The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More by Annie Raser-Rowland

The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More Reviews

• 
  Audacia Ray

  This is an extremely cute, funny, useful book with 50 ideas for leading a full life frugally (without guilt for occasional frivolous splurges).
  
  So, why the two stars? Because damn it, my fellow white people, we need to do better. Tip #10 is "romanticize other eras," and the idea that "people" were happier in the simpler days of say, the 1950s, is a major thread in this book. This is that dangerous white supremacist crossover space between liberals and the Make American Great Again set - other eras were downright shitty for everyone other than white cishet nuclear families (and also not all that great for some of those family members). I am willing to toss the whole damn thing, with its otherwise cute ideas, because of this garbage.
• 
  Scott

  I'm a bit of a tightwad. A tiny bit scrooge-y, a touch stingy, perhaps even occasionally as they say in Yiddish, a schnorrer.
  
  Or at least I am in the eyes of mainstream capitalist society. I don't have a car, I ride a bike and take the train, I live in a small apartment, I don't eat at expensive places, I repair my shoes, I pack my lunches for work and I buy most of my clothes when they're on sale. For many employed people in my country this is a life of some deprivation, and choosing to live this way is odd, even miserly.
  
  Of course I don't feel like a tightwad, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I have the money I need for the things I really value - holidays, spending time with friends, good food, healthcare when I need it, gifts and support for friends and relatives - that I wouldn't have if I had a car that I upgraded every few years. Most importantly, I have the option of working part-time, something that the debt-ridden, new-phone-craving majority of my countrymen simply cannot countenance.
  
  If this is being a tightwad, then I'm proudly among the tightest.
  
  So, as you can imagine, I'm already pretty frugal. I've read books like Sharon Beder's Selling The Work Ethic, Tom Hodkinson's How to be Idle and Scott Pape's The Barefoot Investor and I've taken their lessons to heart, prioritising what I see as being important in life and cutting away much of the expensive keeping-up-appearances flim-flam of modern capitalist existence that I neither need or want.
  
  As a result this book - The Art of Frugal Hedonism - was published a little late for me. Rowland and Grubb have written a fine book - one with a sense of humour and an engaging style that makes it a very easy read - but there's little in here that I haven't encountered elsewhere or already tried.
  
  Buying secondhand, getting rid of your car, cooking at home more often, foraging for wild food (I have a mental map of all the feijoa and fig trees in my suburb that hang into alleyways), learning to fix your gear rather than discarding it- these are all sound practices essential to someone looking to pull their spending back. What they aren't is novel or unusual, as they are common ideas in most books on this topic.
  
  With that said, there is much to recommend here. Rowland and Grubb focus on the magic moments in life where you can gain much pleasure and enjoyment without spending piles of money. They recommend home-cooked meals with friends, beers in the park, long walks with thermos's full of tea and many more frugal but life-enriching activities. This focus gives their book a feeling of fun and glee, the cheery side of being frugal rather than the grim budget-spreadsheets-and-expired-food-from-a-dumpster side of things. You'll read with a smile, as their genuine enjoyment of their chosen lifestyle is infectious.
  
  As a primer for someone starting on the road of frugal living, someone looking to move away from wasting all their wages on stuff that doesn't make them happy, The Art of Frugal Hedonism is a great place to start, and if you want to explore further there is a comprehensive recommended reading list at the back of this book. For a more advanced practitioner of frugality Hodgkinson or Beder's books will more likely offer you information and ideas you haven't already encountered.
• 
  Joey Diamond

  even though some dear old friends wrote this book i had my doubts... wouldn't it be just a bit pious? a bit twee?
  it is not! sorry i doubted you Annie and Adam.
  
  the premise is sound, the advice is not just what you would expect and the humour is spot on and terribly endearing. less a guide to spending less and more a reminder about what actually makes us happy and advice about how to avoid getting sucked into what doesn't. eccentrics who choose their own fun make the greatest life gurus!
  
  edited to add one sad note : i could have done without the fat shaming, weight loss mentions in here. seems there's one bit of mainstream culture the authors are yet to rethink.
• 
  Olwen

  Ever felt the rampant consumerism of western culture just isn't sitting right for you? Want to find a way to enjoy a simpler way of life? If so, this book will help. Lots of stories and tips for enjoying life without being on the hamster wheel of work-consume-sleep-work.
• 
  Nes

  I like the thinking behind this book, but really? All these tips are all things anyone with half a brain can figure on their own, like so many people on a small income are FORCED to do. I wouldn't recommend this unless you are just clueless. :P
• 
  Ross McDougall

  This was such a wonderful surprise! I thought I'd get a how-to of being smarter in the way I live and reducing waste - and I got that plus so much more.
  
