Simple Matters: Living with Less and Ending Up with More

by Erin Boyle

For anyone looking to declutter, organize, and simplify, author Erin Boyle shares practical guidance and personal insights on small-space living and conscious consumption. At once pragmatic and philosophical, Simple Matters is a nod to the growing consensus that living simply and purposefully is more sustainable not only for the environment, but for our own happiness and well-being, too. Boyle embraces the notion that “living small” is beneficial and accessible to us all—whether we’re renting a tiny apartment or purchasing a three-story house.

Filled with personal essays, projects, and helpful advice on how to be inventive and resourceful in a tight space, Simple Matters shows that living simply is about making do with less and ending up with more free time, more time with loved ones, more savings, and more things of beauty.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Design, Personal Development, Essays, Green

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 29, 2015

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, simple book about simplicity. Enjoyable read, but can we talk about the sprig of flowers taped.to.the.wall. Taped. To the wall.

[Marlena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a regular reader of Boyle's blog "Reading My Tea Leaves," her muse on living a simple life in Brooklyn. This is not a critique of Boyle, but more of the genre of design and lifestyle bloggers who get book deals and end up writing books that seem steeped in classism and white privilege.

[Alissa Dorfman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's just say this was not the book I thought it was. I started reading this because I thought it was a book about organizing. I always like to read what's out there as sort of a continuing education course of my own design. This book isn't about that, not really. It's really about having some sort of zen lifestyle that you can only achieve before you have children or if you write a blog about it and are forced to make your own face scrub so you won't be shamed by your fans on FB. The author suggests not using paper towels in your household but instead keeping a pile of rags close by. She also suggests making all your own household cleaners and finding all your furniture by collecting it out of your neighbors garbage pile. This simple life sounds peaceful, although ridden with bed bugs and dirty rags, but it is not for me. My goal as an organizer, is to help people pair down in a realistic way that works for them. This book is for the dreamers and the idealists- I need a book that has new ideas for putting away my crap. And no I don't mean turning it into mulch in my organic garden, which I thought would kill you, but if you read the Martian- apparently makes great potatoes.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning more about minimal living; it's a gentle introduction with personal essays and helpful advice on how to live simply. Erin Boyle writes the blog Reading My Tea Leaves and is a true inspiration for "making do with less and ending up with more." Simple Matters provides guidance and personal insights into small-space living and conscious consumption; it's about living with purposeful in a more sustainable way, for our environment but also for our own happiness and well-being. A wonderfully calming read that will aid you in living a meaningful, contented life.

[Artemisia Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple Matters describes, and portrays in quiet photos, an elegant, artistic approach to simple, sustainable living. While Zen-like in its spare, minimalist philosophy, there is also a sweet soulfulness and inviting purity to the idea of such a pared-down, no frills lifestyle. This may not be achievable at this extreme for everyone, including myself, but still it's easy to find some attractive and inspiring ideas in this book based on author Erin Boyle's popular blog "Reading My Tea Leaves" Still, Simple Matters brings something refreshingly elemental to the current conversation on simple living that can remind the reader that a richly beautiful life and graceful, sustainable living can go hand in hand, and in a much more pared down lifestyle than we might have thought possible.

[Marcy Graybill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in 2014 I started clearing the clutter from my house, I got rid of many boxes and bags. I had more stuff boxed up to go out, when I had to have surgery on my ankle. So from the end of February to the end of April I was unable to walk on my right foot. I did not get the remaining boxes out nor did I clear more out. I spent the next few months just trying to get caught up. In January of this year, I began de-cluttering again and it felt good. Then I lost my motivation.
I've been checking out de-cluttering books and simplifying books in hopes of finding where I left it--I'm sure it's just being used as a bookmark in one of these books. Then I came across Boyle's book.
I started reading it and it was interesting, but then I got into all of her "natural" recommendations. One of her biggest complaints is not being able to say or understand what the chemicals are. Well most of what we eat and drink are chemicals, even "natural" ones. Dihydrogen monoxide kills 10 people a day, but we aren't banning that. (It's water people!) On page 117-9 she says "Or any of the many chemicals that find their way, mostly unregulated, into our skincare routines. . .There's lead in your hair dye and asbestos in our talcum powder." But lead, asbestos and talcum are all natural, they are mined and not scientifically altered. According to the American Cancer Society, in the U.S. asbestos has not been allowed in talcum powders since the 1970's, on the other hand recently there's been concern that talc itself is cancer causing.
She also touts the safety of essential oils, they're natural and harmless she says. Yet according to the poison control center, without being diluted the oils can burn the skin and cause seizures, coma and possibly even death. So there goes the perfectly harmless statement. I'm not against using "natural" products and I'm not against limiting our use of plastics and being more environmentally friendly. I am sick of people claiming falsely, that "natural" products are wonderful and safe and that "nasty chemicals" are not. I recommend people do their research from sites that are authorities on the topic and doing practical, peer reviewed research, not commercial sites or sites run by people who are repeating rumors.

