The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul

“Reading this will lead you to a better life.”

In The 100 Thing Challenge Dave Bruno relates how he remade his life and regained his soul by getting rid of almost everything. But The 100 Thing Challenge is more than just the story of how one man started a movement to unhook himself from consumerism by winnowing his life’s possessions down to 100 things in one year. It’s also an inspiring, invigorating guide to how we all can begin to live simpler, more meaningful lives.

Part memoir, part how-to, this book explores the surprising freedom in letting go:

• Breaking Free from Consumerism: Dave Bruno’s honest account of how the "American dream" left him feeling stuck in stuff—and the personal challenge he created to fight back.
• The 100-Thing Rule: More than just a number, it’s a framework for simplifying your life. Discover the rules, the exceptions, and the mindset needed to radically downsize your possessions.
• A Practical Guide to Letting Go: Learn how to purge sentimental items, unused tools, and years of clutter without losing your mind (or your family’s support).
• Finding Joy in Simplicity: A powerful reminder that a meaningful life isn’t about what you own, but what you have the freedom to experience once the clutter is gone.

An ordinary man's inspiring journey toward a simpler, more meaningful life.

In 2008, average American family man Dave Bruno decided to unhook himself from the intravenous drip of consumerism that fueled his life by winnowing all his personal possessions down to just 100 things. Little did he realize that he would be igniting a grassroots movement—soon after Dave embarked on his journey, media around the world took notice and others started to follow his lead.

A cause for pause, The 100 Thing Challenge is a response to the culture of materialism in America, one that has filled our lives with the constant and unsatisfactory desire for "more." Dave Bruno offers compelling anecdotes and practical advice to help readers live more meaningfully, simply by casting off the unnecessary "stuff" that clutters their lives. The 100 Thing Challenge is a golden opportunity to experience the positive changes that occur as you defiantly hop off the treadmill of consumerism.

“Living simply is only an ideal until someone like Bruno gets particular. The way he got particular should make everyone think--hard, which is a very good thing.” - Mark Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

“In a loving, wise, sometimes hilarious manner, Dave Bruno holds a mirror up to us and says to take a closer look at how we’re living. Reading this will lead you to a better life.” - Dean Nelson, Author of God Hides in Plain Sight and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University

“[Bruno’s] musings about his slow and steady purge have developed a cult following online, inspiring others [toward] clutter-free living.” - Time magazine