My Wealth Timeline: Growing my Salary from $22K to $100K+

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Everybody starts with a knowledge base of zero, including me. I had no idea that it was possible to make and grow my wealth to where it is today. I started off earning $22,000 per year after college and have since grown and negotiated my way up to earning over six figures! I’m here today to tell you exactly how I did it.

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May 2013 - Graduated from college

I studied cinematic arts in college. (Legit the furthest thing from stable steady finance job you could get 😂.) Even the dean upon graduation gave a speech to parents telling them they can expect to continue supporting their children for a year out of college. Graduated college with no student debt, thank you mom & dad!

August 2013 - $11/hr

I finally got my first job in entertainment marketing. I did not negotiate AT ALL. And yes, my parents still had to help with rent as the dean anticipated.

July 2014 - I QUIT!

The job was toxic. I was legit told by the only female boss in there when I went to talk to her, to keep my head down and continue putting up with “the boys club.” They wouldn’t even refer to me by my real name…that’s how terrible it was. She told me to keep doing good work and eventually they’d respect me. I came home crying every other night and finally knew it was time to go. I legit got out of there thinking I was sh*tty designer…it took a toll. My parents did not understand why I would quit a job without something lined up and encouraged me not to, but I did.

My roommate, who was also in a toxic job quit around the same time and in the 3 months we were looking for a job we took little frugal camping trips. We explored Zion National Park, Yosemite, the redwoods, and went up north to the bay area.

October 2014 - Meaningful Work $15/hr

After my experience in entertainment marketing, I knew I had to find a job with more purpose than getting people to buy a movie ticket. I finally landed a job whose mission it was founded on was to give back. I again didn’t negotiate when they offered me $15/hr (no overtime) because it felt like way more than $11/hr .

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June 2015 - $25/hr

I honestly didn’t realize how littler $15/hr was at the time so this was a huge promotion. When initially I got brought on in October of 2014, I had been told it was just a short hiring freeze and they’d hire me soon. I naiively just assumed it was out of my control and never asked about anything fulltime unless my manager brought it up.

October 2015 - $65,000/yr

In retrospect I wish I had advocated for my hire more, but finally got brought on fulltime one year later. This salary was so astronomical I didn’t negotiate it at all I was just so grateful. My senior copywriter friend insisted I push back a little bit to make up for that lost year, but again I was too afraid.

December 2017 - The Start of My Personal Finance Journey

I finally was saving enough money that I decided I needed to do something about it. I took inventory of all my assets (aka calculated my net worth) in anticipation of a 401K advisor coming into the workplace to talk over financial plans for free.

She said I was doing everything right and I coudl probably increase my 401K contributions to continue saving and maybe even a open a 529 plans if I really wanted kids. I decided to increase my 401K to 12%, opened my first credit card (Citi 2x Cashback) and started investing through what I felt like was the easiest method, Wealthfront’s robo-advisor.

I was research I did through this comparison article on Nerdwallet. I ultimately choose Wealthfront over Betterment because I liked Wealthfront’s design better.

December 2018 - $85,000/yr

The next two years I would receive a standard 3% cost-of living raise and a small bonus, bringing me up to $70K/yr. But in 2018 I start pursuing new opportunities (THANK U LINKEDIN JOBS, which let recruiters know I was available.) I was recruited to work at an ad agency. I made a huge leap from $70K to $85K. I knew you could earn more, but I didn’t realize how much more that would be by switching jobs.

I had two offers on the table both at $85K. I tried to negotiate more on both but they said it was at the top of the budget. One role was at a small energy tech company and the other a major ad agency. I think I would have actually enjoyed the smaller company more, but I ended up at the ad agency because it was a big name and so many people look for creatives with agency experience.

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April 2019 - My first $100K

I had been automating my finances since December of 2017 and really did not track anything too closely. One day I opened my Weatlhfront app and realized I had hit $100K net worth in April. It was revolutionary! It was about this time that I had also started building a personal finance presence on Instagram as a hobby.

August 2019 - $70/hr

The role I had left at the ad agency was not everything I had anticipated it would be. The client I was on was difficult and not open to innovative ideas. I felt stifled as a designer. It was so bad that I felt like I couldn’t even add anything to my portfolio, which meant it was time to go. A few friends had mentioned that I’d enjoy contracting and freelancing and that I could make a lot more that way too.

