How to Buy I-Bonds and Keep Up With Inflation

Inflation is at a high and everyone is talking about it! Series I savings bonds are government-backed bonds that allow your money to keep up with inflation rates. I'm walking you through step by step how to set up an account on Treasury Direct and buy I bonds.

We have one week left of 2021, and since you can only buy $10K during a calendar year, if you want to do the full amount before 2022 it's important to do it soon so your money can transfer before the end of the year.

Things mentioned in the video

• Treasury Direct - The only place online to buy and sell I-Bonds

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Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)

Holiday Spending + Order Tracker

For the curious, here is the spreadsheet I quickly made since I did some major damage to my wallet this weekend—more on the spending guilt later. I’m using this sheet to track the money I spent this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the amount I spent per person, as well as the cash back I’m getting.

You could itemize it or put the order total if you want to keep it simpler. Let me know if you use it and run into any issues or think it can be improved.

Things I use to save money when holiday shopping

• Rakuten* - Mobile app/browser extension gets you cash back when you shop

• Lolli* - Code: YPVR63 - Mobile app/browser extension gets you Bitcoin when you shop. I like that Lolli allows me to dabble into crypto without actually having to buy it myself.

• Honey* - Browser extension tests coupon codes and gets you Honey Gold redeemable for money via PayPal

• Fluz - App let’s you buy a gift card to pay, get cash back. (But only if you know you won't return it.)

*You can only use ONE of these apps/extensions to get cash back from! (Although sometimes it glitches and let’s me do Lolli and Rakuten.) I usually choose whatever is offering more.

Download the Holiday Shopping + Order Tracker below:

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Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)

How to Stop Shopping: My Experience and Tips for a Successful No Spend Year

I didn't buy anything for a whole entire year. You read that right. I did not buy any clothes, any home goods, any candles, decor, nothing–no physical item for an entire year. This year really helped shape how I think about my spending—what I really need versus what I want.

It all started back in 2017, which was my year of sustainability. It was my new year's resolution to be mindful of my impact on the environment and reduce my impact where I could. But instead of doing it for an entire year, which I felt like was a lot for me to cut things out of my life, my plan was to do it for a quarter, so three months at time and have four different resolutions. For the first quarter, I decided to not buy anything. 

These were my rules for not buying anything:

1. No Clothes

My first rule was not buying any clothes, period. No clothes. I did not need anything–no dresses, no pants, no hair accessories. I could make everything that I had in my closet work. 

2. No Home Goods

The second was I could not buy any home goods. I have been known to go all out on Christmas decorations, Halloween decorations, seasonal flair. Tchotchkes to make your home look cute with whatever was the trend at the time...probably chevron or something. So I could not buy any home goods or candles or anything like that. 

3. No Makeup/Skincare

I could also not buy makeup or skincare. So if I saw a bright red lipstick that supposedly looks good on every lip according to that one blogger I wasn't allowed to buy it. I had to use all of the things that I had.

4. Can buy Necessities I run out of

The things that I could buy were stuff that I ran out of like shampoo. If I ran out of shampoo obviously I'm not going to not wash my hair for the rest of the three months. I was allowed to buy things like that.

5. Can buy Experiences

I could also buy experiences, whether that was dinner out with my friends or a night out on the town. My friends and I  would always go out and I would never not want to experience making memories with my friends. So experiences—travel, food, things like that, I really did not hold back on. Only materialistic items experiences were off limits. 

The first few months…

So the first few months were really hard, I'm not gonna lie. I have always been a person who really loved to dress up, to be trendy. My clothes have always felt like a form of self-expression. Even when I was growing up in a small town in Texas, I always tried to wear what was cool or be ahead of the times. Back when skinny jeans weren't really a thing, I would wear them. I wanted to be trendy and cool. That's how I defined myself, so it manifested itself in shopping and I felt the need to be accepted by wearing what was “cool.” I used to define myself self-worth through clothes and because of that the first month and a half or so was honestly really freaking hard for me. I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't easy, it was like going through withdrawals.

