Updated December 18, 2022

Cait Flanders radically simplified her life in the space of twelve months and recounts the process in her memoir, The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered that Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store.

By living on an average of 51% of her income, Flanders saved $17,000 and used another $10,000 for personal travel during the year. She also purged 70% of her belongings.

Impressive, don’t you think?

But The Year of Less is about so much more than simple living. It’s about facing yourself and your demons, and in so doing finding the courage to create a healthier and happier life.

During her self-imposed shopping ban, which allowed her to buy consumables and replacements only, Flanders came face-to-face with her addictions, especially during periods when her life suddenly turned upside down.

During intense times, Flanders indulged in over-eating, binge watched TV, and felt tempted to take a drink after many months of sobriety. Life events triggered anxiety and depression that took her to bed for weeks at a time.

If any of these habits or challenges sound familiar to you, feel encouraged because, with time and insight, Flanders found the strength to say “no” to these self-harming habits and create life-affirming ones in their place.

What You Can Learn from The Year of Less

Take a moment to reflect on your own relationship to money, possessions, and consumerism.

• Are you stuck in a cycle of always wanting more, but never feel fully satisfied?

• Do you spend more than you bring in, digging yourself further and further into debt?

• Are you trying to find happiness through material possessions, but find the joy you experience little more than fleeting?

• Are you wanting to invest or save for retirement but never have a cent left over at the end of the month?

• Would you like to have funds available for personal travel or to explore new endeavors, but find there isn’t a penny in your savings account?

If so, The Year of Less can help you learn to relate to money, possessions, and consumerism in a completely new and liberating way.

This is what Flanders learned from her 12-month shopping ban:

“In challenging myself not to shop for an entire year, I was setting myself up either for failure or for the most prosperous year of my life, and I’m happy to say it was the latter. Throughout the entire journey, I was forced to slow down, discover my triggers to spend and to over consume, and face and change my bad habits. I gave up the things that marketers try to convince us we should want in life: the newest and greatest of everything, anything that can fix our problems, and whatever is in style. I exchanged it all for the basic necessities and, after a year of not being able to buy anything new, realized that was all I needed. That was all anybody needed. I had always been stuck in the cycle of wanting more, buying more and then needing more money. The ban uncovered the truth, which was that when you decide to want less, you can buy less and, ultimately, need less money.”

Flanders shopping ban was such a personal success that the very next day after its completion, she announced she would carry on and do the same for another year. At the end of the second year, she decided not to repeat the experiment because mindful consumerism had become a way of life.

What You Can Learn from Decluttering

This is what Flanders learned from purging 70% of her belongs:

“Decluttering and purging 70% of my belongings came with different lessons. 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 was. A writer and a reader. Hiker and traveler. Dog owner and animal lover. Sister, daughter, and friend. It turned out I had never been someone who valued material objects. I valued the people in my life and the experiences we shared together. None of that could be found in the belongings in my home. It had always been in my heart.”

How would feel if you purged 25% of your belongings? How about 50%? If you see and feel the benefits from reading about Flanders decluttering journey, let it inspire you to get started.

Inside the Year of Less

In her memoir, Flanders takes you through each month of her year of less, sharing the personal obstacles and challenges she encountered as well as her successes in an intimate and sometimes heart-wrenching way. She also shares glimpses of her history and the insights that helped her detach from unhealthy habits and create positive ones.

You’ll also find the 10-step “Your Guide to Less” instructions at the end of the book, which you can put into play if you choose to follow in Flanders footsteps.

Create Your Own Experiment in Less

If you feel all charged up and ready to take on a year of less, good for you.

If a year-long shopping ban like Flanders seems too radical, too big, too overwhelming, you can start with whatever feels comfortable to you.

Create your own experiment:

• Cut out takeout coffee (or any other item) for a month and see how much that alone saves you. Add another item each month for the year.

• Try a decluttering experiment. Fill one large trash bag a week or a month. Donate whatever you can.

• Commit to a month-long shopping ban. Only buy consumables and replacements. Then see if you want to continue.

You can design your own shopping ban and decluttering program in whatever ways makes sense to you.

What would you like to commit to? Be sure to reflect on your “why.” Knowing your why will help you make it through whatever time period you allocate for your experiment in less.

I’ve been reflecting on the ways I can live with less in the coming year. Our world is burning up and drowning at the same time due to climate change, which has come about from unrestricted production and consumerism.

That’s my “why.” I’m tempted by the idea of a shopping ban, at least for periods of time.

Closing Thoughts

Times have changed since the year Flanders conducted her year-long experiment, but her advice is timeless.

In fact, it may be all the more relevant given the current economic crisis brought on by the pandemic. The U.S. has hit a 6.8% annual inflation rate, the highest number in 39 years according to Tim Denning.

Prices have increased and the value of the dollar has declined. You may be forced to live with less. But making a conscious choice to live with less can be much more than a response to an economic crisis.

Through her simple living experiment, recounted in The Year of Less, Flanders discovered her true self and what matters most in her life. The same could happen for you. Because that’s the power of simple living: It requires that you look within, think deeply, think, and make conscious choices.

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered That Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders, Hay House, Inc,. 216 pgs. [affiliate link]

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You might also like to check out my  Living with Ease course or visit my Self-Care Shop. May you be happy, well, and safe – always.  With love, Sandra