I couldn’t resist a free copy of James A Roberts new book, Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy. Before the book arrived I was told it “exposes the hidden motivations and erroneous assumptions behind our spending habits and reveals the key to reversing the devastating and ever-increasing effects of materialism in modern culture, showing readers how we can actually increase our well-being by scaling back.”
As soon as I saw the description I knew I wanted to read the book. I’ve written about my own quest to clear out unwanted clutter from my home. To free myself of the overhead associated with owning unnecessary objects and to stop myself from purchasing any items for which we don’t have a pressing need.
Since I started clearing out the clutter I’ve been better able to focus on the things in my life that really matter. I no longer buy things we don’t need and I save money and live happier without all that unwanted junk.
Shiny Objects takes you on a historical lesson through the various events through our country’s history that have led to the over consumption of stuff. In the book, Roberts divulges with great detail moments in our history that have led Americans to take to the malls in an effort to shop away their troubles and out-consume their neighbors. After completing the historical lesson Roberts focuses the last few chapters of the book on steering the reader away from a consumption based lifestyle in favor of a life better lived.
I enjoyed reading this book, but must admit that I found parts of the historical lesson a bit boring and long. Overall though it was an interesting read, but some of the facts about our country’s overspending habits could have been condensed. I must admit that I began to glaze over during some chapters and even skimmed paragraphs rather than reading all of the details. However, I found the book to be quite informative overall and truly enjoyed reading it.
I am in the process of uncluttering my house (and my life!) in order to prepare for an upcoming move to another state so I am familiar with that feeling of freedom that a clean space brings. I'm sure I could find some useful tips in this book to keep from cluttering up the new house when we finally get there!
Thanks for being a part of the tour.