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It's not how much you make, it how much you spend.

As you know if you've read the last few posts, I've been on a mission to clean and purge my stuff. Part of my new found ambition has to do with some books I've been reading or perhaps the books I'm reading have to do with my new found ambition. Whichever is the chicken or the egg, I've been on a mission to both stop spending and to have less stuff.

As for the books I've been reading, I tend to find myself in a section of the library and go a little berserk. This time I happened to be in the "live without a lot of stuff/simplify" section. I don't know exactly where that lands in the Dewey decimal system but in case you are interested here are a few "suggested readings"

Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter by Elaine St. James
Some of her 100 things are a little...nutty - like making a batch of bran muffins every week and having that for most of your meals (#61) or having a fruit or juice fast one day a week (#59) - but if you ignore those parts and focus on the less crazy things it's a good book to start with.

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John de Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H Naylor
This book started out as a PBS documentary (See the first part below). It explains how American culture has changed from one of community to one of consumerism. It's an entertaining way to make you think. And it make me realize that I'm glad I don't live near a mall. What's scary is that it's from the late 90's and the statistics are even more bleak now.

Another book you might enjoy is Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine.
I read this a couple years ago and really enjoyed it.

Needless to say, please don't buy these books. Go forth and use your library card. Let me know if you find anything interesting.

Comments

-Lizmaster B said…
check out zenhabits.com. I think you might find that site interesting if you don't already!
9:45 PM
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