The ‘no-buy challenge’ has won over Gen Z

Expensive rent, high cost of living, costly shopping. Beyond wars and political conflicts, we can say that 2024 will be remembered by everyone as the year when everything became too expensive, especially for residents of major cities. Central to social debates were themes related to the lives of students living away from home, forced to endure horror apartments for sky-high rents just to study at their dream universities, or the rising prices (but not quality) of fashion items. Everywhere you look, wherever you go, the talk is about money and how life has become expensive in Milan, London, and Paris, not to mention New York. For this reason, TikTok has revived a trend discovered some time ago by younger generations struggling with high rents: the no-buy challenge. Created to combat the rampant consumerism fueled by the same social platforms that now promote it, the challenge has gained traction in recent years among users determined to live for extended periods without buying anything. While the only rule is not to use a credit card, participants can choose the length of time they follow it—one month, forty days, or a year. For many, the no-buy challenge is a fun way to save money and rediscover their style using items already in their wardrobes. Others even impose a ban on groceries, forcing themselves to use everything in their pantry until supplies run out.

Last year, scandals related to influencer marketing and general consumer fatigue over seeing sponsored posts on every For You page led to the rise of Deinfluencing, a trend born on social media to show that people need very few things to be happy. The no-buy season, therefore, follows the path started by the Deinfluencing trend, adding an extra layer of purpose. The reasons driving so many consumers to begin a spending-free period (in the last month, over 3,000 TikToks tagged #nobuy were posted, with a 270% growth between Christmas and the end of 2024) vary, from the high cost of living to expensive rent. What seems to unite all users documenting the challenge on social media is a shared overspending problem on beauty and fashion items. Feeds are flooded with makeup, shoes, and clothes when searching for terms like “no-buy season” or “no-buy challenge,” often accompanied by voiceovers sharing shopping problems or, worse, stories of receiving too many PR packages as content creators.

Among the most popular tips shared on social media for the challenge is to review past expenses and carefully analyze which purchases could have been avoided—examples frequently cited include takeout dinners and Uber rides—as well as setting realistic goals. While it might be fun to try not to spend more than a euro a month throughout 2025, it’s also important to remember that the challenge should lead to personal growth, not a nervous breakdown. Moreover, for fashion enthusiasts with overflowing wardrobes, the no-buy challenge is a unique opportunity to refresh their style and better understand which purchases were worthwhile and which were not. Being forced to use only what’s already at home stimulates creativity, say some creators on social media who have already tried the trend, as it encourages people to invent new looks with favorite clothing items while finally wearing those tagged clothes we bought and forgot. In short, it’s a fun challenge, as long as it doesn’t force you to stay home while your friends are out having fun.