Author: Laura Katherine

Low Buy Month: Week Four Reflections

Happy March first!

I’m drafting this post from a Starbucks. It’s 7:30am on a Sunday morning- I went to bed extremely early last night and was up by five. It feels like I haven’t written here in a while, even though I know that isn’t true… I think it’s just because I’m late in posting a week four update for my Low Buy challenge. Life was pretty hectic this week: I had a six-day workweek which I balanced with a few nights away from home (thank God for hybrid work!), half-marathon training (nine weeks to go until the race) and a lot of Animal Crossing: New Horizons play time. 

I feel a bit like I’m eating my words from last week’s blog post about the weather finally starting to improve in Toronto. These last two weeks, the city has been back to very sloppy snow, rain and ice conditions (though, at least temperatures have increased to about the freezing point). I realize I talk a lot about the weather on this blog, but it’s something I’m just hyperaware of. As an outdoor runner, I keep track of what the best days of the week are to run, and how to dress appropriately.

In other news, I officially finished my low buy month challenge last week and want to give a final update. To summarize, I spent $224.97 last week.1 Most of it went to necessary expenses: $99.47 on groceries and $36.84 on transportation.2 I also spent $47.87 dining out socially and $13.45 dining out on a solo date (the only solo date I went on throughout the entire low buy). Finally, two monthly subscriptions renewed- Microsoft at $13 and Spotify at $14.34.

Despite the challenge being over and meeting my savings goal for February, I honestly feel more pessimistic than ever about my personal finances. I found that the extra focus on money genuinely caused me to feel unhappier throughout the month: about the state of my finances, and the state of the world more generally. This isn’t something I expected to experience; it’s not something I’ve ever heard other no-buyers and low-buyers talk about. Any sense of accomplishment was eclipsed at the end of the challenge by negative feelings: resentment about how expensive life is, dread about upcoming expenses (spring car maintenance, anyone?) and hopelessness about ever being able to reach my long-term financial goals. 

The best way I can describe how I’m feeling is financially “red-pilled”.3 My new hyperawareness of my personal finances is bringing me a sense of unhappiness- would it have been better to have stayed ignorant? Obviously, there’s an easy correct answer to this: with knowledge comes power; being aware of your personal spending habits and financially planning for your future is the better option, regardless of how it makes you feel. 

In saying all of this, I have to acknowledge the position of privilege I’m speaking from. I make enough money that I was able to afford to live without micromanaging my finances for a few years: I wasn’t struggling to pay my bills and I was even putting away some savings. Not everyone can say this. There are so many people struggling to make ends meet who can’t afford to be ignorant- they’re forced to be painfully aware of where all of their money is going.

In any event, despite how it makes me feel, I know I need to continue tracking and restricting my spending. As I noted in my last post, I plan to continue following my low buy rules for the next little while. I’m hoping that the longer I follow my rules, the more likely they’ll be to crystallize into habits I can follow without thinking. One change I’m making is that I’m also going to give myself 2-3 “approved” items every month that I permit myself to spend money on even if they don’t fall within my rules. For March, I’m choosing (1) a dress for a wedding I have in April, (2) a device charger and (3) binder dividers. I don’t plan to post as frequently about my low buy moving forward, but rest assured I plan to stick with it. 

Until next time, 

Laura Kate

  1. Not counting my hydro bill which was due. ↩︎
  2. Notably, I was forced to spend $26.94 on parking for a four-hour time period when I went to a friends’ apartment… parking in Toronto is completely out of control. ↩︎
  3. I’m obviously aware of the negative, right-wing connotations that the term “red-pilled” carries these days- as a disclaimer, I obviously don’t associate in any way with this and the context of this post should make that clear. ↩︎

Low Buy Month: Week Three Reflections

I’m currently drafting this post on Sunday afternoon from under a throw blanket on my couch; Elune dozing at my feet. I’m recovering from a 13-kilometre long run I went on this morning. I drove down to the Toronto Beaches for the run, which was a nice change of scenery but much colder and windier than I imagine it would have been elsewhere in the city. Thank God the weather is starting to improve- I’m so excited for spring! As much as I, and everyone else, loves autumn, nothing compares to the breath of fresh air that spring brings after a long, cold winter.

