I’m a big reader, so I’m always excited when someone else nerds out about simple living and writes a good book about it. Two of my favorites lately have been The More of Less by Joshua Becker and The Big Tiny by Dee Williams. Here’s why I think you should pick up both:
The More of Less by Joshua Becker
I’ve been a longtime fan of Joshua Becker’s blog, becomingminimalist, so I was very excited to read his new book.
As a parent, I can appreciate the context through which Joshua writes. The catalyst for his minimalism journey was the realization that instead of playing with his son, he had spent an entire day reorganizing his garage, and by keeping everything in it, he would have to reorganize again…and again..and again. By holding on to belongings that he didn’t need, it was distracting him from the life that he actually wanted to live. If his family rid themselves of excess possessions, they would have more time and more financial resources to do the things that they really wanted to do.
The More of Less is one part memoir, one part examination of our consumerist culture, and one part how-to. Joshua does a great job of continually requiring the reader to identify their own “why” for making this type of life change, understanding that by doing so, the “what” and “how” will naturally follow. It will look different for everyone; the key is to determine your version of “just enough” and figure out how to make it mesh with your personal values.
Favorite quote:
It was hard to choose, but this was a good one about living intentionally:
“This is what makes the unexamined life so dangerous. We think we are living life to the fullest but we aren’t. Instead, we are often trading long-term purpose for short-term pleasure.”
The Big Tiny by Dee Williams
I had heard about Dee Williams a few years back while reading Tammy Strobel’s blog, Rowdy Kittens. Dee is a tiny house builder in Olympia, Washington, who had built a tiny house for Tammy and her husband. The first tiny house Dee built was her own, which was born out of a health scare and the desire to downsize. The book walks through Dee’s journey from owning the big house and being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, to getting rid of most of her belongings and learning how to build a space that fit the life she wanted to create.
One of the things I loved most about the book was that she doesn’t sugarcoat ANYTHING. It’s not an adorable tale about how her life is perfect now because she lives in a cute little house. Although she does love where she is, she discusses the struggles associated with living in such a small space and that even she is just like the rest of us–she still wants plenty of things she doesn’t need. Dee just doesn’t have anywhere to put any of it.
Favorite quote:
I’m picking two, because although the book was thought-provoking, it also became clear that Dee has a very dry sense of humor.
#1: “Letting go of ‘stuff’ allowed the world to collapse behind me as I moved, so I became nothing more or less than who I simply was: Me.”
#2: “The sun came out and we threw all sorts of crap into the chipper: rotten lumber, an old rubber boot (because we could, though we later discovered it was a pain in the buttocks to remove the little rubber bits from the compost), crappy wood planters, cedar shakes, and tree limbs.” –> I mean, come on… You have to read it now, right?
Whatever your life looks like- single or married, kids or no kids, big house with lots of stuff or little apartment with not much stuff- these two books provide enough inspiration to meet you where you are without feeling preachy. They were enjoyable reads, and I’d highly recommend both!
the happy budget 