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Self-Sufficiency Category Index

• Voluntary Simplicity

• Self Sufficiency

• Living Within Your Means

• Making Money

• Business Ideas

Voluntary Simplicity

• Books We Carry

	Storey's Basic Country Skills by John & Martha Storey ISBN:  1580172024 [more info]		The "Have-More" Plan by Ed and Carolyn Robinson ISBN:  0882660241 [more info]
	This Organic Life Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Dye Gussow ISBN:  1931498245 [more info]	*	*

• Suggested Reading
  • Living on Less: An Authoritative Guide to Affordable Food, Fuel, and Shelter
    Edited by John Vivian et al.
  • Choosing Simplicity:  Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World
    by Linda Breen Pierce.  [read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2]
  • Simplicity Lessons:  A 12-Step Guide to Living Simply
    by Linda Breen Pierce.  [read Introduction]
• Online Books
  • Live Simple: Radical tactics to reduce the complexity, clutter and costs in your life.
    by John December  [read online here]
• Audio & Video Resources
  • Simplifying Your Life
    A Workshop with Tyra and James Arraj  [Authors of The Treasures of Simple Living--see link under Online Books on Homesteading Page]
    The heart of simple living is not really about dropping out and going to live on some tropical island, but rather, simplifying our lives so we can do what we really want to do.
    This workshop is about how to begin to take charge of our lives, find out what we want to do, and begin doing it.
• General Websites
  • Voluntary Simplicity & Simple Living Resource Guide.
    This site was developed by Linda Breen Pierce.  In this site you will find a wide spectrum of resources related to voluntary simplicity, a way of life that addresses the widespread yearning in North America and other western countries for a slower pace of life with more time for joyful relationships, fulfilling work, and living one's dreams. For some, though not all, people, to live more simply involves working less, wanting less, and spending less.
    But voluntary simplicity is not about doing without. In fact it's just the opposite -- it's about having enough.
• Websites & Articles by Category
  • 7 Surefire Ways to Stay Poor
    by Liz Pulliam Weston
    If you should slide into the financial abyss -- and the lousy economy makes it easier to do -- these bad habits could make it even tougher to climb out.
  • Endless Wants Put People on a Treadmill
    by James Miller
    The treadmill. So many people in modern America find themselves on it. And it is a treadmill powered not so much by basic needs and necessities as by endless fanciful wants.
  • What is Voluntary Simplicity
    Article by Linda Breen Pierce.
  • Why Simplicity
    by Linda Breen Pierce
    The term simple living truly is a misnomer. More descriptive terms might include “mindful living” or “intentional living,” terms that are neutral on the issue of whether more is better or less is more. In truth, sometimes more is better, depending on the person and the issue being considered. My best shot at a definition of simple living would go something like this: Simple living or voluntary simplicity are lifelong processes in which we turn loose of the quest for more wealth, status, and power in favor of an authentic life of inner peace and fulfillment.
  • Recipe for Simplicity
    Article by Linda Breen Pierce.
  • Three Ways to Get Over Possession Addiction
    by John O. Andersen
• Magazines & Newsletters
  • Simple Living Magazine
    Edited by Janet Luhrs.  We offer our Simple Living newsletter in two editions: online or print. Both carry the same great information. With Simple Living you'll find answer after answer to help you simplify your life. In addition to my own articles, I've signed up a long list of experts to write columns.  [You must be a subscriber to access almost all information on this site.]
• Email Lists
  • Simply Self Sufficiency
    MSN Forum
  • Simply Self Sufficiency II
    Yahoo Email List.  This group will contain most of the same content as my MSN group (See link to:  Simply Self Sufficiency MSN Forum above) but of course with different members the groups will vary some in discussion. Please feel free to talk homesteading, gardening, soapmaking, animal husbandry, sewing, cooking, frugality, solar power etc.  Anything that has to do with self sufficiency.

