No New Things: A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity

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.