Customer Reviews

Put Your Life On a Diet: Lessons Learned from Living in 140 Square Feet

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had high hopes for this book as a reflection on living in one of the Tumbleweed Tiny Houses. However, after a brief introduction summarizing some changes his life made after moving into the 150 sq ft dwelling, the rest of the book is mainly a series of guided reflections and questions on how you can pare down your life. I was hoping for more real life anectdotes rather than a self-help book. Anyway, my main criticism is that his 150 sq ft home is not really a home, since he admits he doesn't cook in it (barely ever used the sink, relies on eating out or instant foods) and there's no bathroom! That is called camping, not living. He does have some interesting ideas about using your neighborhood as your living space, but having to walk to your gym to use the bathroom every morning seems a bit unworkable for most. There is a chapter at the end where he discusses his lifestyle as not being amenable to having a spouse (no room for you, honey!) and a page where he briefly wonders how to live such a life with children (he doesn't have any that he mentions). So this book is perfect for an unmarried, unattached city dweller but probably of little use to anyone else.

FYI, all the other models of Tumbleweed Tiny houses do have toilets. Why he chose to live without one I don't know--other than maybe he couldn't get a permit or didn't want to deal with the hassle of emptying a tank.

There is still room out there for a personal memoir of actually living, not camping, in such a small space. I understand the author is trying to redefine what is necessary for living but this reader didn't find his vision completely realistic.

This was a fun read about a person that lives in a tiny house and outsources his life. He outsources everything, including the toilet. He lists several good suggestions as to how to liquidate assets and heirlooms. He sold his car on earth day and only uses a bike for transportation. After reading, I thought he is very lucky to be living in a bike friendly town and within biking distance of his office. I wish he had gone into more depth about how he lives in his tiny house. Life experiences including construction on the house, living, towing it to different cities, etc., would be nice. Maybe those will be in the sequel.

At 144 pages it's a quick read (the amazon page count is wrong). My main gripe is the font should have been larger and easier to read. It's a tiny book, with tiny font. It seems they were trying to match the page count to the size of his house.

His website, including his Gregory cam, have become my favorites.

I read this book straight through and ended up with great admiration for the author. While many of us are drawn to the ideal of simple living, we're more or less at the armchair stage. Gregory Johnson's Resources for Better Living [...] offers a wealth of information for many aspects of this movement. He is extremely knowledgeable in talking the talk -- but he walks the walk as well. I find his work and his example deeply inspiring.

This is a great book if you are wanting to start out at looking into living in a smaller space, or in streamlining your current home. Only took me two days to read, but can be used as a workbook for more in depth thinking on your own personal living situation and wants. Would definitely recommend it to those beginning to look into smaller living.

For anyone who wants to leave a smaller ecological footprint, or just wants to cut their monthly expenses to manageable levels - two of the most popular movements these days -- "Put Your Life on a Diet" is one of the most useful books I've seen. Appropriately, it's a small, 144-page book - about, in part, life in 140 square feet. But it's about so much more: transportation, nutrition, technology. Many Americans who could afford some of the country's largest homes have moved into much smaller condos. Other young families are buying smaller homes today than they might have a few years ago. Johnson offers us some useful insights from his experiment pushing (or perhaps "pulling") the envelope down to 140 square feet - admittedly housing not designed for every American family. But it would be a mistake to think that's all this book offers. Whether you live in an 800 square foot apartment or a 4000 square foot house, "Put Your Life on a Diet" has suggestions for making your life more bountiful while cutting your costs.

I really enjoyed this little 144 page book. There is a lot of lessons in here for people who happen to live in a little larger space. The fact of life is that we live in a world driven by consumption and the author is asking us to look a little closer at what we consume, how we consume, and what we really need in life. Not only have I enjoyed the book, I have given out a couple of copies to friends

WOW, great book! i have been downsizing for quite awhile now and i learned SOOOOOO much more from this book than any other downsizing or unclutter book i have read (and i have read lots!). the most helpful was the part about uncluttering by taking advantage of the latest technologies and storing documents, important papers, collections, books, music, movies and more in digital format. every bit of those types of things that i own will ALL go onto whatever pda i choose (presently my choice is the apple ipod touch) in a space small enough to fit into my pocket!!! also there is great information on space management resources, outsourcing, and how to begin the often overwhelming feeling of getting started and making it stick! i also learned alot about food and actually some useful info on food dieting. a great all around book for anyone thinking of downsizing a little, alot or to the point of having only enough usable space in your living situation to make life simple, easy and affordable. for years my goal has been to enter retirement with only a large footlocker of my possessions. this book helped me eliminate and/or store into a smaller space more stuff than i ever thought possible!i highly recommend it!! my personal buzz word for 2009 is "SIMPLIFY".

At 144 pages, this is a slim but idea-packed volume. Gregory Johnson's writing is inspirational, while the action items and resources will allow readers to implement their own version of "living small." You don't need to live in a 150-square foot home like Johnson--that's not going to be a realistic goal for many people. But you can learn about de-cluttering your house and living a less stressful life in harmony with the Earth.

This is a wonderful book that helps you look at your own life and start to question what you really need. Often we confuse what we want with what we really need to have to live a meaningful worthwhile life. If you want even more insight from this author on living a earth friendly life visit his web site [...]

The book is interesting, but it feels like the author is dancing around things - toilet needs, legal issues, his emotions... now that you live more sparsely, Mr. Johnson, please live more bravely!

If you are very new to thinking about leaving a high consumption life, this book will help.
Also, the resource list at the end is good.