A Few Books for the Frugal and Eco Minded

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Possum Living 

by Dolly Freed

This is book is very popular, and for good reason. It covers everything from slaughtering and dressing a rabbit to making your own moonshine. I also appreciate the added commentary between the useful information:

"When you've raised a bunny or a chicken, it's kind of hard to kill it. Many people say that's why they won't raise their own meat. But someone had to kill the animals you buy in the store. People who will buy meat but won't kill their own are being hypocritical, it seems to me. If you're not a vegetarian, kill your own meat--don't hire someone else to do it. "

This book neatly sorts its information out by subject perfect for someone just looking for ways to save money on a particular subject including food, shelter, heating and clothing, or perhaps you want to read her whole guide and story onto how her and her father lived on only $700 a year in the 1970's. After writing her book, Dolly Freed later went onto be a NASA aerospace engineer.

Who this book is for: Pretty much anyone. It covers a broad range of topics that can save money and resources, and that also might be enjoyable to do yourself.  Her story of how she managed to live so frugally is also very interesting.

Steal This Book

by Abbie Hoffman

Hoffman even included
instructions for making sandals
out of an old tire and inter-tube.

Having been called a milder Anarchists Cookbook, Steal This Book is filled with anti-corporate and political ideals. The book is conveniently laid out so that someone looking for tips to live frugally can enjoy the first half of the book with ease. While there are parts that encourage theft, such as taking furniture from apartment lobbies, the book is filled with tips for finding resources that would benefit and keep someone out of trouble who would otherwise need to steal to survive. And if a book about survival in a corporate government controlled society is more your thing, keep reading the second half.

 

Who this book is for: Anyone looking for little tips and tricks to get free stuff. As well as those who are anti-corporate minded or want to survive through police-brutality protest situations.

Who this book isn't for: While it is not the most major theme throughout the book, people who feel stealing from large corporations is morally wrong may have a hard time reading this book.

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Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops 

by Martin Crawford

Immediately when I started reading this book I was intrigued.  A forest garden at first thought seems like a lot of hard work; to build a whole forest of edible plants and fungi? Then you start reading and learn that a forest garden can be as small as a back yard or as large as several fields. A forest garden can start with a small group of companion plants and grow over time. It is just a largely diverse group of plants growing within close proximity to one another, intended for use, usually consumption, by humans. This book even goes into the effect climate change has on forest gardens, such as pests and insects migrating further north and drought and water problems; the importance of growing native plants; and how to boost the production of mycorrhizal fungi in order to sustain nutrients in the forest soil.

The plants used in a forest garden are indexed and conveniently organized by the order in which most people introduce the species into their garden; although, the author recommends reading the whole book before beginning since not everyone chooses to plant in that order.

Who this book is for: Those who enjoy gardening and companion planting, or just simply want to save money on their grocery bill.

Who this book probably isn't for:  Someone without any resources for gardening or land they can work over several years, or someone without the time to spend gardening.

Books this would go great with: Carrots Love Tomatoes, and Wildlife in the Garden: How to live in Harmony with Deer, Raccoon's, Rabbits, Crows and Other Pesky Creatures.

Foraging: The Essential Guide to Free Wild Food

by John Lewis-Stempel

Intended for edible plants found in the UK, many of the plants covered in this book are found throughout the US due to their history of use and cultivation. Borage, burdock, and dandelion are just a few, and it includes recipes for each one. This book is conveniently sorted by growing conditions including the hedgerow, the field or even the town.  Then there are sections where it sorts the plants out into a calendar, and also sorts plants by type. Strangely enough this book even covers roadkill.

Who this book is for: Almost anybody. If you have researched foraging safety, wild harvesting can be a fun activity. Even city dwellers can find dandelion greens and other edibles. (Just watch out for pesticide spraying.)

edited on 9/29/2015

The uncertaintity of benzoyl peroxide + some herbal alternatives.

Is benzoyl peroxide dangerous?

While reading through an older chemistry book, Chemistry for Changing Times , I read that Benzoyl Peroxide is very dangerous. Being a carcinogen, or cancer causing agent, benzoyl peroxide can cause skin cancer by magnigying the suns rays onto your face.  After reading this and realizing it is still used today in the mass-produced acne medications, I decided to do a little research to see if this information was outdated, or still known as fact.

Immediately I found this little warning on the WebMD website:
"This medication may make you more sensitive to the sun. Avoid prolonged sun exposure, tanning booths, and sunlamps. Use a sunscreen and wear protective clothing when outdoors."

In Context.

I could find very little information on the FDA's website. I found a document requiring all products to carry the same label WebMD does.  If they must carry this label, there must be some fear of the statements made in the 1980's text book. A 1991 document questioning it's safety very briefly mentions a few studies that found benzoyl peroxide to have "tumor initiation potential."

So, is it dangerous?

The researching came to a dead end. Most sources claiming its dangers were selling an herbal product with herbs easily attainable at a natural market. There was a lack of results verifying the products safety, and a lack of studies to prove it unsafe as determined by the FDA.  I decided for myself, not to use it; especially since my skin is very sensitive to the sun.

If medication is a must for acne treatment, this article seems like a helpful tool.  Salicylic acid seems to cause less problems and irritation to skin than Benzoyl peroxide and seems like the better choice; however, each one has its perks. If you are looking for an option to break from the prescription medications to something natural, here are a few remedies used in the past:

Please Note: These are folk remedies used by other people to treat acne and skin. Unless otherwise specified there has been no research done on my end to back this data up with science. It is based on things used in the past, over and over again because its worked before. That is not to say there is no science to back it up; just that, I am mostly researching this from the perspective of ethnobotany, not pharmacognosy.
As with all my posts I am in NO way giving information for dosage or use.

Willow Bark

Also known as 'Witches Aspirin,' willow bark was the aspirin, before aspirin. Salicylic Acid, (That's right, the same chemical in acne treatments.) is what is in willow bark to help relieve pain and inflammation, aspirin before the late 1890's was derived from the willow plant (From a tree, a 'miracle' called aspirin, CNN.) 

Also, have you ever noticed how most acne products use the word 'astringent?' Well Willow Bark is considered to be an astringent and brand name natural cosmetics even use willow in their products. In cosmetics astringents work by tightening the pores and having an antimicrobial effect. Although lately there has been some debate as to whether the use of astringents should be in skincare; this is questionable as to whether herbal products are implied or not. You can read more about the history of astringents here.

Elder Flowers

In A Modern Herbal, Madame Grieves writes:

 "Elderflower Water in our great-grandmothers' days was a household word for clearing the complexion of freckles and sunburn, and keeping it in a good condition. Every lady's toilet table possessed a bottle of the liquid, and she relied on this to keep her skin fair and white and free from blemishes, and it has not lost its reputation. Its use after sea-bathing has been recommended, and if any eruption should appear on the face as the effect of salt water, it is a good plan to use a mixture composed of Elder Flower Water with glycerine and borax, and apply it night and morning."
Note this herbal is very outdated; I do not recommend applying borax to one's face.

Tea Tree

Being an antibacterial and  anti-inflammatory, Tea Tree oil effectively fights acne with far fewer side affects than benzoyl peroxide, studies suggest.  It has also been used for a variety of skin ailments including fungal infections, cold sores and boils.  It is commonly sold in shampoo as it helps solve both dry hair and oily hair problems while repelling pests like lice. I've even heard of people using it for fleas on their animals.