The Simple Life

Rating:
Summary: Different, but interesting
Review: "Simple Life" is not full of tips. Instead we read reflections and stories contributed by a number of frugal advocates with a wide range of backgrounds and approaches. That's why it refers to thoughts on the cover. (in other words read the cover before you buy) I didn't like it well enough to keep my copy, I donated it to the public library. So I'd reccommend the library if you're interested in this book. I did enjoy some of the stories.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty disgusting book.
Review: I am confused what people are finding good about this book. I know simplicity means different things for different people, but this book has lessons on: dumpster diving (a couple of chapters worth, including how to blackmail companies with important documents you find in their dumpsters - pg.91), eating road-kill (seriously - a whole chapter), capturing possums and keeping them in a pen so you can eat them later (pg. 159), and quotes from a total nut like "speaking as a foaming-at-the-mouth revolutionary who looks forward to the day these United States will disintegrate in a fashion similar to the Soviet Union" (pg.94). I returned my copy, as I prefer not to put money in the pockets of people like that. Some of the other articles are good, but not good enough to balance out the others.

Rating:
Summary: Too much talk, little adivice on how to be frugal
Review: While this book does offer lots of tips on simple liveing and a few quotes in the book that I liked, this book didn't hold my interest very long. Another section in the book that I liked was in the end of the book, there is a helpful resource section to get more infomation about frugal living. I didn't like this book because I don't care to read about the author's and a few other people who discussed their personal experiences on frugal living which there was a lot of. There is a chapter devoted to "Dumpster Diving" which I feel is taking frugal living to the extreme .