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The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less
How do you define the good life? For many, success is measured not by health and happiness but by financial wealth. But such a worldview overlooks the important things in personal contentment, family time, spirituality, and the health of the planet and those living on it. A preoccupation with money and possessions is not only unhealthy, it can also drain the true joy from life.
In recent years, millions have watched their American Dreams go up in smoke. The international financial collapse, inflation, massive layoffs, and burgeoning consumer debt have left people in dire financial straits—including John Robbins, a crusader for planet-friendly food and lifestyle choices, who lost his entire savings in an investment scam. But Robbins soon realized that there was an upside to our collective financial Curtailed consumerism could lead us to reassess our lives and values.
The New Good Life provides a philosophical and prescriptive path from conspicuous consumption to conscious consumption. Where the old view of success was measured by cash, stocks, and various luxuries, the new view will be guided by financial restraint and a new awareness of what truly matters. A passionate manifesto on finding meaning beyond money and status, this book delivers a sound blueprint for living well on less. Discover how to
• create your own definition of success based on your deepest beliefs and life experience
• alleviate depression, lower blood pressure, and stay fit with inexpensive alternatives for high-cost medications
• develop a diet that promotes better health—and saves you money
• plan for—and protect yourself from—future economic catastrophes
• cut down on your housing and transportation costs
• live frugally without deprivation
• follow in the footsteps of real people who have effectively forged new financial identities
The New Good Life provides much-needed hope and comfort in a time of fear and uncertainty. Here is everything you need to develop high-joy, low-cost solutions to life’s challenges. Practical and timely, this book equips you with the skills needed not only to survive but to thrive in these challenging times.
In recent years, millions have watched their American Dreams go up in smoke. The international financial collapse, inflation, massive layoffs, and burgeoning consumer debt have left people in dire financial straits—including John Robbins, a crusader for planet-friendly food and lifestyle choices, who lost his entire savings in an investment scam. But Robbins soon realized that there was an upside to our collective financial Curtailed consumerism could lead us to reassess our lives and values.
The New Good Life provides a philosophical and prescriptive path from conspicuous consumption to conscious consumption. Where the old view of success was measured by cash, stocks, and various luxuries, the new view will be guided by financial restraint and a new awareness of what truly matters. A passionate manifesto on finding meaning beyond money and status, this book delivers a sound blueprint for living well on less. Discover how to
• create your own definition of success based on your deepest beliefs and life experience
• alleviate depression, lower blood pressure, and stay fit with inexpensive alternatives for high-cost medications
• develop a diet that promotes better health—and saves you money
• plan for—and protect yourself from—future economic catastrophes
• cut down on your housing and transportation costs
• live frugally without deprivation
• follow in the footsteps of real people who have effectively forged new financial identities
The New Good Life provides much-needed hope and comfort in a time of fear and uncertainty. Here is everything you need to develop high-joy, low-cost solutions to life’s challenges. Practical and timely, this book equips you with the skills needed not only to survive but to thrive in these challenging times.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
60 people are currently reading
851 people want to read
About the author
John Robbins
23 books150 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: John Robbins
John Robbins was an American author, who popularized the links among nutrition, environmentalism, and animal rights.
He was the author of the 1987 Diet for a New America, an exposé on connections between diet, physical health, animal cruelty, and environmentalism. Robbins founded the organization EarthSave in 1988 and co-founded the Food Revolution Network with his son, Ocean, in 2011. He was a leading voice in the plant-based movement.
Please see: John Robbins
John Robbins was an American author, who popularized the links among nutrition, environmentalism, and animal rights.
