I think the long-term redeeming value of NGNY for sinners and pure souls alike is the intention — we’re all trying to be better about buying things needlessly, getting distracted by shiny new toys, budgeting in a smart way, etc. The periodic slip-ups are less important than the larger intention.
I just read a post in this forum where someone was venting their frustration over a product that hasn’t come out yet, because it doesn’t exist yet, in fact hasn’t even been announced yet. People torture themselves over invisible things because they’re trained to want more, more, more.
If you’re practicing gratitude and attempting to silence that greedy, entitled voice we all have in our heads, then I think you’re succeeding at NGNY regardless of how your transactions shake out.