I listened to a podcast this morning for the third time. I’ve listened to it twice this week but found myself compelled to revisit it yet again. It was an interview on Choose FI with Cait Flanders, author of The Year of Less. I’m not sure what keeps drawing me to it, whether I saw a kindred spirit in Cait who confessed to having 54 unread books on her bookshelf. (See my confession to having 61 unread books here).
Or whether it’s the discussion around how many people use consumerism as an (often unconscious) distraction.
It may even be the thought of returning to a simpler way of life, learning hands-on skills so that we can do things ourselves. I really don’t know, but on some level it spoke to me, sparking my curiosity.
What is The Year of Less?
First let me confess that I haven’t read Cait’s book, although I’d love to. Those of you who stop by regularly will know that I’m on a book buying ban until I work my way through my current stash. I’ve checked and The Year of Less isn’t available for me to borrow from my local library. So it’ll have to sit on my wishlist until I’ve cleared the backlog. Anyway, I digress…
The Year of Less charts Cait’s journey as she challenges herself to go for a year without shopping. She realised that she was spending a small fortune on minor items, such as books, but that buying ‘stuff’ wasn’t making her happy. So she decided to stop spending on non-essentials, only purchasing items such as food and utilities. Social experiences, such as lunch with friends, were also allowed as these improved the quality of her life. The focus was on reducing the excess in her life to gain clarity on the important things, ultimately increasing happiness.
I suppose this echoes my own experiences – I believed that once I became mortgage free I’d be able to buy whatever I wanted to – I’d get all this fantastic stuff and life would be brilliant. It didn’t happen. I bought myself a Smeg fridge, something I’d promised to treat myself to once I paid off the mortgage. I also continued to buy books (my downfall) but apart from that there was nothing that I really wanted and life didn’t feel very different to how it did when I had a mortgage.
Like Cait, I realised that stuff wasn’t the key to happiness. Instead I cut my hours and went part-time, which gave me the freedom to do more of the things I love – seeing friends and family, cooking/baking, growing my own veg, reading, blogging, focusing on my health and just slowing down. As time passes, I’m realising that simplicity is the key and that less really is more.
Should I do a year of less?
I’ve considered setting myself a year of less challenge but I’m not sure that I’d want to right now. In the podcast, Cait suggests trying it for a month, which is something I may consider as it’ll run nicely alongside the no spend day challenge on Twitter. She also suggests identifying the 10 things you have the most of around your home, recognising that those are most likely to be your ‘go to’ distractions. Recognise that these are things that you spend frivolously on and ask yourself if you really need more. This is exactly what I did with my books.
Ultimately, I think it’s about becoming a more conscious consumer and realising that stuff isn’t the answer. After listening to Cait’s story, I feel that there are a few things we can all do to help us break our undesirable spending habits and live a more mindful and fulfilling life. I’ve listed some suggestions below:
- Become aware of your non-essential spending habits. What do you spend the most on? Why?
- Try to identify the emotion behind the spending – boredom, habit, sadness, feeling worthless?
- What can you replace it with that will add value to your life? Going for a walk? Learning a new skill for free (online, friend, family member)? Meditating? Working out? Cooking a meal? Using up what you already have?
- Commit to avoiding those spending habits for a week, fortnight or month. See how you feel. Do you want to bring those habits back into your life or have you been happier without them?
Hopefully these suggestions will create enough of a ‘pause’ in your habits to help you become more conscious of your consumption, helping you to evaluate each purchase and consider whether it will add value to your life.
Simple Pleasures
Its been a thought-provoking day and my Sunday is far from over. I have plans to make a ‘chilli-non-carne’ later from Jack Monroe’s Veganish book. There’s nothing I love more than cooking something delicious up in a big pot with plenty left over for another day!
But my simple pleasures so far have been:
- An early morning walk on the beach. The sun was shining and it was glorious to slow down and take in the views.
- Fresh bedding – who doesn’t love that clean bed feeling?
- Curling up on the sofa with a coffee and a book.
I’m going to sit in the garden and make the most of this glorious day. I hope you’re having a super Sunday whatever you’re up to. If you’ve read The Year of Less or decide to listen to the podcast then let me know what you think.
And if you’ve enjoyed today’s post then make sure you take a look at what I got up to last Sunday.
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Image by Zack Silver on Unsplash