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A way to enrich your life without buying things!

This book is awesome! Would you rather live your life spending, or spend your life living? Those are Jill Chiver’s inspirational words as she takes you through her year without clothes shopping. Not in the least bit “preachy”, Jill is witty, wise and unflinchingly honest as she describes her journey. If you spend a lot of time and money buying things – only to do it again and again – more things won’t help. But this book just might!!

Sarah

Couldn’t tear myself away

I downloaded your book and couldn’t tear myself away from it. Absolutely loved it. Thank you for bringing it all together in a book format. I had many aha moments reading it altogether and have taken away some great and practical advice on my shopping habits and improving my style. I love Kindle’s highlighting facility, it came in really useful to bookmark many passages. I might have actually laughed out loud a lot too, not just into my sleeve. Fabulous!

Tracey

A Must Read for Every Woman

I am forever changed by this book. As a shopping addict in recovery, every page of this book resonates with me. I literally identify on EVERY single page. There are laugh out loud moments. There are tears in my eyes moments. There are nodding in agreement moments. Jill’s account of the brain numbness that we experience when on a buyers high, the complete regrets after a shopping spree, her feelings of shame & her eventual triumph over her addiction, is raw, true and authentic. She admits to being vain and too concerned about how she looks. And I go, YES! YES, me too!!! This book is a must read for every woman in the world, whether or not you have a shopping addiction. It could be fiction, it’s that hilarious at times…

Adri

What an accomplishment, pain to self discovery and healing

Jill Chivers, a beautiful, successful, and well educated business woman who has traveled the world, is also a self-proclaimed shop-a-holic, one who claims guilelessly that she could ‘shop for Australia’. As a follower of Jill for several years, and as an owner of a more moderate closet (although I have always been an ‘options’ gal), I was intrigued by the idea of following her journey more closely to see what I could glean. Little did I know how seriously engaged I would be from the onset, following her on the streets of Berekley, holding my breath over what she would do with the leopard coat, and somewhat shocked by the revealing admission at the end of that excursion. I was hooked.

I laughed at Jill’s Bad Feeling Convention, I cheered when she walked away from the pajamas. I almost cried when she examined the depths of her despair over buying napkins; I was thoughtful when she admitted that she never knew that she ‘wanted’ something until she saw it. I paid strict attention to the ‘characters’ that surfaced when she shopped, and I felt relief when she stopped feeling regret. I chuckled at the friend who shopped for jeans, and realized the lesson that it taught about understanding shopping from different angles.

Jill’s sense of humor beckons you; you know her, you recognize her, you love her. Her many anecdotes, her ten year later look backs, and her personal examination of her addiction lead you to her recapturing a rich and fullfilling life. It is a journey of pain, recognition, and happiness. Style and fashion are not interchangeable, authenticity is important, rediscovering and strategizing your existing wardrobe is key. I love her book and movie references (note to self: rewatch The Princess Bride). She reaches out with thought provoking advice, as well as playfulness and delight in wardrobing. This is an important book to have in your toolbox, whether you have an issue with shopping or not. It speaks volumes in an entertaining manner to anyone is interested in style, as well as to those who either love or detest shopping. Kudos to Jill’s success. It is certainly a nod to her determination and courage to overcome her temptations and manage her life. I am thrilled that she has cared enough to share it with us. It is such a feat.

Louise

Humor & compassion

Jill talks about her journey from admitting to a shopping addiction & the year long shopping fast she want on with humor & compassion. The year for Jill was a journey of self discovery. For anyone who loves clothes & fears they may have a shopping addiction this is a good resource. I highly recommend this book.

Vickie

Not just for shopaholics!

I have really enjoyed this book! I also have a tendency to overshop, especially when bored and felt that my shopping was getting out of hand a little. Although I have stuck to my budget, I always felt compelled to spend it every month no matter what and so I was filling my wardrobe with not very inspiring clothing because I didn’t give enough thought to what I was actually buying. I realised that I needed a pause to work with what is already there and to become creative in my own wardrobe. I was spending too much time thinking about shopping and how to spend my budget that it became quite a drain on my time. Jill’s book is full of musings, Jill’s own journey and practical sensible advice. I have enrolled in Jill’s online program and I’m enjoying the content and weekly emails that guide me through “My year without clothes shopping.” I can thoroughly recommend her book to anyone who wants to spend less time shopping and more time enjoying life.

Eva

Any Habit You Need to Change?

Yes, this book is about how Jill Chivers avoided clothes shopping for a year to break her shopaholic habits. And yes, if your closet is stuffed but you have nothing to wear, this book is for you.

