Rate this book

You Can Buy Happiness (and It's Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life And How You Can Too (2012)

by Tammy Strobel(Favorite Author)

3.69 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1608680835 (ISBN13: 9781608680832)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

New World Library

review 1: I'm a regular reader of the Rowdy Kittens blog. This book isn't a rehash of the blog, which is something I was afraid of. Instead, there is more of a narrative, autobiographical feeling. The theme of the book is that one should invest in experience, not stuff. Tammy went from being a materialist, working a job she hated in order to keep up the appearance of living the perfect life, in a 1200 square foot apartment full of material goods. In my opinion, she did go to the extreme in the other direction for a while, but from reading the blog I think much of this was experimentation. She and her husband Logan moved into a 129 square foot Tiny House, had no phone at all for a short while, went "car free" while living in the sticks. At this point they have moved into town ... moreinto a 700 square foot 2-bedroom cottage because the plumbing on the Tiny House froze in the winter and her back started to hurt her a lot in the cold. They also own a car again, so things seem to have come to the center and moderation for the couple. I think this is a must-read for anyone who has that nagging feeling of "Is this all there is?" but doesn't feel like getting religion.
review 2: While I'm at a different place in my life (retiree) than the author, I agree with the points put forth in this book. The title says she "radically simplified her life" - I think it's ok to just simplify your life, too. Thus, I'm not ready to give up our cars or move into a 128 square foot house -- or 600 square feet for that matter. But I do agree with her when she says to live life debt-free (I would say within your means) and work in a job you love. But after some downsizing and getting rid of "stuff" I agree that it isn't the stuff that makes us happy. It the people we know, the activities we do, good health, the lives we lead that ultimately make us happy. Worth a read. less

Download links for: You Can Buy Happiness (and It's Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too

Advertising