Monday, September 27, 2010

What have you been reading my dear?

I have been reading a lot over the past few months. Mostly stuff in the vein of voluntary simplicity.

Thought I would share what I have been reading over the next few blogs and give you mini reviews.

Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin



This book is kind of must read amongst voluntary simplicity types. It really discusses our relationship with money and trying to change those ingrained perceptions so that we stop looking at money as the currency of our life and instead begin to think of the things we do for money and the stuff we spend money on as spending the hours of our life. When you put it that way, is that pair of shoes worth one hour of my life I can't get back? Depends on how much you like shoes. I liked the book, but I was overwhelmed by many of the 9 steps outlined in the process that leads you to ultimate financial freedom. That is the goal of the book. To gradually and with a great deal of discipline, get yourself to a point where you have parlayed savings into enough investment income to live off of. Thereby freeing up your time to pursue things that are truly important to you. I think I would like to be this person, but I am not ready to tackle the mountain yet.
I recommend it!

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard




You will never look at another purchase the same way again (past or present) after you read this book. It is truly eye opening. The fact is, we rarely think of the processes involved in the raw materials that make up our everyday purchases. Nor do we think of what happens to those items when they leave our hands.
I am forever changed by reading this book.

Living Simply with Children by Marie Sherlock



This is a lovely book to help motivate you to take a more simple route in the raising of your kids. I needed this motivation to start taking control of the craziness in our lives. A good read.

More books to come later...

This week I made the girls some dresses for school picture day. Lu was home sick one day and I used the day off from work to be creative. I made these dresses from a prairie skirt I bought at a thrift store. The skirt wasn't my style, but it spoke to me. And then it didn't. It took me forever to figure out what to do with it. I think it made two precious dresses.



But the models are really what makes the clothes!


3 comments:

  1. I came over here from Angela's My Year Without Spending. Thanks for the book recommendations!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your Money Or Your Life is an awesome look at what life is like when we live consciously and mindfully . . . instead of mindlessly following the pack.

    Another wonderful book, Simplify Your Life:

    http://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/simplify-your-life/

    Or Create Space For What Matters:

    http://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/create-space-for-what-matters/

    BTW: I found you via Thrifty Threads. You did an AWESOME job on that dress!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Clandestine Road and NRhatch. I don't get many comments, so this is a lot of fun for me. And thank you for the book recommendations.

    ReplyDelete