Sometimes you just wanna mindlessly scroll through Zara and online shop. A favorite pastime of mine is literally going to a mall and wandering through every single store and seeing what I was gonna find that day. I could spend seven to eight hours at a mall, no joke, me and my mom all day. It was a marathon! Shopping was my exercise. So it was hard. I would still go to the mall with my friends because that's kind of a bonding experience in and of itself. (I know these days during the pandemic we don't even go to malls really anymore or hang out with friends, but it was such a bonding experience at the time.) 

I told myself at the end of those three months I could buy whatever. So if I really wanted that shirt, that top, that dress I could buy it. So for me, it was very hard. But after about a month and a half I lost the overwhelming desire and urge to buy and because of that it really made me reflect on all of my purchases. Do I really want it? Do I need it? What will it replace in my closet? Or do I have anything like it?

All of my wants became a lot more conscious and front of mind. So at the end of the three months, when it ultimately came down to it, I had things that I wanted initially and I didn't want them anymore. Even in that period after when I said I could buy anything, I didn't buy anything for the next three months. I loved the experience so much. Instead of adding something you have to remember, by not shopping at all it's much easier to take something out than it is to add something in. So it was easy in that sense. The third quarter of the year I actually did another three months of no buy.

Transitioning to A year

Because I did the no buy Q1/Q3 in 2017 I decided I was going to go the full year in 2018. Even my closest friends were like, “No way, Catie, you can't do that. There's no way you're gonna make it a whole entire year.” Everybody knew how much I loved to shop and they didn't think I could last a whole year. But I knew that because I had gotten over the urge to shop and I was a lot more mindful, I was able to roll those skills into a whole ’nother year. It was not honestly as hard as one might think.

I still kept the same 5 rules that I did for my initial quarter of no spending, so no materialistic items, only experiences. Because of that, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. Things are things and at the end of the day nobody's going to remember what you were wearing two years ago. You're going to remember the things that you did, the trips that you went on, the nights you had, and the memories you made.

That mentality came into focus for me in the year of 2018 when I didn't buy anything. You're not going to remember that lavender candle, you really won't. It might smell nice at that moment, but you don't need it. You're not going to be thinking about that candle you were sitting there sniffing. No, it just doesn't work like that...life doesn't work like that. 

Keys 🔑 to success

A key to my success of the year was going in and testing it out for a quarter. During the year I wore the same clothes over and over and over again. Honestly, I don't think anybody even noticed. Before the no spend year, I was defining my worth by the cute outfits I was wearing, but I don't feel that anybody noticed. I was wearing the same clothes over and over again and they still thought, “Catie, you look good. You still are a stylish person.” It made me realize that buying the latest fast fashion does not make you any cooler.

People will still like you and they won't notice if you're not wearing the latest and greatest fashion or the designer labels or anything like that. I used to want a Chanel bag, but things like that did not matter to me anymore and they still don't. If I need a trusty old bag I will wear my leather Madewell one that I've had for the last five years and it still feels timeless. 

The way I made it through the whole year without feeling the need to buy but still keeping my wardrobe fresh or “new” to me was by reaching out to my network. The very first thing I did in January was organize a clothing swap. I invited all of my friends to my backyard and said bring clothes, bring what you would donate. I had everything organized and hung up everybody's clothing. Then people could take whatever they wanted for free. People would come with their old clothes, hang them up, and then take whatever they wanted. At the end of the clothing swap I donated everything that didn't get exchanged. People felt like they got new clothes. I got some cute new tops for free and saved a lot of money and then donated to people who really needed the clothes.

I did the clothing swap and then I tapped into my network of friends and family who were getting rid of stuff. By sharing with everybody my goals and what I was trying to do (not buying anything for the year), friends and family would offer clothes to me. I have three sisters and we're close enough to the same size, so if they were getting rid of stuff, I'd ask them to save stuff for me. Whenever I would see them they'd have clothes that they didn't want and I would pick through them and get “new to me” clothes. 