But this book is also for you if you’ve found that willpower isn’t enough to change eating habits, fitness habits, or just about any other habit or non substance addiction. Why? Because in sharing her story, Jill manages to universalize her dilemma. This very personal story, derived from her journals, provides advice on going beneath the surface of your behaviors to the why’s. She turns episodes like her “Why do I want this when I already have three?” lightbulb moment into exercises you can use to unearth the issues you’ve avoided, excuses you’ve made, and stealth moves you’ve adopted to hide problems.

Read it for the combination of drama, humor, and self-help advice in Jill’s story. Read it for solid exercises for reflection. Read it for great information on sustainable shopping. Read it if you aren’t yet comfortable in your clothes. In Jill, you’ll find a true friend walking alongside you as you embark on your own journey of self-discovery and positive change.

Jane

Like getting advice from a good friend

This book is a must read for anyone who shops for clothes. While I wouldn’t quite say I was a shopaholic I definitely recognized myself in many of the situations Jill describes. The book is written in a funny and engaging style so you feel like you are talking with an old friend. Lots of food for thought in this book. I underlined quite a few passages and know I will go back to it again and again in the future.

Susan

A Gem

This book is an absolute gem. I am only half way through the book, but have gained a whole new perspective on my obsession with clothing, including many helpful ideas and strategies. When I finish the book, I intend to read it a second time. I think this will be a game changer for me.

Rosebud

Accessible shopping guidance

Jill has taken a serious topic and addressed it with much wit and compassion, not to mention depth. Having followed Jill for the past few years I had already figured out that although not a shopping addict, I have a lot of room for shopping improvement. I found myself reading this book (ironically during the lead-up to Black Friday) and being inspired both to shop less and to re-evaluate my shopping habits. This book is not just for compulsive brick and mortar shoppers, but for online shoppers, occasionally over-spenders, people whose closets just don’t work and as Jill says-anyone with a compulsion to overcome.

Part of the book is her story of a year without wardrobe shopping and her thoughts on that journey 10 years later. Importantly she also offers advice for shopping less, how to shop successfully, getting more out of your current wardrobe and analyzing your style needs so future purchases actually make sense. No matter your level of shopping drive there is food for thought here and entertainment as well.

Florence

Wonderful Book

This book was really a great read. I have tried year-long shopping bans before. They didn’t work. I am going to try out her ideas and make this coming year a shop my wardrobe year. This will help me to save money and pay off debts.

Claudia

Enjoyable and helpful.

Jill’s story addresses many of the core issues of habitual shopping in a manner that is both engaging and thoughtful. Unlike many other books about shopping addictions, she doesn’t pathologize the behavior but examines it honestly and frankly with compassion (and humor) towards herself and her readers. While reading this book, I often felt that the author was speaking directly to me! I especially appreciated her efforts to distinguish her love of clothing and style from her problematic shopping behaviors. Her ability to reframe her relationship with clothing without routine shopping at its core is encouraging to others who worry that giving up shopping means giving up style. A must-read for anyone interested in developing a healthier relationship with shopping!

JT

Dealing with Crisis

Shop Your Wardrobe: How a year without clothes shopping helped me find myself and my authentic style by Jill Chivers is a spot-on book for a pandemic year.  Yes, many of us have more time to read, and here is a real-life book chock full of images that readers can relate to.  And, yes, a pandemic year when we are sheltering at home is probably a good time to embark on a self-improvement project, which getting into right relationship with yourself, your pocketbook, and your closet certainly qualifies as.  But the primary reason Shop Your Wardrobe is ideal for this year, is that Chivers gives example after example of how creativity helps human beings deal with unusual situations.  Not clothes shopping for a year isn’t quite the same as a global pandemic but creativity helps us deal successfully with crisis and Chivers offers plenty of opportunities there:  learning to cook, jewelry re-making, love-to-do lists, FNOFEP (ya hafta read the book for this one).

And if anyone thinks I am enthusiastic because I am “just like Jill,” I publicly avow that I have only 16 hangers in my closet (Jill has a small bedroom-turned-wardrobe) and the only piece of animal print I own (Jill wears animal print every day of her life) is a tomato colored jacket with acid green cats printed on it.

Lowell

Brilliant!

A book for proper shoppers with lots of practical tips. Jill seems lovely and I really enjoyed this great book.

Dollymix

Really helpful advice to stop overshopping

It has taken me a while to read this book as I kept stopping to ponder and reflect on what I read. Jill writes from the heart as a reformed shopaholic so she knows what she’s talking about. This is incredibly helpful to someone like me who felt alone in the grip of shopping addiction. Jill understand perfectly about the purpose that excess shopping fulfills for vulnerable shoppers and her empathy informs the strategies she suggests to combat the problem. I identify with so much of what she has written and the fact that she has overcome her problem gives me hope and motivation to overcome my own. Well done, Jill, on producing a resource that is so very much needed in our world of excess! Highly recommended.

