【推荐1】Not buying things can be difficult, even when you're determined not to. For many people, a no-buy year is simply a way of life because their financial situation leaves them no other choice. But for others—myself included—we have enough clothes, shoes, electronic devices, books, and so on. Yet, we continue to buy.

If you're going to try a no-buy year, the first step is identifying why you're doing it. Is it to save money? Pay off debt? Have more money for experiences? To be more sustainable? Without a goal, failure is likely. I say this based on my experience.

Last year, I wanted to take my sons on vacation where I could afford the rental and good meals. So I set a goal. That goal was not to buy anything I didn't need. A month before we went, I realized I needed to do more. I decided that I wouldn't spend money going out socially. I eventually reached my goal.

After vacation, I went back to my regular spending habits. But I wonder what would have happened if I'd maintained the stricter habits. There are many experiences I would love to have—concerts and music festivals are at the top of the list. Yet, I often buy little things—like $20 shoes instead of tickets to concerts. If I could forgo those little things, I would probably go to a lot more concerts.

I think the no-buy movement is something that would bring us some happiness. Still, it's difficult. Even though we're surrounded by things, we manage to convince ourselves that none of those things are the “perfect” things for our immediate need.

I'm going to set another goal right now. That goal is to go to a big music festival at the end of the summer. To get there, I promise I won't spend money on the things I don't really need. Nowadays, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about what your goals are and how about buying nothing—or at least buying a lot less—can help you reach them.

【推荐2】Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed at which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.