I want every person who reads this book to be motivated and inspired to make the changes necessary to live to their true potential. I want you to feel energised enough to believe you can do whatever you need to do. I want the information here to seep into your brain so that it informs what you do and what you dream for yourself. Simple living is a series of small personal changes and adjustments to our lives; it’s also about living generously and helping our family, friends and neighbours.
For me there is nothing better than waking to a new day that I know will be full of productive and interesting work around the home and garden. Pottering with this and that, putting things right, sitting and thinking – all the things that make a simple life also make a perfect day. I do not need many of those perfect days to keep me going; just the promise of one tomorrow or next week is enough. And enough is all I’m after.
I hope that this book has encouraged you to think about what is enough for you. You are not alone. Many people are making simple changes and there has never been a better time to work towards home production and self-reliance. Making that break away from consumption and debt can lead to a more sustainable future with time spent working in our backyards, making our homes warm and comfortable, cooking real food and being fulfilled by that simple work. Let’s roll our sleeves up and begin.
Rhonda
Resources
LIVING SIMPLY
Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, Penguin, USA
An account of the simplest of lives. It documents the time Thoreau lived alone in the woods, when he formulated many of his ideas.
The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs, Random House, USA
The first book about simple living that I read. It was a very good first step and helped me to clarify my thoughts and goals.
The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery, Sasquatch Books, USA
A back-to-basics bible with information about hundreds of tasks like breadmaking, preserving and planting a garden.
down---to---earth.blogspot.com
Visit my blog for further information, photos and advice about the topics in this book.
downtoearthforums.com
An online forum I started – visit us to ask questions or read about how others are living simply.
simple-green-frugal-co-op.blogspot.com
A cooperative of green-living writers from around the world (I’m the founder and a contributor).
consumption-rebellion.blogspot.com
Eilleen’s blog about simple living and reducing consumption is genuine and inspiring.
AGES AND STAGES
mygreenlife.com.au
A comprehensive Australian website about sustainable living, including green ideas, eco-friendly tips and inspiring articles.
SAVING AND SPENDING
Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, Penguin, USA
This book gave me a good understanding of the links between lifestyle, consumption and overspending.
The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn, Random House, USA
Dotted throughout this book are hundreds of ways to save money, some of which I didn’t agree with when I read it, and others I still use.
mytotalmoneymakeover.com
American financial expert Dave Ramsey’s money advice website. There is a sign-up fee but you get budgeting tools and access to an ad-free radio show for extra motivation and advice.
moneysmart.gov.au
The Australian government’s guide to budgeting, credit cards and saving, for all ages.
freemoneyfinance.com
A very good blog about managing money.
gettingout.info/moneymatters.htm
A young person’s guide to spending and saving.
ingdirect.com.au/home_loans/calculators.htm
Some good online mortgage calculators.
sites.google.com/site/dsbudgethome
A free, simple open-source budgeting program.
HOME
knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/dishcloths.php
You’ll find a knitted cotton dishcloth pattern here to suit you.
crochetpatterncentral.com/directory/dishcloths.php
Lovely crocheted dishcloth patterns.
Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman, Simon and Schuster, USA
A book that enables you to knit items such as jumpers, cardigans, mittens and hats with basic patterns to suit all skill sets.
freeneedle.com
A sewing directory featuring free projects and tutorials.
sewing.about.com/od/techniques/tp/mendclothing.htm
Information and tutorials about basic sewing and mending.
beansproutbubba.com.au
Rebecca is a hands-on mum who will help you choose a cloth nappy that’s right for your baby and your price range.
modernclothnappies.org
A national organisation encouraging the use of cloth nappies.
ecoyarns.com.au
Vivian has a wide range of organic and ethically produced yarns.
clothingexchange.com.au
Swap clothes instead of buying new ones.
freecycle.org/group/AU
A network of people offering items for recycling. Find something you need or list something you think may be of use to others.
recyclingnearyou.com.au
Information about recycling and waste services offered by your local council.
soulemama.com
A beautiful blog about parenting, children and play.
HOUSEWORK
www.textile.unsw.edu.au/Fax&Fix/stain1.htm
A useful stain-removal guide.
snowdriftfarm.com/soapcalculator.htm
A good soap calculator – just fill in the weight of the oil you’ll use and it will calculate the amounts of lye and water you need.
oilsandsoap.com.au
A description of some soap-making oils.
soapnuts.com/indexcp.html
Some useful soap recipes.
candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/a/cpshavingrecipe.htm
A recipe for shaving soap.
greenlivingaustralia.com.au
Suppliers of ingredients and kits for cheese, yoghurt and soap making as well as lids and jars for preserving.
ORGANISING YOUR LIFE
moneysmart.gov.au/tools-and-resources/calculators-and-tools/budget-planner
A free Australian government budget planner that allows you to enter your details, calculate your budget and print it out. You can also download a planner to your computer and work on it in Excel.
brendaarnall.typepad.com
Download some beautiful planners and calendars for free.
unclutterer.com/2008/02/20/creating-a-weekly-meal-plan
Download a free menu plan, either as a PDF to print or an Excel template to fill in on your computer.
HOME-GROWN SELF-RELIANCE
The Permaculture Home Garden by Linda Woodrow, Penguin, Australia
This was my bible when I set up my garden. It gave me ideas, but most of all it made me want to produce food in an ethical and thoughtful way.