Today marks the end of the third week of my low buy challenge, which is what I want to talk about here. In total, I spent $174.71 this week.1 Funny enough, from Monday to Friday, I only spent $46- the vast majority of my expenses were incurred over the weekend. All in all, I spent $30.88 on groceries, $69.45 on transportation (refuelling my car and paying for parking once), and $55.33 on dining in at restaurants twice (both for social occasions). I bought my cat a gift on Valentine’s day for $3.20 (a little heart-shaped toy) and I had one subscription service renew at $15.85 (I subscribe to the Patreon of one of my favourite YouTubers). 

I think I managed to do so well this week primarily because of work, and the location I was working from. My job has two different offices: one in downtown Toronto (an hour commute away from my apartment) and one in North York (20-30 minutes away). The location I physically work from switches on a weekly basis. This week I was at the North York office. I find there to be much more of a pull to spend money on days when I’m stationed at the downtown office, probably because the workdays are much longer with the added commute. This coming week, I’m actually on vacation, so I’m curious how not being at work at all will impact my spending.

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is whether I want to extend my low buy beyond the month I originally intended. Last week, the first time I received a paycheck since starting the challenge, I was really pleased with the amount of money I was able to save. I definitely think I’d like to continue my low buy for a few months, but I might modify some of the rules to make it more sustainable in the long term. For example, in the next month or so, I know I have some things I need to spend money on that don’t strictly fall into my low buy rules (for example, a haircut, a new dress to wear to a wedding in April and printer ink). What I might do moving forward is give myself permission at the beginning of each month to purchase 2-3 specific items falling outside of my low buy rules. 

All of these good things being said, I also wanted to note that something I struggled with this week was boredom! I felt constrained- as if by not letting myself spend money mindlessly, I was placing limits on what I could and couldn’t do with my time. To keep myself motivated, I’ve been watching vloggers on YouTube who have made videos about their own Low Buy and No Buy challenges- it’s really helped. Since I’m hoping to continue this low buy challenge for a while longer, I’m hoping that my rules eventually come to feel less restrictive and more like day-to-day habits I don’t have to put much thought into. 

Talk to you next week,

Laura Kate

  1. Not counting my phone and internet bill. ↩︎

Low Buy Month: Week Two Reflections

Yesterday marked the end of the second week of my low buy challenge. I found this week to be much more difficult than the first: though I mostly stuck to the rules I set out for myself, I ended up spending more money than I’m proud of. I even had one slip up.

In total, I spent $307.59 this week1– quite a bit more than I spent during Week One. I started off by spending $50 on a gel manicure at my nail salon (including tip). Then, throughout the week, I spent $32.20 on transportation (subway fare and parking) and ~$96.02 on groceries. Two of my monthly subscription services renewed: Netflix at $21.46 (when did Netflix get so expensive?) and PicMonkey, a photo editing website, at $12.99 (since when am I still subscribed to PicMonkey? I unsubscribed immediately after being billed). Most annoyingly, I spent $84.92 on dine-in and take-out food (my second-largest expense category of the week). Finally, my slip up came from spending ~$10 on melatonin supplements.

Although I’m not very happy with how the week went, I won’t say it wasn’t productive. Many of my purchases made me reflect on my spending habits.

First, the nail appointment. I’d already carved this out as an acceptable expense when crafting my rules for the low buy. However, as I was getting my nails done, I gave a lot of thought to whether the purchase was “worth it” and whether I should continue doing my nails regularly. I started getting my nails done every few weeks when I was in law school and under the pressure to look professional and composed. The pressure intensified when I started working in private practice and still follows me today even though I now work in a more casual office. You might think that continuing to do my nails myself at home would be a good compromise, but I’ve never been good at giving myself manicures and when I do they only last a few days as opposed to four weeks. For now, getting my nails done is a luxury that, while pricey, isn’t something I’m willing to give up.

