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

Could you go a whole year without shopping?

In her late twenties, that's exactly what Cait Flanders did. Despite having cleared nearly $30,000 of consumer debt, she still struggled to save money. When she realized that nothing she was doing or buying was making her happy, she embarked on a year-long shopping ban.

The Year of Less documents the 12 months during which Cait spent money only on the essentials - food, bills, car fuel - and steadily cleared out 70 per cent of her belongings. She learned to make do and mend, imposed a television ban and researched the zero waste movement.

The results were profoundly transformative: the less she consumed, the more fulfilled she felt. In the process of decluttering her apartment, she also decluttered her life and overcame long-held toxic habits.

With advice and practical tips from Cait, The Year of Less will leave you questioning what you're holding on to in your own life - and quite possibly lead you to find your own path of less.

'For your friend who has already Kondo'd her cupboards after reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, The Year of Less will inspire them to do the same to their finances.' Metro

'What is an incredible personal journey is also a stark reminder of how materialistic many of us have become. The Year of Less will certainly change your perspective on how you spend your money.'
The Independent

• ISBN10: 1781808597
• ISBN13: 9781781808597
• Publish Date: 15 January 2019 (first published 16 January 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hay House UK Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Initial thoughts: Going into this book, I had no idea who the author was (the blogger behind blondeonabudget.ca before she rebranded). I'd simply logged into Overdrive and searched for new ebooks on minimalism. Cait's memoir caught my attention. I'm glad I got to listen to her narrate her audiobook. In many ways, that stage of her life reflects my own right now.

While I'm not in debt and I've never been drunk or been into partying, I am at a point where I'm wondering what I want with my life. I spent 2017 paring back a fair bit of my belongings and am a lot more mindful about what I spend my money on. Reading about someone who was on a year-long shopping ban put a lot of things into perspective. Quite a fair bit of things to think about.

[adamfortuna]

I've been reading Caits blog for longer than I can remember. Before the finance community was something I knew about, Cait's approach to heartfelt stories about minimalism and consumption was what drew me to read more. This book dives deeper with a narrative that winds through a difficult year.

Going much deeper into personal stories than I expected, the common thread is a story of growth – both towards having less stuff, but also for better understanding what leads to happiness. Editing down a life to focus on what matters is no small undertaking, and many of these stories have inspired me to look at areas of my life that could use a little editing.