Give It Up

Would it be possible to live without the specialty coffee, the designer bags, the technology that was a part of my everyday existence? Could stripping away some of those items and habits make me appreciate what I was so fortunate to have? I created a plan. Each month for one year, I would choose one of my favorite things and give it up cold turkey for one month. This would become my year to live better with less.

Like most people, Mary Carlomagno was stressed out, overscheduled, and tripping over the clutter of her days-until she decided to take control and simplify her life. Give It Up! is Mary’s chronicle of the year she renounced one thing for a month every month-from alcohol to chocolate to newspapers to elevators to cell phones-and, by doing so, was able to take stock of her life, discover what was really important, and gain a deeper appreciation of the world around her.

Warm, humorous, and eminently sensible, Give It Up! provides a commonsense blueprint for anyone looking for a fresh start or a new outlook. It’s about simplifying your life and cherishing every moment of it.