The Year of Less cover art

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

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Year of Less

By: Cait Flanders
Narrated by: Cait Flanders
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.99

Buy Now for $21.99

About this listen

In her late 20s, Cait Flanders found herself stuck in the consumerism cycle that grips so many of us: earn more, buy more, want more, rinse, repeat. Even after she worked her way out of nearly $30,000 of consumer debt, her old habits took hold again. When she realized that nothing she was doing or buying was making her happy - only keeping her from meeting her goals - she decided to set herself a challenge: she would not shop for an entire year.

The Year of Less documents Cait's life for 12 months during which she bought only consumables: groceries, toiletries, gas for her car. Along the way, she challenged herself to consume less of many other things besides shopping. She decluttered her apartment and got rid of 70 percent of her belongings; learned how to fix things rather than throw them away; researched the zero-waste movement; and completed a television ban.

At every stage, she learned that the less she consumed, the more fulfilled she felt. Blending Cait's compelling story with inspiring insight and practical guidance, The Year of Less will leave you questioning what you're holding on to in your own life - and, quite possibly, lead you to find your own path of less.

©2018 Cait Flanders (P)2018 Tantor Personal Development Personal Finance Personal Success Heartfelt Inspiring

Critic Reviews

"If you've ever felt there must be more to life than consumerism and its vicious cycle, you'll find inspiration to break free in The Year of Less. Cait's highly readable and personal story is encouraging, challenging, and unbelievably helpful." (Joshua Becker, author of The More of Less)
All stars
Most relevant
What Cait accomplished is great and she shares some great life lessons.
Tone of voice is very monotone and can be a downer at times. The story is not all dark and it could do with more peps.
This is not the story about how to do it but about how she did it. This is good to know if you dont know what to expect.

Cait's year of less

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Let me start by saying anyone encouraging people to consume more mindfully is doing a good thing in my book, so Cait hits that one on the head. However, maybe because I’m already well along the path to a life lived less on autopilot, her revelations weren’t exactly new to me, which I knew heading in and was mostly interested in her story. The personal story definitely is what brought this book up to 3 stars in my mind, without it I’m not sure I’d have been able to give more than 2 for the financial advice aspect alone. This could be a great book for those just starting their journey towards a more intentional life, but if you’re well on your way it might be a bit “heard it before” for you.

Reasonably interesting, not exactly unique

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I liked Cait's honesty, and it gives me motivation to try something similar. I also enjoyed how she didn't delve into the story of her parent's separation, as it's unrelated to what her book is really about. I appreciate her Marie Kondo references, and am glad to hear at the end everything sounds like it has worked out very well for her. Well done Cait! An easy listen.

Glad I listened

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really enjoyed listening to this , was a nice change of pace , definitely want to implement the things she talked about into my life

Honest and real

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author has made a good story and through it she shares her ideas on consuming less, that is practical, easy to follow and put into practice.
I enjoyed it.

Practical and interesting story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.