January Halfway Point
We’re already halfway through January, so it’s time for the first update of this 2024 no-spend challenge!
How it’s Going
To kick things off, I did not spend any of my first quarter stationery allowance, so that remains at $100! I did, however, spend money on replenishment items: refills for my PLUS glue tape dispenser, which cost me $16.23 for a four pack. I’m on my last refill for my tape dispenser, so these were a necessary replenishment! Usually, these would last me a while, but I’m splitting them with a friend, so I’ll probably need to order another set in a month or two, and I’ll place the order when I begin using the last refill.
These first two weeks were also a weird transition period for me, because I was still getting a couple straggler items in the mail from my 2023 spending. Things felt kind of normal, since I was still getting new items to play with. One order was a set of 29 Shachihata mini ink pads, a group buy I took part in with some local stationery friends. Another was a glass pen that I’ve been looking forward to, but because pf some issues, I will have to wait a little longer to enjoy it. It’s okay though, since that means I still have a new item to look forward to!
Also, in the general spending around the house, we only made one large purchase, and that was a fancy bidet. It’s something I’ve been begging for since 2019, and I think in the long run it’ll pay for itself, right? Less toilet paper! That stuff is expensive! Other than that, we’ve been doing pretty well with our spending!
Using my Stuff
I’ve been hard at work on my Japan trip journal, catching up in my Hobonichi A6 5 Year watercolor journal, finishing my 2023 Hobonichi Cousin, and trying to catch up in my Sterling Ink B6 2024 journal. The Japan trip we took at the end of last year really threw off my journaling habit, and I’m ready to finish these journals and put 2023 behind me. When I’m finished with my Japan trip journal and first year of watercolor paintings, I plan to make videos to share them with everyone, so keep an eye out for that in the next post!
I feel like I should make some goals, like “finish x many sticker sheets” or “use x many memo notes” but for now my biggest focus is going to be catching up in my journals. In the future, I’ll try to focus on using up specific categories of items.
I spent my extra time over the past two weeks organizing my sticker sheets and washi tapes. I even labeled my sticker books to help me find things easier so I can more efficiently use them. Organization is coming along slowly, but I think it helps. This is something I will continue to work on, and I still wish to build capsules as previously discussed. I’m also studying how others organize their things, to see how and where I can improve.
Temptations
This section might not be for anyone who is also on a no-spend! If you don't want to be tempted or enabled, skip ahead to the next section or don’t click the links!
I’ve been doing a good job of muting accounts that tempt me and unsubscribing from various newsletters. If I see a tempting post, I mute the account and move on. But sometimes the people sharing the temptation are my own friends, and I don’t want to mute them too! So yes, while muting accounts for shops and products can help, it’s definitely not foolproof.
One of the biggest temptations has been Yoseka’s new Stationery Zoo stamps. I purchased their first stationery zoo stamp last year, the Quick Brown Fox and Lazy Dog. The stamp is so cute, and the new stamps are really great. I also love how Yoseka encourages their employees to do these special projects. Technically, I could afford the full set, but it would almost completely wipe out my allowance, and I don’t feel like I use stamps enough to warrant buying them. I especially like the Night Watcher and Nocturnal Journaler stamps, but they aren’t going anywhere. So maybe if I find myself really using my stamps more like I hope to, I will be able to justify the purchase in the future. The main trap I don’t want to fall into is thinking I need to buy the rest of the series just because I already own one.
Esterbrook released a gorgeous collaboration with Toyo Steel, a matcha green T-190 toolbox debossed with the Esterbrook logo and emblazoned with script on the side. They did an amazing job on it, and while I think it would fall under allowed non-allowance purchases as a “storage item,” I think it’s unnecessary, considering I already have several Toyo boxes. Especially at $45.
Another cause of temptation was my local journal club’s meetup at Dromgoole’s. Dromgoole’s is a local fountain pen and stationery store that’s full of so many goodies to spend money on! I actually visited them twice over the past two weeks, once to drop some things off and discuss my journal club’s meetup, and again to hold the actual meetup. Dromgoole’s opened up special for my club on a Sunday (they’re usually closed), moving things out of the way and clearing off tables to set up for my club to come journal and socialize for a few hours. And yes, the registers were open, and enabling was in full swing. I’m proud to say I didn’t buy a single thing! There were new Kawecos, new Wearingeul Peter Pan inks, and enticing new stickers, washi tapes, and memo pads. I came out victorious, with my credit card remaining in my pocket the whole time.
What I’ve Learned So Far
I made a discovery already, only two weeks into this no-spend challenge.
Since I set my strict no-spend to only stationery, this opens me up to a certain vulnerability. Because I have a variety of interests, it’s easy to fall down a new rabbit hole and become obsessed with non-stationery products just as easily as I do with stationery. In less than 24 hours, I went from browsing TikTok in the bathtub to falling down a Starbucks mug rabbit hole and spending my lunch break and after work time frantically hopping from Starbucks to Starbucks on a quest for a rainbow iridescent wood dragon mug. And while I acquired the mug, with the help from a generous friend, (and when I receive it I’m going to use it and love it to pieces) I realized I need to make sure I’m not replacing my stationery buying obsession with any new obsessions.
As I mentioned in previous posts, I’m doing this no-buy for specific financial reasons, but I also need to re-train my brain not to give in to these obsessions and desires, and more importantly, the FOMO. Because there will always be something to have FOMO about, if I let it happen. So, while I continue on with this stationery no-spend, I will try my best to recognize when I’m obsessing over something, no matter what it is, and do my best to let it go. It’s a process, and I know it’s going to be messy and imperfect, but I’ll keep trying.
Special Thanks
I wanted to give a special thanks and shout-out to my friend Yuko for being amazing and helping me with my no-spend over the past couple weeks (and even before that). She has gifted me many loops of PET and washi tape, stickers, and memo notes, always giving me something new and exciting to add to my pages. Thanks also go to Pei for gifting me PET tape samples and letting me use her stamps, and everyone else who has gifted me things so far, it’s really appreciated!
I also “shopped” the destash a bit at our journal club meetup and picked up a few new stickers, so thank you to the friends who donate your stationery for others to use and enjoy!
Thank you to everyone who has cheered me on, followed this substack, shared my posts, commented, and offered words of encouragement. They are all greatly appreciated!
Totals
I’ve created a basic spreadsheet to track my no-spend totals and allowance spending, plus I want to track usage and spending on replenishment items. If anyone would like to see the running totals in my spreadsheet or if you would like to copy it for your own usage, it’s available here.
It’s still in the boring phase since I haven’t really spent anything, but I think it will be fun to include a screenshot on each post so we can see how things go throughout the year. I will add lines and make changes as needed, but so far this is what it looks like:
The next post will be on or around the 31st of January and likely follow a similar format to this post. If you haven’t already subscribed, make sure you do so you don’t miss the next update! All the main updates are free!
If you’re also doing a no-spend, how’s it going? Any suggestions or words of encouragement? I’d love to hear from you!