I was also forced to reflect on how much money I spent on dine-in and takeout food this week. For what it’s worth, none of the purchases actually fell outside of the rules I set for the low buy- they were mostly social. While I don’t regret any of the individual takeout purchases, I regret how much money I spent on them collectively. Perhaps moving forward I should try to limit money spent on takeout or dine-in food to only once or twice a week even where exceptions apply. This being said, on days that I spent money on takeout this week, I’m proud of how I minimized my spending in other areas. For example, I took public transportation as opposed to driving downtown, I brought my own lunches to work everyday, and when I got food with friends, I mostly limited myself to coffee as opposed to meals.

I also had to consider the melatonin purchase I made. I’m calling it a “slip” because I wouldn’t define it as a necessary medical or grocery expense. It wasn’t a mistake- I knew at the time of purchase that I would be breaking my rules by buying it. The purchase was driven by a bit of desperation: I’ve been sleeping very poorly over the last few weeks, I’ve tried other things to improve my sleep which haven’t worked, and I know a few people in my life who swear by melatonin. I suppose I could have waited to make the purchase until the low buy is over, but it was relatively cheap and there are certainly worse things I could have slipped up with. As long as it doesn’t lead to a landslide of other slip ups in the remainder of the challenge, I’m willing to make peace with it.

Onward to week three! 

Laura Kate

  1. Not including my car insurance payment, a necessary expense outside of my control for now. ↩︎

Low Buy Month: Week One Reflections

Happy February!

I hope the month is starting off well for you. Personally, I enjoyed a peaceful weekend spent mostly indoors because of the harsh winter weather we’ve been getting in Toronto. I spent Saturday at my grandparents’ house with my cousins, chatting and making crafts together. Sunday was a little warmer, so I went on an 11-kilometre outdoor run, but spent the balance of the day on my couch with Elune curled up beside me.

In other news, I’ve officially finished the first week of my low buy challenge, and I wanted to make a very short post to check in about how the week went. Overall, things went very well, and the fact that I didn’t spend money on anything falling outside of my rules felt strangely empowering. I proved to myself I could go a week without takeout coffee, for one. I felt very strong and in control. In the past, when I’ve tried to spend money within budgets, I’ve failed… so, maybe cutting spending more ruthlessly makes things easier.

Something that made this week easier for me was the fact that I worked remotely three of five workdays: I was only in the office twice. I tend to rely on takeout for either breakfast or lunch when I go to the office (and often both). This week, on my office days, I made sure to pack enough food to tide me over until the end of the workdays. I even brought my own coffee pods for the Keurig machines at the office. I anticipate this coming week will be much more difficult- I work from the office three days in a row, and because I work from the downtown office with an hour commute in either direction, I expect my days will be long.

In total, I spent $194.53 this week.1 The vast majority of this came from necessary expenses: $167.21 in groceries and $9.90 on transit (bus fare- I didn’t have to top up the gas in my car this week). My monthly subscription to the AppBlock app also renewed at $9.03 and I purchased a sandwich after an 11km long run for $8.39 at a café (while opting to make my own post-run coffee at home). 

Throughout the week, I also kept track of everything I considered spending money on. Some notable items included a bowl and sifter for making matcha at home (even though I can make matcha lattes perfectly fine by my own standards without them), ink for my printer (which I actually do need to purchase after this low buy month is over), and the book “Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin (which I instead placed a hold on at my local library). If I wasn’t doing this Low Buy challenge, I’m sure I would have at least purchased the matcha equipment and the book, so I know for a fact I’ve saved some money already. 

On top of abiding by the rules of my low buy challenge, I also took some steps to improve my financial literacy this week. For context, I’m not completely new to this- in around 2022 and 2023, I read a handful of books and listened to some podcasts to try to get a handle on personal finance, but not all of what I learned seemed to stick. This week, I completed a (relatively short and free) online course in Canadian personal finance offered through McGill University. I was familiar with about 60% of the content in the course, but the other 40% was helpful information I either hadn’t encountered before or hadn’t absorbed. I also re-read a book about the FIRE (financial independence retire) movement early called “Playing with FIRE” by Scott Rieckens and am re-listening to an audiobook about general personal finance for Canadians called “Wealthing Like Rabbits” by Robert Brown.2 I also made an appointment with my bank in a few weeks to talk about opening a new savings account (a FHSA) and start investing some of my savings.

