For all of 2019, Marti worked on a comic that journals her attempt to do #NoShopping for the whole year.
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No shopping was a high bar, but she definitely was able to minimize her shopping. Her struggles and recaps are hilariously captured in simple drawings that are sometimes informative, sometimes revealing and never boring.
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Below are several pages from the beginning of the book.
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Find the book on amazon.com here.
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Professional Reviews!
From Pines and Peaches
"In a myriad of self-help and minimalist books, Taming the Shopping Bug is a shining gem! Not at all condescending or preachy, the author approaches a year of #noshopping with humor!" (read full review here)
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From Midwest Book Review
"...a graphic book that chronicles Ms. McGinnis's year of mindful shopping. It is illustrated with cute graphics that carry a serious message. She also brings in some of the psychology of why we shop and feel compelled to over-consume products. She also talks about her "Need-O-Meter" with which she filters potential purchases. This is a great guide for those not quite ready to Marie-Kondo their lives but wanting to cut down some." (more books reviewed here)
The Official Book Trailer
Q&A with Marti McGinnis
Why did you write this book?
I have wanted to do a graphic novel for a long time so when I got the bee in my bonnet to severely limit my shopping for a year I thought the info would be best portrayed in this way! In fact I tried to do NO non-essential shopping for the year, but I failed - which is all documented in the book.
Why is it in black and white?
I knew many Kindle readers can only handle non-colorized interiors, and I didn't want my Kindle readers to get the short end of the stick on that. Also print copies are less expensive this way for the print-on-demand outlets I wanted to use.
Why cartoons?
Cartoons are great at portraying somewhat 'dry' info in a much more digestible form. Plus it's rather who I am as an artist.
Top lessons learned?
It was very revealing to discover the history of recreational shopping and just how much Americans have been 'trained' throughout our lives to consume stuff as a way of life.
Has it changed the way you shop? I absolutely LOVE how younger generations are not falling those same habits and are starting to entirely recreate how we should think about consuming things. I was delighted to learn so much about the NOwnership trend and experiences over things habits.
Would you do it again?
In fact the #minimalshopping habit has really become ingrained in my behavior. I absolutely did buy some frivolities when my year was up, but I haven't fallen back into old habits. At all. A truly unexpected benefit!
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