Since I devour books, I decided to call this series “Book Bites”…little book reports on yummy books!
I just finished “The Year of Less: how I stopped shopping, gave away my belongings, and discovered life is worth more than anything you can buy in a store” by Cait Flanders. It’s honest, thought-provoking, and inspiring.
In brief summary, the book documents Cait’s year of purchasing nothing except consumables (groceries, toiletries, gas for her car). She combined the no spending with decluttering, and got rid of 70% of her belongings! She learned how to fix things rather than throw them away, researched the zero waste movement, and learned to appreciate trying to live without an item before purchasing or replacing it. There are also lots of tips, tools, and advice if you want to try this yourself.
Why I loved it
Cait talks about retail therapy and spending like the self-destructive habit that it is; similar to over-eating, drug and alcohol consumption, or tv binge watching. She says, “Each time I craved it, I had to stand in the moment, pay attention to what had triggered the craving, and change my reaction.” That’s powerful stuff.
She also goes deep into understanding why she held on to things and purchased things. She talks about keeping things and buying things for the person she thinks she should be rather than the person that she actually is. Owning who she truly was helped her get rid of a lot of clutter. She says, “I realized I had spent the first 29 years of my life doing and buying whatever I could to be someone I thought I should be. I kept so many things, and consumed the wrong things, all because I never felt like I was good enough. I wasn’t smart enough or professional enough or talented enough or creative enough. I didn’t trust that who I was or what I brought to the table in any situation was already unique, so I bought things that could make me better. Then I spent a year sorting through the mess and figuring out who I really was.” That realization will really punch you right in the face! It was hard for me just to read and consider; let alone go through that process!
In the end, she calls on us to ask ourselves the question about our consumption and binging: what part of you or life feels like it’s lacking? Nothing you eat, drink, or buy can fix it. Instead, she says you have to simplify and strip things away and figure out what’s really going on. Cait says, “Falling into the cycle of wanting more, consuming more, and needing even more won’t help. More was never the answer. The answer, it turned out, was always less.”
I highly recommend this book! It’s inspired me, as part of my 2020 goal setting, to plan a No Buy July. I don’t think I’m ready to commit to a whole year, but a month sounds doable!
If you’d like a copy of the book, you can get it here: The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store
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