He was the author of the 1987 Diet for a New America, an exposé on connections between diet, physical health, animal cruelty, and environmentalism. Robbins founded the organization EarthSave in 1988 and co-founded the Food Revolution Network with his son, Ocean, in 2011. He was a leading voice in the plant-based movement.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
September 8, 2010
I picked this up to see what Robbins recommended to live better on less, not to read his autobiography, so keep that in mind in reading my review. Anyone who has already been living on a budget, and I mean really and truly living on a budget to make ends meet, not skipping designer handbags and $200 face cream so you can go to Bora Bora next Christmas, has already heard and done most of what Robbins suggests one would do to live a simpler, more frugal life. That part of the book is nothing new, unless you are new to living frugally, but at least it doesn't recommend anything too crazy like another book on the topic I read recently that suggested saving money on food by eating leftovers off another diner's table at restaurants!! For a saver who wants to leave no stone unturned, I guess this book would be worth skimming to make sure you've truly whittled away all of the excess fat from your budget. The chapter on food was more interesting, and included a couple of recipes that looked interesting (but I didn't try), but there are better books on the topic (see: Michael Pollan). Overall, probably worth checking out from the library like I did, but certainly nothing to spend the money or space on your bookshelf on.
January 17, 2011
I picked up The New Good Life on a whim. I didn't know who John Robbins was nor did I know his program Diet for a New America. Robbins, an heir to the Baskin-Robbins fortune, has experienced financial highs and lows. In The New Good Life he offers suggestions for how to create a life that brings you psychological security and happiness without all the trappings of our consumer culture. He examines how we've gone from being citizens to consumers and how that change has made us less happy, less satisfied and has put us at odds with the environment, when we're not out and out at war with it.
Beginning with his own story of creating wealth after having walked away from his family's money and business, and then loss of his life savings through no fault of his own except to have trusted an advisor who unwittingly turned the investments over to Bernie Madoff, Robbins gives a list and character sketch of money archetypes and explains how they relate to money and how they can find a better way to relate to money.
Robbins transitions to the practical by outlining how to learn where your money is spent, how much money you actually earn per hour and how you can re-examine and readjust your spending, save money and reduce your impact on the environment.
I was especially happy to find recipes for food and for making cleaning supplies. I've worried for a while that we're marinating in petro-chemicals each and every day and have wanted a comprehensive list of safe cleaning supplies and personal care items.
I recommend this book for its readability, practical information and for how it approaches the "new normal." As our family has adjusted to having half its income, we've found that some things are easy to do without while others are harder to let go. As we still live and work in a middle class world and have children attending school with peers whose families haven't been so negatively by this economy, we've struggled with meshing reality with old expectations. Do middle schoolers really need a full-color yearbook, for example. And don't get me started on electronics and gadgetry.
We've always known that we couldn't keep up with the Joneses, but now that we truly do not have the means to even try, we're learning how to find peace with this knowledge, to not compare ourselves and to understand that the life we have now can be full and satisfying without debt and within our means.
What I learned from John Robbins' book will help.
Beginning with his own story of creating wealth after having walked away from his family's money and business, and then loss of his life savings through no fault of his own except to have trusted an advisor who unwittingly turned the investments over to Bernie Madoff, Robbins gives a list and character sketch of money archetypes and explains how they relate to money and how they can find a better way to relate to money.
Robbins transitions to the practical by outlining how to learn where your money is spent, how much money you actually earn per hour and how you can re-examine and readjust your spending, save money and reduce your impact on the environment.
I was especially happy to find recipes for food and for making cleaning supplies. I've worried for a while that we're marinating in petro-chemicals each and every day and have wanted a comprehensive list of safe cleaning supplies and personal care items.
I recommend this book for its readability, practical information and for how it approaches the "new normal." As our family has adjusted to having half its income, we've found that some things are easy to do without while others are harder to let go. As we still live and work in a middle class world and have children attending school with peers whose families haven't been so negatively by this economy, we've struggled with meshing reality with old expectations. Do middle schoolers really need a full-color yearbook, for example. And don't get me started on electronics and gadgetry.
We've always known that we couldn't keep up with the Joneses, but now that we truly do not have the means to even try, we're learning how to find peace with this knowledge, to not compare ourselves and to understand that the life we have now can be full and satisfying without debt and within our means.