Same with my grandma. I wear a ton of my grandma's clothes and even my aunts and uncles. I wear dude's clothes too, anything is fair game. I will take whatever people don't want and try and give it a new life, a new home. That helps me curb my want to buy new things for the sake of buying new things. I still feel like I'm getting to experience a new wardrobe every time I get a new piece of clothes.

Fashion (And Mindset) Evolution

My style has definitely shifted. In 2020 big puffy sleeves, the squared off neckline or things like that are very in vogue right now. I probably dress more like a grandma because I literally have clothes from my grandma. Even though I do wear old lady clothes and my uncle's men's clothes, my dad's clothes, whoever it is, I try to stick to pieces that are timeless. My color palette has definitely ranged down too. I used to wear brighter, bolder colors and now everything tends to be in a very navy, white, black, gray,—a neutral palette. Those colors stand the test of time. A bright yellow will come and go. A bold marine blue will be in trend for a season, but neutrals are timeless.

My Takeaways 2 years later…

It's been almost two years since I actually did my no buy challenge. The thing that has stuck with me is that I literally do not have a desire to buy new things. My sister asked me today if I wanted to buy anything to add to her order and I was like nah, I'm good. I know lounge sets are so popular right now, but I also have so much clothes. That’s the thing, I still have a lot of clothes.

I'm totally and perfectly happy with what I have now.  I did buy one thing this year and that is my biker shorts because that's a big trend right now too and I've been thinking about that purchase for a year. So finally back in April I was like, I'm gonna buy these biker shorts. We're staying at home and I want comfy pants, so I'm gonna buy these biker shorts and I did. That was the one thing I bought this year. A lot of the things that I buy, I try to buy secondhand or thrift it. 

If I do buy new stuff, it’s from companies that I believe in their mission and who I believe care about like the world and the kind of world that we are shaping for our children. At the end of the day I feel like consumerism wants you to buy, buy, buy, and that creates a lot of waste. I'm not trying to get all environmental, but I do care about that and that's what is important to me. I don't try and push that belief on anybody else, but I'm trying to do what I can to do my part. 

My no buy year was really amazing. It helped save a lot of money for me, helped do a little bit of good for the environment, and it was just an all-around great experience. I totally recommend you try it, whether it's for a week, or a couple months, or a quarter ldid initially, or a whole entire year. If you've tried it, let me know how it went. And if you have any more tips on how you did it, also leave that in the comments below.

If you liked this video and you want more content like this, like the video and subscribe and I'll see you next week to talk more money honey.

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Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)

My no-spend challenge experience: why I succeeded and what I learned

Back in 2017, I decided that one of my resolutions would be to do a shopping ban.

I was a pretty spend-y gal prior to starting this. I’m not kidding when I say shopping was my cardio. I’d easily spend 7+ hours at the mall going through every store. I never went into debt for anything, but it is SO easy to spend a few hundred at Aritzia or Zara or Revolve.

My hope was that a shopping ban would significantly decrease my personal expenses, force me to live mindfully with what I already had, and help me be more environmentally conscious.

My Shopping Ban Challenge rules

1. I could buy products that needed replenishing. e.g. finish face wash; buy a new bottle

2. I could pay for experiences, e.g. going out with friends, traveling, food, etc.

3. I could buy clothes if it was an absolute necessity, e.g. buying a bridesmaid dress

4. I could buy gifts for others

5. It would last 3 months and then I could go wild 😜

Starting the shopping ban

I decided that the challenge would start on January 1st—classic new years resolution. As a last hurrah, I bought things I wanted as “Christmas presents” for myself before embarking on this shopping diet. I’m not even sure what I needed so badly. The “high” of a new purchase wears off very fast and clearly those purchases don’t spark any joy 3 years later.

