The Busy Mom's Guide to Simple Living: Creative Ideas and Practical Ways for Making the Most Out of What You Have

by Jackie Wellwood

In this sensible volume, Jackie Wellwood offers creative and practical ideas for freeing your time and resources, establishing the priorities God wants you to have, and making more room in your life for what really matters.

216 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jamey · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the title of this book, I thought it would be all about rearranging my schedule to not be so busy. While Wellwood does address that, her book is about living simply in every area of the Christian Mom’s life: financially, food-wise, time wise, materialistically... and so on. Using her own lifeas an example, Jackie Wellwood lists and describes numerous ways to live a more Biblical, counter-cultural life. From bread-making to homeschooling, her ideas range from what would be considered extremely radical to just a small step towards making a difference in your home. It is a good resource and I recommend it to mothers who are looking to make their homes more Christ-centered and efficient.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this one in our church library and ended up skimming most of it. I thought it might a Christian version of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle but it was more a guide on how to live on very little money. I lost interest when she mentioned bathing less as a means of saving money (they also employ a small pool in their back yard for bathing needs - which helps them about 3 months of the year since this family living in the suburb next to Wheaton). There was some interesting bits on homeschooling, co-ops, and canning but it was all within the context of living as cheaply as possible. This does not speak to me in the same way as Kingsolver does on the joys of canning for the purpose of eating good food. They are commendable in supporting a family of 7 on a firefighter's salary but I found myself wondering if it wasn't more than saving money - it was almost a wish to become like the Amish.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty basic advice from a homeschooling mother of 6 with the oldest only 10 at the time of her writing. She leans towards homesteading, but I always enjoy hearing about how others make it work even if I'm not willing to give up my air conditioning every other day (during a Texas summer?!...there's a reason nobody lived here before air conditioning)or limit my children's possessions to what can fit into a large Rubbermaid container.

The author is to be commended for making it work and her willingness to share her tips with others, I've just learned over the years that there are some things I'm not willing to "simplify" and that's OK.

[Rochelle]

A simple book of suggestions on making things work better with kids. Written by a Christian, stay-at-home, homeschooling mother of 6, I find much common ground with the author. I love her example of incorporating the scriptures into their daily work, with the purpose of finding the true guidance that the Bible has to offer. This has helped me to identify some of our problems areas and determine solutions that are working for our family.

[Cooksonmom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I had to sift through all the religious advice (ugh!), I did find some of the book interesting. I would not recommend this to anyone.