  First, aside of all the cool concepts and practices discussed through the book, it was just a joy to read. The authors have a fantastic, fun and entertaining writing style that was so easy to read and made me want to keep learning from them. It was as if they were in my living room drinking a coffee with me.
  
  The 'all-in' style of the authors in their lifestyle choices was an inspiration, too. I understand why the book was called Frugal Hedonism, but I would suggest that a more descriptive title (or subtitle) be 'Finding Joy Outside Your Wallet'. The book to me was so much more than money saving tips - although there were heaps of those - it was like an antidote to today's ever-accelerating pace of life and consumption; like swapping your Porsche on the autobahn for a bicycle in a small village.
  
  It's worth talking about the practical bits. While what I got out of this was more a mindset shift than a lot of behaviour tips, there were heaps of those too! The book is jam-packed with things you can try straight away to keep a few extra coins in your pocket as well as things to talk with your friends and family about trying out. I've bookmarked the 'extra resources' section and intend to spend a lot more time there picking up extra ideas and inspiration.
  
  Reading this was just so refreshing. It's a positive change book that encourages and entices rather than shames and preaches (mostly) which made me more motivated to enact its ways. Short chapters and amusing anecdotes and pictures made it great for a long session, but just as helpful for a quick infusion between all the busy things that you're doing while thinking about doing less.
  
  A spectacular book! I'll be recommending this to all my friends so we can put into practice as many of the ideas as possible.
• 
  Liz

  While sitting in an airport a few weeks ago I spotted a woman reading this book. When I see strangers reading books I always feel compelled to find out what they are reading. Luckily, I was sitting opposite this lady and as she held up her book I grabbed a quick glance at the title - 'The Art Of Frugal Hedonism' - how intriguing!! I quickly grabbed my trusty iPhone and went straight for the search button in Goodreads. There it was. I knew this was a book I had to own. Luckily for me, my husband had given me two books for Christmas. I am lucky because he knows I love books and lucky that he even tried very very hard to buy me two books I hadn't read. Fortunately for me, he didn't succeed with this last part. This meant that once home from our trip away I could go back to the wonderful little local bookstore that he bought them from and exchange them for this little gem of a book and one other. This bookstore is tiny in comparison with major bookstores but after 10 minutes of searching, there it was on one of their shelves.
  I have savoured every page of this book. It is written in such a joyful, uplifting way. You can't help but want to be best friends with the authors. I've just finished it and I want to start it again. I certainly don't think this book is for everyone but I think that everyone who earns more than they need should read it. It is not preachy or pretentious, it's just written straight from the heart with the intention of helping people. You could do one small thing from this book and feel good about the change you've made or you could radically change your whole lifestyle. You get the impression that you would get a huge high five from the authors no matter if you went small or large. I really, really loved this book and will be using it as my guide for 2018 and beyond. ❤️❤️❤️
• 
  Kassie

  I really loved a lot of this book, I needed a dose of practical cheeriness and there was buckets of good advice in these pages.
  