Accountability & determination

January rolled around and I told all of my friends about my grandiose plan. This helped me remain accountable. Most friends were very encouraging, but a few close friends were doubtful that I could cut shopping cold turkey.

My friends were right in that I’m a pretty extreme person. It wasn’t an option in my mind to reduce spending by a little bit, it was 100% or nothing. Their doubt helped fuel my determination.

Unsubscribing from emails

As @saverspender posted the other day, for every $1 spent on email marketing, a brand typically sees about a $42 return.

I worked as an email designer for a long, long time so I subscribed to many email marketing lists for “research.” To reduce my temptation, I unsubscribed knowing that if I really missed the hundreds of emails spam I’d receive, I could opt-in again.

I used unroll.me to opt out of everything and honestly haven’t looked back. Even though it was so exciting to see something on sale for 50% off, that’s still money I wasn’t planning on spending.

Going through withdrawals

At first, I spent a lot of time thinking about the fact that I was doing a no-spend challenge. I’d walk into Target and literally just touch clothes to feel something. It was definitely not productive and even worse, it was very, very tempting. I started avoiding the clothes section entirely.

I’d put in my Amazon cart, face masks, a new eye cream I read about, a bug catcher and then click save for later. Withdrawals are normal, so I’d remind myself that this was only temporary. If I really wanted it all I could go hog wild later! “Three months. Three months. Three months,” I told myself.

The joy of less and giving

During the next few months I made the conscious effort to go through my products and finish every last drop. I’d giveaway things I didn’t need and I’d spend time researching the exact item I was going to replace it with.

Another major joy I found in these months was being able to buy things for friends birthdays or just because. It made me excited to mull over what would bring others happiness. The joy of giving increased my own happiness two-fold.

Q1 and beyond

April finally came around and I realized I really didn’t need or want the things I had pined over. From April to July I bought exactly one thing and ended up returning it because it didn’t fit well.

My newfound ability to consciously not buy had become a habit and I loved all the benefits (sustainability, savings, and self-awareness) so much that I ended up doing it in Q3 so I could save up for Christmas in Q4.

In 2018, I went full #nospendyear, which after having done it for 3 months on and off, made it not so much of challenge and more second nature. The next year, I only allowed myself to buy clothes thrifted and secondhand in 2019.

Key contributors to my success

1. Set a short duration for the initial shopping ban, increase slowly.

2. Avoided the challenge during an upcoming period of spending (moving, job changes, Christmas, etc.)

3. Unsubscribed to all marketing emails

4. Borrowed clothes to expand wardrobe—I have 3 sisters and 3 roommates who I could borrow clothes from if I needed

Did the shopping ban change my long term habits?

💯. The discipline and habits I’ve acquired during the shopping bans have carried on. I have little to no shopping urges and rarely browse for clothing online. That feeling of “I have everything I need” has stayed with me over the years.

I’m still a very extreme person. From not tracking my spending at all, I’ve become hyper-conscious of my spending. I realize I need to relax up on that a bit since I’m almost a bit miserly now. I’d like to give more generously.

I wish mental strength and resilience to all of you who are considering giving the shopping ban challenge a go. Even if you don’t succeed to seeing it through for the entire duration you set out on, you will not regret trying. If you have have any questions or need any encouragement write me a note in the comment section!

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Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn some compensation. All opinions are 100% my own! I truly appreciate you and your support. :)

Secondhand Haul: All the clothes I thrifted in 2019

Took a peek into my closet at all the things I thrifted in 2019. In 2019 I only bought from secondhand stores. In total I spent about $195 in clothes this year, which isn’t a lot, but of the all the secondhand things I bought, I only really wear 3 very often, and about half I regret buying and have already listed and sold some things on my Poshmark.

Top: Leon Max Official silk cream blouse, $15, Buffalo Exchange SM

Bottoms: Gap mustard linen pants, $12, Buffalo Exchange SM

These were my first purchases of the year. I still wear them both but don’t necessarily love.