I had a 5 year plan to move into the tech world and get up to the bay area to be closer to my family. When a 3 month contract opportunity came along at a major tech company in Los Angeles, I dove head first even if it wasn’t full-time. The contracting agency had full benefits and although they initially offered $65/hr, I negotiated up to $70.

September 2019 - FI/RE!

I had been posting about personal finance for awhile on Instagram when a friend mentioned to me that I should look into Mr. Money Mustache’s blog and learn more about FIRE.

When I finally did, my whole world changed forever. I started reading personal finance books, tracking my spending and binging all the Youtube and Podcast videos.

December 2019 - No work December

With the holidays approaching and my contract ending, I decided I didn’t want to even try to take on any new jobs through the rest of the year. Leveling up my finances and building a solid emergency fund allowed me to intentionally not work. I loved it so much I even extended that into the beginning of January.

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January-February 2020 - Freelance $80/hr

Mid January to February I earned nothing, but I did pick up a few freelance clients. I announced publicly on my social media so my network reached out to me some opportunities. I highly recommend doing this if you’re trying to get new clients. My rate was higher than ever, but I knew I didn’t want to do it.

I also learned I did not like the lack of structure that came with the freelancing territory. When the choice was do work or watch Netflix….it almost always came down to the latter until the panic monster set in. I started looking for a steady contracting job in tech in the beginning of February.

March 2020 - $58/hr

I ended up landing a job at another big tech company for a year. I was so excited about everything EXCEPT the pay. But the team I’d be on, my role, and the fact that I could try living in the bay area for one year outweighed that negative. In the end it wasn’t about the money. That amount still pushed me in the 6 figure range so I was content. I can honestly say I’m so happy where I am right now!

July 2020 - $200K Net Worth

I reached my next next worth benchmark in the blink of an eye and am climbing my way to the next. I decided to learn to rebalance my own portfolio (with the help of my hand dandy rebalancing spreadsheet) and slowly stopped using my robo-advisor.

I’ve learned that it’s not always about the money, sometimes it’s about the experience and happiness that a job brings. Here’s to growing all of you wealth and sharing experiences so we can all grow rich!

xo,

Catie

Disclosure: Some links on my site are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)

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Sustainability Starter Pack: 6 Simple Swaps to Save Money (and the Planet!)

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Sometimes being sustainable feels like a hard ask. I get it! That’s why I wanted to share with you the 6 easiest, most mindless swaps that help save you money and help save the environment.

1. Reusable Water Bottle

If you’re looking where to start, look no further than the humble reusable water bottle. Not only does it reduce plastic water bottle usage, which takes years to biodegrade, but it also is chic and cute. I like water bottles that are super great at insulating the cold! Mine keeps ice in there for over 24 hours.

Hydroflasks are a very popular, and trendy option, but there are also great options on the market that do the same job for less. I personally use a TAL 64 oz bottle. (Be sure to use Rakuten with it to get 6% cash back!) This way I know I only need to drink one bottle of water per day and I can tell if I’m not on track!

Stay hydrated, save money, and the planet. WIN-WIN-WIN! :)

2. Fountain Pen

Sustainability but make it fashun! This year I started using a refillable fountain pen. I use a Pilot Metropolitan. When I did my research, this was a good, basic, beginners fountain pen. I needed something easy.

My dad actually started using them years ago because the pressure it takes to write with the fountain is a lot less than the grip you need with a standard pen. He ended up switching to fountain pens for that reason, but I was more interested in the sustainability and sexiness factor. This is a sexy pen! It’s heavy and the nib looks very fancy. There are really fancy ones you can get on Amazon for like $12, so it doesn’t even cost that much to get started.

This one came with a fountain pen and an ink refill cartridge. You’ll take an ink cartridge, put the end into the inkwell, and squeeze the rubber part until the ink stops bubbling. That’s when you know it’s full of ink. Then you unscrew your fountain pen and load the ink cartridge in. It’s super simple once you get the hang of it.

