No new things A radically simple 30-day guide to saving money, the planet, and your sanity

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. (Apr.)

Consumerist culture has exploded with the rise of social media influencers hawking numerous products. In recent years, pushback against rampant consumerism has grown. Piper (Give a Sh*t) launched #NoNewThings in 2013, and this book continues her online efforts. It offers four weeks/30 days of guidance and action items that encourage readers to take the challenge of not buying anything during this timeframe. Each week focuses on a particular aspect of consumerism that the author considers an addiction and one that is often contagious. She includes visualization exercises, reflection sections, and excellent tips to help curb spending, including tracking consumption triggers, unsubscribing/unfollowing vendors and influencers, ceasing junk mail, and deleting shopping apps. Piper also provides guidelines using an acronym (SUPER) on how to buy secondhand, upcycle, pay nothing, or borrow items. This book also provides an informative overview of the history of marketing and consumerism that caused the massive rise in spending and hoarding since the 1950s. Piper writes in a humorous, nonjudgemental style and underscores that the advice in this book can be customized to fit readers' schedules. VERDICT An excellent guide that will assist readers in saving money, gaining lost time, and curbing the angst that comes from having too many things.--Erica Swenson Danowitz