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

I wanted to read, wear, and do everything so I could become the person I thought I should be.

Having these items in my home proved it was possible. I would do it all one day, and become a better person one day. This time, one day never came.

Advertisements and marketing campaigns had conditioned me to believe everything was now or never.

The truth, I was learning, was that we couldn’t actually discover what we needed until we lived without it.

idea of moving back was because smaller cities naturally come with slower lifestyles, and are filled with communities of people who are grateful for all the little things life has to offer.

I wanted to be surrounded by those who valued living over working, spending time outdoors over spending time online, and doing things for themselves over paying for every possible convenience.

More was never the answer. The answer, it turned out, was always less.