Complete Idiot's Guide to Simple Living

Rating:
Summary: A Vehicle For Change
Review: "The Idiot's Guide to Simple Living" can be enlightening and/or helpful to those folks who are new to the idea or action(s) of living more simple, more frugally, or enjoying one of the most precious things we have: time.

A former techie who went down with the dot.coms in 2001 gave this book to me. Having earned a rather high income during the mid to late 1990s this person has--absolutely nothing to show for it, except debts. Of which, won't be eradicated, or even significantly reduced for several years. As with most Americans today statistically, as their income increases their debts increase (and proportionally as well). The more money one makes the more debt they have. And, most of this debt is for things that depreciate: cars, the latest-gotta-have-electronic gizmos, and other things that show a mundane and unfulfilled life and/or banal socioeconomic status. (As Robert Kiyosaki states so adroitly, there is good debt and bad debt.) Don't buy "stuff."

For the nuts and bolts of the book, there is a convenient summary of major topics, that includes two tables of contents. A condensed table of contents as well as a detailed table of contents, for quick referencing. There is also a comprehensive index, and a list of further recommended readings.

The information in this guide will be known already for those who've chosen to live simple and for the most part debt-free. For the stereotypical American, whether earning [low or moderate incomes] this can be a vehicle to make a change to this attitude much more easier, practical, and yes--enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books on the subject
Review: Even after a decade and more of simple living I love reading books on simple living issues and one thing I like about The Complete Idiots Guide to Simple Living is where the author Georgene Lockwood notes in the section on The 10 Laws of Stuff that:

1. Stuff breeds. The more you have the more you need.
2. The useless stuff crowds out the good stuff.
3. Dust, bugs, rodents and moisture all love stuff. The more the better.
4. Stuff tends to stay where it lands.
5. Stuff expands to fit the space available. The more space the more stuff you think you need.
6. Over time stuff becomes invisible After living with stuff we don't see it.
7. Stuff costs you money more than once.
8. Stuff has a powerful effect on your state of mind. Useless stuff is a burden. It weighs us down.
9. Stuff takes value only when it is used.
10. Stuff doesn't make you happy, you do!

She also discusses the issue of quietness. That people who are afraid of quiet often have the most stuff because they need to always be doing something. So if we need noise and activity what is it that we fear?

And she offers great advise that when you read it you tend to go DUH ...of course that makes sense...why didn't I think of that. Like instead of six knives whose total cost is thirty dollars, and which won't hold an edge, how about buying one top quality knife that when sharpened holds an edge and is a gem to use? That the less we own the less time we spend cleaning. That when we buy a tool or appliance don't buy one that isn't multi task. As an example I bought a top dollar KitchenAid processor and it gets used all the time. Whereas the variety of cheaper tools that I had to dig thru a drawer to find were more a frustration and rarely used.

She notes in Abundance, not Excess that Paring down and living simply doesn't mean being poor. The simple life is abundant; you have everything you truly need and the time to satisfy your true, inner wants. This isn't deprivation! This is true abundance. Excess, clutter and useless stuff are the true deprivers.

Rating:
Summary: Great book to read
Review: Great ideas. The book is well-organized which makes it easy to read. Has references to other books & websites which is related to Simple Living.

Rating:
Summary: Grateful
Review: I suppose it's my fault for buying a "Complete Idiot's Guide" to anything; I shouldn't have expected a lot of depth. The author covers a broad range of subjects that deal with simple living, but at the level that you'd expect in a popular women's magazine. There were a few very good ideas, but about 95% of the material is not at all new, especially in the chapters on simplifying wardrobe and food preparation.

The first few chapters, which are more philosophical in nature, are a little more original, and contained a few very interesting, though-provoking ideas.

One good point of this book is the long list of resources she lists throughout the book and in the back. I found several books that I want to read.

