Dusti Arab is the woman behind Minimalist Adventures. She is not only a mom but an extreme minimalist as well.
As a mother myself I have often wondered how to balance minimalism with being a parent. It almost seems a contradiction in terms. When you have kids you have stuff; the older the kid the larger and more expensive the stuff gets!
Kids just need things. How does one balance this need with a desire to live with less, ON less?
Dusti manages to do just that. She is far from wealthy and speaks frankly of using Food Stamps to purchase meals for her small family. She understands what it is to live on less because she lives that life every single day.
She is a living example of what a parent can do to successfully live within their means and wrote her book, the Minimalist Mom to explain her method to others.
I’ve looked at this book on her website for some time, debating on whether or not it was filled with fluff or actually contained some useable information. Let’s be honest, there are only so many ways to say “throw it all away!”
This book was a pleasant surprise.
Not only does it contain discussions on consumerism and living with less, she discusses how to encourage children to start down that path. She covers various ways to live on little money, including a subject I was surprised to find in a book written by a mother – moving to another country to reduce expenses to the bare bones and thus pursue your dreams.
I have heard that subject covered in minimalist posts and books in the past but mainly by young singles without dependents who travel the earth in search of adventure or happiness. I had not considered the aspects of moving with a child nor the nuts and bolts of actually announcing this to the family that you are leaving behind!
Among other subjects she discusses food (she includes some 5-minute recipes), sustainability, finances, fitness and passion.
My favorite part was the section on passion in Chapter 5.
Also in this ebook are several essays written by famous minimalists like Nina Yau, Colin Wright, Andrew Odom and others.
While this is a book on minimalism it is also a book for low-income single parents. It is designed to make you consider the choices you make in life.
If you are interested in exploring this book, click on this link to be taken to the sales page. She is selling it for $17.