UK woman says Hasta la Vista to shopping for a year

Author of the book "The Year of Less" Cait Flanders embraced a year-long shopping ban after realizing that she was "never going to find happiness in my [her] stuff."

The fact that she had 54 unread books at her place helped her made up her mind to "make the change in her life."

"I would immediately go to a website and buy a book and I wouldn't ask myself when I would actually read it," the Independent reported, citing, Flanders as saying.

As the journey progressed, she further realized that many of her purchases were either impulse purchases or aspirational purchases.

"A little more than halfway through I realised I held on to stuff that I had bought for an aspirational self," she said.

After categorising her belongings into two segments, that is, the person she was at the moment and the person she wanted to become, Flanders got rid of the stuff which the real she did not feel the need of.

She not only parted away with 70 percent of her possessions but also pretty much gave up "frivolous shopping", limiting herself to groceries, toiletries, gifts, and experiences, the report said.

"Shopping or buying new things is only going to provide short-term happiness. It doesn't do anything long-term," Flanders told the Independent post the end of her year-long shopping ban.