  What really detracted from that good advice was the insistence in multiple sections that therapy is a waste of money, and indeed that the tips suggested in the book will make your life so good that you won't need to dish out those expensive shrinks' bills. That is some unforgivable, insidious and incorrect bullshit. There is also a tone of fatphobia throughout many pages that suuuuuuuuucks. It's puritanical madness to suggest that being lean is a desirable state and guess what eating less will save you money. I was pretty distressed at this suggestion, especially because the times in my life I have been thin have also been some of the most miserable of my life. Both of these judgey and miserly stances show that the authors have a real lack of empathy for those of us who have experienced trauma and disordered eating. As such, I'm not going to be able to recommend this any one in good faith.
• 
  Pam

  What an inspiring book! Written by two Australians, It backs up some things we have already been doing and has really got me thinking about what more we can do to live a frugal, pleasurable and sustainable life.
• 
  Reannon Bowen

  I love everything about this book! It's extremely rare that I buy a book after borrowing it from the library but I'll be buying this book! The style of writing is just my thing & it isn't preachy at all. It's a book I know I'll come back to often.
• 
  Jess Xu

  An unexpectedly joyous book. Utterly necessary in these mad times, and is both bible and balm for the overindulged but discontented, wearied and time poor.
• 
  Peta

  Adam (author) humbly mentioned this book while helping out with our garden makeover aka. Permablitz. I had to see what the book was about. Loved every moment of it. Great philosophies for life in our times, told with plenty of humour. It has made me feel inspired for so many areas of life.
  
• 
  Kirra

  This is a lovely book! I have thoroughly enjoyed the lovely insights, tips and personal anecdotes provided by both authors. It is hopeful and inspiring to read. x
  
• 
  K

  W22. I loved this! Some parts not totally practical with kids but still awesome.
• 
  Naomi

  It had never entered my mind how much enjoyment or pleasure can come from living a frugal life. Interesting read. Not much application for me but it did make me ponder what I can simplify in my life.
• 
  Tara van Beurden

  A book everyone should read - you don't have to take everything on board (I certainly won't) but this is a valuable collection of tips on how to get more out of life by consuming less.
  
  Updated 13 October 2019:
  So a few years ago, a friend and colleague of mine decided that she was going to make protecting the environment her hobby/mission. This included reducing her own family’s impact, but also encouraging others to do so as well. She started this by creating a facebook group (‘Urban Hippies’ if you’re interested), and as I sit next to her five days a week and she’s very bossy, she has had a real big impact on me. She knows I’m a reader, so when she finds books that connect with her mission, she often shares them with me. This one particularly resonated, and I’m really glad I got to read it. I don’t believe in everything the authors have to say (I won’t be dumpster diving any time soon), but the idea that one can and should find what really matters to them and invest their time and money in that rather than trying to keep up with the Joneses by buying, buying, buying. By taking this approach, one can actually reduce their time invested in things they don’t like, particularly work, in order to fund things they don’t care about. I have been trying to encourage this approach with my family (my mother in particular - raging consumer!), and I’m pleased to say my siblings have really taken it on board (I think we always had tendencies to this anyway). What I have noticed is that those of my friends (and family) who have the access to funds in order to live comfortably (i.e. make a decent wage) are actually the ones most focused on reducing their impact and limiting their consumption. Those friends with limited means seem to always be the ones chasing the latest trend, or complaining they haven’t got enough, or being wasteful. It’s an interesting comparison. Anyway, irrespective of the current climate issues, I think its always important for us, as humans, to try to reduce our impact on the planet, for future generations, and in light of our eventual migration to the stars, where we won’t always have access to seemingly limitless resources. This book provides some really interesting thoughts on how to do that. I recommend all should read it.
• 
  Steph

  This is a quaint book with lots of heart. It’s not new, exciting and progressive but it’s adorably-daggy. The book has around 50 short chapters (1-6 pages each) each explaining a principle of frugal hedonism. Some are obvious to people already trying to live in a sustainable way, others went further than I would (eating roadkill?!), but some ideas are interesting, inspiring and practical. Besides, there’s lots of things we know but it’s good to be reminded of (like how expensive it is to own a car). I feel more committed to frugal hedonism after reading this book.
• 
  J.H. Moncrieff

  Such an excellent book! I absolutely loved it, and plan to take tons of notes before returning it to the library.
  