Pilot Metropolitan: $23 at time of publishing

It’s also ergonomic and you don’t have to put a ton of pressure on the paper when you write which causes your hand to get cramped up and callous. It saves you a ton of money and makes you more conscious of keeping track of your pen. This is the only pen I use now. It’s made of all metal, no plastic like those cheap pens you buy.

I really love using this fountain pen. It feels luxe and not only does it make you feel luxe, it saves you a lot of money from ever having to buy another pen again. Again, I use a Pilot Metropolitan, a great beginners fountain pen, but I highly recommend you check out any reusable fountain pen.

Pen: $14.99 // Ink: $11.29 at time of publishing

3. Wool Dryer Balls

Another super easy swap is getting dry balls. I like the wool one’s because they’re all natural and non-damaging. The dryer balls cut down your drying time, the natural motion from the balls bouncing around in the machine helps to beat the water out even quicker and keeps all of your clothes feeling really soft without having to use dryer sheets. Which even knows what’s in those dryer sheets—I don’t.

I really like using these dryer balls in place of dryer sheets. They keep my clothes soft, cut down on the drying time, and I’m not buying dryer sheets ever again.

$6.99 for pack of 6 at time of publishing.

4. Safety Razor

Honestly, I can’t think of a reason not to switch to safety razors. In addition, to giving a better shave and reducing irritation, they are less expensive and more eco-friendly than normal razors. Seriously, what more could you ask for? One handle will last a lifetime, and the blades (which come in bulk!) can be recycled at your local recycling center.

I specifically like a butterfly safety razor because it’s easy to twist open and replace the blade. It goes right on top and that’s the only thing you are really replacing. For a pack of 100 blades it cost about $6-$7. Traditional razor-heads for women are really expensive and add up so quickly. So for a pack of 100 of these razor blades you could change it out every couple days and you’d be gold in for the entire year.

Vikings Blade Chieftain: $29 at time of publishing.

I will say, it takes a little bit of a learning curve. And something that I miss about Traditional razors is the pivoting head that gets inside all the curves and your curvy lady parts. Razors were designed by men for men way back when to shave their beards and that area is easier to get to. So it takes a bit of an adjustment getting used to the weightiness of a safety razor and the feeling of a single blade. 

A modern woman’s razor has like three or four blades. This one only has a single blade, so that way it’s not cutting so close to your skin. When you have that many blades, it cuts the hair below the skin, which is how a lot of people get razor burn and ingrown hairs. This is actually something my dad turned me onto because he was getting a lot of ingrown hairs and I do too under my armpits. The switch to a safety razor has helped a lot with that.

Safety Razor: $16.98 // Razor Blades: $14.97 for pack of 50 at time of publishing.

Something I am interested in trying out is a Leaf Razor ($84 at time of publishing). It has a lot of the same properties of a single blade safety razor, but they modernized the design to have a pivoting head. It’s also made of metal, plastic-free, and you use single blades. You can put in a single blade, or it can hold up to three which is nice to have that option.

The Leaf Razor is more of an investment, but a beginner safety razor will run you about anywhere from $15-$30. It’s a worthwhile investment sheerly from not having to place your razor head over and over again.

5. Shopping Bags

Living in California we actually have a plastic bag ban. That means whenever you go to the grocery store they will charge you $0.10 if you don’t bring your own bag to reuse. Obviously it’s a financial incentive for people to bring their own reusable bags.

I keep like 5-10 bags (probably an excessive amount) in my trunk just so that they are always handy even if I bring some in and forget to put them back. That way I’m ready to go and can pull it out when I’m ready to do my grocery shopping. It’s really very low effort to remember to bring your own bags. At this point it’s a habit.

My favorite ones are the standard size Baggu bags. They come in a ton of fun prints! I have a shark one, a llama one and one of my favorites is one that’s made to look like a classic plastic one.  Since I am a designer I really like bags that are cute and aesthetically pleasing and not only that but they’re super, super functional.

3-Pack: $36 // Single Bag: $12 at time of publishing.

If you’re going to be sustainable, you want to make it fun and have the things you use spark joy whenever you go to use your bags. It sparks joy when I’m packing my groceries up. 

