I am slightly obsessed with the French culture since I spent a lot of my early adulthood hanging out with French chefs and farmers, eating like the rich and famous, while living on a working-class budget. So, when I stumbled upon the video about Le Ferme du Bec Hallouin and saw how incredibly productive and beautiful it was, I had to buy their book too.

Being cost-effective means we look for value for money or effort. Don’t forget your time has a value! Buying cheap can often mean buying twice, but why spend more if you don’t need to? If I'm honest, I became a gardener because I like getting dirty. Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Tom Kitten is the story of my childhood (and my adulthood too, only now I don't have to pretend I'm going to stay clean). Of course, high-quality soil leads to high-quality produce, and I deeply adore the flavors of strawberries growing in deep, dark soil. Biting into a juicy, homegrown tomato still warm from the summer sun is bliss. Do you love reading? Do you have any of these books or know of any I might have missed? Let me know in the comments below! Even though the basic storylines start roughly the same – e.g. get fed up, try something new – each person’s experiences from that point forward are totally different. To me, the completely unique ways we all approach the same basic idea of self-sufficiency are fascinating. For over 40 years, John Seymour has inspired and motivated thousands of people to make more eco-friendly choices to enrich their lives and live sustainably. Now, his bestselling self-sufficiency book offers step-by-step instructions on all things environment-friendly, from preserving your harvest to living off land, this survival guide has it all. So what are you waiting for?If you think you don’t have enough room to grow sufficient food on your postage stamp property, this book is for you. Two single guys buy a duplex on a run-down lot in town and turn it into a garden of eating. How can that not be an interesting read? This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

He had multiple roles as a writer, broadcaster, environmentalist, agrarian, smallholder and activist; a rebel against: consumerism, industrialisation, genetically modified organisms, cities, motor cars; an advocate for: self-reliance, personal responsibility, self-sufficiency, conviviality (food, drink, dancing and singing), gardening, caring for the Earth and for the soil. Once you have a system in place that suits the needs of yourself, your family, and your home, then you will start the see the roots of self-sufficiency develop.For most people, the best self sufficient living books are The Encyclopedia of Country Living, which is best for people in the USA, and The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It, which has plenty of tips for people living in England. We know that we all are carrying burdens, stresses, and challenges so…why not do our best to “make someone’s day?” Howard does an amazing job of describing just how simple this can be done in a variety of ways, depending on where we are, what we are doing, and who we are with/interacting with. It requires little or no work on our part to “make someone’s day”.