Onward to week two!

Laura Kate

  1. Not counting necessary expenses outside of my control including my rent, tenant insurance and chequing account fee. ↩︎
  2. My quick reviews- I wasn’t impressed with “Playing with Fire” but “Wealthing Like Rabbits” is great. ↩︎

Announcing My Low Buy Month

A few posts ago when reviewing my goals for the new year, I noted that money is something I definitely need to work on my relationship with- and that is exactly what I plan to do. I have decided to deem the next four weeks a low buy month.1

No Buy and Low Buy challenges have become increasingly common in the last few years. A “no buy” is a self-imposed challenge wherein a person commits to not purchasing anything other than truly essential items (for example, groceries, housing costs, and insurance) for a period of time. A “low buy” offers some flexibility for non-essentials depending on the rules that the participant sets. For instance, a person participating in a low buy might allow themself to buy takeout coffee once a week where a no buyer would insist on always making their own coffee at home.

There are many reasons why people participate in no buys and low buys; two of the most common being to save money and to break bad spending habits. Personally, I think the low buy will be helpful for me because I didn’t meet my financial goals in 2025. I think it’ll be good for me to keep a close eye on my spending and develop an awareness of where my money is going and how I can save more of it. 2026 is the year I turn thirty, which feels crazy- certainly a time when I need to take my personal finances seriously. This year, I want to improve my financial literacy, budget, start investing and make plans for saving for retirement and buying a home. I have a lot to learn. Depending on how my low buy goes, I may extend it or change some of its rules.

Speaking of rules, here are the ones I’ve decided to impose for my own low buy:

  1. Track my finances every single day. I’m doing this in a physical notebook for the time being- I know a lot of budgeters track their expenses digitally in apps or spreadsheets. I’m hoping this turns into a habit I can keep up with moving forward.
  2. Buy essentials. While I don’t plan to set limits on the amounts I spend on essentials, I am hoping to try to eventually reduce the costs of some of them- for example, by renegotiating insurance terms.
  3. Do not buy physical non-essential items (including new clothing, homewear, books and hobby supplies). If something comes up that I want to buy, I will record it on a wishlist.
  4. With respect to beauty or hygiene products, replace used up items. So, for example, I wouldn’t allow myself to buy a new tube of mascara unless I finish my old one. One further note about beauty expenses- I get my nails done once a month. I already have cash set aside to cover the cost of my nails this month, so I can still go to my nail appointment.
  5. Do not purchase takeout food or dine in at restaurants unless one of three exceptions apply: (1) I am with another person and getting food is part of a social experience, (2) I am getting food after finishing a long run, or (3) I am out on a solo date (max once a week). Incidentally, one of my greatest pleasures in life is taking myself out for iced oat lattes at cafés- I don’t want to give this up!
  6. Pay for existing monthly subscriptions, but when I’m charged, I will really consider whether I need to continue subscribing to the services at all. If not, I’ll unsubscribe.
  7. Buy experiences– I will not limit myself when it comes to paying for experiences (such as admission costs to museums and parks or class fees).
  8. Buy gifts– If I need to purchase any gifts this month, I can spend without a particular limit in mind.

Some of these rules might seem very permissive, however, my most problematic expenses tend to be nonessential physical items and takeout. As long as I have a plan for addressing those costs, I think the low buy will be worthwhile. Of course, I expect that there will undoubtedly be expenses that come up throughout the next few weeks that don’t neatly fit into any of the categories I listed. When they do, I am hoping to use my best judgement to determine whether or not to spend money on them, keeping the spirit of the low buy in mind.

To keep myself occupied throughout the month, I am hoping to do some early spring cleaning and decluttering around my apartment- the tidying bug came early for me this year. I am also hoping to post mini updates about how the low buy challenge is going to keep myself accountable.

See you in February!

Laura Kate

  1. For clarity- I anticipate my low by to run from January 26 – February 22. I was originally going to make it the month of February, which is exactly 4 weeks long, but then I got excited and wanted to start the project sooner rather than later. ↩︎