Not Every Child is an A Grade Student: Why We Must Not Make B/C/D Feel Shameful
If everyone MUST get an A grade, what do grades even mean? A discussion on the stress trap that we are taught to accept from a very early age.
Hello, I'm Anna
Find the joy of enough
I'm Anna Kilpatrick: former teacher, single mum and author of Not Needing New. I share how I dress with style, run a home and raise a family on very little, almost all of it second-hand. No shame, no lectures, just ideas that work.
Not Needing New since 2013
As featured in
- The Guardian
- The Times
- BBC Sounds
- RNZ
- Global
Out now
Not Needing NewA Practical Guide to Finding the Joy of Enough
The ultimate toolkit for embracing sustainable, second-hand living, and letting go of the constant need for more.
“By sorting out the wants from the needs, Anna shows you how she was able to enrich her life with thrifty and sustainable living. A book worth every penny!”
Outside the UK? Here's where to buy it
- United States and Canada Walmart.com (UK edition)
- Australia Hachette Australia · Booktopia
- New Zealand Hachette Aotearoa · The Nile
Anywhere in the world, any bookshop can order it for you with the ISBN 9781398726345.
New writing on Substack
The Joy of Enough
Anna's newest writing lives on Substack. Read it free, or have it land in your inbox.
From the journal
Latest writing
What's Wrong With 'Dream Big'?
Before we even get started on this, I want to make it clear that I am not anti-ambition, or progress, or the life-changing power of economic and social change through hard work. I am questioning why we are so obsessed with MORE.
Forget Fashion
This sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, coming from someone who cares quite a bit about how she presents to the world, but I have a point to explain, and short titles that make use of alliteration are always a bonus.
Why "not needing new"?
You don't need money or youth to be stylish
Anna has lived second-hand since 2013, and started sharing it as Not Needing New on Instagram in 2019. Bringing up two children on very little, she found that charity shops, the tip and the freebie box weren't a compromise: they were where the good stuff was.
All you need is a bit of imagination, some bravado and, actually, age helps.
Meet AnnaEvery day on Instagram
Follow along at @not.needing.new
Join more than 180,000 people for charity shop finds, outfits, home and honest thoughts on living with less.
