Woman goes a year without buying 'anything I don't need' in New Year challenge

A woman is celebrating after going a year without buying anything she doesn't need - to help the planet's oceans.

Last December Becky Dell was inspired by the David Attenborough show Blue Planet to do her bit to help the environment.

The Londoner decided to only buy food, drink and basic toiletries in 2019.

Writing on Twitter Becky said she watched, with shame plastic floating in the oceans and wondered how much was hers.

So, aside from mascara and moisturiser, Becky did not buy anything she didn't need.

That meant "no clothes, shoes, presents, other makeup, hair products, jewellery, bags, decorations, anything disposable, plants, flowers, house items etc."

And the money that she saved from not splashing out would be given to a selection of charities and grassroots organisations.

Becky says she ended up saving and donating Sh218, 810.72 (£1,621.69).

But there were times when emergencies meant she had to buy something.

On Twitter she said: "I bought 12 things during the year, 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!"

And friends and family understood her challenge and supported Becky's decision, with the thrifty musical director making presents herself instead.

And there were some things she really missed.

Becky wrote: "The thing I missed the most was buying plants and flowers, I love nature and found that hard.

"Solutions were growing flowers from seed (harder than it sounds but I tried!) and getting cuttings from friends (lovely thing to do). I now have rhubarb growing!!"

At first, she said, it was quite easy: "January to August was surprisingly easy (other than missing flowers/plants) but 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."

After 12 months of austere living the first thing Becky plans on splashing out on is socks, plants, some nice tea towels and a tea strainer.

Blue Planet II has been credited with raising awareness of plastic pollution, an influence dubbed the 'Blue Planet effect’.

Following the programme's airing in the UK, the BBC announced its intention to completely ban single-use plastics within its organisation by 2020.