The Year of Less

"[This book documents the author's] life for twelve 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. The challenge became a lifeline when, in the course of the year, [the author] found herself in situations that turned her life upside down. In the face of hardship, she realized why she had always turned to shopping, alcohol, and foodand what it had cost her"--Amazon.com.