What I learned from John Robbins' book will help.
October 28, 2010
We’re all hippies now handbook. First, a warning to right-of-center readers, without irony John Robbins lays down some heavy thoughts like: ”it’s not he who dies with the most toys that wins but he who dies with the most joys.” John named his son ”Ocean” which narrowly beat out christening him “Kale” in honor of, yes, the vegetable of the same name. Basically, John makes former California Governor Jerry Brown look like former Senator Joe McCarthy.
If you can press through the Leo Buscala peace, love, and understanding seared crust, there is substantial meat here. Robbins’ early chapters biography documents a life that included a fortune refused (Robbins repudiated his father’s Baskin-Robbins ice cream wealth), a fortune earned (Robbins sold millions of diet books which likely don’t feature steak tartar and ice cream) and a fortune stolen (Bernie Madoff made off with the second fortune). Perhaps unique among biographies, this one is actually too short and leaves some potentially intriguing areas unexplored. Were there times he regrets forsaking the ice cream money? Does he feel his amassed good karma should have prevented the theft of his book money or the tremendous challenges his twin grandchildren faced? How do you spend 10 years living in a handmade shack on an isolated British Columbian island and remain sane? These chapters are fascinating and are a must read.
However, you can skip the middle. After his life story Robbins gets down to the manifest purpose of the book: to teach the world’s legion of newly minted paupers (how are you doing with that mortgage?) how to live like a hippy (”the new good life”). The advice differs inconsequently from what you could learn in an afternoon on Yahoo Finance. Like every diet book can be boiled down to ”don’t eat so damn much”, Robbins advice is not to spend so damn much. Not that the advice is bad, it is probably knowledge you already store in your head and don’t apply to your daily life. The practical portion of Robbin’s prescriptions becomes more and more pedestrian until it reaches its nadir with a sweet potato recipe (apparently they are cheap…and local and organic and free range and not tested on animals…).
Eventually Robbin’s goes macro and redeems himself. In talking about the planet’s deteriorating environment he willingly discusses the biggest taboo in the sea of environmental books – population control. Nearly without exception those out to ”save the planet” dance around the fact that sustainably providing clean food, water and energy for the 7 billion humans already here is a near impossibility to say nothing of the 2-3 billion on the way over the next couple of decades. He also redeems himself by recognizing that nearly all the consumer products sold as ”organic”, “natural”, “pure” or otherwise green are effectively conventional products greenwashed and marked up 25%. He takes pains to flag those products, particularly cleaning and cosmetic products, that actually are made of natural ingredients as well as to suggest natural replacements (apparently you can do just about anything with vinegar) to chemistry’s grandchildren.
The final portion of the book is filler in the form of long-form platitudes about the earth, humans’ place in it and how we interact with one another. The manifesto covers the full environmentalist platform but suggests no new planks. Likely Robbins is more persuasive both in person and not at the end of an overlong treatise on the subject.
In short, read the early biographical stuff and skim the rest for topics of interest.
April 23, 2012
This is a friendly, compassionate, and deeply heartfelt guide on how to live. Bringing together research and personal experience of key themes - money, food, home, time, kids - John Robbins maps out a set of values that can lead our country to a better life, even in a time when security seems far away.
"Better life" to me means healthier and happier, woven together with care for other people, animals, and our earth. In his life and in this book, John Robbins shows how it can be done. Every step he advises, he has taken himself.
I appreciate that he devoted a large segment of the book to "healing your relationship with money." So many people have little idea where their money actually goes, while others (both rich and poor) are lost in the illusion that "more money" is the answer to their problems. His lessons about making peace with money are wise indeed.
Many of the findings in this book have been reported elsewhere, but by bringing them together in an integrated way, Robbins paints a positive and possible picture of how to live. This is a book about today, neither a romanticized idyll of an easier past nor a prediction of a technologically-driven salvation in the future. It asks you to think hard about whether to have children, and how to guide them in an advertisement-crazed culture. Balancing alarming facts with inspiring ideas and examples of people who have made wise life choices, Robbins made this a deeply readable book.