These can carry like 3 gallons of milk and it will still hold up. I only need two or three per grocery trip, but the sides expand. There’s extra space on the sides so you can hold a lot of stuff in this bag. I love my Baggu bags. They’re super functional and practical. They fold up into these nice little pouches. I think they are about $12-$16 and they have new prints every year.

I really like to give these as stocking stuffers or a white elephant gift because I’m so practical. I'm like well this is totally something anyone can use even if they aren’t as eco-chic as you. Everybody could use a large nylon tote, right? I have been known to even steal these back at my own white elephant parties. Not gonna lie, I brought as my gift and definitely stole it back. So think about that for your next white elephant party, if you have any this year…although who’s having white elephant or Christmas parties this year. *WOMP*

6. Rechargeable Batteries

This is not as fun as my reusable bags, but this product is something I use all the time. It runs many of the little appliances in my life and it’s so behind the scenes but it’s always good to have these on hand and that is rechargeable batteries.

Whenever I have a little appliance, like the clock on my wall, and the batteries die, I replace it with a rechargeable battery–my coffee foamer, all of my flashlights I use for camping, literally any little thing that uses batteries. It’s just a matter of having enough extras on hand so I can recharge them. Usually things don’t run out at the exact same time so I have maybe four on hand that I can use as my reserve.

Rechargeable Batteries + Charger: $14.97 for pack of 50 at time of publishing.

I got a rechargeable battery set a couple years ago and it’s really great. The charger I have is for AA batteries and it can also charge AAA batteries. Rechargeable batteries are the way to go. Batteries themselves are so expensive and if you find yourself running out of them a lot it really adds up. Not only does it add up monetarily but batteries aren’t great for the environment, so it’s great to have these rechargeable ones.

Just like your phone, the batteries degrade overtime. Eventually you would want to replace them, but for the years and amount of use I get out of these, these are SO worth it.

There are so many ways to help preserve the environment that don’t require you to completely change your lifestyle. I’ve found that starting with small, easy swaps has led to me making more and more sustainable choices. The impact on my day-to-day life is barely noticeable, and it saves me money in the long run! We only have one Earth to live on, which means it’s so important that we take care of it. Have you made any simple sustainable swaps recently? Share your eco-friendly hacks in the comments below!

Save your money. Save the planet.

Disclosure: Some links on my site are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)

Sustainable Swaps

2021 Money Goals and Recapping My 2020 Financial Resolutions

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2020 you guys, such a year! With everything going on though in the world I think it's a good time to reflect on all of the goals I set for myself, and my hopes and my dreams looking into 2021. Some things went really well, better than anticipated, and some things honestly fell flat. I think having the grace to move forward and reflect back on what was and wasn't working in the end makes me a stronger and better person.

I'm excited to share with you the goals that I set for myself, what I did, what I accomplished, and what goals I have looking forward in the future!

1. Get a contract in the Bay Area

My first goal of 2020 was to find a contract up in the bay area. I have been living in Los Angeles for the last 10 years. I really wanted to be able to be closer to family and also get to experience San Francisco. I was really excited to try living up here and it wasn't until March that I was actually able to get a contract. I was freelancing for the first three months of the year and I wasn't sure if anything would pan out. Fortunately something did...and then the pandemic hit. Now I work completely from home. On the downside I never got to experience what it was like living in San Francisco. Here we are in month eight of this quarantine. So yes, I obtained my goal of finding a contract in the bay area, unfortunately it's not quite the experience that I anticipated.

2. Work in fintech tech

My second goal for 2020 was working in fintech. What I want to achieve is financial independence so earning more money is obviously a way to help you get to financial independence quicker. I knew I wanted to be in fintech because it would merge the tech money with my love of finances. I was thinking about something like Credit Karma, Wealthfront, or Robinhood— all brands that I really love. Unfortunately, I did not get a job in the fintech space. I did end up finding a contract and job in the tech space. My second goal I did achieve, but only part way.

3. Savings rate at 60% 77%

My third goal of 2020 was to save 60%. Actually for this goal I ended up saving quite a bit more. My 2020 savings rate this year is somewhere in the range of 77%. There are a couple of factors that contributed to this unanticipated bump in savings rate. Speaking to my last point, I ended up with a contract in the bay area and in the tech space. Fortunately for me my job has been pretty secure throughout this year. There weren't any major layoffs and they continued with my contract, so that was one factor.

