About book The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever In An Age Of Less (2010)
This is such a wonderful book. John Robbins, son of the Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream fame chose another path for his life - one of the countercultural life of simplicity. This book discusses how to make choices with our money, food, housing, transportation, and other things that are not only better for the environment, but provide a greater sense of peace and contentment than just going along with our culture of consumption. *Living more, spending less*"In terms of what really makes life worth living, who's the wealthiest person you've ever known?"John Robbins opens his book with this provocative question which sets the stage for the exploration of the fundamental question of what truly constitutes a wealthy life. In the "old good life," wealth was directly measured by how much we made, acquired, spent, and consumed: "The old good life taught that wealth depends on the multiplication of wants and material possessions." The side effects of this old good life include affluenza--"the painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more."In contrast, the "new good life" measures wealth in terms of the quality of our inner lives and relationships with others and the planet: "The good new life is yours whenever you appreciate life, whenever you live with a sense of meaning and purpose that goes beyond the material veil, whenever your heart is filled with wonders, large and small. It is your when you see life anew, when your faith is restored, when you find the sacred in the midst of the mundane and the beauty of your spirit in the way you live." This new good life allows us to live rich and rewarding lives: "Instead of being ruled by cycles of consumption and debt, and being caught up in an overworked and underslept world of personal and planetary unsustainability, you can create your own definition of wealth based on what truly matters to you."The mission of _The New Good Life_ is: "to help you achieve financial freedom, even within a profoundly unstable economy and a world too often succumbing to fear." And, this financial freedom entails an exploration of the relationship you have with money in all areas of your life, including family, food, home, transportation, and eco-consciousness. It turns out that understanding the relationship you have with money can be a portal to transformation of all areas of your life. After helping you determine which of the six money archetypes fits you best (The Saver, The Innocent, The Performer, The Sensualist, The Performer, or The Giver), the book provides information and advice on how to enjoy more and spend less. The road to financial freedom begins with the four steps of knowing: (1) your financial net worth; (2) your _real_hourly wage; (3) where your money is going; and (4) the value of your life.Staying on this road requires continued consciousness, awareness, and changes in behaviors. The book is packed with strategies and techniques to help with this journey. For example, John offers new good life strategies for reducing transportation costs--which you'll probably be extra motivated to do after learning that the true costs of either driving our cars or working to pay for them amounts to the equivalent of five work-months a year! (pp. 132-143):* Buy used* Don't pay for premium gas* Consider "hypermilling" (accelerating gently and minimizing breaking)* Practice good maintenance* Keep insurance costs down* Consider a hybrid* Carpool* Share a car* Pedal your motor* Ride a bicycleEqually helpful are the principles of healthy and inexpensive eating John offers (pp. 156-162):* Eat low on the food chain* Avoid food that travels the globe* Shop on the outside aisles of your grocery store* Don't buy foods with too many ingredients* Don't buy foods that are advertised* Beware of fake "health" foods* Bulk is best* Defend yourself from end-of-aisle and checkout displays* Reduce the number of trips you make to the store* Shop at farmers markets* Prepare more of your meals at home* Leftovers are great* Take a free lunch (when you take your lunch, it's almost free)* Spice it up* Plan ahead* Eat out consciously* Avoid fast food--it costs more than you think* Eat the way gourmets around the world eat (experience cuisines from other cultures)* Watch the booze* Stay clear of soft drinks (the average American drinks $500/year in soda)* Think outside of the (water) bottle (Buying water can costs $1,400/year)* Grow your ownIn addition to these practical strategies and tips for shifting towards the new good life, the book ultimately allows for the powerful discovery that "when we let go of making the accumulation of more money the central goal of our lives, we have the capacity for a greater life, a life beyond just getting and having...you let the way you are with money stand for who you are, your love, your heart, your world, and your humanity."Living a life of less can truly be more.
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I was looking for something with more depth, but didn't find it in this book.
—aalowian