Bibiqueue

Thought provoking

Even if your shopping patterns do not mimic those of the author this book is a good read with some positive words of wisdom that we can all use in our “shopping” lives..

Joan

A must read for everyone who loves clothes!

I couldn’t wait to read this when it came out. I have been following Jill Chivers for awhile now. This book was so insightful. I loved the way Jill made it humorous throughout the whole book even though it is a very serious topic for people who overshop. The best part was when she explained how she did succumb to the temptation of shopping for clothes and wasn’t perfect in the year long pursuit of NOT shopping for clothes. Made me feel more hopefull that I can attempt to do this too. I love all of the information in the last quarter of this book. So many useful strategies and insights.

Saory

Fun, fascinating personal journey

I loved this book because it gave me comfort in knowing I am not alone in my shameful overspending, over shopping behaviours. Jill approaches the lessons to be learnt in this book with a fun, humorous and easy to read style. Through reading her diary entries in the first part of the book I felt like she became one of my friends because she was so open and at times, brutally honest with herself. In the second part of the book, I found the practical advice on HOW to become a better informed, less compulsive shopper invaluable. Jill’s story was so relatable for me and I thank her for giving me the tools to spend less and have a ‘richer life’.

Leesa

Interesting

What an eye opener, so much of Jills story resonated with me, the shame and guilt. I could imagine Jill opposite me chatting and confiding in me, knowing we had so much in common. It’s made me realise I need to get a grip on my over spending, my crammed full wardrobe is just part of the problem brought to light by this book. Thanks to the second half of the book I now have some tips and ideas on how to do it.

Checkoutchick

Jill delivers 100% with Shop Your Wardrobe!

I seriously love every single word in this book, and that’s saying a lot! The author Jill, has a way with words, making her journey and experiences with clothing, shopping, style and so much more, an enjoyable and insightful trek! I laughed out loud, read and re-read many passages and called my hubby over more than once to share a tid-bit of insight from the book, with him. I can’t encourage you enough, to purchase this book and savor every single word, like I did. Thank you!! Renee, a grateful reader.

Renee

Inspirational story for anyone who shops for clothes!

A few years ago I had taken Jill’s online Shop Your Wardrobe course, which I found to be extremely helpful. This book is the perfect addition to the course. It was nice to see how that course came to be, and that Jill is not perfect, but human, just like the rest of us. Her conversational style of writing makes you feel like you are tagging along on her inspirational journey of not clothes shopping for an entire year. She shares the ups and downs, the successes and failures, and the insights gained as she got her compulsive clothes shopping under control. I’m sure many will have ‘aha moments’ as they see themselves in what she’s experienced, as have I. You don’t have to be a compulsive shopper to learn from this book, as throughout she has helpful hints for everyone. At the end she even includes her 10 keys/principles to create a wonderful working wardrobe so you don’t do more unconscious shopping, buying items randomly, ending up with closets full of clothes and yet having nothing to wear.

Julie

The “Why” of Overshopping

Jill has a friendly, chatty way of writing, as if your best friend were to email you about the ups and downs of her shopping hiatus. This book isn’t about depriving yourself or punishing yourself for overshopping. It’s about examining the reasons we shop, the emotions that lead us to retail therapy. Best of all, she gives us tips to learn how to create a workable wardrobe that fits our personality and lifestyle. Be sure to check out her website!

Amazon USA Reviewer

Relatable, inspiring, practical, honest – and really funny

As someone doing their own year-long shopping ban (after two previous failed attempts!) I was really excited to read this book. I devoured the entirety of Jill’s blog last year to help me stay motivated on my own journey to take charge of my relationship to shopping, and I really enjoyed her cheerful, engaging, conversational style.

Happily the book is written in the same tone – Jill says she hopes the reader will feel as though they are sitting down for a chat with a friend. The book delves even deeper into Jill’s personal experiences than the blog. I was surprised and impressed by her honesty, and found I could really relate to her emotions and experiences as she details her year without shopping in the first section of the book. I also appreciated and found particularly interesting her “ten years later” reflections, where she looks back on her journal entries at the end of each chapter. It was intriguing to see how her views had changed and developed with time, something that other ‘shopping ban books’ (The Year of Less, More Than Enough, How To Break Up With Fast Fashion) can’t offer as of yet. She also looks at aspects of our culture that encourage us to overshop, which I liked.

