Rachel Smith made a vow to live outside the consumer cycle in 2014, shelling out cash for just food, basic toiletries, fuel and experiences in order to save more money.

After saving 38 per cent of her take-home salary, she's written an e-book based on her discoveries and established a 14-week online course to help others rid themselves of unwanted shopping habits.

Originally from the UK, Smith moved to Brisbane in 2007 to take up a position as a transport planner.

After working on a project that took her to Mumbai in late 2012 she made a New Year's resolution to stop buying non-essentials.

"But I framed it as a punishment, that I wasn't allowed to buy anything," she said.

"So by Easter 2013 I had caved and bought myself a pair of trousers. I wish I hadn't – I've only worn them about three times since."

Concerned about possible redundancies in her industry, Ms Smith decided to rethink her approach and made 2014 a year of opportunities to save money.

"It's about working out your goals, what you're passionate about and where you value putting your money," she said.

"I wanted to show people you can still pay your bills, have a life, enjoy experiences – but save money and have less stuff around you."

So Ms Smith replaced buying DVDs with cinema visits and took up horseriding and yoga instead of shopping for similar things she already owned.

She said surviving without buying new clothes was easier than expected, saying she organised clothing swap events to replenish her wardrobe.

"I wore shoes until they had great big holes in the sole, so I had to borrow some," she admitted.

"But you realise you don't need 20 pairs to go with every possibly outfit, you just need three or four, wear them until they wear out then directly replace them."

Ms Smith said her "pain points" for unnecessary purchasing had been treating herself after a long week at work, boredom and shopping with friends.

But she said the further she went along with the lifestyle experiment the more committed she became.

"I wanted to self-publish a book I'd written on improving transport and traffic congestion as well as an entrepreneurial course," she said.

"I was able to pay for both of those in 2014 while still saving money."

Ms Smith said she was a sucker for books and household items such as cushions but compared purchasing them to the "sugar" hit that anti-sugar campaigners like Wilson rally against.

"After my challenge ended I bought a handbag as a reward to myself, only about $50," she said.

"But a few days later I wish I hadn't... all I felt was 'All right, now I have a handbag'. The reward that I used to get from shopping for stuff had gone."

But how did she get around the tricky problem of gift-giving for birthdays and Christmas?

"I gave people experiences such as coffee vouchers, or regifting items with a personal message, or taking people for lunch," she said.

"My sister got mad at me for sending her a birthday e-card but I just had to explain this was how I was doing things that year."

Rachel Smith's Top Tips for Less Stuff

* Sort out what you already have and commit to using all of it.

* Replace visits to shops for entertainment with other free destinations such as the beach, park, museums or library. There are many free events happening at any given time, all it takes is some online research to find them.

* Organise swap meets to find new clothes, accessories, books and more. This is also a great idea for families; rather than buying new toys that children will eventually tire of, try swapping and sharing with other families.

* Use cash so you physically see how much you're spending, rather than using cards that you can swipe and forget. Leave them at home if you do go shopping or out to eat.

* Emergencies occur, and sometimes you have to spend money you were trying to save. That's OK, it's a long term strategy, so just start again the next day.