Unstuff: Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters

God . . . and stuff. Everything in the universe falls into one of these two categories. Which is more important to you? (It?s not a trick question.) In Unstuff: Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters, popular authors Hayley and Michael DiMarco take a close look at what?s in your wallet, your heart, your house, and your mind to reveal the pleasures and perils of stuff?and the joy, peace, and freedom that comes from learning to live with less. In this real-life look at ?how it?s done,? the DiMarcos take an uncomfortably close look at the cost of their love affair with stuff. They start by Unstuffing their house?getting rid of anything they don?t need by giving away, selling, or throwing out items that only add to their love for more. Then, kicking it up a notch, this family of three travels across the country with nothing more than they can fit in a motor home . . . and discovers that the really important stuff goes with them. From Publishers Weekly Readers looking for a how-to guide to spring-cleaning won't find it here. Yet this book may give them reason to declutter their lives. With a "harebrained idea to downsize," the DiMarcos, authors behind the media and book company Hungry Planet, moved into a motor home where they lived on the road for three months. Combining this nomadic experience with scripture-based advice, the couple asks 30-somethings, accustomed to multitasking and owning the latest technology, to rid themselves of anything that gets in the way of a relationship with God (e.g., dieting, busyness, material purchases). The couple's ability to make do with less is questionable: the book itself is packed with sidebars for reflection, journal entries, tweets and quotes; and often their idea of downsizing merely involves swapping expensive items for cheaper versions (they replace their cars with older models). The book might have more impact if the couple had eliminated their transportation or, say, lived on a week. Still, readers will appreciate their honesty and will be reminded to refocus their lives. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. From Booklist Many people today are drowning in stuff. Written from a Christian perspective, Unstuff, by a husband-and-wife team, is a mostly pain-free guide to downsizing. The authors offer many tips, providing advice on how to live on less and still be happy. But first they address the issues of why we feel compelled to fill our lives with so much stuff. They discuss the symptoms, and they ask questions, plenty of questions. What can you live without? What do you fear being without? What do you have simply because it makes you feel happy and content? They offer legitimate reasons why we should learn to live with less, ranging from finding more time to do other things to regaining self-control: too much of a good thing can be too much. In addition, the authors discuss many aspects and side effects of consumerism gone wild: shopping as therapy, debt, stress, instant gratification, obesity, insomnia. Accompanied by plenty of charts and lists, the book concludes with some timely and prudent advice: live within your means. --June Sawyers From the Back Cover God . . . and stuff. Everything in the universe falls into one of these two categories. Yet when you take a really close look at your life, is it overflowing with worship of the Creator or of creation? Do you fill your house, work, and free time with God or stuff? In Unstuff, popular authors Hayley and Michael DiMarco take an uncomfortably close look at the cost of their love affair with stuff. Their journey toward Unstuffing starts with getting rid of the clutter in their house and driving across the country for three months visiting homeless shelters with nothing more than they can fit in a motor home. Eventually they realize that stuff isn?t inherently bad, but worship of stuff is where we go wrong. Hayley and Michael share the spiritual lessons of