No New Things
A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
From award-winning sustainability expert Ashlee Piper, a witty, no-nonsense guide to regaining control over your time, consumerist impulses, and financial and mental wellness
For nearly two years, Ashlee Piper challenged herself to buy nothing new. And in the process, she got out of debt, cut clutter, crushed her goals, and became healthier and happier than ever—all the things she’d always wanted to do but “never had time to” (because she was mindlessly scrolling, shopping, spending, and stressing). After a decade of fine-tuning, No New Things guides readers through the same revolutionarily simple challenge that has helped thousands of global participants find freedom and fulfillment in just thirty days.
The book follows the rise of what Piper calls “conditioned consumerism” and how it sneakily hijacks our time, money, and mental bandwidth, as well as harms the planet. From there, readers follow customizable daily action items that bring about the ease and richness of a life less bogged down by spending and stuff, without compromising on style, convenience, or fun.
Whether you’re a bona fide shopaholic or someone who just wants to buy less and live more, No New Things is the antidote to modern overwhelm.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist Piper (Give a Sh*t) draws on her own efforts to lead a "life less smothered by overconsumption" to provide solid guidance for readers wishing to cut down on waste. She traces the roots of today's overconsumption to a materialistic culture that emerged after WWII, as manufacturers combated scarcity fatigue by marketing luxury items and making the American dream synonymous with stuff. Meanwhile, companies began releasing frequent, slightly tweaked versions of products that consumers bought as status markers. Those developments created a system, Piper explains, where boredom-induced shopping is the norm. To break the pattern, she outlines a 30-day challenge for readers to gradually alter their purchasing habits. Among other steps, it involves establishing the right mindset to conserve, implementing small changes to reduce impulse buying (including unsubscribing from or muting influencer marketing), and borrowing instead of buying. The author uses valuable insight gleaned from breaking her own shopping addiction to bolster her actionable plan for cutting back on waste and saving time, money, and mental peace. It amounts to a savvy and convincing argument that less can be more.
