Real Skills for Real LifeFrom keeping your home clean and in good repair to preparing your own food, self-sufficiency rocks. Having an understanding of the domestic arts gives you a sense of control over your life. These skills also help you save money, not by chasing deals, but by teaching the principle of the mantra: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Life skills are the essence of frugality. Whether you just moved out of your parent's basement or...

Go back to basics—compost, raising chickens, water and irrigation, dealing with pests, and much more—with this unique, full-color bestseller.Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce eighty-five percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require.Even if you have never been a far...

Learn how to artfully incorporate organic vegetables, fruits, and herbs into an attractive garden design with this stylish, beautifully photographed guide.We’ve all seen the vegetable garden overflowing with corn, tomatoes, and zucchini that looks good for a short time, but then quickly turns straggly and unattractive (usually right before friends show up for a backyard barbecue). If you want to grow food but you don’t want your yard to look like a farm, what can y...

NATURAL CLEANING MADE EASY Make all your own homemade cleaning products using simple, natural ingredients. DIY green cleaning recipes that take the guesswork out of using essential oils so you can finally utilize their beneficial cleaning properties. With 60+ natural cleaning recipes for every room in your home, you will learn how to: - clean and do laundry without harsh chemicals - keep floors and other surfaces looking great - deodorize and freshen the air with essential oils - disinfect...

The modern classic of DIY urban self-reliance—grow food, raise chickens, and build a working homestead in the city. The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen is a widely read handbook for city-based self-sufficiency, offering practical guidance on growing food, preserving harvests, reducing household waste, and building small-scale systems for urban living. Written for readers without access to rural land, the book shows how apartments, patios, and small backyards can be transfor...

Perfect for the beginner!I have been thinking of making my own candles for a while but wasn't sure what book to go for. This is exactly what I needed! Very simply written with pictures to demonstrate various techniques and a list of the equipment needed.Very Good, Worth It!Had a quick sift through and it looks very informative and some nice illustrations. Simple to follow well worth the price.You will learn how to make beautiful candles that not only look goo...

The New York Times bestselling author team returns with a budget-friendly, time-saving collection of green ideas.Because Mother Earth never wrote a guide for humans on caring for her, the authors of Haley?s Hints now offer a collection of Earth-friendly tips for around the house. These many tips, both time-tested and money-saving, range from cooking and home repair to pest control and clever laundry ideas. Organized by category, the book shows how...

Do you live in an apartment with a balcony, fire escape or rooftop terrace? Most city dwellers neglect these spaces or use them for nothing more than hanging laundry and storing bicycles. And for a long time, so did I.Several years ago I decided to transform my under-used balcony from a lifeless concrete pad into a little garden in the sky. Every year I grow a small harvest of vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas, and more than enough herbs to satisfy our culinary n...

Discover timeless crafts and recipes for using this classic garden herb, plus helpful advice for growing your own.Lavender is a favorite plant among gardeners and herbalists, known for its calming scent, lovely color, and variety of uses when harvested.In Growing & Using Lavender, you’ll find:Information about growing 20 different types of lavender, including hardy and tender varietiesAdvice for planting, pruning, maintainin...

A beautifully photographed, gift-worthy guide to growing, harvesting, and utilizing 47 unexpected garden plants to make organic pantry staples, fragrances, floral arrangements, beverages, cocktails, beauty products, bridal gifts, and more."Practical and inspiring all at once, Harvest inextricably weaves together the pleasures of the kitchen and the garden for cooks and gardeners."—Samin Nosrat, chef and author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Maria Rodale shares her top organic gardening secrets season-by-season in a guide that offers straight-forward, easy-to-follow gardening basics so that youcan enjoy a beautiful, bountiful, organic garden all year long!Spring explainshow to prepare for, plan, and plant your garden, as well as how to start your own seeds, improve soil health, create the best compost, build a raised bed, and harvest early crops.

Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.