The second factor is that I am still living with my parents. I am 29 now and living with my parents, which I never really anticipated. When I moved up to the bay area, I thought I would only be here for a few months while I figured out where I wanted to live in the city of San Francisco and find a spot to really be integrated in the bay area life. However, that did not pan out and I am still at home. Because of that I am able to save a lot on rent.

Then the third factor is I'm always inside. I used to go out with my friends. We used to go to brunch, go out to bars on the weekends and that used to be a pretty big chunk of my monthly expenses. Because of the pandemic, I haven't been able to do any of that. My goal of saving 60% has definitely been hugely impacted for me from the pandemic.

4. No spend year

The fourth goal of 2020 was to do another no spend year. I had done a no-spend year a couple years ago and it went really, really well. It is honestly the main contributing factor to jumpstart my life into personal finance and figure out investing. Because of that I was thinking in 2020 that I would do another no-spend year, but I did not accomplish that goal. The other day I bought a pair of fluffy slippers at the thrift store, which I don't really know where I'm gonna wear them to, but they were only $6 and I need some joy in my life right now. 2020 was not a no spend year, it was a very, very low-buy year. I think I only got like five new items of clothes. Overall I spent probably less than $200 in total on all my clothes. I also tried to buy secondhand.

That being said, give yourself grace if you don't reach your goal. I know we're not perfect but I do try to keep my spending to a minimum. I think as long as you're trying and doing your best I think that's the best we can do.

5. Host a clothing swap

Building on top of that, my next goal was to host a clothing swap. I love hosting a clothing swap. I love being able to bring a bunch of people together to find joy in getting rid of their old stuff and also feel like they're getting like new stuff. It's a great way for me and my friends to all hang out and get together and “shop.” Whatever didn't get swapped got donated. It's rewarding and fulfilling being able to pass things on and give something a new life. 

6. Rebalance my portfolio

For 2020 I knew I really wanted to learn how to rebalance my own portfolio myself. For this goal I built a rebalancing spreadsheet, which you can download for free, that would help me rebalance my portfolio. My portfolio is modeled after the Bogleheads three fund portfolio. Basically I invest in three index funds—a total U.S. stock market index fund, a total international stock market fund, and a total U.S. bond market index fund. With those three funds I allocate a percentage of my portfolio to each.

Whenever I go to add more money to my accounts I'll put that dollar amount into my rebalancing spreadsheet and it will tell me how much of that dollar amount to buy or if I'm truly rebalancing I sell some of my assets, usually in my tax-sheltered accounts to reallocate some of it. If I'm over-indexed in stocks, I will go buy more bonds. I like to rebalance on a quarterly basis but I think it's also okay to do it on a half-yearly basis.

8. Max out 401K and IRA

In 2020 for the very, very first time in my entire life I was finally able to max out my 401k and my IRA. I've been able to max out the $6,000 in my Roth IRA for the past three years and finally this year in 2020 I was able to contribute the full $19,500 to my 401k portfolio. That was a huge accomplishment. As soon as I got my contract in March I knew that that was something I wanted to do. After taking a look at all my expenses and deciding to stay with my parents, I knew that that was a goal of mine that I could for sure accomplish.

I'm a big believer in front loading your portfolio. My initial percentage for my 401k came out of my paycheck at 40% to really front load it and get it over with ASAP. I didn't even see that money.

8. Start Millennial Money Honey podcast/Youtube/blog

Lastly I had some big goals for Millennial Money Honey. I went full into millennial money honey in September 2019. I bought the domain, bought the website, and finally decided that I'm gonna do this. My goal for 2020 was to start a podcast and that actually evolved into this, which is my youtube channel. I also decided to blog more frequently. Initially my goal was two posts per month, but I went quiet for a little bit and instead decided to release a blog post for every video that I launched. With the launch of this youtube channel, I've been able to blog promoting the video content simultaneously. I try to be extremely efficient with how I work and operate and use content for Millennial Money Honey and it has been much more streamlined. 

