Mother Earth News Living on Less: Guide to the Simple Life
Mother Earth News Living on Less: Guide to the Simple Life
CUT YOUR FOOD BILLS in Half! • It’s true! You can enjoy more healthful food while spending much less to feed your family.
How Much Do You Waste?
LIVE SIMPLY Save Money, Smile More! • Are you drawn to the idea of simple living, but not sure where to start? Three families share the changes they’ve made that have allowed them to live with less cash income but greater security and life satisfaction.
How Much Do You Save?
How Much You Can Save, the Homesteader’s Way • Three modern homesteading families shared with us their average annual spending in several areas. The chart below reveals how their expenses compare with the average U.S. household expenditures in the same areas. All numbers given are per capita.
LIVE ON LESS and Love It! • Try these 75 inspiring ideas to enjoy life more while spending and consuming less.
GROW $700 OF FOOD in 100 Square Feet! • If more of us grew a little food — instead of so much grass — our savings on grocery bills would be astounding.
Getting the Most Food from a Small Area
GROW FREE FRUIT TREES • Grow your own delicious peaches, nectarines, and apricots from seed, and save!
Make Your Own POTTING SOIL • You can save money by using your own soil and compost to make potting mixes your plants will love.
BUY IN BULK for Big Savings on Better Food • You can slash your family’s food costs in half — and support local farmers—by buying meat, produce, and dry goods in bulk.
Estimated Savings from Buying in Bulk • These estimates are averages of prices obtained from at least three vendors in January 2014.
65 Self-Reliance Tips That Will SAVE YOU MONEY • Apply a DIY approach to any facet of your life, and you can start saving big today.
A Handmade, DEBT-FREE HOME • Blend vision, patience, and perseverance, and you can build your dream home.
Build Your Own Nature Retreat!
Build a Home for $10,000 IN 10 DAYS! • With this easy, low-cost round-timber technique, you can do it.
BACK TO BASICS Make Your Own Shampoo, Deodorant, and Toothpaste • Whip up these three recipes to save money and avoid any unwanted ingredients that may be found in commercial products.
Minty-Fresh Peppermint Toothpaste
Homemade Deodorant Recipe
Shimmer and Shine: Basic Shampoo
Make Your Own NATURAL LAUNDRY SOAP • When you’re the soap-maker, you’ll no longer have to guess about the mysterious chemistry in your wash.
Adding Herbal Aromas
Choose the Right CHICKEN FEED • Feed your birds the right blend of protein, fat, and calories, and you’ll have healthy chicks that grow into productive laying hens or tender, flavorful meat chickens.
Build a Basement Root Cellar
Use Cold Frames to GROW MORE FOOD • Sow seeds in simple frames to add more than a month to your spring garden season.
Milk Jug Seed Starters • This simple technique was developed for seeds that need to spend a winter outside before they will germinate, but it’s also a great method to start garden seeds in late winter if you don’t have indoor lights or a cold frame.
Anatomy of a Cold Frame
SAVE HUNDREDS AND GET PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO YOUR EVERYDAY NEEDS!
Build a Simple SOLAR HEATER • This low-cost plan lets you turn any south wall into a source of free solar heat.
Collector Materials
Solar Collector Pros and Cons
Heat Gain: Running the Numbers
Reap the Garden & Market Bounty HOW TO DRY FOOD • Dry the harvest to stock up on homegrown snacks and convenience foods for year-round eating.
Drying Tips
KEEP A FAMILY COW to Enjoy Delicious Milk, Cream, Che...