Simplify Your Life

Rating:
Summary: Simplify your life by not buying this book.
Review: After reading all the great reviews, I eagerly anticipated this book. Read it all the way through, but realized in the first 20 pages I wouldn't learn anything new. I was right.

If you have read even one article on living simply, living frugally or trying to save money you have learned more than what this book provides.

Maybe I'm just cynical, but I think the author should have written "try living the simple life by selling off all your stuff and then writing about it".

Rating:
Summary: Lessen clutter, live on less, enjoy life - why not?
Review: Although some of the tips she gives may not be applicable to your lifestyle, Elaine St. James shows us that an effort to deliberately simplify our life can give us a greater feeling of fulfillment. This book is a refreshing approach to the pervasive atmosphere of keeping-up-with-the-Joneses lifestyle that the 20th Century is hyping for all of us. If anything else, this book will encourage you to come up with your own list of TIPS that will also simplify your life

Rating:
Summary: Simplify Your Life
Review: Elaine's is the first book that gave me the courage to throw or give the stuff away instead of just pushing it around. In the spaces I've created, I'm crafting a comfortable place to just be. Thanks, Elaine.

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Summary: this book would have made a good article.
Review: For all of you considering this book I will save you some cash and start you on your way to simplicity. There is something annoyingly Martha Stewartish about this read and I found myself increasingly annoyed by her insipid little tidbits of advice. I felt fleeced and manipulated. I hate sounding like a cynic. I wanted to like this book, so before I get jumped on by her fans, let me state that the book has some good tips. Enough to fill a good sized article in Redbook. In a nutshell, here are most of her "tips". I am not making most of this up. Really. 1. Get rid of your lawn by planting a ground cover such as Cudzu, soybeans, winter wheat or Ivy. 2. Throw out all your crap in the basement.Duh. 3. Get rid of most credit cards and pay cash.Duh. 4. Buy only dark garments and wear them so long you only have 1 load of clothes to wash each week.(After doing this you will lose friends who can't stand your odor and your life will be even more simple.) 5. Split meals when eating out. 6. Use trays for meals. 7. Take off shoes before entering your house and make guests do this too. Give them weird little slippers to wear. (This aids in their discomfort and speeds the elimination of "friendship clutter") 8. Use a notebook instead of one of those freakish 5 lb organizers. Besides, with her system you can still be anal retentive, but you'll be anal retentive in a "WHOLE NEW WAY" 9. Use a grocery list and store it in your computer. (now i can finally tap the power of my pentium 166) 9.Read another book on SPEED CLEANING and follow its guidelines.( her cousin?) 10.Drink water instead of colas etc. 11.Cancel the holidays and inform all friends that you are no longer "participating". Unless of course you are one of those unfortunates that "need" or even "enjoy" the holidays. 12. When all this is done breathe a deep sigh and say to yourself 20 times. " I affirm that I have created a lifestyle that does not require my presence." But seriously folks. This book needs a neon colored disclaimer. WARNING:CONTENTS ARE INSIPID.

Rating:
Summary: Too simple
Review: Great but common sense ideas to simplify your life. Without any doubt. Are they all needed though?

The first time you read it, you will start asking yourself if you can actually implement all these changes to your daily life. You will even think that they are extreme.

I won't disagree. Simplifying life is a long term process that will require preparation, determination and decluttering. However, this process should allow you to still remain in "the real world". Being able to lead a simplified life and be a part of the world is a real success.

By Thei Zervaki...

Rating:
Summary: This book scares me.
Review: I bought this book five years ago. To be honest, I got into it, but in retrospect, this book is really extreme. I'm not comfortable with only one outfit, no phone, not answering the door, and getting rid of everything I own. I would just like to say that I don't believe you have to get rid of everything you own to be a spiritual individual. I don't think there is anything wrong with material things, just so long as you understand that they are not going to make you happy, so don't go to pieces if you lose them in a fire or something, just be happy that you are alive.

Rating:
Summary: Who would have thought that this would be a best-seller?
Review: I can't argue with anything in this book. It's simple and practical and adaptable to almost any person. There's nothing special about the advice or the writing. What makes this book special is that it was the first book written in this size and format. I know for a fact that the whole "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" series was patterned after this book. But I personally reread this book every year just to make sure that I'm not complicating my life. I now impliment #20 Drive a simple car, #29 Drop call-waiting, #34 Stop sending Christmas cards, #43 Get rid of all but one credit card, #58 Always split a restaurant meal, and #60 Make water my drink of choice. A word to the wise: a few new daily disciplines can change your life. You can't go wrong with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Who would have thought that this would be a best-seller?
Review: I can't argue with anything in this book. It's simple and practical and adaptable to almost any person. There's nothing special about the advice or the writing. What makes this book special is that it was the first book written in this size and format. I know for a fact that the whole "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" series was patterned after this book. But I personally reread this book every year just to make sure that I'm not complicating my life. I now impliment #20 Drive a simple car, #29 Drop call-waiting, #34 Stop sending Christmas cards, #43 Get rid of all but one credit card, #58 Always split a restaurant meal, and #60 Make water my drink of choice. A word to the wise: a few new daily disciplines can change your life. You can't go wrong with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Adapting St. James' ideas for our own uses.
Review: I did not mark as many suggestions in this book as I did in "Simplify Your Christmas", but still enjoyed it very much. Since my husband and I are retired, we should be able to use lots of her ideas, but we do have so many interests that we could not pursue while teaching, we are not ready to go quite as far as she is. Still a good read and will pass it on to our two daughters, in their mid-thirties, who can really use it!

Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life forever!
Review: I didn't even realize that my life had gotten overly complex. I friend of mine visited for one weekend and when she returned home she mailed me a copy of this book. WOW, what an eye opener! When your life is as complicated as it gets with two small children, two dogs, a spouse, two careers and a large home...you are so busy juggling you don't even have time to ask, "why am I doing this?" You also don't have much time to read. Elain's book is organized in a simple way that makes it easy to pick up here and there and immediately begin to make changes that move clutter OUT and bring quality back IN to your life. While we didn't pack it in and give it all up, we have made SIMPLE, yet significant changes in our lives that allow us to enjoy each other, our kids and everythning else we have more