Day Sixteen: The Sharing Solution

It's Day Sixteen in The 24 Days of Books. And I don't know if anyone has noticed, but we're thick in the midst of holiday doings. Did you notice that? Anyway, in my mind, the holidays are all about sharing. Or at least they should be. So for today's book I'm going to tell you about a book that is all about sharing: The Sharing Solution: How to Save Money, Simplify Your Life & Build Community, by Janelle Orsi and Emily Doskow.


You may be motivated and committed to creating a more sustainable lifestyle in your community, but where do you start? And how can you do it without the hassle and legal entanglement that so many greener initiatives seem to require? The Sharing Solution (published by Nolo) guides you, in plain English, through the steps you’ll need to take to create and maintain successful sharing arrangements.

From housing to childcare, cars to lawnmowers, gardens to bike repair, The Sharing Solution gives you the tips and tools to share your resources, while addressing commonly held questions about liability and individual security with compassion. How can you benefit from sharing?

• get help with meals and pet care
• share needed resources in retirement to save money
• tackle major house and yard projects with neighborhood work parties
• buy property with others that you couldn't afford alone
• make big purchases with others to keep costs low
• work fewer hours while reducing living expenses (who doesn't love that?)
• grow your local economy with community intiatives

And, if you’re concerned about the environment and want to start living greener, The Sharing Solution is filled with environmentally sound ways to build a more sustainable – and affordable – lifestyle. This book provides the practical tools you can use to create sharing agreements. What says "Happy Holidays" better than a book that can help your giftee to spend less money, save the environment, and build and foster strong networks within the community? How great is that?! Best of all, our copies are signed by Emily Doskow, one of the authors. (You can watch a video of Emily talking about the book on our Facebook page.)


If you check out the book's website you can also learn how to share cows and chickens, office parties, and vegetable and flower gardens, along with loads of other great tips.

For many more gift-giving ideas, check out our gargantuan December newsletter, which you can read by clicking here.