Here are 100 books that The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan fans have personally recommended if you like
The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan.
Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
I’m Tara Button, founder of Buy Me Once, a company dedicated to finding the longest-lasting, most sustainable products in every category. My obsession with durability started when I was given a cast iron frying pan that outlasted every cheap alternative I’d ever owned. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to help people escape the buy-throw-buy cycle and embrace mindful consumption. My book shares how to resist disposable culture and choose well-made, meaningful things that truly last. This list brings together the books that have shaped my philosophy and inspired my work in sustainable living.
This book peeled back the curtain on the hidden costs of the things we buy. Leonard explains where our stuff comes from, where it goes when we throw it away, and how the entire system is designed to keep us consuming.
It’s a deeply researched but incredibly engaging read that makes you rethink your everyday choices. If you’ve ever wondered why things aren’t made to last anymore, this book gives you the answers.
How our obsession with 'stuff' is trashing the planet
Annie Leonard, creator of the internet film sensation 'The Story of Stuff', viewed over 6 million times, offers an astonishing, galvanizing book that tells the story of all the 'stuff' we use every day - where our bottled water, mobile phones and jeans come from, how they're made and distributed, and where they really go when we throw them away.
Our out-of-control consumption habits are killing the planet and threatening our health, but Annie provides hope that change is within reach. Like An Inconvenient Truth and Silent Spring, The Story of…
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
I’m Tara Button, founder of Buy Me Once, a company dedicated to finding the longest-lasting, most sustainable products in every category. My obsession with durability started when I was given a cast iron frying pan that outlasted every cheap alternative I’d ever owned. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to help people escape the buy-throw-buy cycle and embrace mindful consumption. My book shares how to resist disposable culture and choose well-made, meaningful things that truly last. This list brings together the books that have shaped my philosophy and inspired my work in sustainable living.
Wallman’s concept of ‘stuffocation’—being suffocated by too much stuff—deeply resonated with me. This book explores how consumer culture has left us overwhelmed, unhappy, and craving more meaningful experiences.
It offers an insightful, research-backed case for prioritizing experiences over material possessions. If you’re looking for a compelling argument to help you shift away from material excess and towards a richer life, this book will help you get there.
Stuffocation is a movement manifesto for “experiential” living, a call to arms to stop accumulating stuff and start accumulating experiences, and a road map for a new way forward with the potential to transform our lives.
Reject materialism. Embrace experientialism. Live more with less.
Stuffocationis one of the most pressing problems of the twenty-first century. We have more stuff than we could ever need, and it isn’t making us happier. It’s bad for the planet. It’s cluttering up our homes. It’s making us stressed—and it might even be killing us.
I’m Tara Button, founder of Buy Me Once, a company dedicated to finding the longest-lasting, most sustainable products in every category. My obsession with durability started when I was given a cast iron frying pan that outlasted every cheap alternative I’d ever owned. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to help people escape the buy-throw-buy cycle and embrace mindful consumption. My book shares how to resist disposable culture and choose well-made, meaningful things that truly last. This list brings together the books that have shaped my philosophy and inspired my work in sustainable living.
Patrick Grant, renowned for his work in sustainable fashion, presents a compelling guide to reducing consumption without compromising on style.
This book dives into the benefits of slow fashion, conscious shopping, and repairing rather than replacing. His insights into craftsmanship and longevity in clothing resonate far beyond the wardrobe, making this book a valuable resource for anyone looking to embrace a more thoughtful, minimalist lifestyle.
'Utterly brilliant. We all need to read this book' CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN
'Patrick's book is fascinating and sobering and makes a compelling argument for going back to basics' JOE LYCETT
We used to care a lot about our clothes. We didn't have many but those we had were important to us. We'd cherish them, repair them and pass them on. And making them provided fulfilling work for millions of skilled people locally.
Today the average person has nearly five times as many clothes as they did just 50 years ago. Last year, 100…
A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.
The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…
I’m Tara Button, founder of Buy Me Once, a company dedicated to finding the longest-lasting, most sustainable products in every category. My obsession with durability started when I was given a cast iron frying pan that outlasted every cheap alternative I’d ever owned. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to help people escape the buy-throw-buy cycle and embrace mindful consumption. My book shares how to resist disposable culture and choose well-made, meaningful things that truly last. This list brings together the books that have shaped my philosophy and inspired my work in sustainable living.
Zoë Morrison blends sustainability with frugality inthis book, offering practical tips on how to live well while spending less.
This book is packed with real-world advice on everything from reducing food waste to making eco-friendly lifestyle swaps that save money.
