Hey Gordon - How's This For Prudent Living? (How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day - Kath Kelly)

Member Name: LAURALILIA

Product:	How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day - Kath Kelly
Date:	01/02/09 (256 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes you question your purchases.

Disadvantages: Some of the tips are extreme!

How I Lived a Year on a Pound a Day - Kath Kelly

***The Book***

In common with many people at the moment I find it quite interesting, to read about other people's recommendations for cutting back. I vaguely remembered reading about his in a newspaper and so ordered it to read from my library for free! I think that people will either love this book or hate it, depending on your stance.

This book is about a woman who decided to live a year on a pound a day. She was at a dinner party and impulsively blurted out that she COULD live on a pound a day. It was a 'choice' she made, as she did have a part time job as a lecturer. She rented a room in a house and for the purposes of the exercise, rent was taken out of the equation. She did have a particular goal - to save up for a worthwhile wedding present for her brother and fiancée. However, this journey quickly turned into a lifestyle choice - eschewing consumerism in general.

She kept a diary, which in the book is laid out in chapters representing months of the year. At the beginning of each chapter is a paragraph summary, outlining the major issues she faced that month.

The diary summarises in detail how she fed, clothed, entertained and generally cared for herself. For the majority of the year, her quest was known only to her close friends; work colleagues and family had no idea about her challenge.

There is also a section at the end for useful websites and organisations to find low cost bargains or free activities.

Of course the title gives it away, but she did achieve her goal and as a consequence did not go back to her previous lifestyle, but of course did relax the purse strings a little!

By the way, she bought her brother and his wife, a lifetime membership of The National Trust. They supposedly didn't know how she had financed this - I think the book might have been a bit of a clue...

***Opinion***

I found it difficult to decide how I felt about his book; I both loved and hated it. So to begin with I will tell you what I most disliked.

I disliked the fact that this type of lifestyle was quite extreme. Recommending going into a bookstore on a few occasions to read a book, I feel is as good as stealing. At least if you read a book at the library, then a book of the author has actually been purchased! Someone has taken the time to write the book (to make a living!) and the store trying to sell it is shelling out on heat, light and power to do so.

I also thought there was an over reliance on hitch hiking; I may be a bit of a coward, but I wouldn't like my daughter to be trying this out when she grows up. I just don't think we live in the type of world, where this is truly safe anymore (I am sure some people will disagree with me).
For me camping in a tent in the middle of nowhere and hoisting that tent into a tree the next day, is just not that practical.

Cynic that I am, she also had an unbelievable amount of good luck. Finding money on the floor £20, 10p tickets to the theatre and finding a good quality bike leaned against a wall. She was incredibly healthy too - never had to fork out for a prescription. With the luck she had, if I was her I would just have done with it, bought a lottery ticket and sat back and waited for my winning numbers to pop up!

She also had a major supply of toiletries, groceries etc, that gave her a massive head start.

On the plus side, she did find some good sources of cheap entertainment and novel ways to socialise with her friends. She also analysed all her purchases and kind of looked at others, rushing about at Christmas buying items they didn't really need that would quickly gather dust, with a different outlook to before.

She also wasn't patronising - she did tell it from her viewpoint and admitted that this would be difficult for families to adopt. The whole ethos of the book is interesting and worth a read.

The style of the book is also easy to read and I read it over a couple of nights.

I would rather have seen this book written by someone who had lived like this out of necessity. I find it more inspiring to read the forums on Money Saving Expert; people who genuinely live on £4000 a year (after rent and council tax) or another lady who feeds herself nutritious meals on 50p a day. These I feel are ordinary people who inspire others who may want to improve their financial situation.

It is hard to identify with someone doing this on a good salary, whose aim of writing this book is to make others spend their cash. Is this a bit hypocritical? Sorry, being cynical again!

Nevertheless, a success of Kath Kelly's book is that it does make you question the consumerist society that we live in.

Thinking about it in depth however, I ponder as to whether people taking this stance, will in fact make this recession longer and deeper. If everyone took the view of Kath Kelly, many industries would grind to a halt, creating a downward spiral of unemployment and hardship for many.

So, I think that I will question my purchases more, but at the same time will support those British industries that need all the help they can get.

***Availability***

This book is available for £6.29 from Amazon, however I am sure Kath Kelly would hate you to part with your money for such a frivolous item, (being the altruistic kind of gal she is), and would suggest that you read this at the library or even in a few visits to your local bookstore (NOT)!!

Summary: If you choose to buy this at £6.29 - you will have blown almost a week's budget already!!