Book Review--The Year of Less

 Book Review

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

Written by Cait Flanders

Narrated by Cait Flanders

I don't aspire to absolute minimalism in my life.  I feel there is value in being surrounding by things that I visually and physically enjoy and that some extraneous things in life bring aesthetic beauty to my existence.  That being said, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  And, as I told my kids as they were growing up and we clashed about cleaning and organizing, 

"The more you have, the more you have to take care of."

        --Lisa Collins, fairly unsentimental mother of three

I am a chronic streamliner.  Which means I am always looking out for more efficient ways to do things; processes that will make common chores routine and easy to make habitual.  This frequently shows itself in desiring new organizational systems that will compete with clutter. Unfortunately, I am also a member of a consumerist society where marketing abounds touting the newest, brightest, and best things to make my life easier.  This is a constant battle between getting and having, needing and not needing, wanting and not wanting. I think this comic from the immortal Calvin and Hobbes is painfully accurate.

I remind myself again and again to be honest with myself about my 'wants' versus my 'needs'.  That doesn't mean I can't ever get things that I want and don't necessarily need but I try to be conscious of my motivations.

When I ran across the title of Cait Flanders' book 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 as I was browsing Hoopla* for my next read, I was intrigued and checked it out.

I was anticipating a helpful guide on how to stop spending as much money, de-clutter my house, and tips on focusing extra time on what matters in life.  I was not prepared for a confessional memoir from a addictive personality that detailed more about life trauma than the 'how to' help myself.  As I am admittedly unsentimental of a more pragmatic nature, I do not relish immersing myself in a stranger's agonizing emotional upheaval.  Friends and family, I will always make time for but I do not need to adopt the distress of a random parvenue. And for most of the book, all I could think of was the author would have a more enjoyable life if she invested in therapy to bring self-awareness much sooner.

Flanders is the author behind Blonde on a Budget, a personal financial journey blog.  I had never read any of her previous journeys through alcoholism, credit card debt, and weight loss so I was unprepared for the raw reality of someone detailing their trauma in what seems to me a public therapy forum. There are nuggets of practical tips sprinkled throughout the journal of adversity and, finally, a short but helpful guide in the epilogue.  However, it was not a journey I enjoyed.

All of that being said, I know many people who find value, solidarity, and healing in walking through someone else's life and trials.  It can bring a sense of belonging and the idea that they are not alone in their struggles.  This is a book that will appeal to those readers (and you know who you are).  But in reading as in life and organizing/decluttering, knowing yourself is the best path to contentment.

*Hoopla is an excellent source for audiobooks, ebooks, movies, and music. Check with your local public library for free access to this amazing service!