Self Sufficiency

• Books We Carry

  	Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game  by  John J. Mettler, Jr., D.V.M. ISBN:   0882663917 [more info]		Biodiesel Growing a New Energy Economy by Greg Pahl ISBN:  1931498652 [more info]
  	Bread Builders Hearth Loaves & Masonry Ovens by Daniel Wing & Alan Scott ISBN:  1890132055 [more info]		Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food Easy Step-by-Step Instructions for Freezing, Drying, and Canning by Janet Chadwick ISBN:  0882669001   [more info]
  	Family Friendly Farming A Multigenerational Home-Based Business Testament by Joel Salatin ISBN:  0963810936 [more info]		Home Cheese Making by  ISBN:   [more info]
  	Home Sausage Making by  ISBN:   [more info]		Keeping Food Fresh by The Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante ISBN:  1890132101 [more info]
  	Making Your Small Farm Profitable by ISBN:  [more info]		New Organic Grower A Master's Manual of Tools & Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener by Eliot Coleman ISBN:  093003175X [more info]
  	Root Cellaring by  ISBN:   [more info]		Storey's Basic Country Skills by John & Martha Storey ISBN:  1580172024 [more info]
  	The "Have-More" Plan by Ed and Carolyn Robinson ISBN:  0882660241 [more info]		You Can Farm The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise by Joel Salatin  ISBN:  0963810928 [more info]

   
• Suggested Reading
• Online Books
• General Websites
  • Solar Haven:  Self Sufficient Living Without Utility Costs or a Big Mortgage
    by Jim & Mindy Phypers
    Six years ago, at ages 59 and 45, Jim & Mindy Phypers set out to build their own place on four acres in the Sonoran Desert.  Our site contains detailed information and about 400 photographs we have taken to show you how we have been doing it.
  • How to Achieve Self Sufficient Living Without Utility Costs or a Big Mortgage
    by Jim & Mindy Phypers
    We would recommend simplifying your lifestyle where you live now first. You will soon find out if this is really for you and living with less is really what you want. You will also of course be saving money in the process which will help make the transition all the easier when you finally pull up stakes, buy some land, start producing your own energy, and perhaps build your own home.
• Websites & Articles by Category
  • Many Track Homestead - Changing Jobs/Changing Life
    by Sue Robishaw
    Several years ago Steve cut his part-time, too-often-stretching-to-full-time, computer tech job to one day a week. He wanted to get back to his neglected art and woodworking. This worked fine -- for awhile. Then the one day a week expanded to two, then three, sometimes four, and more. Necessary homestead chores and usual trips out took up the remaining time, and the pile of chips and shavings in the woodshop remained pretty small.
    Meantime, I continued to try to fit my own artwork and writing into the busy life of the all-too-often lone homesteader. The major projects that I couldn’t do myself started piling up, and we were both becoming frustrated at not having enough studio time. Plus, we just plain missed working together. Our life pace had, once again, become too harried.
    It was time for a change, time to focus on what we really wanted, what was truly important.
  • Many Tracks Homestead - Freedom, Flexibility and an Alternative Lifestyle
    by Sue Robishaw
    No bills. We worked "out" until we paid for our homestead, bought what we could afford, and did our own building. Our water is pumped by the wind, our electrical wants powered by the sun. Some of our heating is provided directly from the sun via solar heat, the rest indirectly from the sun via the woodlot. We cook with the sun, with wood, and sometimes with propane (one small tank a year).
  • Look Before You Leap!
    by Alan Stankevitz of DayCreek.com
    There's nothing better than dreaming about living out in the country, raising our own food, living a simple lifestyle and relaxing on the front porch listening to a symphony of crickets.  Gone are the days of traffic jams, city violence, stress from an office job and all of the clutter associated with a rather hectic lifestyle.  Ah yes, it is the good life!
    Dreams do come true for those who work hard at it, keep the faith and recover from mistakes.  But for many the dream may never come true.  Why?
• Magazines & Newsletters
  • Natural Life Magazine
    Edited by Wendy Priesnitz.  News about sustainable healthy living.  [.pdf download of Jan/Feb 2005 issue available here]
• Email Lists & Forums

Living within your means

• General Websites

• Websites & Articles by Category

  • Start NOW!

