The Freedom Manifesto...

[vern]

...How to Free Yourself from Anxiety, Fear, Mortgages, Money, Guilt, Debt, Government, Boredom, Supermarkets, Bills, Melancholy, Pain, Depression, Work, and Waste.

I love this book by Tom Hodgkinson!  I recently reread it and it blends well with the credo of this site.

"I try not to buy anything beyond beer, bacon, and books."  I really dig this guy's take on life.  His other books are good too, but this one is the stand-out for me.

http://www.lowdensitylifestyle.com/FREE,%20flexibility,%20fluidity/tom-hodgkinson/

[sheepstache]

Well, to an extent I suppose.

 

As someone who has no shares, no stocks, no bonds, no insurance policies, no pensions, and no money, I am feeling very safe. Money is for spending, not saving.

[jordanread]

Well, to an extent I suppose.

 

As someone who has no shares, no stocks, no bonds, no insurance policies, no pensions, and no money, I am feeling very safe. Money is for spending, not saving.

Ouch...I'll check it out though. I love bacon.

[oinkette]

I love, love, LOVE this book.  It was one of the main inspirations for my path to FI...Freedom! Keep in mind that some of it is tongue in cheek. The idea I've always taken from it was a life of simplicity and anti-consumerism. It also keeps me in check while on the ER journey, in that life should still be enjoyed and worry is usually pointless. I think if you read it and your a fan of MMM, you'll see some similarities and end up enjoying it.

[serhomeslice]

Definitely gonna read this.  Read the interview and really enjoyed it.  Thanks for the link

[arebelspy]

His book "The Idle Parent: Why Laid-Back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids" sounds interesting to me.  Similar to another one on my reading list that my wife just read, "Duct Tape Parenting: A Less Is More Approach to Raising Respectful, Responsible, and Resilient Kids".

[Daisy]

His book "The Idle Parent: Why Laid-Back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids" sounds interesting to me.  Similar to another one on my reading list that my wife just read, "Duct Tape Parenting: A Less Is More Approach to Raising Respectful, Responsible, and Resilient Kids".

I heard an interesting story, I think on BBC radio, recently about a newswoman from the UK going to Fiji and comparing how she was raising her daughter vs. how the children there were being raised. I'm pretty sure the interview was on BBC and the country was Fiji...but I've tried to find it online and can't seem to find it.

Anyways...she was comparing how UK children are expected to attend all of these pre-paid tutoring, lessons, etc. and being over-scheduled, while the Fijian children were usually left to their own devices and had to learn things like conflict resolution among other children kind of on their own. The interviewer mentioned how children arguing in the UK would usually have parents intervene and try to resolve the conflicts. So she was contrasting the two styles and showing how each approach had its pros and cons.

It was very interesting and covered other topics as well. Unfortunately, this is all from memory on my part and I don't think I am doing it enough justice.

[Daisy]

I found it! It was actually an Australian woman going to Fiji.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01k41s6

[vern]

arebelspy, for what it's worth...I sent a copy of that book to my brother without reading it just because I love the author.  (We don't have any kids.)

Well my Mom read it and said that The Idle Parent was hands down the best book on parenting she had ever read.  (And she raised three boys in the 60's and 70's and had read all the books from that era.)