Reading the Simplicity Classics

Hi, I'm 5 years retired, and although Ive been playing around with the idea of voluntary simplicity for decades, I would always put it on the back burner of my mind. Then recently, I got hold of Choosing Simplicity by Linda Breen Pierce, and I've gone a a book reading binge of old classic books on simple living.

Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver
The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin

and I'm mixing in books about present moment living and learning to live with enough:

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather
How to Want What You Have: Discovering the Magic and Grandeur of Ordinary Existence by Timothy Miller
Chop Wood, Carry Water: A Guide to Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Everyday Life by various authors

I just hope that I am not spending so much time reading that I forget to try and simplify my life a bit!

Take care.

Hello, Marc! Welcome. I like your book list. I actually have a signed copy of Voluntary Simplicity from when I met Duane Elgin at a seminar in NYC! I definitely have tried to get closer to the voluntary simplicity life I admire, but I don't think I'll ever really get there. I'm just doing the best I can. Have you ever read Richard Gregg's The Value of Voluntary Simplicity? That has been another inspirational work for me.https://www.duaneelgin.com/wp-conten...simplicity.pdf

The basis of this form was the book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. That is another really good simple living book.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hi Mark, I like your list! I want to reiterate the value of two books, the one that Catherine brings up, which is how this forum was started, around Your Money or Your Life, and the Luhrs book on your list. Those two books changed my life, for sure, as did Richard Swenson's Margin and Elaine St. James Simplify Your Life and the old Tightwad Gazette newsletter.

I guess the Nearings are in there, too, along with Thomas Merton, but the ones that I mentioned were more immediately impactful for me to change my life.

Welcome Mark. I agree that those are all great books! And the additional suggested ones are also good. I never received the Tightwad Gazette Newsletter, itself, but have the Complete Tightwad Gazette (combination of all three books) and always seem to find some new practical thing to do - even after all these years.

Good luck on your journey! If it is anything like mine, it is lasting a lifetime. LOL

"Plain and Simple" by Sue Bender. Not at all a self-help book. It's the non-fiction story of a woman who goes to live with the Amish, more out of a personal and literary project than religious. It's a nice story and inspiring without being preachy.

So, now that the busy weekend is over, here is my partial catalog of simple living books that I love:

• Your Money or Your life / Robin/Dominguez
• The Good Life / Helen and Scott Nearing
• A Handmade Life / William Coperthwaite
• Walden / Henry David Thoreau
• The Freedom of Simplicity / Richard Foster
• The Miracle of Mindfulness / Thich Nhat Hanh
• The Wabi-Sabi Home / Robyn Griggs Lawrence
• The "Little House" books / Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Moneyless Manifesto / Mark Boyle
• Less is More / Selected and Edited by Goldian VanDerBroeck
• Ishmael / Daniel Quinn
• Braiding Sweetgrass / Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words
• Small is Beautiful / E.F. Schumacher
• To Have or To Be / Erich Fromm
• Twelve by Twelve / William Powers
• Awareness / Anthony de Mello
• Gaia's Garden / Toby Hemenway
• Simplicity / Richard Rohr

This is by no means all-inclusive of the books I own or have read that have encouraged my aspirational simple life but they are the ones I have read, digested, and re-read.
It is also a "loose" interpretation of simple living, given the different aspects of the simple life that they represent.

Hmmm... Not sure how many people would consider Ishmael / Daniel Quinn a simple living book, although I certainly do as well, catherine. LOL

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Originally Posted by happystuff

Hmmm... Not sure how many people would consider Ishmael / Daniel Quinn a simple living book, although I certainly do as well, catherine. LOL

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Yeah, that's why I threw in the caveat that some of these are in the "broad" context of simple living.. the reason I feel it's a simple living book for me is that if you can get closer and closer to being a "Leaver" instead of a "Taker," you automatically are simplifying because obviously your consumption has to go WAY down... It's really a deep ecology book, and I definitely feel that deep ecology and simple living are connected.

