The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living

We dream of a good life, one that is not cluttered by mounting stress, by deadlines, by worries about money. We dream of a more fulfilling way to live. Unfortunately simple living is an art that one probably never truly achieves, but I think journey is far more important than the goal itself. "The Simple Living Guide" is a guide to beginning your own journey to a simpler and more fulfilling life. While the book can be read as a whole, cover to cover, it seems to read best when broken down into its individual chapters. The reader is invited to begin their process of simplification where and when they are ready leaving other area for later. I began my journey three years ago dealing with the clutter that I, and so many other Americans, gather around ourselves for no other reason than it is expected to have more than we need. Cleaning and exorcising my home of useless kitchen appliances, clothes I could no longer wear, and knick knacks pretending to be works of art was a painful process but one made easier by Ms. Luhrs book. Cleaning out my home led me to simplify my budget, and then to simplify my leisure activities, and most recently to simplify my career. Ms. Luhrs presents us with the fact that simplifying is a process. One cannot just simplify one area of life and call it good. Every time you change and improve one area it radiates and effects every other area of your life. For example once you start simplifying your budget to save money it leads you to question how you spend your time, where you live, your quality of life, even the birthday gifts you give.The entire book is written in a warm, personal manner, often if feels as if one is having a conversation with the author rather than reading text. The advice presented is not only practical advice but philosophic or spiritual advice as well. Inner simplicity means thinking some thoughts that are occasionally rather deep. The fact that there is philosophy presented in this book is not a detraction from the book but a distinct positive. There are books about saving money and managing time out there but Ms. Luhrs asks us to pause a moment and ask just what we want from more money or more time. Life changes are always easier when you have an idea of where you are going and why you are making the journey in the first place "The Simple Living Guide" invites you to take your time, to think about your life and to grow while you simplify. What could be more simple?

This book is full of great ideas for people following the simple living path. The author's essential thesis, although never explicitly stated, is that to live simply, we must consciously consider every consequence of the every decision we make. If we are unhappy with our current money/family/housing/health conditions, we need to realize that these conditions are the result of decisions we made in the past. To live a better life, we need to make better decisions and often a simpler option is the better choice. Along these lines, the author points out how going along with the average American middleclass lifestyle of large house, large debts, high fat diet, and too much TV is neither fun nor healthy. She suggests countless alternatives, but more importantly, stresses that each person needs to make the choice himself or herself. Even if a person chooses to go along with the usual average American habit, that's not necessarily bad, as long as he or she makes the choice consciously and is content with all of the consequences.This book doesn't have a lot of specific money advice on how to live a simple life. For this, a reader might look to a book like "Your Money or Your Life". Instead, its strength lies in helping the reader to develop a personal philosophy towards living simply, as well as providing ideas. To provide encouragement, each chapter ends with a short case history of a successful simplicity family story.

In this wonderful, inspiring book, Janet Luhrs provides myriad ideas for and insight into how simplifying your life can help you shift gears or even start over from scratch. The book offers loads of practical advice about how to implement changes in your life and escape the cycle of work, consumption, debt, and stress.The author states at the outset that the book provides a variety of options for those interested in simplifying. Some of these options--like living off the grid or on a boat--will appeal to only a small number of people. However, the great stories from real people's lives do make you think about your job, house, and possessions and how you could streamline. Most of the suggestions (e.g., improving eating and exercising habits and better managing money and time) can be implemented by anyone.I recently read Elaine St. James's Living the Simple Life and found it wanting and often impractical--foregoing sunglasses and wearing only three colors of clothing are not helpful suggestions to me! This book also focuses solely on the changes St. James and her husband made, with little mention of the wide spectrum of alternative approaches.Luhrs's book differs by providing a vast array of resources, in addition to using life stories to outline approaches that folks have successfully employed to create more time, less stress, and more joy in their lives.Buy this book and take from it the inspiration to help you realize who you really are!