"EXTREME SIMPLICITY -- Homesteading in the City" book

Of all the books I’ve written, one of my favorites is still “EXTREME SIMPLICTY, Homesteading in the City,” which I wrote with my late wife  Dolores.

The book is packed with the details of how w purchased a very run-down house and how we proceeded to practice our self-sufficient lifestyle. We didn’t know everything, and we were really on a low budget, but, step by step, we took action.

The book describes our efforts to practice “living lightly on the earth,” even in the small suburban Los Angeles home.

We describe what we call “integral gardening, ” using every bit of usable land, to produce food (for people and wildlife), medicines, fragrance, shade, and useful tools. We also raised earthworms, chickens, rabbits, bees, a goose, a pig, and our dogs in the back yard.

We  take the reader along on our journey to installing a wood fireplace, solar water heating, and a solar electric system.

Though there is much “how to” in this book, it is full of personal stories and rich reading of the learning we experienced along the way.

It’s really a timeless book that you’ll enjoy reading, illustrated with both drawings and photos.  You can get your copy from  Amazon, or from the  Store at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com

SOME SELECTED EXCERPTS

4 MAGIC WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION

    1. Never waste anything.

    2. Continually improve your personal honesty.

    3. Leave every situation or circumstance better than you found it.

    4. Tithe to the church (or organization) of your choice.

    We know that these are genuine practical solutions. We have heard people say that they cannot make these efforts – such as tithing, or improving an environment – because “we are poor.” Our perspective is that they have their reasoning backwards. They are poor because they do not engage themselves in the world in these ways. Logical thinking leads to erroneous conclusions when the premise is false.

3 STEPS TO HOUSEHOLD ENERGY EFFICIENCY

    1. You can do without some electrical devices.  This will probably involve changing your behavior, for instance, thinking twice before switching on an electrical tool or appliance when a non-electric alternative will work just as well or better.

    2. You can learn to use your existing devices more efficiently.

    This step, too, requires changes in habit, but once you’ve understood the extra expenses caused by inefficiency and waste, you’ll feel good about it – plus you’ll save money by practicing efficiency.

    3. You can purchase new appliances that render your household inherently more energy efficient.

    This step requires initial outlays of money, and in some cases higher short-term expenses, but with certain especially wasteful appliances, the best way to save energy and money is to immediately replace the old, wasteful model.

 A CONVERSATION WITH VERNON

    During an early morning conversation with our friend Vernon .. he remarked that the musical group that he played with would begin and end each performance with a lively rendition of “Love Makes the World Go Round.” Yet he always felt that this was very hypocritical, because it isn’t “love” that makes this world go around, but rather fear. He explained to us that fear drives most people for decades to hold down regular jobs that they hate, because they “need the money.” This, of course, opened up a whole can of worms – and led us into long discussions about the differences between “needs” and “wants,” “cost” and “real value,” and about how it is rarely money, per se, that we need.

    Vernon’s view was that by letting fear control our lives, we are eternally cut off from the real magic of the world.