Elysia Berman on her “no-buy” year

January 03, 2025 00:31:39
Elysia Berman on her “no-buy” year
51 Percent
Elysia Berman on her “no-buy” year

Jan 03 2025 | 00:31:39

/

Show Notes

A lot of Americans’ resolutions for the new year revolve around money, but could you hold off shopping for a full year? On this week’s 51%, we explore the concept of a “no-buy year” with Elysia Berman, a Brooklyn-based content creator tracking her journey away from excessive shopping toward financial savings. By challenging herself not to buy items she doesn’t need, like clothing and beauty supplies, Berman says she paid off more than $33,000 in debt in 2024 and confronted a shopping addiction that had been weighing her down for more than a decade. Berman shares her personal “no-buy” tips with us and reflects on how social media especially pushes women to shop.

Guests: Elysia Berman, digital creator; Dr. Shai Butler, Better. Not Perfect: From Hot Mess To Life Success

51% is a national production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio in Albany, New York. Jesse King is our producer and host. Our associate producer is Madeleine Reynolds, and our theme is "Lolita" by the Albany-based artist Girl Blue. 

Other Episodes

Episode

February 07, 2020 00:27:30
Episode Cover

#1593: A Sociologist Studies Horse Crazy Girls | 51%

On this week’s 51%, a sociologist takes us into the world of horse crazy girls. (**This interview contains sexually explicit content about 21 minutes...

Listen

Episode

May 23, 2025 00:29:05
Episode Cover

Emily Feng on “Let Only Red Flowers Bloom”

On this week's 51%, we hear from NPR’s Emily Feng about her experience reporting in China, and her new book Let Only Red Flowers...

Listen

Episode

September 11, 2020 00:27:24
Episode Cover

#1625: Domestic Violence Amid COVID | 51%

On this week’s 51%, some calls reporting domestic violence have been different since COVID; and there’s a program offering online help to women living...

Listen