  • Money
    • Money Issues
      by Alan Stankevitz of DayCreek.com
      The intent of this page is not to tell you where to invest your savings but rather how to reduce the need for money.  Although it is quite difficult, if not impossible to eliminate our need for money completely there are certainly ways to reduce our dependency on money.
  • Setting up a budget
    • Budget Your Way Out of Debt!
      Web site on setting up a budget by Kathryn Nye.  [Who is the Money Master?]
  • Shopping
  • Reducing debt
    • Ways People Squander Their Money
      by James Miller
      List of 11 ways people waste money.
    • Things You Can Do to be More Self Sufficient
      by Alan Stankevitz of DayCreek.com
      List of 50 things you can do to get started on the road to self-sufficiency.
  • Learning to Rely More on Yourself & Less on the Store
    • Finding Your Own Freedom
      Article by Claire Wolfe at Backwoods Home Magazine.
  • Producing Your Own Food
    • Raising food to eat
      • Grow & Store Your Own Food
        by Alan Stankevitz of DayCreek.com
        One of the first steps you can take to become self-sufficient is to start a vegetable garden.  In doing so, you will not only practice self-sufficiency, but you will also eat healthier.  The key is to start small.  Don't overwhelm yourself by planting a huge garden.  There's a learning curve here, so don't try to do everything in one year.  Take your time with it and get a good understanding of what it takes to grow a vegetable garden.
    • Raising animals for food
    • Raising feed for your animals
  • Eliminating or reducing expenses
    • Food
    • Clothing
    • Gas
      • Making Alcohol Fuel
        Article by Lynn Ellen Doxon
    • Non-essentials
  • Your Possessions
    • Reducing
    • New or Used?
  • Eliminating or reducing insurance expenses
    • Reducing medical expenses
    • Insurance savings account

Making Money

• Books We Carry

  	American Farmstead Cheese The Complete Guide to Making and Selling Artisan Cheeses by Paul Kindstedt & The Vermont Cheese Council ISBN:  1931498776 [more info]		Antiques on the Cheap  by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Backyard Market Gardening The Entrepreneur's Guide to Selling What You Grow by Andrew Lee ISBN:  0962464805 [more info]		Bread Builders Hearth Loaves & Masonry Ovens by Daniel Wing & Alan Scott ISBN:   1890132055 [more info]
  	Buying and Selling Antiques  by ISBN:  [more info]		Chicken Tractor The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil  by Andy Lee & Pat Foreman ISBN:  0962464864 [more info]
  	Christmas Trees  by ISBN:  [more info]		Day Range Poultry Every Chicken Owner's Guide to Grazing Gardens and Improving Pastures by Andy Lee & Patricia Foreman ISBN: 09624664872 [more info]
  	Four Season Harvest Organic vegetables from your garden all year long by Eliot Coleman ISBN:  1890132276 [more info]		Flower Farmer An Organic Grower's Guide to Growing and Selling Cut Flowers by Lynn Byczynski ISBN:  0930031946 [more info]
  	Grassroots Marketing Getting Noticed in a Noisy World by Shel Horowitz ISBN:  1890132683 [more info]		Growing Profits How to Start & Operate a Backyard Nursery by Michael & Linda Harlan ISBN:  0965456773 [more info]
  	Herbal Harvest Commercial Organic Production of Quality Dried Herbs by Greg Whitten ISBN: 1876473479 [more info]		Horsekeeping on Small Acreage  by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Making Your Small Farm Profitable by ISBN:  [more info]		Maple Sugar Book  by Helen & Scott Nearing ISBN:  1890132632 [more info]
  	Pastured Poultry Profits Net $25,000 in 6 months on 20 acres by Joel Salatin ISBN:  0963810901 [more info]		Rummager's Handbook by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin ISBN:  096381091X [more info]		Small-Scale Livestock Farming by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Small-Scale Pig Raising by ISBN:  [more info]		Starting & Running Your Own Horse Business by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Successful Small-Scale Farming by ISBN:  [more info]		Teaching Safe Horsemanship by ISBN:  [more info]