I'm still getting into the groove, but I think I'm slowly, slowly finding it. Those were my goals for 2020...some of them wild success, some of them less of a success, but I'm looking forward to taking my learnings from my failures and successes of 2020 and looking forward to 2021.

1. Extend design contract

My first goal of 2021 is to extend my current design contract. I really, really love where I'm at. I'm happy with my team and the work that we're doing and it's really fun. I am also hoping we find a cure for this pandemic and I actually get to experience the bay area because that's what I came here for and that's what I'm most looking forward to. Hoping in 2021 I'll finally be able to experience that.

2. Savings rate >80%

Because of my decision to continue living with my parents through 2021 my savings rate goal is 80% now. That is extremely high, way higher than my goal last year. I think I will be able to accomplish that given the situation that I put myself in.

3. No “brand new” clothes. Get rid of clothes if I buy something “new.”

My third goal is instead of a no spend year, I want to do a no new clothes year. I don't mean no clothes, I mean clothes that are secondhand. It's new to me but it's not brand new. If I do buy a new to me article of clothing, then I will have to reevaluate my closet and give up a piece of clothing that I own. I already have a ton of things and I really don't need more, but I love things so I'm trying to be better about that. As I buy new things I'm going to let some things go.

4. Max out my 401K and IRA

Next year for 2021 I also want to continue the trend of being able to max out my 401k and my IRA. I am again planning on front-loading my accounts. I'm saving up $6,000 so on January 1st or within the first month of the year, I can boom send the $6,000 and max out my IRA. I am also going to try and front load my 401K. Right now I'm not contributing anything to my 401k because I maxed it out, but I'm going to increase that back up to maybe around 30-40%, whatever I feel comfortable with.

5. Post 1 Youtube video per week

I think my financial goals don't really scare me at this point. I'm like I know I can do that. I'm confident in myself. The thing I'm less confident in is growing this business, to be honest. My next goal is to make one Youtube video per week. Since I've launched this channel, I have been extremely consistent about posting one a week, but I also launched in October, which means there were only I think nine weeks left of the year. It's been really fun and really easy but I'm also scared I'm not going to be consistent. (Hold me accountable!) Along with that, I want to be super transparent with you, my goal is eventually to monetize this channel...like a side goal. My main goal is more to put out stuff that's interesting and fun and watchable things that you want to see.

6. Formalize MMH business

And then building upon that I really want to establish Millennial Money Honey as a business. Right now it is all mixed up with my personal stuff and I think I need to get my shiz together. That for me is looking into opening a SEP IRA, opening a business checking, and a business credit card. I want to keep all of my finances separate from my regular life. That is a big huge goal for 2021—to figure out the business side of my brand.

7. Gross $100K income

And then finally my goal for 2021 is to gross $100k. Actually last year in 2020 I was able to achieve that and I want to maintain that same momentum. I'm not really looking to go over that because I did a lot of design freelance work. While I really enjoy design, it is a huge time suck when I'm working 9 to 5 and doing design work throughout the entire day and then after work I also have to do more freelance design work. I really do not want to do that in 2021. All of my income will hopefully be from this brand and from my 9-5 contract job. 

I hope you guys are inspired by my goals. Send me a DM, leave me a comment, shoot me an email and let me know if you guys have great ideas for financial, personal, business goals for 2021. I would love to hear them! One of the main reasons I'm putting this out there is to hold myself accountable. If you see me throughout the year and it’s like, “Hey Catie, that's not looking too good!” Shout me out, call me out because I'm here for it. This is why I overshare!

I really appreciate all of your love and support and if you liked what you saw hit the like button subscribe hit the notification bell to get notified when I drop my next video or if you're tuning in on the podcast subscribe wherever you listen to your podcast and I'll talk to you guys soon.

Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)

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How to Stop Shopping: My Experience and Tips for a Successful No Spend Year

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I didn't buy anything for a whole entire year. You read that right. I did not buy any clothes, any home goods, any candles, decor, nothing–no physical item for an entire year. This year really helped shape how I think about my spending—what I really need versus what I want.

