|
Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More | 
 enlarge | Author: Elaine St. James
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
List Price: $9.95
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $9.94 (100%)
New (35) Used (67) Collectible (3) from $0.01
Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 53530
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.9 x 5.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0786882425
Dewey Decimal Number: 179.9
EAN: 9780786882427
ASIN: 0786882425
Publication Date: July 8, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read -> Recycle -> Reuse!
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Following on the heels of St. James's bestselling books, "Simplify Your Life" and "Inner Simplicity, Living the Simple Life" fuses both sides of her liberating philosphy into a powerful synergy of thought-provoking methods for leading a life of well-being and inner peace through simplicity. 19 photos.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 Simply Inspiring June 25, 2008
Rossana Snee (Lakewood, CA USA)
Picked this book up at a used book store. Had never heard of it, but it is fantastic. It's easy to read and the suggestions are great. This book has truly inspired me to un-clutter my life. Not all suggestions are doable for me, but I can see the benefit of applying many of the things she says. If you need a little motivation to get rid of clutter and things you don't need, thereby making your life so much easier, read this!
 This is what I got from the book May 15, 2008
Erika
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Like any other book I read I try to always keep the best and ignore the rest. At some points I found the book annoying, but some of her tips were useful to slow down my chaotic life here are some:
About the things that complicate our live:
Big houses
High maintenance automobiles
Easy credit
Multiple credit cards ( now I only have 2)
Our own expectations
Not having time to spend alone , thanks to this now I really enjoy one day every month for myself, nobody else.
Telephone solicitors
Having too much stuff, ( I got real and donate to the salvation army all the things that I had not used for a year)
Dieting
Excercise equipment we dont use.
Cheap gadgets that don't work ( I stop buying crap at the dollar store that does not last and brakes, plus all that made in China stuff hurts our economy so bad)
Stop watching soo much TV
Stop reading fashion magazines
Prepare batches of soups and casserloes and freeze them (that saves me money and time)
Stop the urge to buy something I want to get immediately, wait a month if after that I still want it go for it.
Take your days off from work Mondays or Fridays so you can have your own long weekend.
Ask yourself honestly WHAT IS COMPLICATNG MY LIFE RIGHT NOW?
Get rid of the clutter, so I finally started, nourishing my body, catch up on my sleep, saving money, cleaning up my eating patterns, restoring my energy, restablishing an excercise regimen, and pay the full amount of my credit cards each month" yes! that simple. TRY IT!!
 A ONE WOMAN NEW AGE SIMPLICITY INDUSTRY January 29, 2008
K. Gleason
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
WARNING....SHE ADMITS TO AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO HER BMW
from another review here:
"This "simplification" book was written by a woman whose idea of simplifying is driving a BMW and getting her exercise by taking walks on the beach. "
INDEED WOLCOTT GIBBS HER HUBBY WAS FORMER EDITOR OF 'YACHTING' MAG
The entire first half of the book seems to be talking you into "getting started" simplifying your life. If I needed talked into it, I wouldn't have bought the book now would I? Also during this time, she states that you must do whatever it takes to free up time to "start" this process including lying to your boss by using sick days when you are obviously not sick.
ACTUALLY I THINK IT WAS THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE BOOK
Apparently, marriage is also not a sacred thing to Ms. St. James as there were several references to it being possibly beneficial to dump your mate or your spouse due to incompatibility in the simplification area. Yes, she used the word ..... DUMP!
I LOOKED FOR THE WORD DUMP BUT DID NOT FIND...it may be there
To curtail your spending habits, she suggests keeping a 30 day list with you and when you see something you want, don't buy it right away but write it down on your list along with the day's date. If you look at your list 30 days from then and still want it, then it's okay to buy it. My advice? Forget the list ...... wait a month. If you can't remember wanting it, you didn't really need it in the first place!
HER BOOKS ARE FULL OF DUMB IDEAS...SEE THE CHAPTER ON SIMPLE RECYCLING
Most disturbing was her obvious disregard for others. Here's her advice on declining an invitation to a party or other social function: "There'll be enough people who show up because they want to be there, so you don't need to feel YOU have to. Of course, if no one shows up at all, perhaps it's an indication that the gathering wasn't necessary in the first place."
SHES VERY NARCISISTIC AND HAS FOUND HER AUDIENCE....SHES A ONE WOMAN SIMPL INDUSTRY
Her advice for staying in touch by phone is to inform everyone you know to leave messages on machines rather than picking up the phone and actually talking to each other ..... that would apparently be a waste of time (think of it as audio E-mail she says).
INDEED SHE SEEMS VERY SHALLOW
There is also a frightening letter included in the book from a 14 year old boy who was obviously searching for the meaning of life and battling depression and the advice he got from one of her books was to "look inside himself for strength and to get in touch with his inner self."
THE NAME OF THE TEEN IS ERIN SO IT MAY BE A GIRL AND THIS PART OF THE BOOK IS ELAINE AT HER SCARIEST
She informs us that she is an avid reader and has an extensive book collection which I would hazard a guess doesn't contain a Bible!
EVEN IF SHE OWNS ONE DOES SHE READ IT.......?????
she equates simplicity with less linens in her closet....SIMPLICITY HAS TO DO WITH BEHAVIORS AND DESIRES...NOT OWNERSHIP
Delighted Recepient November 2, 2007
E. S. Cloud (Los Angeles, CA., USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am pleased to share that purchasing this little
book was just like the title, "Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling
Down and Enjoying Life More," easy to purchase and delightful to
receive in impeccable condition.
gets me thinking... October 12, 2007
merlot (Texas)
this is an easy book to read through fairly quickly. i've had it for a while but recently decided to revisit it. i'm getting some ideas from it and it's making me think about how i could live more simply. i think you have to come up with your own idea of what simple living means to you but this book helps you think of your underlying motivations. it's not a workplan it's more a thought starter, it's not super deep but it is informative. this book is several years old and i'm sure there are other more current books on the topic.
|
|
|
. | |
