The Year of Less by Cait Flanders is Less Than Inspiring
I have a small wardrobe consisting only of pieces I truly love, my kitchen tools and appliances are paired down only to the essentials, everything in my house has a ‘home’, and I’m able to tidy up the entire house in under 10 minutes flat. Even my toddlers collection of toys / books / stuffed animals is scaled down to a manageable size. Only on rare occasions will you find me mindlessly shop for home decor. For the most part, I believe I’ve done a pretty decent job of creating and maintaining a simple and modest home. I can truly say that I’m living my ideal version of a minimalist lifestyle.
So Why Did I Decide to Read The Year of Less?
I downloaded The Year of Less by Cait Flanders about a week before my husband and I relocated eight hundred and fifty miles west from Washington, DC to St. Louis.
I wanted to read an inspiring book about decluttering and living with less, because isn’t moving to a new home the perfect opportunity to reevaluate what you own? I decided to go through every possession and do a sweep (keep / toss / donate) before the professional packers and movers arrived.
I was really hoping The Year of Less was more inspiring and helpful for this journey, but it wasn’t, and I was left underwhelmed.
A MISLEADING DISASTER OF A BOOK
I enjoyed the introduction and the beginning chapter of the book. The author described how and why she got herself into a huge hole of consumer debt. She briefly described the backstory to her decision leading up to her 12 month shopping ban, and I was very intrigued. That’s when it took a nosedive going 60 mph and never quite recovered.
It turns out that this book is very misleading. It’s not really about living with less, or practical tips on how to stop shopping for things that won’t bring you happiness, but more of a personal memoir of a 20-something who struggles with alcoholism, overeating, heartbreak, mommy and daddy’s divorce, and career changes. I was really hoping for some good tips, stories about what it was like during those twelve months of her ‘shopping ban,’ etc. but instead it was about her boring childhood and more tedious stories that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand. Literally nothing. Halfway through, I wasn’t sure what I was even reading, how it got so far removed from ‘living with less’ and if I wanted to continue.
Thankfully, the last 10 pages had an actual guide and step by step instructions to purging / living with less / rules for your own shopping ban. That was the best and only useful part of the entire book. Unfortunately, I couldn’t care less about the rest of it and felt fooled into downloading it.
2 out of 5 stars, and only because I like the last 10 pages of practical information. If you’re looking for a book on living with less, this one is not it.