What I love most about this book is that it proves that living sustainably doesn’t have to be expensive—it can actually be the key to financial freedom. It is a must-read for anyone looking to cut costs while caring for the planet.
Do you need to free up some cash right now? Are you concerned about the environment? Do news reports about climate change, plastic in our oceans, air pollution and more upset you? Do you want to swap feeling powerless to make a difference for focussing on solutions and positive action?
I can help you, because I’ve been where you are.
Back in 2011 I became a parent for the second time. I wanted to quit my job and be a stay at home mum. We had just moved house and increased our mortgage, had two children to look after and…
I am a philosopher who is especially interested in relating philosophy to everyday life. So I like to ask–and try to answer– questions such as: Why is frugality considered a moral virtue? Are there times when rudeness is justified? What makes some kinds of work shameful? I earned my Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and am currently a Professor of Philosophy at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.
This is an entirely different kind of book to those listed above. From 1990 to 1996 Amy Dacyczyn, a self-styled "frugal zealot," put out a monthly newsletter, The Tightwad Gazette. It contained all sorts of tips, tricks, strategies, and advice on how to pinch pennies. This book brings all her articles together in a single volume. For anyone committed to living simply–which usually means living cheaply–it is a goldmine. True, not all her recommendations met with my family's approval: mixing real maple syrup 50-50 with fake maple syrup received multiple thumbs down. But browsing through it is great fun, and on almost any page you'll find a salutary reminder of how you could be more frugal. And as we all know, frugality is associated with wisdom and with happiness.
At last—the long-awaited complete compendium of tightwad tips for fabulous frugal living!
In a newsletter published from May 1990 to December 1996 as well as in three enormously successful books, Amy Dacyczyn established herself as the expert of economy. Now The Complete Tightwad Gazette brings together all of her best ideas and thriftiest thinking into one volume, along with new articles never published before in book format. Dacyczyn describes this collection as "the book I wish I'd had when I began my adult life." Packed with humor, creativity, and insight, The Complete Tightwad Gazette includes hundreds of tips for…
I grew up with a single mother who did not have much financially, but she gave me something even more valuable: encouragement to dream boldly, follow my passions, and believe in my ability to work hard and create a life I loved. I did not always make the right choices on my own journey, but every mistake became a lesson that shaped the work I do now: helping young people design futures filled with purpose and freedom. I wrote The Student’s Guide to Financial Freedom to share these lessons with high school and college students, the very people I have spent my career supporting.
This personal finance classic teaches readers how to transform their relationship with money by defining what “enough” truly means and aligning spending with personal values.
Meaningful living begins with clarity, knowing what matters most, and freeing yourself from the pressure to constantly chase more. Robin’s framework helps readers build a life that reflects intention rather than expectations.
As an undergraduate at Harvard, I saw many peers trapped on the achievement treadmill. They were high-performing but often deeply unhappy. Reading this book helped me understand that fulfillment does not come from endless striving. It comes from identifying what is truly important and giving yourself permission to let “enough” be enough. That insight has shaped every major decision in my life.
Have Enough Money for a Rich Life-Without Winning the Lottery How much money is enough? Vicki Robin has made it her life's work to explore this question. Her remarkable discovery: money is energy-and conscious awareness is the key to finding its real value. On Your Money or Your Life Robin shares the nine-step program originally created with her teaching partner Joe Dominguez, which has helped nearly three quarters of a million people worldwide reach new levels of comfort, competence, and consciousness around their personal finances. Updated for the 21st century, this two-CD program offers hands-on tools and practical insights to…
Big Ideas... For Small Businesses
by
John Lamerton,
Big Ideas… for Small Businesses is a straight-talking, no-nonsense guide to growing a small business without sacrificing your lifestyle. Written by a former civil servant turned entrepreneur, the book challenges hustle culture and instead champions the idea of an "ambitious lifestyle business" - one that provides freedom and financial stability,…
When I was growing up, I saw family members and friends, who were otherwise smart people who could master other aspects of their lives, have difficulty with personal finance decisions and investing. When my dad was laid off during a recession, he had some retirement money distributed to him, and I got interested in investing as he researched and tried with difficulty to handle this money himself. In my young adult years, I was a sponge to learn as much as I could about personal finance.
I enjoyed reading Tobias’ book as a young adult because it was entertaining and engaging and focused on the big-picture concepts. His lighthearted tone and humor help to remove the stress involved with money and investing.
I appreciate the way in which the author communicates important themes concisely and with confidence. He’s a talented writer and a smart guy.