Buy this book. Buy extra copies and give them to people you love, especially young people starting out in life.
"Better life" to me means healthier and happier, woven together with care for other people, animals, and our earth. In his life and in this book, John Robbins shows how it can be done. Every step he advises, he has taken himself.
I appreciate that he devoted a large segment of the book to "healing your relationship with money." So many people have little idea where their money actually goes, while others (both rich and poor) are lost in the illusion that "more money" is the answer to their problems. His lessons about making peace with money are wise indeed.
Many of the findings in this book have been reported elsewhere, but by bringing them together in an integrated way, Robbins paints a positive and possible picture of how to live. This is a book about today, neither a romanticized idyll of an easier past nor a prediction of a technologically-driven salvation in the future. It asks you to think hard about whether to have children, and how to guide them in an advertisement-crazed culture. Balancing alarming facts with inspiring ideas and examples of people who have made wise life choices, Robbins made this a deeply readable book.
Buy this book. Buy extra copies and give them to people you love, especially young people starting out in life.
June 27, 2010
I went into this with high hopes but it's a pretty big letdown.
Because this Robbins guy stood to inherit a multi-million Baskins Robbins ice cream franchise, he is famous. He tells us he opted to say no to the money and instead live on an island in Canada. But he never gets into the nitty gritty of that. Will he dies penniless?
He and his wife have no skill or ability other than giving massages. Not a long term investment.
I was also disappointed that the vast majority of his guidance about living the simple life consists of the same stuff we hear everyplace else.
Use low energy light bulbs, eat local and organically, don't buy worthless crap at Costco, etc.
At the end of the day he can experiment plenty since he has $50 million sitting in the bank waiting for him
Because this Robbins guy stood to inherit a multi-million Baskins Robbins ice cream franchise, he is famous. He tells us he opted to say no to the money and instead live on an island in Canada. But he never gets into the nitty gritty of that. Will he dies penniless?
He and his wife have no skill or ability other than giving massages. Not a long term investment.
I was also disappointed that the vast majority of his guidance about living the simple life consists of the same stuff we hear everyplace else.
Use low energy light bulbs, eat local and organically, don't buy worthless crap at Costco, etc.
At the end of the day he can experiment plenty since he has $50 million sitting in the bank waiting for him
September 3, 2010
John Robbins's book Healthy at 100 was a real eye opener for me about food, diet, and health. So when I saw this new audiobook of his, I thought it worth listening to.
I think there's a correlation between where you are on the political spectrum and how much you'll like this book. It will likely have more appeal to those on the left, though it's message is one that Americans near to hear. For those who don't know the author, John Robbins left behind a fortune as the heir to Baskins & Robbins to instead live out in the wilderness for a time and escape capitalism. He has a wife named Deo and a son named Ocean.
Some of his ideas are quite practical; some you'll question; and some are far out but doable. He's not preaching so much as making suggestions and sharing his own experiences. I would take a different approach than he would on many points. For example, John shies away from all food that isn't healthy. But my approach is to use the tasty food (ice cream) as a treat to be enjoyed on occasion.
As the new good life encompasses a lot of territory, you'll hear John's thoughts about everything from critiquing consumerist culture, to money management, to how he lost most of his savings through the Madoff debacle, to cleaning with natural products, to his own life philosophy, and much more. I found the section on the scientific study of happiness very interesting. To paraphrase Zig Ziglar: We know that money doesn't bring happiness, but we all want to find out for ourselves. So I was delighted to find that scientists who study happiness have confirmed Zig's observation: after we get above the poverty level, there's low correlation between happiness and the amount of money you have. Now if I really believed that...
I think there's a correlation between where you are on the political spectrum and how much you'll like this book. It will likely have more appeal to those on the left, though it's message is one that Americans near to hear. For those who don't know the author, John Robbins left behind a fortune as the heir to Baskins & Robbins to instead live out in the wilderness for a time and escape capitalism. He has a wife named Deo and a son named Ocean.
