Consumption Detox: A 7-Day Reset for Your Wallet
The world may seem like it’s going crazy these days, but one thing you can control is your spending. If you find yourself clicking “add to cart” on a regular basis, it’s time for a change. This 7-day reset is the perfect challenge to take before the holidays and consumerism start to flood your brain. Seven days, zero spending guilt, and a sense of satisfaction at the end. Are you up for the challenge?
Day 1: Unsubscribe and Unfollow
Every day, you’re bombarded by ads and recommendations for awesome stuff. The simplest way to stop spending is to just stop the temptation in its tracks. Cancel those marketing emails from your favorite site, unfollow influencers who encourage you to buy stuff you never knew existed. If they post more affiliate links than fun photos, run.
Day 2: Audit Your Subscriptions
Do you REALLY need six streaming services and three meditation apps? Nah. Go through all your apps and accounts and cancel whatever you don’t use or can consolidate. You’ll forget about the show you kept meaning to watch but never did in a week, but your bank account will remember those savings for a long time to come.
Day 3: Repair, Don’t Replace
In today’s consumer society, it’s easy to just toss something that stops working or has a little flaw. Heck, there are entire YouTube channels based around people throwing things out and others finding uses for that “garbage.” Guess what? You can fix it up yourself. Often, you just need some glue or basic sewing skills to repair something that will last for months or years to come.
Day 4: Eat the Pantry
You don’t need to hit the supermarket for the third time this week. Stop and evaluate what you already have in your pantry and freezer and make a point of using up some of the things about to expire. That lettuce hiding in the veggie drawer of your fridge would love to be a salad instead of a sad slime in a week.
Day 5: Yeet One Thing
We all have those items we don’t really need. What’s that set of skis doing in the garage three years after you decided you wanted to learn the sport? Pick one thing and get rid of it, whether that’s giving it away, selling it, or donating it. Not only will you feel lighter, you could have some extra cash for later.
Day 6: Delete Your Credit Card
Is your card automatically connected online? This makes buying things ridiculously easy. Go through your accounts and unlink your card. When you have to type in the details every time you need to buy something, it makes you think twice about whether or not you really need it.
Day 7: Learn Something New
Bored and doomscrolling on Temu or Amazon? Stop right there! You have lots of opportunities to do something productive with your life. Look for a hobby, like knitting, hiking, drawing, learning a new language, etc. Not only will you have more fun, you’ll get a sense of fulfillment out of it.
Celebrate Your Win
You made it through a week of consumer detox and you did great! These simple steps can get you moving in the right direction to make the world (and your life) a better place. Bit by bit, you’ll get there.
Consume less, live a better life, but don’t forget to talk to Ask Anna Tax to bag some tax advice and become even more financially savvy.