Fully Updated! Covering cryptocurrency and NFTs, Robinhood, GameStop, the after-effects of COVID, and how climate change impacts investing.
The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need has been a favorite finance guide, earning the allegiance of more than a million readers across America.Using concise, witty, and truly understandable tips and explanations, Andrew Tobias delivers sensible advice and useful information on savings, investments, preparing for retirement, and much more. This completely updated edition will show you the best way to manage your money, no matter what your means.
I’m a 5x award-winning personal finance educator and money expert who specializes in helping Latinas reach financial freedom through entrepreneurship and investing. I have been fascinated by personal finance since 2016 when I realized that I hadn’t learned anything important about money after discovering personal finance podcasts. I’m a firm believer that financial literacy is the gateway to freedom, so my work involves educating women of color on how to use money to exercise their power.
Cindy is a clear, realistic, and relatable personal finance expert! She walks you through every major aspect of managing your money as an adult. She is honest about the challenges of navigating finances as a first-gen professional and then shows you how you can still make the most of your cash flow, save, invest in the stock market, and build your credit. She also touches on how to avoid falling into the cycle of over-consumption and overspending.
This book is a comprehensive and actionable guide for anyone looking to set themselves up for long-term financial health.
Transform your financial situation with easy-to-follow advice from a first-generation professional
In Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom: 8 Pillars to Build Wealth, lawyer, business owner, and first-generation professional Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez delivers a practical and actionable blueprint for financial independence. Full of easy-to-apply advice for young adults, students, and early-career professionals, the book is a holistic guide to responsibly managing money and debt while building your nest egg.
In the book, you'll explore how to be a responsible consumer, how to budget, save, invest, pay off debt, build credit, and increase your income. You'll also understand much of what school didn't…
I am a writer and financial wellness coach, and I am on a mission to help women like you become more confident and capable with money. Previously, I was an award-winning business and financial journalist with The New York Times, Business Week, and CNBC, and I have a graduate business degree from a top university. Even with all that, though, it took me years to build healthy personal financial habits and start using my money to achieve my life goals—so I understand the pain of financial stress and self-blame. I wrote my book to help you find an easier path to financial wellness and empowerment.
Emotional Currency was the first book I read when I started making my way through the literature on women and money, and it has stayed with me. Levinson is a therapist, and her training shows through—not with jargon, but with her approach. She offers exercises that are equal parts psychological and financial, which is a gentle and affirming way of inviting readers anxious about their money lives to start digging in. Most of this book is, as the title suggests, about improving our emotional relationship to money, but really, isn’t that a necessary first step for all of us? Happily, Levinson mixes in practical/tactical advice and suggestions as well.
Every day, women face new challenges that come with having control over, and responsibility for, their financial lives. Sometimes exciting, sometimes frightening, these issues always have an emotional side. Author and psychotherapist Dr. Kate Levinson offers fresh approaches to navigating the astonishing range of beliefs about the role of money in our lives, coming to terms with our feelings about being “rich” or “poor,” and exploring our inner money life so that we can put our feelings to work for us in a positive way. By understanding our intimate history and relationship with money we are better able to handle…
The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.
Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…
I am a writer and financial wellness coach, and I am on a mission to help women like you become more confident and capable with money. Previously, I was an award-winning business and financial journalist with The New York Times, Business Week, and CNBC, and I have a graduate business degree from a top university. Even with all that, though, it took me years to build healthy personal financial habits and start using my money to achieve my life goals—so I understand the pain of financial stress and self-blame. I wrote my book to help you find an easier path to financial wellness and empowerment.
As a financial coach, I have met many women who feel alone with their financial challenges, or unable to talk openly about their finances. Women With Money includes the voices of women Chatzky interviewed about their money challenges and goals, and their comments help to humanize the subject. Chatzky’s discussion of our money beliefs is very solid, as is her advice about putting our money to work. Some topics, like investing in real estate, won’t be applicable to all readers, at least not right away. But overall, Chatzky, a longtime personal finance journalist, deftly communicates core personal finance topics in a clear and accessible way.
Ask successful women what they want from their money and they'll tell you: independence, security, choices, a better world and-oh yes-way less stress, not just for themselves but for their kids, partners, parents and friends. Through a series of HerMoney Happy Hour discussions (when money is the topic, wine helps) and one-on-one conversations, Jean Chatzky gets women to open up about the one topic we still never talk about. Then she flips the script and charts a pathway to this joyful, purpose-filled life that today's women not only want but also, finally, have the resources to afford.
