How to Resist the Urge to Shop: My Story Was Published by NPR

NPR (the most influential public media network in the United States) published my story in response to a question they sent to their subscribers: How do you resist the temptation to buy things you don’t need?

I’m happy to share some good news!

I sent my answer without much expectation… and today I was surprised to see it published in full, as the closing quote of the article. And the most beautiful part: a reader from Iowa wrote to say it was “the wisest thing she had read in a long time.”

Thank you, NPR, for this unexpected gesture. And thank you to all those who have walked beside me on this journey of traveling light and finding joy in the simple things.

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Here is my original English text, as published:

Discover something deeper that fills you

I used to want things. Pretty things, useful things, things I thought would bring me comfort or joy. But something shifted.

After five years of living as a nomad — sometimes with just a backpack or out of the trunk of my car — I’ve come to realize that I no longer desire things. I walk into a store, see an ad, or pass by a tempting object, and… nothing. The wanting is gone.

I’ve learned to enjoy other kinds of pleasures: the silence of a forest, the surprise of a hummingbird, the company of a river. They don’t cost a thing, and they leave no weight in my bag.

What would I even do with more stuff? I can’t carry it. My life is movement — light, essential, deliberate.

So my best tip is this: Don’t fight the impulse. Transform it. Discover something deeper that fills you in ways a purchase never could.

—Victoria Restrepo

You can read the full article here:
👉 https://www.npr.org/2025/08/07/nx-s1-5493254/resist-temptation-online-shop

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Returning to the original question —how do I resist the temptation to buy things I don’t need— this NPR experience reminded me that living with less isn’t about scarcity. But about conscious choice. Every object I don’t carry leaves more room to listen, to see, to feel.

I don’t need to fill my backpack to feel full; it’s enough to listen to the birdsong or the murmur of water. True wealth lies in what doesn’t weigh you down.

Every image and word shared here comes from my own journey — all writings, photographs, and experiences are my own.
© Victoria Restrepo