Sorry off my soapbox now.
Overall the book is interesting, it took me just a few hours to read it and sadly I did not find my motivation.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author conflates minimalism with her own design preference and an all natural/organic/environmentally-friendly lifestyle. With the stated goal of "simplicity" she presents her lifestyle as correct and anything else as unenlightened. This is the brand of snooty minimalism that gives it a bad name (To quote the author: "Here again, some of the answer lies in simply going without.") This is not a book I would recommend to someone starting a minimalist journey.

[Holly Pablo Monasterial · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some tidbits I can get behind:
- storing food scraps in a bucket in the freezer to toss later
- taking a second look at vintage furniture that is made well
- removing household items from original packaging for decanting
- being mindful of items requested on your wedding registry
- maintaining only a small amount of baby toys and supplies
- finally paring down your collection of books (heartbreaking)

I've been on an organizing kick again lately. This book, however, is less about organization and more specifically about Erin Boyle's entire philosophy of living. The chapters are arranged by Decluttering, Simplifying, Decorating, Bath & Beauty, Getting Dressed, Cooking & Entertaining, Cleaning, and lastly, Thriving. A lot to pack in a book fewer than 200 pages.

Again, it's a book more so about how the author lives her life. It may not be relatable to the average person, but it's still interesting to read different perspectives, yeah? Didn't love it. Didn't hate it.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was more of an extended blog post than a book -- one woman's opinion on how to live. I think how much you like it will depend on your personal circumstances. Like the author, I also live in a small apartment where "practicing minimalism" is synonymous with "living in New York City" so a lot of her suggestions are ones I already practice out of necessity. While she espouses good tips on focusing on natural products, the lack of research made them less compelling; for example, I'm going to need more convincing to not bleach my tub or stop using aluminum foil. Still, I read the book in one sitting and it made me think about some things I can do (like composting and reducing plastic purchases), so I did get some benefit out of it.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a perfect read as we prepare to move into our first house. We often complain about the clutter in our apartment and Erin Boyle paints a very simple picture of living with less that I know is much harder to actually live out. I may need to read this one again. Good stuff.

[Candy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erin's world is a little too colorless for me, but I do like the idea of living with less.

[Anna Casian-Musteață · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una dintre cele mai inspiraționale cărți citite până în prezent este aceasta – „Simplitatea contează” de Erin Boyle. O carte care ne învață cum să trăim frumos și să ne bucurăm de lucrurile simple din viața noastră. O carte care ne demonstrează că e posibil să fii fericit având puține lucruri și trăind într-o casă minusculă, în care abia de încap doi oameni. E posibil, pentru că viața prinde culoare atunci când știi să pui preț pe ceea ce ai. Asta ne demonstrează și autoarea, care împărtășește în filele acestei cărți experiența sa legată de decorarea locuinței, organizarea lucrurilor și a altor aspecte ale vieții.

Pentru mine a fost o plăcere să citesc această carte și mi-am promis că voi reveni la ea ori de câte ori voi avea nevoie de inspirație și mă voi simți singură. E o carte extraordinară, care vine ca un balsam pe suflet, plină cu ilustrații superbe și sfaturi prețioase.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to be an easy to please reader, so I give out 5 stars to a lot of books. However there are a few, that truly deserve a bit more. Like this book. I would like to give it an extra star. While I do feel that the thoughts and ideas in the book are worthy of the 5 stars, I think that I was particularly ready to embrace them which is why I give it an extra star.

