After the excess of the festive binge, 'Januworry' is one of the longest months of the year for cash-strapped South Africans.

Many such individuals want solutions to financial troubles in order to have a financial fruitful and stress-free 2025.

The newest trend that has hit the money saving scene is the no buy year.

The crux of this money-saving plan is relatively easy, one commits to buying nothing but the essentials for the whole year.

Although simple, it requires planning and effort to pull off.

Here are the steps to starting your own no buy year.

The why

The why is your reason for endeavouring into the no buy year. Ask yourself what the motivation is behind joining this movement.

Is it because you want to fix your relationship with money?

Do you want to stop your overconsumption?

Do you want to be more intentional with what you spend your money on?

Do you want to replenish or start saving money for the future or emergencies?

Reducing one's waste.

List at lea five reasons why you want to partake in the no buy year.

Rules

For your no buy year to go smoothly without a hitch, you have to put in place some rules that will help hold you accountable so that you don't stray from your path.

Here are some examples:

No buy items include decor, fast food and trendy fashion.

When ordering online, put an item on the wish list for a week and decide after seven days whether to actually buy it or not.

Have a list when going to the shops and stick to it. No buying of anything outside of the list.

Only buy clothes at thrift/charity shops.

Make or create gifts that are thoughtful instead of buying from stores.

Implementation

Your no buy year does not have to start in January. It can start in February or June. You just have to ensure that you stick to it for a total of 12 month.

Give yourself grace. If you accidentally overspend on certain items, that does not mean that the challenge is over. Dust yourself off and get back to the plan.

Read your rules frequently to remind yourself of why you began this.

Watch YouTube videos about others doing the same challenge and get inspiration.

IOL