Bert Newman Petite teal green wool coat, $9, Salvation Army SF Mission

I thought this coat was a bit extra but glad I listened to my gut and bough it anyway. I actually wear it all the time…even over tees! I feel FANCY AF.

Not sure if it’s every weekend but I went to Salvation Army SF Mission on a Sunday and all the clothes were 50% off! I’ve been meaning to go back, but now that I’m doing no buy 2020, that’ll have to wait.

Top: Duluth Trading Co. leather satchel/backpack, $7.50, Community Thrift Store SF

It converts to a backpack and is really great quality, but I just never use it. :(

Bottom: Woven basket purse, $7, 5th Avenue Family Thrift Mart, SOLD on Poshmark for $18

Found this at a little mom & pop thrift store by my parent’s house. Loved how unique of a woven purse it was. I used it once but it’s hard to pack for vacations and I never go to the beach in LA. So figured it was better use as cash in my pocket.

Vintage black blouse with pearl buttons, $5, Love the City Thrift Store

This little thrift shop is nearby and is honestly mostly junk, but you can fill a paper shopping bag to the brim for only $10. If you’re lucky enough to find enough stuff to fill it, it’s totes worth it.

Vintage white blouse, $25, Woo Vintage Clothing Canada

I thought the collar on this was so interesting, but probably overpaid for this. I think I need to stop thrifting in other countries because I always really want to just buy something to buy something from there…v dangerous.

DKNY black mom jeans, $4.50, Salvation Army SF Mission

Wear these all the time and honestly one of my best purchases sheerly for the amount of wear it gets.

White leather belt, $4, NCJWLA Thrift Shop

Black leather belt, $2.50, YWCA Thrift Store

Love thrifting belts! Didn’t have a white one or a thicker band before, so these were acceptable purchases!

Vintage olive linen safari shorts, $20, Chicago Omotesando

I was so intent on thrifting and buying something while in Japan. But this is def one of my worst purchases, it makes my butt look HUGEEEE.

Navy utility coverall jumpsuit, $15, Love the City Thrift Store

This was also a dumb buy. I really wanted coveralls but this required a lot of hemming and alterations, which I initially planned on doing, but of course never did. I wore it once and was asked if I was a car mechanic or going to fix a plane HAH. It’s called FASHUN, okay?!

Christian Dior slip skirt, $3.50, Salvation Army SF Mission, SOLD for $50 on Depop

One of my best flips! I thought maybe I’d wear since slip skirts are in but it’s a true slip, elastic waistband and all, plus it’s not very flattering on. Def better as money in my pocket.

Leather and suede black purse, $6.50, Community Thrift Store SF

In writing this post, I realize I should just not buy bags because every single one of them I don’t really end up using/liking very much.

Silk cheetah print pajama set, $5, Love the City Thrift Store

I LOVE this and have worn it a few times but the silk is kind of deteriorating at the seams, which is so sad. Hoping my mom can work her magic to give it more life!

Black sparkly sheer high-low dress, $5.30, Texas Thrift

I’m honestly not sure what possessed me to buy this. I genuinely thought it was funky and cute. The responses I’ve gotten range from “that’s something you’d wear to a middle school dance in the early 2000s” to “that’s downright UGLY.” I still like it for its weirdness, but will probably just wear for a classic witch costume next year haha.

Texas Thrift was amazing though and truly Texas sized. It was a lot to rummage through and I wish I had more time there, but maybe a good thing I didn’t considering this is the result of my efforts HAHA.

Silk black button down with mother of pearl buttons, $12, NCJWLA Thrift Shop

Overpriced and too large on me. This was bought after a long afternoon of thrifting and I just wanted to buy something.

If you reached the bottom congrats! As you can see I really don’t care for half of the stuff I bought. If anything strikes your fancy though, check me out on Poshmark!

xo,

Catie