How (and why) to stop buying so much stuff: A New Year’s Resolution
I will cut my Amazon Spending in half. I’ve done it before, and this is how I’ll do it again in 2026.
I am one of those people who makes New Year’s Resolutions, and I often keep them in spite of my raging ADHD. Shout out to all the acronym-laden methodologies I’ve learned at school and work over the years, but the real credit goes to this guy:
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Even if there are a dozen good reasons (and there are), I like one concrete why I can use as my emotional anchor through the year. This year’s why, for me, is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
On December 30, my sweetie walked in, arms full of packages, and said, “…is it Christmas again?”
It wasn’t. It was just a lot of boxes. I only actually needed a few medical items.
When dealing with pain and limited mobility, online ordering can be genuinely helpful, so I’d allowed myself Prime and Plus subscriptions for accessibility. Unfortunately these subscriptions can also make it way too easy to buy things I don’t really need.
The most regrettable purchase in this pile was an apron.
I’ve been spilling on myself more lately (because of said mobility issues), and I didn’t want to ruin the cozy things my honey got me for Christmas. And this apron looked perfect online. It matched the soft woodlands theme of the kitchen, and exactly matched the flora motif and fungi on the shelf paper.
I’d already bought the necessary items, and the “add to order” button got this (and everything else) on the porch before I had time to think about it again.
Alas: it’s poorly made. The straps aren’t adjustable. The sizing is tiny. And someone clearly decided the colors should be dialed way up. The resulting vibe is less “what I saw in the woods” and more “I ate everything I saw in the woods.”
I could return it, but odds are it would just end up in a landfill. And honestly, it’ll do. I made the strap adjustable. It keeps the stains off. It doesn’t spark joy, but it functions.
It’s also going to be my mascot for this resolution. I can put it on every time I cook and remind myself how easily small impulse buys sneak in. Given my habits over the past year, that feels useful.
So with my why solidly anchored, here are several tricks I’ve used in the past to help me meet my goal for the year:
Card Tricks:
People say simply get rid of the credit card or literally freeze it in ice, and if that’s your jam, OK. I try to use mine to my advantage, though. I use the card for everything, pay each month’s statement in full, and I make use of their tools:
Check the data. Most card companies offer spend-analysis. Look at how much you’ve spent at certain online merchants, and see how you feel. What reduction would be meaningful to you?
Set a limit. Card companies can also notify you when you’ve crossed your chosen spending threshold. I’ll be lowering mine.
Divide and conquer: if it makes sense, one card for groceries and planned spending, one for emergencies, and one as a personal allowance. You’ll want to ask the card company to lower the limits of each card accordingly. Please note this only works well if you’re not carrying card debt, and can handle the logistics of multiple cards.
Mind Tricks
Big online retailers use mind tricks to make us buy more. We can use a few of our own to counter them.
Do a year in review. Where did you make the most purchases? Look at your whole year of spending and consider what you’ve used and what’s just taking up space. Here’s a link for Walmart, and one for Amazon. Your retailer-of-choice may require you to navigate to your order history. Make a point of doing it.
Mind your memberships: if you’re paying those two companies over $239 so you can get free shipping on impulse buys, are you really saving money in the long run? If you save $10 on each shipment, you’d need at least 24 purchases to break even. On that note:
Pay for shipping. Without memberships, retailers will bait you to buy more to get free shipping. It’s not free if it pushes me to buy more than I want or need. And honestly? Somebody always pays. Covering shipping myself helps me remember that.
No Pressure. Is that limited-time offer really that limited? I know one retailer I’ve purchased from has had the same “flash sale” option every day since November. You can search the web to see past prices. And I like to remember a discount doesn’t help much if it ends up unused.
No returns: Most companies offer free returns these days, but free does not mean zero cost. If you find yourself regretting a purchase, instead of offloading it, maybe you can make it your mascot like I’m doing with this silly apron.
Less is more: twice as much at a lower cost doesn’t always mean it’s a good idea. I realized this was creeping up on me again when I noticed myself buying more cute bins to hide all the extra stuff I’ve bought.
Use a calendar. Consider picking one day each month to do your online shopping, or at least one day to use checkout. Even if you do lose out on a few sales, you’ll spend less and have less regret in the long run.
On Resolutions in General:
Find your why. This goes for any goal. But if you’re cutting purchases: Is it clutter? Spending? Reclaiming cabinets and closets? Regret at the returns counter? Giving away too many impulse buys? Tired of declining quality? Improving environmental impact? Whatever it is, find your why. Notice how you feel. Commit to doing something about it. Find a way to remind yourself.
Dream of Done. This one is Brené Brown idea. Paint a picture of done. If you’ve got a highly visual mind like mine, dream about what you want. Write it down. Put a reminder where you’ll see it often, and take time to think on it again.
Tell someone who cares. A partner (if they’re good to you). A trusted friend. Someone who struggles with the same thing so you can body double. If you’re alone, write it on your bathroom mirror with dry erase so you can tell yourself often.
Practice, not perfection. Rigid standards work for some, but if you’re like me, an all-or-nothing mindset gets in the way of progress. 50% achieved is better than 0%. Try giving yourself permission every morning to do a little better today than yesterday. In my story, I did need some of the items. But I could have done better. And next time, I will.
[…] for my other 2025 goals: my space is cozier, minus the apron incident and more stuff than a nomad needs. I’ll keep tinkering. And I’m still figuring out what I want […]
Legend of Velda 
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