It all started back in 2017, which was my year of sustainability. It was my new year's resolution to be mindful of my impact on the environment and reduce my impact where I could. But instead of doing it for an entire year, which I felt like was a lot for me to cut things out of my life, my plan was to do it for a quarter, so three months at time and have four different resolutions. For the first quarter, I decided to not buy anything. 

These were my rules for not buying anything:

1. No Clothes

My first rule was not buying any clothes, period. No clothes. I did not need anything–no dresses, no pants, no hair accessories. I could make everything that I had in my closet work. 

2. No Home Goods

The second was I could not buy any home goods. I have been known to go all out on Christmas decorations, Halloween decorations, seasonal flair. Tchotchkes to make your home look cute with whatever was the trend at the time...probably chevron or something. So I could not buy any home goods or candles or anything like that. 

3. No Makeup/Skincare

I could also not buy makeup or skincare. So if I saw a bright red lipstick that supposedly looks good on every lip according to that one blogger I wasn't allowed to buy it. I had to use all of the things that I had.

4. Can buy Necessities I run out of

The things that I could buy were stuff that I ran out of like shampoo. If I ran out of shampoo obviously I'm not going to not wash my hair for the rest of the three months. I was allowed to buy things like that.

5. Can buy Experiences

I could also buy experiences, whether that was dinner out with my friends or a night out on the town. My friends and I  would always go out and I would never not want to experience making memories with my friends. So experiences—travel, food, things like that, I really did not hold back on. Only materialistic items experiences were off limits. 

The first few months…

So the first few months were really hard, I'm not gonna lie. I have always been a person who really loved to dress up, to be trendy. My clothes have always felt like a form of self-expression. Even when I was growing up in a small town in Texas, I always tried to wear what was cool or be ahead of the times. Back when skinny jeans weren't really a thing, I would wear them. I wanted to be trendy and cool. That's how I defined myself, so it manifested itself in shopping and I felt the need to be accepted by wearing what was “cool.” I used to define myself self-worth through clothes and because of that the first month and a half or so was honestly really freaking hard for me. I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't easy, it was like going through withdrawals.

Sometimes you just wanna mindlessly scroll through Zara and online shop. A favorite pastime of mine is literally going to a mall and wandering through every single store and seeing what I was gonna find that day. I could spend seven to eight hours at a mall, no joke, me and my mom all day. It was a marathon! Shopping was my exercise. So it was hard. I would still go to the mall with my friends because that's kind of a bonding experience in and of itself. (I know these days during the pandemic we don't even go to malls really anymore or hang out with friends, but it was such a bonding experience at the time.) 

I told myself at the end of those three months I could buy whatever. So if I really wanted that shirt, that top, that dress I could buy it. So for me, it was very hard. But after about a month and a half I lost the overwhelming desire and urge to buy and because of that it really made me reflect on all of my purchases. Do I really want it? Do I need it? What will it replace in my closet? Or do I have anything like it?

All of my wants became a lot more conscious and front of mind. So at the end of the three months, when it ultimately came down to it, I had things that I wanted initially and I didn't want them anymore. Even in that period after when I said I could buy anything, I didn't buy anything for the next three months. I loved the experience so much. Instead of adding something you have to remember, by not shopping at all it's much easier to take something out than it is to add something in. So it was easy in that sense. The third quarter of the year I actually did another three months of no buy.

Transitioning to A year

Because I did the no buy Q1/Q3 in 2017 I decided I was going to go the full year in 2018. Even my closest friends were like, “No way, Catie, you can't do that. There's no way you're gonna make it a whole entire year.” Everybody knew how much I loved to shop and they didn't think I could last a whole year. But I knew that because I had gotten over the urge to shop and I was a lot more mindful, I was able to roll those skills into a whole ’nother year. It was not honestly as hard as one might think.

I still kept the same 5 rules that I did for my initial quarter of no spending, so no materialistic items, only experiences. Because of that, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. Things are things and at the end of the day nobody's going to remember what you were wearing two years ago. You're going to remember the things that you did, the trips that you went on, the nights you had, and the memories you made.

That mentality came into focus for me in the year of 2018 when I didn't buy anything. You're not going to remember that lavender candle, you really won't. It might smell nice at that moment, but you don't need it. You're not going to be thinking about that candle you were sitting there sniffing. No, it just doesn't work like that...life doesn't work like that. 

