not another low buy

not trying to woman-splain shopping to ya, I just love playing devil's advocate

Keto. Paleo. No buy. Low buy.

Low carb. No carb. Sugar-free. 75 hard.

Now identify each of those as a diet, style challenge, and/or Seussical rhyme. Ready, set, go!

sounds an awful lot like this to me

Gym memberships and diet plans have long rung in the new year. Now, we toast our glasses to fashion fasts¹. And what’s the difference? The transformation we seek is the same: Slim down. Finally feel confident and in control.

Yet, strict shopping rules are just as unsustainable as diets.

I love good food and I love good fashion— they get me out of bed every morning. Cutting out those indulgences (a word I hate because it implies wrongness) is never the remedy it seems. The side effect? Sucking the joy out of life.

I’m not encouraging mindless consumption, just as I wouldn’t encourage fully forgoing protein and veggies for sweets.

I’m saying that you’re smart and complex. Work with that, not against it. Rethink your commitment to simple, impersonal prescriptions.

Editor’s note: I’m in good company—

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

also compared low buy/diet mentalities. And

Corinne Fay

questioned the no buy in response to Emma Chamberlain’s viral decluttering video.

Manipulating someone is more effective than telling them what to do

As a morally-grey² over-thinker, rules entice me— so shiny and clear!

However, I suck at following them. I have too much pride. I consider myself clever enough to find a way around even the most stringent rules. And I hate sheep. I roll my eyes when people mindlessly adhere to some obscure notion of goodness.

Luckily, my own moral compass keeps me in line(ish).

So instead of instituting a low buy, I plan to tug at my internal values. I will manipulate my utterly pragmatic self. After all, you know you best.

Here’s my personal food for thought:

• Billionaires piss me off— which, in addition to sh*t quality, is great motivation to boycott Bezos. Amazon comes with a convenience fee: an unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach. Same goes for other uber fast-fashion retailers.

• I love treasure hunts and puzzles. In 2025, I plan to replace my TRR and Zara site-surfing with a deep dive into sustainable style and fashion history.

• Organization is my happy place. This year I’ve committed to log all purchases in a detailed, timely fashion. This will scratch my Type A itch AND naturally de-incentivizes purchases via added work. You want it? Then you gotta write it up in detail and face it. Forever. In your precious Excel sheet.

• I care about THE iconic diva herself— our planet. This simple reminder discourages consumption.

Not limited by budget? Add a moral cost.

More ambiguous financial limitations? Ask yourself: What would I enjoy more— This jacket? This thrift haul? Or a similarly-priced alternative? I.e., a trip to visit friends, an art class, or a gym membership. The tradeoff may not be 1:1, but it is grounding.

Is a low buy is right for YOU?

1. low buys cramp personal style discovery

Figuring out what you like requires trial and error and a purchase limit discourages experimentation. The risks of a more volatile piece may not seem worth the reward.

For example, I thrifted a pair of periwinkle jelly shoes this summer for $5. I love them and the new outfit formulas they inspired. Under a low buy, I’d have disregarded the jellies as an impractical, microtrendy, impulse buy. I doubt they’d be 1 of my 5 investment pieces for the year— even if I were in The Row’s Mara shoe tax bracket.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I needed the serendipity of those jelly shoes at that juncture. Sure, other thrifts were less successful. E.g., my clear jelly shoes. But how could I have known that the plastic’s pop of color meant the difference between a “meh” and an “aha!” fashion moment?

2. Shopping’s not a 4-letter word

I spent a ridiculous amount of time shopping in 2024. I bought an exorbitant number of items. Or did I?

Is shopping actually bad or does society just tell you that it’s frivolous?

I shop like others admire art in a museum. Regardless of whether I buy anything, it’s an enjoyable experience.

Moreover, ~80% of my 2024 purchases were second-hand, my expenditure was well within my means, and time spent shopping didn’t detract from other responsibilities. Where’s the bad??

Even at the extreme— is there any real harm in a revolving door of thrifted clothing? Certainly the planetary and financial impact is minimal.

^^See how I feel the need to defend shopping as a legitimate hobby?

Sure, instinctively surfing clothing sites to self-soothe and buying for the dopamine rush is problematic. And a low buy could solve this problem. Or, it could be like putting a bandaid on a bruise.

3. Salt to taste

Is your favorite chocolate chip cookie from the longstanding Tollhouse chocolate chip wrapper recipe? Probably not.

My personal fav has been perfected and passed down from my BFF’s grandma— under-fill the sugar, use salted butter, add extra salt + vanilla, and under-mix the flour.

Style practices as recipes, not rules. With a recipe you adjust to suit your own needs, preferences, and circumstances. You salt to taste.

4. Before envying its winners, ask yourself— is this a game I even want to play?

I posted a reading wrap-up this year. I read less books than every other Substacker I follow. But who cares?

Goodreads challenges and reading goals work for some people but not for me. They’d become toxic, I’d stop enjoying books, and I’d resist devoting any extra time or care to analysis.

So ask yourself: Why do I want to play the low buy game?

TLDR; reframe.

When resolve is born out of shame it rarely survives.

As a fashion lover, just saying “I need to buy less in 2025” won’t work. Instead, I’m digging deeper into what I love.

I’m relishing my already amazingly curated wardrobe. I’m shopping because I enjoy it. And I’m being mindful of things I already care about (the rich not getting richer, the environment, etc.).

So the title is kinda clickbait. In 2025, I will be doing a low buy— if we must call it that. But my own version of one. There’s no budget or limits on purchases and shopping frequency— just reminders of who I am and what I value.

xx your favorite rule-breaker, Audrey³

1. Do people need a new “problem” to fixate on now that Ozempic exists?

2. Slytherin pride 🐍

3. cover art credits to Maggie DuPont for Olivia and Dumpling Purse via Pinterest