Woman reveals she saved £1,600 in one year by only buying essentials – but still allowed herself some mascara

A WOMAN managed to save herself more than £1,600 in a year by only buying the absolute essentials – which did include mascara.

Becky Dell, from London, decided to test herself for a year after watching David Attenborough’s Blue Planet.

Becky, a musician, set herself a rule to “not to buy anything I didn’t need”, which covered food, drink and basic toiletries.

She managed to save a staggering £1,621.69, which she’s donating to charity.

Writing about her challenge on , she said: “(I included mascara and moisturiser on my basic lists, I’m not a monster).

“I didn’t buy; clothes, shoes, presents, other makeup, hair products, jewellery, bags, decorations, anything disposable, plants, flowers, house items etc.”

Over the year she bought 12 non-essential items, adding: “For example, a new jacket when my zip broke at -15 up a mountain, brr, a couple of essential things for my very elderly cats and a couple of essential house items.

“Each one made me really annoyed!”

She managed to get around giving a gift for Christmas and birthdays by making presents instead.

And while the first six months were easy, Becky said it got tough around August.

She said: “It got WAY hard from August, as clothes started running out and however much I darned my socks they just stayed holey.

“It got easier in December as I could start counting down.

“The thing I missed the most was buying plants and flowers, I love nature and found that hard.”

Now that her challenge is over, Becky said the first thing she was looking forward to was buying some socks.

She said: “I am so desperate for socks, and tights and pajamas….!!!

“I did this challenge on a bit of a whim, so no pre-sock planning.

“According to my list, I also want to buy a Chilli water bottle, plants, nice tea-towels and a tea strainer.”

Explaining her motivation behind the challenge, she said: “Two weeks before Christmas last year I watched a #DavidAttenborough show, #BluePlanet and it inspired me to take massive action.

“I watched the plastic floating in the oceans and wondered, with shame, how much was mine :/ I decided to do a year of not consuming.

“Actually thinking about it, I think it was my desire for a £40 cushion that pushed my guilt over the edge last December.

“Nobody needs a £40 cushion, however pretty it is, particularly when they already have 7 cushions on their sofa.”

After sticking to her guns for a year, Becky said she was “chuffed” with her progress.

For anyone inspired to cut back as well, Becky advised spending more money on fewer higher-quality items.

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