I'm not sure what to search under but I'm interested in reading a good account about someone's experiences living in an rv or trailer park..like intentionally choosing(they dont' necessarily have to live on the cheap or that simply but choose to do so for the simplicity) to live that way. surely someone's done this?! LIke for instance they sell their home, move from apartment and decide to live in a cheaper apt/neighborhood or even a trailer park where they know some of the neighbors and everyone shops at the same flea markets, etc.

ok sorry if this sounds weird but I like reading about frugality and simple living in the blogs I frequent but so far haven't come across many books other than some like 'my year without spending' and that turned out to be more political than thrifty though it did emphasize simplicity to a degree.

actually they dont' have to choose to live that way..they could just live that way out of necessity..just want a good book like this htat' snot necessarily a how-to manual or political statement about capitalism (though that's ok if it's not so preachy about it) there was someone posting on frugalliving.about.com who I think should write a book her post was that interesting to me..startd reading like little house on the prairie!

Maybe not exactly what you're looking for but The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Talking and Start Giving Back by Salwen and Salwen is getting a lot of buzz. I have not read it, but heard a radio interview. Quite simply, this is about a wealthy Atlanta family that sold their mansion, downsized to a house half the size, and gave half of their profit to a charity.

I'll check it out - thanks!

I haven't read it yet, but the memoir "Queen of the road : the true tale of 47 states, 22,000 miles, 200 shoes, 2 cats, 1 poodle, a husband, and a bus with a will of its own" is on my TBR.

The summary says:

Doreen and Tim are married psychiatrists with a twist: She?s a self-proclaimed Long Island princess, grouchy couch potato, and shoe addict. He's an affable, though driven, outdoorsman. When Tim suggests ?chucking it all? to travel cross-country in a converted bus, Doreen asks, ?Why can?t you be like a normal husband in a midlife crisis and have an affair or buy a Corvette?? But she soon shocks them both, agreeing to set forth with their sixty-pound dog, two querulous cats?and no agenda?in a 340-square-foot bus. Queen of the Roadis Doreen?s offbeat and romantic tale about refusing to settle; about choosing the unconventional road with all the misadventures it brings (fire, flood, armed robbery, and finding themselves in a nudist RV park, to name just a few). The marvelous places they visit and delightful people they encounter have a life-changing effect on all the travelers, as Doreen grows to appreciate the simple life, Tim mellows, and even the pets pull together. Best of all, readers get to go along for the ride through forty-seven states in this often hilarious and always entertaining memoir,in which a boisterous marriage of polar opposites becomes stronger than ever.
 

ooh that sounds good too! I did an interlibary request for that other book earlier - the reviews were kinda mixed and the family went from a mansion to 3000sq ft but hey I'll give it a shot for free! now to see if they have this one!

You might enjoy the novel Buying a Year by Leslie Golding Mastroianni.  The main character is a woman in the 1970's that decides to live off of her savings for a year so that she can rediscover herself after a divorce.  This means having to live frugally and this is a major theme in the book.  I remember that the woman had a lot of books but no bookshelves.  Since she can't afford them, she stores her books in her kitchen cabinets.  While I did enjoy the book, it is self-published and I felt that the ending was rushed and could have been better.  Still, it was nice to read a novel where frugality and simplicity are embraced.

Oh, I just posted a thread in the Memoirs forum about finding some recommendations for books themed with living off the land, sabbaticals, etc and got a lot of great suggestions. Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but you might find something mentioned that interests you as well! :) Here's my thread.

thanks!

What?

No one has mentioned Your Money or Your Life? 

Or the latest in frugality The Cheapskate Next Door?

I am just finishing It Takes A Village Idiot by Jim Mullens....and it is very charming and often laugh-out-loud funny.  He and his wife are confirmed Manhattanites--until she decides to buy a "weekend house" three hours out of the city.  They drive up every Friday night and then home every Sunday night, for years.  They fix up the house, plant a garden, meet neighbors,animals and critters of all types, and join the community.  He compares the simpler country life to the frenzied city pace, first with some good-spirited disdain...but of course then reluctantly, grudgingly and very endearingly comes to appreciate this new way of life.  I'd highly recommend this book.

You might like "The Small House Book" by Jay Shafer - interesting website too.