Some of his ideas are quite practical; some you'll question; and some are far out but doable. He's not preaching so much as making suggestions and sharing his own experiences. I would take a different approach than he would on many points. For example, John shies away from all food that isn't healthy. But my approach is to use the tasty food (ice cream) as a treat to be enjoyed on occasion.
As the new good life encompasses a lot of territory, you'll hear John's thoughts about everything from critiquing consumerist culture, to money management, to how he lost most of his savings through the Madoff debacle, to cleaning with natural products, to his own life philosophy, and much more. I found the section on the scientific study of happiness very interesting. To paraphrase Zig Ziglar: We know that money doesn't bring happiness, but we all want to find out for ourselves. So I was delighted to find that scientists who study happiness have confirmed Zig's observation: after we get above the poverty level, there's low correlation between happiness and the amount of money you have. Now if I really believed that...
January 15, 2018
I had high hopes for this book as I am very interested in leading a more simple and happier life. After struggling to get through the first half of the book, I told myself, well you are half done, just get through it. I will admit, I did skim a lot near the end just to get finished. I found Robbin's writing to be heavily based on personal experiences (and some where interesting the first time you read it) but he repeatedly brought up reference to the same experience, again and again and yet again! OK - we've got the point I would often tell myself.
I have read many books and articles in the field of personal finance and how to live life with less and I guess if you were VERY new to the subject, this book might give a mediocre (at best) foundation to the subject, but advice from someone who has been reading in this field for a few years now - don't waste your time.
I have read many books and articles in the field of personal finance and how to live life with less and I guess if you were VERY new to the subject, this book might give a mediocre (at best) foundation to the subject, but advice from someone who has been reading in this field for a few years now - don't waste your time.
September 25, 2012
Though I could accept why someone would want to turn their back on a large fortune and embrace voluntary simplicity, I just couldn't get over the fact that he could have used all that money and really made a difference in other folks lives with it. You don't want to own a Yacht named "The Thirty Second Flavor 2?" Fine! Then build a school in an impoverished nation - give to charities - create your own foundation and give it all away to those in need. Instead he just turned his back on the money and as far as I can tell, pretty much did nothing really for his fellow man. And then apparently accumulated quite a bit of wealth again and lost it all due to a really bad investment. Amazing how Karma works, doesn't it?
June 19, 2010
This is an excellent book on living a good life while expending less and being kinder to the world. It is not so much a financial handbook as a guide to taking better care of yourself. It is about learning to live in harmony with your surroundings and others you contact.
The writer is a very interesting person and his life experiences are very enlightening.
I highly recommend the book. It is a quick read with a great deal of good information.
The writer is a very interesting person and his life experiences are very enlightening.
I highly recommend the book. It is a quick read with a great deal of good information.
December 16, 2023
I read and loved another book by the author so I decided to try and read all his other books.
But this one was not right for me and I couldn’t even get through it.
One thing I did appreciate was his listing of the various money archetypes – the saver, the innocent, the performer, the sensualist, the vigilant and the giver.
I found out I was a vigilant – the most resolute about fulfilling their duties and responsibilities”. “Dependable, helpful, and hardworking”,
The shadow side of vigilants is tht they can be frightened of any kind of change.
Vigilants can be taken for granted and may not get the gratitude they deserve.
They pass on the belief that for every problem there is a solution.
They have a deep sense of fair play and aren’t overly
dramatic or self-aggrandizing.
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, was an evolved vigilant.
Jefferson declared that “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance”.
I got stuck on the chapter on the four steps to financial freedom.
Here the author insisted that we evaluate the exact amount of money we had including the value of our possessions.
I was unable to do this.
We had also to make a list of our liabilties – debts, etc and had to ascertain our real hourly wage and all sorts of other expenses.