Keys 🔑 to success

A key to my success of the year was going in and testing it out for a quarter. During the year I wore the same clothes over and over and over again. Honestly, I don't think anybody even noticed. Before the no spend year, I was defining my worth by the cute outfits I was wearing, but I don't feel that anybody noticed. I was wearing the same clothes over and over again and they still thought, “Catie, you look good. You still are a stylish person.” It made me realize that buying the latest fast fashion does not make you any cooler.

People will still like you and they won't notice if you're not wearing the latest and greatest fashion or the designer labels or anything like that. I used to want a Chanel bag, but things like that did not matter to me anymore and they still don't. If I need a trusty old bag I will wear my leather Madewell one that I've had for the last five years and it still feels timeless. 

The way I made it through the whole year without feeling the need to buy but still keeping my wardrobe fresh or “new” to me was by reaching out to my network. The very first thing I did in January was organize a clothing swap. I invited all of my friends to my backyard and said bring clothes, bring what you would donate. I had everything organized and hung up everybody's clothing. Then people could take whatever they wanted for free. People would come with their old clothes, hang them up, and then take whatever they wanted. At the end of the clothing swap I donated everything that didn't get exchanged. People felt like they got new clothes. I got some cute new tops for free and saved a lot of money and then donated to people who really needed the clothes.

I did the clothing swap and then I tapped into my network of friends and family who were getting rid of stuff. By sharing with everybody my goals and what I was trying to do (not buying anything for the year), friends and family would offer clothes to me. I have three sisters and we're close enough to the same size, so if they were getting rid of stuff, I'd ask them to save stuff for me. Whenever I would see them they'd have clothes that they didn't want and I would pick through them and get “new to me” clothes. 

Same with my grandma. I wear a ton of my grandma's clothes and even my aunts and uncles. I wear dude's clothes too, anything is fair game. I will take whatever people don't want and try and give it a new life, a new home. That helps me curb my want to buy new things for the sake of buying new things. I still feel like I'm getting to experience a new wardrobe every time I get a new piece of clothes.

Fashion (And Mindset) Evolution

My style has definitely shifted. In 2020 big puffy sleeves, the squared off neckline or things like that are very in vogue right now. I probably dress more like a grandma because I literally have clothes from my grandma. Even though I do wear old lady clothes and my uncle's men's clothes, my dad's clothes, whoever it is, I try to stick to pieces that are timeless. My color palette has definitely ranged down too. I used to wear brighter, bolder colors and now everything tends to be in a very navy, white, black, gray,—a neutral palette. Those colors stand the test of time. A bright yellow will come and go. A bold marine blue will be in trend for a season, but neutrals are timeless.

My Takeaways 2 years later…

It's been almost two years since I actually did my no buy challenge. The thing that has stuck with me is that I literally do not have a desire to buy new things. My sister asked me today if I wanted to buy anything to add to her order and I was like nah, I'm good. I know lounge sets are so popular right now, but I also have so much clothes. That’s the thing, I still have a lot of clothes.

I'm totally and perfectly happy with what I have now.  I did buy one thing this year and that is my biker shorts because that's a big trend right now too and I've been thinking about that purchase for a year. So finally back in April I was like, I'm gonna buy these biker shorts. We're staying at home and I want comfy pants, so I'm gonna buy these biker shorts and I did. That was the one thing I bought this year. A lot of the things that I buy, I try to buy secondhand or thrift it. 

If I do buy new stuff, it’s from companies that I believe in their mission and who I believe care about like the world and the kind of world that we are shaping for our children. At the end of the day I feel like consumerism wants you to buy, buy, buy, and that creates a lot of waste. I'm not trying to get all environmental, but I do care about that and that's what is important to me. I don't try and push that belief on anybody else, but I'm trying to do what I can to do my part. 

My no buy year was really amazing. It helped save a lot of money for me, helped do a little bit of good for the environment, and it was just an all-around great experience. I totally recommend you try it, whether it's for a week, or a couple months, or a quarter ldid initially, or a whole entire year. If you've tried it, let me know how it went. And if you have any more tips on how you did it, also leave that in the comments below.

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