Cait Flanders is a writer, podcaster and soon-to-be author. She started her blog in 2011, and first used it to document her journey paying off $30,000 of consumer debt. She then went on to write about the two-year shopping ban she completed in 2016, in which time she also got rid of 75% of her belongings. Cait now considers herself a more mindful consumer of everything, and she continues to share her story, in hopes it will inspire others to become a little more mindful too. In this episode, Cait shares the story of how she hit rock bottom with her debt, how she then paid it all off, went on a two-year shopping ban, and fundamentally changed her relationship with stuff and with consumption in general. We discuss the emotional stickiness of money, how she handles money now, why she needed to learn to accept herself in order to declutter her life, and why she doesn’t really like the term “minimalist”. This whole conversation is open, honest, and refreshing, and I know you’ll get just as much value, enjoyment, and reassurance out of this as I did! (more…)