I am not a money person, and all this was totally uninteresting and unachievable for me.
So I missed most of the book, but don’t feel that this was a problem.
I trust the author’s remaining books are better.
But this one was not right for me and I couldn’t even get through it.
One thing I did appreciate was his listing of the various money archetypes – the saver, the innocent, the performer, the sensualist, the vigilant and the giver.
I found out I was a vigilant – the most resolute about fulfilling their duties and responsibilities”. “Dependable, helpful, and hardworking”,
The shadow side of vigilants is tht they can be frightened of any kind of change.
Vigilants can be taken for granted and may not get the gratitude they deserve.
They pass on the belief that for every problem there is a solution.
They have a deep sense of fair play and aren’t overly
dramatic or self-aggrandizing.
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, was an evolved vigilant.
Jefferson declared that “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance”.
I got stuck on the chapter on the four steps to financial freedom.
Here the author insisted that we evaluate the exact amount of money we had including the value of our possessions.
I was unable to do this.
We had also to make a list of our liabilties – debts, etc and had to ascertain our real hourly wage and all sorts of other expenses.
I am not a money person, and all this was totally uninteresting and unachievable for me.
So I missed most of the book, but don’t feel that this was a problem.
I trust the author’s remaining books are better.
December 22, 2017
Twenty-five years ago, I saw a video based on another book by John Robbins, called "Diet for a New America". It changed my life -- I became a vegetarian for a year and then decided to go completely vegan, and I have been vegan to this day. John Robbins showed me that caring for animals and loving people can be aided by my daily choices around what I eat.
'The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less" is even more ambitious in scope, as it expands on the idea of sustainable food choices and adds to it the wider aspects of daily consumption, from the homes that we buy to the ways that we keep them clean, all with the same view towards sustainability and an awareness of the extended impact of these choices.
Now that I know, I will be making different choices, for the betterment of my own life and for the lives of others.
'The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less" is even more ambitious in scope, as it expands on the idea of sustainable food choices and adds to it the wider aspects of daily consumption, from the homes that we buy to the ways that we keep them clean, all with the same view towards sustainability and an awareness of the extended impact of these choices.
Now that I know, I will be making different choices, for the betterment of my own life and for the lives of others.
July 6, 2011
This book was good for the person that is trying to leave a small carbon footprint, live frugally, declutter, trying to eat healthier (and on a budget), trying to not use toxic chemicals for cleaning your house. He had some really great ideas in here. I have used several of the household cleaning suggestions and have been pleasantly surprised. There are a few places in the book where he goes a little overboard (but not too far) on a couple of subjects and parts of it are a little hard to get through, but I am glad I read it.
March 8, 2018
This was an extremely quick read. I remember seeing John Robbins on a documentary years ago. His story is inspiring, all the more so because the life he chose for him and his family was groundbreaking. I enjoyed reading this book because it summarized and rehashed a lot of ideas and concepts I’ve been exposed to in other readings, but in a digestible manner. I also learned a lot of new tips and tricks as well. Overall 3 stars, but 4 stars for all the organic cleaning recipes!!!
October 12, 2023
Thank you to John for a clear compassionate guide to living more lightly on the earth. Many of his suggestions I have already implemented years ago (becoming vegetarian and then leaning towards veganism; using soap and water to clean hands; using Bon Ami and vinegar to clean house), but now getting an electric car has risen higher on my "must do" list. I'm glad this book is out there to counteract the cancerous nature of measuring our standard of living by the amount of things we buy. Why throw out an outfit, years old, well loved, when it still looks good and washes up well? Why buy the newest gadget when the old one still works? Fascinating that accumulating money beyond meeting basic needs most definitely does not correlate with increasing happiness. Now if we could just get basic needs to more people in the world. Think of the benefits these folks could bring to the world if they only were freed from privation? Our greatest resources are not things, they are actually people. Keep writing, John!
