Richard Freudenberger

We just bought our first home, and while living in a (very tiny) apartment gave me a taste of what housekeeping required, a whole house, not to mention the exterior, is an entirely different beast. Additionally, being out in "the sticks" with a well and septic system, I've become more conscious of what we put down the drain, how we use energy, etc. etc. So I've been looking for ways to be eco-friendly, conserve energy, save money, and just generally do this home-owning thing the right way.

The great thing about this book is you can take away as much or as little as you would like from it. In order to implement some of the techniques, you'd have to be pretty extremely into this stuff and/or have a lot of time on your hands. I work full-time (and so does BF), so I certainly don't have the time or inclination to dry my own herbs, sew curtains out of old sheets, or make sandals out of old tires (one of the stranger DIY projects in the book).

However, I did take a lot away. I had started a bit on my own using vinegar and borax for cleaning, and this book gave me more uses and cleaning product alternatives. Although I'm still a few years away from having kids, the section on cloth diapers has me thinking. It has a lot of tips and tricks on how you can save energy, and overall be a little more self-sufficient. Definitely worth flipping through, even if you only make a couple of the techniques your own, you'll very likely find something that fits into your lifestyle and can make the daily grind a little bit easier, greener, and cheaper!… (més)