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 Paperback – January 15, 2019

I have been a long-time follower of the simple living movement (anyone remember Elaine St. James?) and the newer version, now called minimalism. It's been twenty years that I have been reading material on this subject and have loved seeing the movement gaining ground and becoming more main stream. With that history, let me just say that I loved this book.I won't bore you with all the details of my own journey other than to say my husband and I have reached the point in our lives where we are "right sized" for us. Housing, clothing, possessions, etc. are all close to ideal for us. We still struggle with keeping aware of what we are bringing into our home since most of the time the acquisition of things isn't really about the thing. That is where this book stands out and has a different slant that many others.Cait Flanders isn't a blogger I have followed so I came to it without pre-conceived notions and no expectations other than it has been endorsed by some heavy hitters in the minimalism arena. Here is why I loved it:* The raw honesty of the author. Each chapter begins with a blurb at the top stating Months Sober = __, Income Saved = __, Confidence in completing the project = __. What an excellent way of quickly communicating the status of the project and how she is doing emotionally !* My belief is that most over-spending, debt, and clutter have nothing to do with the things. We are all trying to make ourselves feel better in some way and use shopping as a pacifier. Ms. Flanders hits a home run on this as she talks about drinking and drugs in the same vein. When you no longer allow yourself the emotional crutches of food, alcohol, spending (or any other addictive behavior), you are left with the raw feelings that are triggering these indulgences. They have to be addressed and worked through or the adaptive behaviors will again rear their ugly heads. As the author talks about drinking in particular, she nails it and is very honest about shopping serving the same function. Not too many people do that out of academic circles.* This is truly a gem for people who are moving past the "how do I declutter?" and into "why did I buy on this junk in the first place and how do I not do it again?"The reason I would recommend a pass for some readers is that if you haven't followed her blog AND are new to minimalism, I think you won't get as much out of it as some other resources. It's not a how-to book or even a more general discussion on some of the behaviors that need to be changed. Start basic and then work your way to this one if you aren't already a blog reader.For me, it sparked my interest in her work and I plan on digging into her archives to follow her journey.

I enjoyed this book. I appreciated reading about author's experience. It allowed me to view my habits under fresh lenses.

By sharing her story, the author inspired me to continue on my journey of minimizing and being more mindful about spending. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to simply their life and find more meaning.

This was a splendid read, easy to follow, to the point, and raw. I borrowed this book electronically through my local library and finished it in 48 hours. The only reason i gave this 3 stars simply because this is the first book of this nature that I have read - so I don't have a foundation to reference. I enjoyed the book, and the fact that the author is real, and relatable. I do not share the same life experiences, as I imagine that's the trend with some readers, seeing that we come from all walks of life. Regardless of our individual "walks", we are all humans seeking connections in some form or another and therefore can relate the emotion driving the source.have not adjusted well to managing my newfound free time wisely and would Goodwill hop to pass time. After reading g this, I have become inspired to grow into a mindful consumerI feel that it is important to note as a recently converted stay-at-home mom with another baby on the way, I and strive toward living a less cluttered, but more intentional lifestyle.

I read this book at exactly the right time in my life. I have wanted to stop drinking, spend much less and live more simply for so long and this book was just the nudge I needed. It shows another’s humanness throughout this journey and therefore doesn’t feel impossible. I feel like it was written by a friend.

I definitely learned new ways to help myself with getting rid of more during my move after my divorce. Also, how to not spend money on things that I don’t want. The books started out strong and then she got into her family and work life, to which I lost some interest. Not that it wasn’t a good thing for her to get her feelings out, because I get needing to do so. It may also help others who struggle in the areas she did with dealing with divorced parents and such. I did skip a few pages to get back to the main reason for me reading the book, which was to help myself on becoming more strict with my spending habits and rage gives great tips at the end of the book. Overall it was an easy read and knowledgeable!

I saw this book on social media in January and since I’m trying to save money, put it on my library loan list. It came up in February when I was going through a difficult time personally and at work. It really helped me get back on track mentally and gave me some great ideas about saving money. I can’t wait to explore all of the new books, apps and blogs I learned about from this book.

I really enjoyed the depth of this book. There are lots of books about setting goals to remove clutter from your life but this book went much deeper, which is needed for real lasting change. Also she’s just a wonderful writer. The book is literally like sitting and listening to a close friend.