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What I Liked
This book spoke to me on a deeper level than I was expecting. The essence of this book truly is “Less is more.” I found Flanders to be completely relatable, yet all the while remarkable for her committment to her personal journey of insight into herself. Because of Cait and her book, I made a personal committment to follow a Shopping Ban of my own to gain a better understanding of how consumerism has effected me.
I really appreciated how each chapter began with her sharing the percentage of total income she had saved and the percentage of belongings she had given away.
What I Wished was Different
I personally did not find anything problematic in this book. It was an easy read and the story was fascinating to me. I can see how it could feel overwhelming to do what she outlines, but I was also able to see the value in doing it.
I began, as suggested, by going through every item I owned and put them into two categories: 1) Items I use regularly, and, 2) Items I have not used in 6+ months. Next, I took the items I had not used in 6+ months and asked myself if I planned ot use them in the next 6 months. If the answer was no, I donated the items. If the answer was yes, I decided to hold onto them for 6 more months WITH the stipulation that should I not use them in 6 months time, they would also be donated.
Analysis
Overall, I found this book to be one of the most inspiring reads this year. I posted on February 1st for the first time about this book and my goals for my personal Shopping Ban being: 1) To become a mindful consumer, 2) To really calculate my true monthly living expenses, and 3) Save more/make calculated financial decisions. One of my favorite things that happened thus far was Cait Flanders herself commenting on my instagram page. I thought I would share her response below:
“If you can acheive even one of those goals, I hope it feels like a success! (Thought something tells me that just working on one could ultimately help them all happen.) Good luck! xx”
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“People will always make comments when you decide to live a counter-cultural lifestyle.”-
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