The start of the year has a way of bringing societal fatigue to the surface. From recovering from the financial strain of the holidays to managing the weight of lofty resolutions, the beginning of the year is the perfect time for our societal grievances to come to a head.

@phasion
No Buy 2025!! #nobuy2025challenge #greenscreen #underconsumptioncore #underconsumption #debtfreejourney #budgetingtips #budgetingtipsforbeginners2025
♬ original sound – Phasion

Said frustrations are what make “no-buy” months the peak of all New Year’s Eve resolutions. No-buys are exactly what they sound like — a period of time dedicated to not buying anything. And post-holiday spending, no-buys serves as a glamorous way to cut back. We’re tired of the compulsive spending and ready to cut back.

But seeing video after video of users on TikTok clinging to this trend as a way to glamorize not buying things shows just how desperately normalized consumption just for consumption’s sake is.

Because on its face, not buying items you don’t need shouldn’t be a revolutionary concept. If you don’t need it? Don’t get it. But when hyper-consumption is the norm, not purchasing unnecessary items requires conscious effort and, in many cases, an audience.

This is not to disparage no-buys in any way, to be clear. More so, this is a perfect example of how social media trends shed light on the ills of society, similar to the way gyms and at-home walking pads indicate how capitalism has disrupted our natural movement so much we have to work it around our schedules.

@themiddleblaide
#nobuychallenge #nobuy2025 #consumerism #overspending #moneytok #savingmoney
♬ original sound – @themiddleblaide

We have become so accustomed to buying things in hopes of getting a quick taste of dopamine as a means to cope with the demoralizing realities that come with living under a capitalist regime.

Hopefully, these no-buys will serve as a factory reset for the internalized materialism we’ve all been forcibly subjected to and, if we’re lucky, present us with a renewed sense of clarity for what really matters.