If you are new to the idea of "simple living," this is a good starting point. Otherwise, check it out from the library or buy it, take a few notes, and pass it on to a friend. It is good as a catalyst for ideas, but won't be very helpful as a reference book.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration with a kick in the bum
Review: My husband and I bought this book a few years ago. While we haven't entirely practiced everything presented in this book it certainly gave us the inspiration and know-how that we needed to declutter and clean up. We were swimming in stuff and didn't quite know how to fix the problem.

We keep this book around and whenever we start to feel out of control or overwhelmed with the daily grind, we pull this book back off the shelf and read a chapter or two. Sometimes we read the same chapters again and again. It has always proven to be a helpful guide to keeping our lives a bit more sane and simple.

We recommend it to all of our friends and I recommend it for you.

Rating:
Summary: Good introduction to the lifestyle of simplicity
Review: Over the past few years, I've purchased many "Idiot" books, and I find their standard layout (which is present in Simple Living) very helpful when you are grazing for information on an unfamiliar subject. It includes: reference cards in the front of the book which summarize the book's main points, two tables of contents (one short and the other more detailed), a large-type-face index, and an appendix offering additional reading and resources pertinent to the topics of each individual chapter.

Judging this book as exactly what it proclaims itself to be, a general introduction to the topic of "simple living" (defined as, "living lightly on the earth"), I believe the author does an outstanding job, for the following reasons:

(1) She provides a concise but comprehensive history of the concept of living simply, including its many different appearances in the U.S. over the past several centuries. This puts simplicity in a fascinating, long-term, American context.
(2) She states that though among those advocating the ideology of, "live simply so others may simply live," there is no universally accepted definition of what simple living means, there are many common concepts which have appeared regularly for decades in books and articles on this subject. She does an excellent job of describing the most central issues, including the importance of maintaining a "sustainable lifestyle," which does not destroy the environment, and creating a definition of "happiness" and "prosperity" for ourselves based on something besides the incessant purchase of consumer goods.
(3) She admits the irony that living simply is anything but easy and is often more expensive than maintaining a more "normal," mainstream lifestyle. In addition, it can be very unpleasant to be the odd-person out, pursuing an "alternative lifestyle," particularly if you have children. Young children and teens are notorious for not wanting to be different from their peers. By covering these issues, she allows persons exploring the possibility of living this way to think ahead about possible pitfalls they might face in order to prepare for them.
(4) Finally, the author's style of writing is clear, easy to read, and her voice is lively enough to make this topic very interesting reading for people of all ages, backgrounds and education levels.

If you only have time to read one book on this subject, I highly recommend this one as a top choice. It would also be an excellent resource for the friends and family of simple livers who want to better understand their loved ones.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful guide for beginners
Review: Simple doesn't mean being deprived. This book is good for anyone who wants to enjoy life and stop chasing after the "American Rat Race Dream." Especially good for those of us that are new to the concept.

Right from the get-go the book includes a cut out card for you to keep to be critical of ads on what their trying to say to you, and the principals of simple living.

Its not about being deprived, its about values, what's important to you in life and what makes you happy. Its very easy to read and the author presents ideas that you can use or not use. Not every idea will be for everyone, however most of the ideas and tips are useful.

The book starts out explaining simple living and what it is. Part 2 talks about money and how to control it, and how to get out of debt! It talks about how less stuff can mean more!

Part 3 is about food, clothing, and housing. What you eat is what you are. How to eat well and nutritiously for less. Trends or tyranny. Examining fashion and fads, and how they affect us. It talks about how to buy good clothes that are timeless, and how to take care of them instead of buying fads that go to the dump after 1 season. Then it gives tips on how to take care of them. It also gives housing tips. And alternatives to transportation.

The rest of the book talks about family and community, how its more important than acquiring stuff and politics of voluntary simplicity. The book is very easy to understand and she gives resources and where to find them, if a person wants to dig in deeper in a certain subject.

I really enjoyed it and learned so much from it, this is a book for beginners about enjoying and getting more out of life. There's more to life than money! :-)