A Year of Buying Less & Buying Better: Was I Successful?

Video Description

(sorry the audio on this is a little wonky - I got a new mic and am figuring it out!) This year, I focused on one theme: buy less and buy better. After moving, reassessing my closet, and rethinking how I spend across wardrobe, beauty, and home, I created a set of consumption rules to guide my choices in 2025. In this video, I’m walking through each rule, how well I followed it, what shifted throughout the year, and the lessons I’m taking into 2026. If you’re refining your own consumption habits or preparing for a more intentional year, this breakdown will help you structure your approach. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Why I set consumption rules for 2025 01:02 — The move that sparked my buy-less-buy-better mindset 02:15 — How I structured my consumption rules 03:10 — Wardrobe Rule: Prioritizing material composition 04:22 — Where natural materials worked - and where they didn’t 05:30 — How my everyday wardrobe evolved this year 06:18 — Wardrobe Rule: One-in, one-out (the realistic version) 07:25 — Why the “one purchase per month” rule failed 08:55 — Beauty Rules: Using what I own and reducing duplicates 10:40 — Home Rules: Living in the space first + reducing clutter 12:18 — What I donated, what I kept, and lessons for 2026 BREAK YOUR BUDGET RESOURCES: 💸 Personal Finance Dashboard: https://breakyourbudget.com/personal-finance-dashboard 💸 Basic Budgeting Template: https://breakyourbudget.com/basic-budgeting-template 💸 FI/RE Template: https://breakyourbudget.com/fire-template 💸 NEW RENT VS. BUY CALCULATOR https://breakyourbudget.com/rent-vs-buy-calculator 💳 Tools + Cards I Use: Rakuten Cash Back: https://shorturl.at/w0PcH SoFi HYSA: https://wealthlink.me/michela-sofi-hysa AmEx Platinum: https://tinyurl.com/mpf7u7uy Bilt Rewards: https://tinyurl.com/4kd8s33a Blue Cash Everyday: https://tinyurl.com/yrcbr2ac All Other Resources: https://breakyourbudget.com/links 👩🏼‍💻 Inquiries: [email protected] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breakyourbudget/ 📲 Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@breakyourbudget 📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/michela_alloccaa 💸 Break Your Budget LTK: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/MichelaAllocca/ 💸 My ShopMy: https://shopmy.us/shop/michelaallocca My Moms Photography Website: https://www.lisaallocca.com/