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Originally Posted by catherine

Yeah, that's why I threw in the caveat that some of these are in the "broad" context of simple living.. the reason I feel it's a simple living book for me is that if you can get closer and closer to being a "Leaver" instead of a "Taker," you automatically are simplifying because obviously your consumption has to go WAY down... It's really a deep ecology book, and I definitely feel that deep ecology and simple living are connected.

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I totally agree! Now you have made me want to read it again. Thanks!

Edited to add: And while the sequels were okay, my favorite is definitely Ishmael.

To the above books I'll add:
Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Simple Life: Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture by David Shi
Gene Logsdon's books (e.g., The Contrary Farmer)

I am neighbors with Daniel Quinn's granddaughter (she lives right below us) - I just found out that he wrote "Ishmael". It will be on my reading list this summer as I recuperate.

Thank you for the list. I have ordered The Simple Living by Janet Luhrs and Voluntary Simplicity by Elgin to continue my journey.

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Originally Posted by Two Bassets

Thank you for the list. I have ordered The Simple Living by Janet Luhrs and Voluntary Simplicity by Elgin to continue my journey.

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That's funny. Just last night I was reviewing the simple living books on my bookshelf, and actually pulled out Voluntary Simplicity and reread it for a while. It is slightly dated, but the principles are timeless. Still a simple living classic.

Loved reading all of those. The one I still have, and actually still reference, is The Complete Tightwad Gazette. Her price comparisons are way off with today's prices, but a lot of her recipes and stuff are still cheaper.

happystuff, I love Amy D and the Tightwad Gazette. I still have all of my newsletters, and the books (purchased second hand, of course!). Of all the "classics" I return to, hers resonates the most.

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Originally Posted by early morning

happystuff, I love Amy D and the Tightwad Gazette. I still have all of my newsletters, and the books (purchased second hand, of course!). Of all the "classics" I return to, hers resonates the most.

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I agree. I was also thinking about her the other day when I stopped at a store to pick up a six-pack of soda we "had" to have. We take it for granted that it should be on our shopping list, but I was thinking about those charts where she would illustrate the cost of a cup of hot chocolate bought at a diner vs a cup made from a mix vs a cup made with cocoa, sugar and milk out of the pantry--those graphs were so impactful. DH was justifying his .99 coffee that he often buys at our local market, but I counted out the servings in the 50% off bag of Green Mountain coffee I bought and divided it by the price and was able to tell him that my cup of coffee was only .14.

Related, has anyone ever heard of Mr. Money Mustache's 172 rule?

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To make that calculation, just use the “rule of 172” – take a monthly expense and multiply it by 172 to estimate how much it would compound into over ten years, if invested.

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I read about it only recently, but it's addictive! So if you take the difference between DH's 99 cent cup of coffee and my 14 cent one (85 cents) and multiply that by 30, you have 25.50. Multiply that by 172 and you have $4386. That's not chump change and all you have to do is make your own coffee! That's simple. I do it every day! And that's just for the paltry difference of .85 a day. There are a lot of other leaks in my spending that I could plug up. And I can enjoy the savings in 10 years if I live that long :)

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Originally Posted by catherine

I agree. I was also thinking about her the other day when I stopped at a store to pick up a six-pack of soda we "had" to have. We take it for granted that it should be on our shopping list, but I was thinking about those charts where she would illustrate the cost of a cup of hot chocolate bought at a diner vs a cup made from a mix vs a cup made with cocoa, sugar and milk out of the pantry--those graphs were so impactful. DH was justifying his .99 coffee that he often buys at our local market, but I counted out the servings in the 50% off bag of Green Mountain coffee I bought and divided it by the price and was able to tell him that my cup of coffee was only .14.

Related, has anyone ever heard of Mr. Money Mustache's 172 rule

I read about it only recently, but it's addictive! So if you take the difference between DH's 99 cent cup of coffee and my 14 cent one (85 cents) and multiply that by 30, you have 25.50. Multiply that by 172 and you have $4386. That's not chump change and all you have to do is make your own coffee! That's simple. I do it every day! And that's just for the paltry difference of .85 a day. There are a lot of other leaks in my spending that I could plug up. And I can enjoy the savings in 10 years if I live that long :)

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I never really related to MMM, but I kind of like this rule! Problem is - and this is a problem whenever money/savings/cutting back arise - I am probably down to what some folks would say is "almost" the bare-bones already! Granted, I do the occasional splurge, but should anything else crop up, there really isn't anywhere to cut further.