My favourite part of the book was the second half, where Jill shares her tried and tested tools for tackling your own overshopping habit. Obviously this was particularly relevant to me, but I feel there was lots here that would be useful to anyone with an interest in shopping and/or style.

Overall an uplifting and inspiring read. Jill’s warmth and humour really shines through (okay, maybe a little heavy-handed on the metaphors at times) and once or twice I laughed out loud at a well-placed quip. Really enjoyed it, and will turn to it again when I need a little encouragement and friendly support. Thanks, Jill.

Kindle Customer

An inspiring, can’t put down read!

Wow! I am re-inspired to commence my own year without clothes shopping. Jill’s style(no pun the intended) draws you in to every ache in her journey, every laugh and every internal struggle. So relatable. Her journey of success is inspiring. A can’t put down read, that provides proof that we can all succeed on this journey!

Caroline

Honest and down-to-earth

Jill has written an honest account of her year without clothes shopping and what she discovered about herself along the way. I enjoyed reading her story and believe what she has written could well be helpful for shopaholics.

Noots

A thought provoking, yet easy read

I felt like Jill was speaking to me, speaking my language almost like she was in my head. I can only give you the perspective of someone who is trying to address a shopping problem, but I think it will be thought provoking whatever your situation. Of course, it doesn’t give you a quick fix but Jill does lay out the practical strategies she used and continues to use. This book was an easy read in a conversational and accessible style which kept my interest. I would definitely recommend it, especially to those who are interested to delve deeper into consumerism and the impacts it is having on our lives.

Keeks

Funny and perceptive and oh-so-easy to identify with!

I laughed with her and felt her pain. And I loved the tips on how to manage your own shopping and bring out your own style.

Alison

Conscious Leadership with Style & a Laugh

I loved Jills confident style of sharing her personal experience while also delivering valuable insights for those wanting to be more conscious regarding their clothes shopping and finances. I raced through my copy of her manuscript, highlighting all the pearls of wisdom and bookmarking as I went. I was impressed with how easy it was to read and appreciated the practical action steps; this is where Jills skill set shines. I’ve been following Jills blog and receiving her regular emails since March 2013, seven years, alongside my research in this area. I’m also a member of 2 of Jills Shop Your Wardrobe courses, including the 12-month challenge, and love how easy it is to apply this knowledge across all my consumption areas. I highly recommend reading ‘Shop Your Wardrobe: How a year without clothes shopping helped me find myself and my authentic style’ alongside participating in her challenge, or for those who are still considering if it’s a fit for you. As a professionally trained stylist, style coach TM, coach & applied social scientist undertaking post-graduate specializations, I now have a valuable guide to support those I work alongside professionally and have benefited from learning more from Jill’s expertise. If you are looking for a practical, evidence-based guide to help your conscious consumption efforts without sacrificing style, that’s relatable without the shame this may just hit the spot. I felt empowered and was left with a big smile after reading. Thank you Jill for taking the time to share your valuable experience, I have no doubt your guide will provide the support many women are seeking regarding a critical pain point in their personal life.

Kellie

Interesting, comical, informative… hits the spot

This book draws you in from the beginning as Jill talks about her many shopping adventures. Shopping, purchasing, and refraining. With humorous writing, she shares her ups and downs, which the majority of us compulsive shoppers understand. The conclusion of the book provides a layout of helpful pointers and tips to follow in order to help get a grip on your own issues with shopping. I doubt the majority of people share the size of her wardrobe, but that’s not the point. Work with what you have available to you, get to know your style, and be creative. I think Jill would be a joy to work with as a consultant. She’s “been there – done that” and can help through experience, knowledge and humor.

Rita

Loved this!

I loved reading Jill’s honest and often entertaining story, which resonated so deeply with my own fragile relationship with impulsive and compulsive clothes shopping. Having taken part in Jill’s award winning year long ‘shop your wardrobe‘ online programme, this excellent read is a perfect accompaniment or indeed a stand alone account of why we all need to at times go inwards and take stock of our behaviours so as to better enjoy what we already have, who we already are, rather than always lust over what we could be if only we had….Please read and be forever changed for the better in your relationship with what you wear and why.

Rudy

The psychology of shopping

This book is written in a great conversational style, which makes it easy to read. The author digs deep for insight into her shopping habits & the why of them. I found myself completely relating to many of her observations of the way we are manipulated by magazines and media to buy the latest fashions. This book can be an eye opener for anyone who might be concerned about their shopping habits. At the minimum, it is a great read without preaching , just one woman’s experience. I really enjoyed it.

Pamela

Buy Now

If you’re in Australia, you can use the Amazon AU link or if you’re in the UK, use the Amazon UK link.