Low Buy 2025: Year-End Recap

 After a year of mindfully decreasing discretionary spending, I have looked over my expenses to determine how successful I was at minimizing my spending. Compared to 2024, I spent 11% less in 2025. That was a tremendous success, in my opinion. I'll break down what went well and what did not.

Successes:

• My spending on toiletries cratered compared to last year. I made a conscious effort to organize my cabinets in January and made sure to use up my personal care items over the course of the year. I did not buy a single razor or container of shaving cream. I used up my stockpile of hair gel and only bought new shampoo, conditioner, and a bottle of anti-frizz serum.
• I bought less yarn than I did in previous years, and I used it to crochet baby gifts that I otherwise would have spent more money on.
• I went 10 months without buying coffee from Starbucks. I paid for 4 coffees there this year and used a gift card that I won during a trivia competition to buy several more.
• My electric bill will go down starting in December 2025 because I re-examined my supplier rate and switched to a different supplier with a lower delivery charge per month.
• We spent 42% less on Travel in 2025, which surprised me. I think that is because we did not take a big camping trip out West like we normally do, and instead visited friends and family. That eliminated hotel expenses and we got a good deal on plane tickets to California.

Failures:

• My 8-year-old computer was made obsolete by the end of Windows 10 support. This meant that my computer would be vulnerable to viruses as it would no longer receive security updates. I purchased components for a new desktop computer for $650, and my husband assembled it for me.
• We bought an entire Toyota Corolla this year (but, to be fair, we did that last year, too). At least the new cars came with 2 free oil changes and tire rotations!
• I did not do enough thrifting this year. I clean out my closet continually to get rid of things I don't wear but I didn't replace them. My favorite thrift store moved and it's not as convenient to visit, so I ended up buying new clothes at JCPenney and on Amazon.