I image if push came to shove, I'd fine some more areas. Hopefully, I won't reach that point. And don't get me wrong - life is good! At least I don't feel deprived. (maybe I need to check in with dh???) :)

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Originally Posted by happystuff

I never really related to MMM, but I kind of like this rule! Problem is - and this is a problem whenever money/savings/cutting back arise - I am probably down to what some folks would say is "almost" the bare-bones already! Granted, I do the occasional splurge, but should anything else crop up, there's really isn't anywhere to cut further.

I image if push came to shove, I'd fine some more areas. Hopefully, I won't reach that point. And don't get me wrong - life is good! At least I don't feel deprived. (maybe I need to check in with dh???) :)

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Yes, there are plenty of people who need to hear that rule, but they aren't on this forum! I'm definitely preaching to the choir here.

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Originally Posted by catherine

Yes, there are plenty of people who need to hear that rule, but they aren't on this forum! I'm definitely preaching to the choir here.

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Even the choir needs reminders. ;)

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Originally Posted by catherine

I agree. I was also thinking about her the other day when I stopped at a store to pick up a six-pack of soda we "had" to have. We take it for granted that it should be on our shopping list, but I was thinking about those charts where she would illustrate the cost of a cup of hot chocolate bought at a diner vs a cup made from a mix vs a cup made with cocoa, sugar and milk out of the pantry--those graphs were so impactful. DH was justifying his .99 coffee that he often buys at our local market, but I counted out the servings in the 50% off bag of Green Mountain coffee I bought and divided it by the price and was able to tell him that my cup of coffee was only .14.

Related, has anyone ever heard of Mr. Money Mustache's 172 rule?



I read about it only recently, but it's addictive! So if you take the difference between DH's 99 cent cup of coffee and my 14 cent one (85 cents) and multiply that by 30, you have 25.50. Multiply that by 172 and you have $4386. That's not chump change and all you have to do is make your own coffee! That's simple. I do it every day! And that's just for the paltry difference of .85 a day. There are a lot of other leaks in my spending that I could plug up. And I can enjoy the savings in 10 years if I live that long :)

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about household drinks: Diana in Wisconsin had a house full of boys and used to water down the milk with powdered milk and this was Amy’s suggestion. I think? She had a house full of kids. I also vaguely remember Amy’s formula for casserole going something like this:


Protein, a starch, a vegetable, something creamy to bind it and something crunchy on top. Put it in the oven to bake. Is that right?

I never read the Tighwad Gazette but I probably flipped through it a couple of times. I made sure the libraries where I worked and had a copy.

Love the list! I've read them all.

A book that got me started on simple living/voluntary simplicity way back in the 70s came even before the hallmark Elgin book. It was called Living Poor With Style published in 1972. https://www.amazon.com/Living-Poor-S.../dp/B0012X5QDK.

The book changed my life. Just about all I own and use is used--except for underwear and shoes...and some major appliances..which are aging nicely.

Thrift shops are treasure hunts as are online marketplaces. My favorite thrift shop which benefits those kicking addictions sells books for $.25...and the little free libraries are terrific for re-cycling books and finding new ones. Does my book-loving heart good!

Brings back so many memories. I still have my Your Money or Your Life on the bookshelf. We no longer "need" to be frugal to save for retirement, but we choose to do it. It is more fun to chase down clearance deals at our two favorite grocery stores than it is to visit one big superstore. More enjoyable to make our own morning coffee. And lately we have commented that we enjoy eating at home more than going out, even for celebrations.

Example: last night we had some Beecher's Vodka Sauce Macaroni with Cauliflower and a side of fresh steamed broccoli. Both were on sale. The Beecher's was $3.84 instead of the $11.99 and the whole bag of broccoli already cut was $1.90 and will make 3 meals. Tasted like we were eating out.

However, I will spend more on one pastry than make a bunch at home. Dont need the temptation and I just do it occasionally and not every week.