January 1, 2022
I love this book. It may just because I already have thought about a lot of what he says. Some of it may seem obvious to some people, but until it's really set out in black and white, it's easy to just keep doing the same old thing! I also love that in the section on financial types, he delves into the positives and negatives of each type, ending with words to the effect of "you be you".
Here is a person who inspires me (and, I hope, others) to evolve into our best self. We best pay attention before we kill ourselves and our planet
PS I still love ice cream - it's just a once-in-a-while food :)
Here is a person who inspires me (and, I hope, others) to evolve into our best self. We best pay attention before we kill ourselves and our planet
PS I still love ice cream - it's just a once-in-a-while food :)
March 17, 2019
This book began as an interesting memoir from a man born into wealth who chose to leave it all behind in the sixties in order to live with the land. An interesting read, at times it circled into repetition. Overall the message is clear and inarguably true: we need to find a way to live happily with less for economic as well as environmental reasons. I did begin to skim by the final third as it began to feel a bit like beating a dead horse, but I think I’ll take away many good ideas for living more simply
February 19, 2018
While this is all "old hat" for me, there were still snippets where I learned information! A/C on the non-sunny side saves energy (in retrospect, DUH! but it was a good reminder). Running the vent over the stove will "suck up" all the heated air in the house (again, in retrospect, YES! Of COURSE! but there it was - useful info!). Anyway, if you're not already a frugalista and you're looking at how to live lighter on the planet, save some money, and be healthy, this is a great compilation.
January 6, 2018
This is a good source for reaffirming non-capitalistic beliefs. If you are already on that path I don't that anything in here will take you by surprise. but the conservation tone makes it easy to read and generally enjoyable. Sections of the book are structured more like tips and tricks which are more just information for skimming over. Not a bad book and it holds an important message.
March 22, 2017
I picked this book based on the title, as I was interested in the subject.
It wasn't until I read the book that I realized the author was the sole heir to the Baskin Robbins fortune who then walked away and chose to live a frugal simple life. Big surprise. I started googling John Robbins and found out more about him.
This book is a powerful testimony of someone who practiced what he preached.
I love the part in the book where there are recipes for simple nutritious food.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book, and will re-read it again.
It wasn't until I read the book that I realized the author was the sole heir to the Baskin Robbins fortune who then walked away and chose to live a frugal simple life. Big surprise. I started googling John Robbins and found out more about him.
This book is a powerful testimony of someone who practiced what he preached.
I love the part in the book where there are recipes for simple nutritious food.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book, and will re-read it again.
August 29, 2017
Giving up his share of the Baskin Robbins empire and choosing to live a less materialistic life the author walks the walk. He shares his experiences, and ups and downs of life in an approachable way. There is no preaching or finger wagging which makes it feel more a believable and doable way of life.
August 23, 2025
Just finished reading this one… I highly recommend it to everyone! It would be an especially good book for teens/college/early adults so that bad habits don’t form ( as we know how hard they are to break). However, even those of us who are settled into life could use what is found in this book to help us with the rest of our time on this earth. ❤️
September 17, 2018
I've gone on a John Robbins book binge. In this book, the theme is all about how to maintain a happy life by tidying up all the rough areas we all have issues. I found it to be very informational and almost needed for those completely unsure how to 'adult'.
Great read.
Great read.
November 21, 2017
I couldn't get past his pretentious attitude that he had the answers. Not sure if his credibility in classifying people.
April 14, 2019
It's a bit dated, and I'm already on board with the message. I probably didn't need to read this.
May 25, 2020
Very helpful and inspired general life tips covering an array of topics!
November 4, 2020
3.8, I really enjoyed the section on food, homemade cleaning supplies, and such. One of those almost better to skim sections that are of interest to you.
December 15, 2020
Learned quite a bit from a few sections.
Read
May 27, 2021Whole food plant-based living.
June 30, 2023
Again, I can count on John Robbins.
March 8, 2012
*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 bicycle
Equally 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 own
In 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.
"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 bicycle
Equally 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 own
In 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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