As stated in the beginning of this book, most organizing and decluttering books start by having too much stuff and needing to get rid of a lot of it. Erin's approach is the opposite. She shares her journey about moving back to the states after living abroad and starting from scratch. She talks about slowly, and intentionally adding pieces to her home. That you can find beauty in everyday ordinary items.

I really like the ideas that she gives on how to create a calm background in your home. I feel like my life gets really crazy with 4 little kids running around all the time and so I want my home to be simple so the crazy can just be focused on the kids. I really feel like this book gave me some great ideas on how to accomplish that and I'm really looking forward to incorporating them into my home.

[Christie K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was anticipating a informative read, but I was disappointed. The sub-title of this book should be “Come along with me while I share my OCD hoping you’ll see past my self-absorption, self-righteousness, and self-aggrandizement.”

There are some specks of good information, but let’s be clear; this book is little more than a pat on the back, autobiography masquerading as a book about the flavor of the moment hot topic.

I’m giving it two stars rather than one because it is a visually pleasing book. Kudos to the editors for that.

[tonia peckover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on living with contentment and thoughtfulness. Beautifully put together, well written and sensible.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a good follow up to The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up if you need some inspiration to actually clean and Marie left you feeling like a cleansing fire was the only way forward.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erin Boyle's tribute to simplicity makes a lot of solid points about living a more sustainable lifestyle, with a smattering of helpful recipes for homemade scrubs and cleaning products thrown in as a bonus. Is it practical for the average human? I don't know.

I am willing to admit this may be my shortcoming, but I found it impossible not to hate-read this a bit. It's not that her points aren't valid, but for most of us mere mortals where we are relating to this on an aspirational level, it's a bit galling to have to take in example after example of her parading her own domestic triumphs. I think where she broke me was the description of her baby's single box of simple wood, Waldorf-approved toys.

Truly, I salute her for her commitment but feel like this loses something as a practical, manageable guide when written from the point of view of someone on a very, very high horse. It would have been gratifying to hear more about setbacks, challenges---something that would infuse a little more *life* into this portrayal of a simple life that would make it feel more appealing or accessible. Instead of being motivated I felt a bit alienated from these white, spare, rooms and thankful for our colorful mess, which at least feels like us.

One thing I always enjoyed about watching Marie Kondo on her show was that she was so sunny it didn't feel like she was being judgy even when she probably was. It's hard to read things like the devastating passage in this about the suthor's friend's(!) overstocked bathroom full of God-knows-what chemicals.

Not for the faint of heart or the messy of closets.

[Lorene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The author provides fairly easy ideas to simplify our homes and lives. There is an emphasis on small spaces, but these ideas would be effective in any size space. I like that the chapters are de-cluttering, simplifying, organizing, etcetera, instead of living room, kitchen, garage, etcetera.

[Marie Talpă · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cartea aceasta m-a fascinat și m-a cucerit în totalitate. Am savurat fiecare pagină și fiecare ilustrație. M-a motivat să fiu eu simplă și să am o viață simplă, dar în același timp, plină de culoare.
Cartea este împărțită în 9 capitole și ne vorbește despre lucrurile utile și inutile din casă, cum să simplificăm, să organizăm și să decorăm casa noastră, cum să păstrăm curățenia. Cum să avem o viață luminoasă folosind totul cât mai natural, de la mâncare până la produse pentru curățenie, și astfel să ajutăm și mediul ambiant.
Simplitatea chiar contează.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this. There wasn’t much in it that was new to me, but it did bring to my attention how I could do some things more environmentally than I do now. For example, Erin Boyle mentions that she freezes her compostable scraps and the like to keep them from developing a smell before she can dispose of them. Each week, she takes the scraps to the farmer’s market for composting. This was a manageable solution for something I would otherwise not have bothered with but may now consider doing.

[Hannah Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the info was not new to me, but I love her philosophy on life. This is a must read for someone who wants to live minimally, be good to the earth, and live frugally but beautifully.