  Packed with intelligent, relatable, creative tips for spending less and enjoying life more, along with non-preachy reasons why it's so important (and wise) to do so. There's some frightening statistics, but not to the point of being depressing--just well-needed shocks to wake one up from how sick our society has become. One chapter about having "less house" is a good example. As the authors explained how the average house size and square foot per person has increased dramatically in Western cultures, I was reminded of how, when looking for a home, I was encouraged to buy one as big as the mortgage the bank was willing to lend me. Thankfully, I didn't, but I still ended up with a three-bedroom, three-bathroom house. Why on earth would one person buy this big a house? And I actually had someone refer to it as a "cute little house." Three bedrooms and three bathrooms is little? Talk about insanity.
  
  The only thing that grated on me was the continuous mention of "your authors," as in "your authors think," "your authors believe," "your authors have also written" instead of just saying we. Or skipping it altogether, as it can be assumed that since the authors have written the book, the book is comprised of their thoughts and ideas, unless otherwise noted. It seemed like it was done to be cute, but it was a bit irritating after a while. Still, a minor quibble, especially in such a good book.
  
  Was also shocked to see the recommendation of hitchhiking, but perhaps it's safer in Australia, aside from that serial killer who offed travellers who accepted rides from him.
• 
  Sarah

  Nothing earth-shattering, but I enjoyed the short essays reminding me of the true joy and happiness that comes from a frugal life.
• 
  Lauren McHenry

  Overall, I really enjoyed this book, hence the four stars. However, there were some very off-putting comments made by the authors that I want to point out. The authors made several unnecessary and offensive comments related to weight and physical appearance. They also at one point stated that living in past eras is somehow preferable to now, without making clear that this would not be the case for the many groups of people who have been historically oppressed... like oh I don’t know, literally anyone that isn’t a straight white dude. In another passage the authors suggest that materialism/consumerism is responsible for a modern uptick in therapy, rather than say a higher frequency of diagnosed mental health conditions and more readily available, less stigmatized therapy. They provide no evidence whatsoever to support their conjecture.
  
  I really enjoyed the premise of the book and the positive perspective that the authors took on frugal living as well as the humor interspersed throughout. This might have been a quick five star read for me if not for these unnecessary and oblivious comments. If you can overlook the above, I would still recommend giving this a read.
• 
  Vmichelle Skinner

  I love this book! It provides inspiration to take a more frugal approach to life, without all the blah feelings I associate with the word "frugality". This book presents a rich, playful, pleasurable way of living life while spending less - "frugal hedonism".
  
  Some of the ideas in the book are simple and easy - some are more challenging or things I would "never" do. You will probably never catch me foraging for food, hitchhiking, or couch surfing, okay? But there's something in here for everyone.
  
  The writing style is witty and quirky and silly and unpredictable. It's fun to read and written in short chapters ranging from one page to a few pages. You can skip around the book and read it in any order. If you're interested in living with less and spending less, but doing it out of positive energy and not drudgery, check out this little gem of a book!
• 
  Danni Reade

  I loved the voice of this book! It was very funny and clever.
  
  I didn't care for the actual content as much though. Once I got the general message, I found I was skimming over large sections because I could already see what they were trying to say.
  
  I'm all for taking time to appreciate simple every day experiences and not expecting money to make everything amazing, but I tuned out upon foraging for food on the side of the road.
  
  The right type of person will have their life changed by this book. I'm just not that person. Although I did borrow it from the library instead of buying it, so that's pretty frugal right!!
• 
  Samantha

  I don't know why such a short book took me such a long time to read. I guess my interest in it kept floundering and I would put it down for weeks at a time. There were times when I found this book very thought-provoking and intriguing, and times when I felt I've always been a frugal hedonist without realising it. However there were other times where I found the overall writing style of the book irritating, like the authors were trying too hard to be funny and ideas where I just couldn't quite grasp what they were getting at and that felt a bit muddled. I appreciated the further resources at the back of the book, which I would be keen to find. Hm.... a bit of a mixed read for me!
• 
  Natalie Frausell

  While some aspects of the frugal hedonist seem extreme, it’s about choosing a life that you find balance in. A minimalist doesn’t have to own nothing just like a frugal hedonist can spend money. It’s about doing things that really matter and need no justification.
• 
  Gem Wilder

  Why must fatphobia invade everything? The size of my ass should have literally no impact on my ability to live frugally, and has no influence on my desire to spend less/consume less.