Is less really more? "The Year of Less" by Cait Flanders

Title: 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

Author: Cait Flanders

Reviewer: Richard Sesek (educator, wantrepreneur)

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Topic/Intent of book: This is the autobiographical journey of a women that embarks on a year-long experiment to virtually eliminate buying new things (beyond of course food and necessities). She describes her battles with drugs and alcohol, sometimes poor self-worth, and previous attempts to “self-treat” (as many people do) by purchasing items (“retail therapy”).

I selected this book because: Living a more simple, less material life is important to me. I believe in being happy with what you have and what you can make. I also like when people embark on difficult and even crazy “missions” such as Cait’s.

Recommendation: Yes. She is a good writer (she is a successful blogger and works as a creative writer, so not really surprising). She presents guidelines for how to reduce purchasing and how to be happier with what you have (it’s about the experiences). She makes it clear that an extreme commitment, such as what she did for an entire year, is not necessary to start moving in a direction that will provide greater happiness and less likelihood that you are chasing after more and more (or nicer and nicer) things.

Major lessons from this book: I had already begun the “thinning out process” and have started donating more things that I do not use (e.g., clothes, electronics, etc.). This book underscores what is important (relationships and experiences) and provides no-nonsense advice for how to control unnecessary purchases. Her descriptions of how she personally overcame many bad habits (chiefly alcohol, but also mindless television binging, among others) provides inspiration for others to live a more complete life. A life that does not constantly require “new” things, but rather an appreciation for what one already has, particularly intangible things like friends and experiences.

Book Inspirations: I plan to take more time outdoors, specifically in nature and hiking. I also plan to increase the number of activities I do with friends. I will continue to fix, rather than buy items (already doing that, but more so). I plan to systemically go through closets and storage areas to donate useful items to thrift stores and properly recycle any items not worth fixing. This is a good wake-up call to reevaluate priorities.