• General Websites
• Websites & Articles by Category
  • Working from home
    • Can You Bring Your Job Home?
    • 35 Country Jobs
      by Charles Sanders at Backwoods Home Magazine.  Ideas for self employment in a rural community.
    • Are You Sure You Really Need a Job?
      Article by Neil Shelton
    • Make Your Work-from-Home Dreams Comes True
      iVillage Workshop with Paul & Sarah Edwards, authors of Working from Home.  You've fantasized about starting your own business, ditching the office and seeing your kids more. Well, what are you waiting for? More than 24 million Americans have set up home businesses, and you can too.
    • Work From Home:  Find a Stay-At-Home Business You Can Do
      iVillage article with links to business success stories.
• Magazines & Newsletters
• Email Lists
  • Yahoo Groups:  Homestead-Work
    Created:  30 December 1999
    Members:  921 (as of 30 November 2004)
    We discuss homesteading, self sufficiency, farming, gardening, home based business (but not MLM, recruiting and such, this is a spam free list), soap, cheese, organic gardening, livestock, poultry and much more. We stay on topic to keep email manageable for busy homesteaders.

Business ideas

• Books We Carry

  	Candlemaker's Companion  by ISBN:  [more info]		Creating An Herbal Bodycare Business  by Sandy Maine ISBN: 1580170943 [more info]
  	Growing Your Herb Business  by ISBN:  [more info]		The Handmade Soap Book by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Herb Mixtures & Spicy Blends  by ISBN:  [more info]		Herbal Vinegar  by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Making Bits & Pieces Mosaics  by ISBN:  [more info]		Making Natural Liquid Soaps  by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Making Transparent Soap  by ISBN:  [more info]		Making Your Own Paper by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Melt & Mold Soap  by ISBN:  [more info]		Milk-based Soap  by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Natural Soap Book  by ISBN:  [more info]		Papermaker's Companion by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Perfumes, Splashes & Colognes by ISBN:  [more info]		Simple Fountains by ISBN:  [more info]
  	Soapmaker's Companion by ISBN:  [more info]		Tan Your Hide by ISBN:  [more info]

   
• Suggested Reading
• General Websites
• Websites & Articles by Category
  • Simple Ideas for extra money
    • Write an eBook
    • Butter n' Eggs - Without the Manure
      Article by Barbara Bamberger Scott.  Author explains how she earns extra money selling used books on the Internet and writing book reviews.
  • eBay
  • Selling what you raise
    • Food
      • CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture)
      • Farmer's Markets
        •  
      • Farm stands
      • Internet sales
    • Milk
    • Meat
    • Other
      • Christmas Trees
        • Bow View Farm
          Curt & Donna sell Christmas trees (and other goods) from their farm in NE.
      • Flowers
      • Herbs
        • Herb Teas
  • Selling what you make
    • eBay
    • Food items
      • Cheese
      • Sauces
      • Mixes
      • Honey
      • Maple Syrup
  • Crafts
    • Fiber
      • Quilting
    • Soaps & lotions
      • Goat's Milk Soap
        • My Homestead Income
          by Kristen Embry
    • Potpourri
    • Herb crafts
    • Recycling
    • Yard art
    • Wood
    • Candles
    • Mosaics
  • Teaching what you know
    • Ideas for classes, workshops & retreats
      • Carpentry
      • Gardening
      • Horses
      • Photography
      • Quilting
        • My Quilt Journal
          • Free lesson in creating a journal for quilt projects.
      • Sewing
      • Welding
      • Woodworking
• Magazines & Newsletters
• Email Lists