Good reference books and mags on the subject?

[Beekissed]

I am reading a book right now, can't think of the title and its out in the car, but I'll post the correct name tomorrow. Its something in the nature of Frugal Friends, something or other. Excellent book on folks that just want to cut costs and are not necessarily looking for self-sufficiency. Great ideas for folks who eat mainly from the store and such. Well, great ideas for all of us really. Found out that I'm already doing a lot of it and can pick up some great ideas to expand on what I'm doing now.

My most influential reference has been Countryside Magazine with Mother Earth News fitting in there on occasion. I also really like the Back to Basics by Reader's Digest. If it isn't in that book....well, it just isn't worth doing!

Anybody else recommend a good read about green building, gardening, saving money, recycling, animal care and just anything about doing it yourself that can help others?

ETA: Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends by Angie Zalewski and Deana Ricks

 

[heatherv]

My first turn on to living frugally was The Tightwad Gazette. There are 3 books to the series. I read them while I was on complete bedrest w/ my first pregnancy (13 yrs ago). I didn't need to live frugally. We were very well off. (ex-H is independantly wealthy) But it really interested me to learn all that I needed to know about it.

Now I just use the internet!

 

[Beekissed]

And you let that get away? I know, I know, some things just aren't worth the money!

 

[FarmerChick]

I use the internet for frugal ideas also. If I have time to read, I make it an action packed fun read...not on how to be frugal...LOL-LOL---I think too much about that anyway...HA HA

If you google "homesteading" you come up with some great frugal ways...not just saving money at the grocery store and the usual money savers, but the homesteading sites really show you how to build things from nothing, how to find what you need at no cost, etc. etc.....ya have to weed thru alot of stuff you might not be interested in, like living with no power etc...but they are great sites in general.

hope that helps a little

 

[me&thegals]

The Tightwad Gazette

 

[heatherv]

And you let that get away? I know, I know, some things just aren't worth the money!

Yeah, well considering he was sleeping w/ my best friend (BFF since we were 3yo) and two "acquaintance" friends of ours.. and who knows who else... while I was on bedrest.... and a year after. He thought that was o.k. and that there's nothing wrong w/ it. I didn't want to catch any diseases, KWIM! Money can't buy love! So I went to the opposite extreme and married a poor guy! LOL! j/k Well, I still get to go to black tie parties often... we're just on the working end, not the social end.

I forgot to add another set of books that more recently got me into the mindset of self sufficiency are some books I bought for our homeschool library. The kids were learning about Abe Lincoln (his childhood years) earlier this Spring. They were very interested in his lifestyle, daily life, and work ethic. So I bought these books (as a set) "Early Farm Life" -Gunby, "Food For The Settler" -Kalman, "Early Stores and Markets" -Kalman, "Early Settler Children" - Kalman, "Early Schools" - Kalman, "Early Loggers and the Sawmill" - Adams (my grandfather came to U.S. as a logger) , "Early Family Home" - Kalman, there are a few others to the set.. but these are the ones we read regularly. There are tons and tons of pictures to help the kids visualize how things were. (drawings and photos) There are also recipes!!!! The books are very detailed and I was just so thrilled w/ getting them. The "farmlife" one was what sparked an interest in the kids to get chickens. Next will be goats. (they have to learn about them first though) There's alot of valuable info. in these books.

 

[Alaska Animal Lover]

I love Backwoods Home Magazine,
I just started getting Countryside.
Some books I have on the subject;
Back to Basics
Root Cellaring
The Self-Sufficiency Handbook
Barnyard in Your Backyard
The New complete book of Self-Suficiency
I liked
Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of food by
Michael Pollan
I also just finished reading
Plenty; eating locally on the 100 mile diet by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon.

There are several I would really love to have.

 

[Beekissed]

Wow! Want to start a lending library, AAL? Great books!

 

[Alaska Animal Lover]

LOL, I love my books. There are so many more I want to get.

 

[FarmerChick]

regarding mags and books
who reads online vs. paying for a subscription or gets from the library?

just wondering?

all articles from "what I subscribed too"---small farm today-----were online free. What a dunce I was..LOL

not as good as "holding" the mag, but better in a way!