[Deborah]

Practical tips for living simply in a small space in the city, with a focus on high quality and natural ingredients.

[Corina Pfouai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nu știu exact ce așteptări aveam, dar la sigur nu m-a impresionat ideea simplității în vopseaua cojită din baie. Saaau a măturii ținute în dulap, lângă haine.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

“More begets more. It stands in the face of reason, but when we have too much stuff we’re likely to amass still more of it. We forget what we have. We start looking for solutions to contain what is already there, and in the process we bury what we started with and add to our ever-growing pile. We end up overwhelmed.”

I have loved Erin Boyle's blog, Reading My Tea Leaves, for years, so it is no surprise that I loved this book as well. Simple Matters is a readable and energizing summation of Boyle's philosophy on keeping a home. She became a bit famous for living in a 160-something-square-foot apartment in NYC with her husband and daughter, and making it look like a beautiful and appealing thing to do in the process. I think of Boyle like the American Marie Kondo: She approaches domesticity with an American Puritan mindset (rather than Kondo's Eastern/Buddhist stance toward space and objects), which emphasizes simplicity, function, usefulness and simple Shaker beauty (linen, wood, linen, wood), but arrives at the same result: Fewer things. Happier homes.

“One can clearly go too far: It’s surely more important to write the next great American novel than to reorganize your sock drawer. (Though I find reorganizing the sock drawer sets me up for a good, productive stint of work.) but in paying at least a bit of attention t the way we organize the space we call home, we ultimately save time and energy for the people living in it, and more room—metaphysically or not—for the things that really matter. Maybe even more important, in creating an organized space, we inherently create a more thoughtful space; a space that doesn’t allow room for unnecessary consumption.”

[Marissa Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The use of natural materials and simple decorating is so great, but there is too little info and way too few photos to make this a necessary book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something outside the typical "Minimalism" books due to the Authors unique experience. Her approach might be a bit extreme to many, but lots of good ideas and food for thought. Given the perilous position of our planet, living with less and being more ready to move as needed with relative ease sounds appealing!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok... I'll admit the flowers scotch taped to the wall is a little over the top. That said, the author has some good ideas to create simple beauty and limit clutter in your household. I do feel like someone that has a similar personal style to the author's would be more apt to enjoy this book, so I would recommend first glancing through the pictures to give you a clue as to whether or not your style is generally compatible before committing to read it.

I would also encourage reading this with an open mind. Let's be honest.. not every tip in this book is going to be for you! For instance, I am not going to start making all my household cleaners completely from scratch with natural ingredients after reading this, but all the same, this book taught me to be more thoughtful in making my selections when it comes to the products I choose to bring into my home.

Apart from being introduced to some new ideas I can't wait to try and the enjoying the beautiful photography, what I appreciated the most was the sense of calm I felt while leafing through this book.

[Lourdes Uribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been looking forward to this book for a while now, and I'm so pleased that it exceeded my expectations. Not only is it absolutely beautiful to look at, the photography is wonderful, but the storytelling is simple while being rich, and interwoven with practical advice on simplifying one's life. I love that it emphasizes and encourages investing in beautiful, yet practical, home goods that enrich your life as much as they are useful. I would recommend to anyone who loves decor, is looking to simplify, and loves photography.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for anyone that's trying to live with less stuff. Unless arty pictures of almost bare tables spaces are enough to get you to declutter, I'm not sure how practical this book is: it's inspirational and aspirational. The author's focus for herself is finding beautiful and practical objects that she loves, and not just buying stuff. She makes me want to spend the weekend at thrift stores and flea markets to upgrade my IKEA furniture with unique vintage pieces.

I'm keeping this book around for at least a few months to reference the natural cleaning products section.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Many minimalist narratives begin with too much.

Favorite quote: We can, each of us, seek out a simpler mode of doing things.

I loved this book. In many ways I thought to myself how I would have loved this book when my husband and I first got married and moved into our first home. It took me many years of buying things to realize I really did not need so many things. This book suggests gently using many phrases like "in my own home", "when James and I", "for me" and "in our own lives". Her voice is a strong one written in beauty and softness.