAME-----------------------

What I’m allowed to shop for:

• groceries and basic kitchen supplies (plastic wrap, tin foil, etc.)

• cosmetics (like eyeliner and mascara, but only after I run out)

• toiletries (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.) only when I run out. 

• cleaning products (namely laundry detergent) when I run out. 

• gifts for others

What I’m NOT allowed to shop for:

• “fun” cosmetics (namely nail polish or tempting makeup just to "try")

• clothes 

• shoes 

• books, magazines and notebooks (this will be tough)

• household items (candles, decor, furniture, etc.)

• electronics and appliances

• Redbox/digital purchases (with the exception of Netflix and possibly HBOmax when it comes out this summer subscriptions)

You can see the list of rules that Cait Flaunders posted that I just edited to fit my needs at the following web address: https://caitflanders.com/shopping-ban-rules/

Also, I am allowing myself a few purchases that I can see being a necessity in the near future:

Allowed purchases in 2020:

1. Notebook from Target when other one gets full (I keep all my notes in this notebook including finances, sermons and bible classes)
2. Christmas Cards for next Christmas 
3. If I move to a new climate (Alaska or Hawaii) allowance for 2 seasonal purchase items if absolutely necessary.