Easy Organic Gardening and Moon Planting by Lyn Bagnall, Scribe Publications, Australia
The best Australian organic gardening book I’ve read.
edenseeds.com.au/content/planting.asp
A good Australian vegetable and herb planting guide.
greenharvest.com.au
diggers.com.au
selectorganic.com.au
edenseeds.com.au
seedsavers.net
Sources for open-pollinated, heirloom vegetable seeds, and herb and flower seeds that are usually not treated or modified in any way.
daleysfruit.com.au
Buy mail-order fruit trees.
communitygarden.org.au
Information about Australia’s community gardens.
THE SUSTAINABLE BACKYARD
ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
A compre
hensive chart of chicken breeds and characteristics.
rarepoultry.net
Information about rare-breed poultry.
sgaonline.org.au
The Sustainable Gardening Australia website has a free gardening newsletter and fact sheets.
holmgren.com.au/DLFiles/PDFs/Holmgren-Suburbs-Retrofit-Update49.pdf
Permaculture expert David Holmgren’s ideas on sustainable suburbs.
NOURISHMENT
The Real Food Companion by Matthew Evans, Murdoch Books, Australia
If you’re looking for books about nutritious and tasty Australian food, this is one of the best.
The Thrifty Kitchen by Suzanne Gibbs and Kate Gibbs, Penguin, Australia
A thoughtful and beautiful Australian cookbook for the thrifty home.
Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion by Stephanie Alexander, Penguin, Australia
If you cook from your backyard, you need this book.
Preserves, The Australian Women’s Weekly, Octopus Publishing Group, UK
A no-fuss guide to preserving food in jars.
The River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fernly-Whittingstall, HarperCollins, Australia
Read not just the recipes but also the philosophy that inspired them.
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Newtrends Publishing Inc., USA
The book that brought me back from eight years as a vegetarian.
foodcentsprogram.com.au
A program that helps families make the most of the money they spend on food.
baking 911.com
An excellent troubleshooting resource for bakers.
farmersmarkets.org.au/markets
A list of Australian farmers’ markets.
margandmarees.com.au (Victoria)
simplygood.com.au (Queensland)
kiallafoods.com.au (Queensland)
allaboutbread.com.au (Western Australia)
santostrading.com.au/bulkfood/index.html (New South Wales)
biodistributors.com.au/prodinf.php (Tasmania)
Baking and breadmaking supplies around the country.
daa.asn.au
The Dieticians Association of Australia’s website has some good information, recipes and tips under the title ‘Smart eating for you’.
seasonalfoodguide.com
Download local information about which fruit and vegetables are in season throughout the year.
‘Unhappy Meals’ by Michael Pollan, The New York Times Magazine, 28 January 2007
A thought-provoking essay about modern food consumption, by a world expert.
‘What a waste: An analysis of household expenditure on food’ by David Baker, Josh Fear and Richard Denniss, The Australia Institute, November 2009, available at tai.org.au
A report about food wastage in Australia.
RECIPES
oldaussierecipes.com
Some wonderful old recipes from Australian kitchens.
oldrecipes.webs.com
Wholesome meals and snacks, from braised oxtail to simple Madeira cake.
Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, Chelsea Green Publishing, USA
An excellent reference book for fermenting, with many recipes.
Acknowledgements
Although my name appears on the cover, writing any book is rarely the result of only one person’s endeavours. The way we have chosen to live requires a strong commitment to work in our home and the philosophy of handmade and from scratch. I would not have been able to continue living this way while writing the book without the ongoing help of my husband, Hanno. He kept the necessary wheels turning while I tapped away on the keyboard. For that, and for so many other things, I’m truly thankful.
More than anyone else, my sons, Shane and Kerry, have helped make me the person I am. Without them I doubt this book would have been written. While I was writing, both of them, with their partners Sarndra and Sunny, gave Hanno and me our first grandchildren. I hope that this book will help guide their future. Thanks also to my sister, Tricia de Chelard, for her interest and help, and to Susan Collings and Kathleen Tolman for reading bits and pieces of my text and telling me the truth.
I was encouraged by the daily contact I had with readers of my blog and forum, who are far too many to name, but their ongoing interest and questions have kept me going over the years. I do want to single out one person, Sharon Fouillade, who has been a helper and friend right from the start. I have never met Sharon in person but our friendship reminds me every day of the power of the internet.
Jo Rosenberg has been my editor during this process and I’ve come to think of her as a friend. It was Jo’s email asking if I was interested in discussing the possibility of publication that has resulted in this book being in your hands today. Thank you, Jo.
Thanks also to designer Nikki Townsend. All through the process of writing I had a vision of what this book would look like. I am thankful that Jo developed a deep understanding of my message and that Nikki realised that message so perfectly on the pages. Thanks also go to publisher Andrea McNamara, cover designer Allison Colpoys and photographer Greg Elms. I couldn’t have asked for more.
And finally, I thank Penguin Australia for publishing and having faith in yet another unknown Australian author. If I could have chosen any publisher, it would have been Penguin. There is nothing like starting at the top.
VIKING
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (Australia)
707 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3008, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada)
90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Canada ON M4P 2Y3
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL England
Penguin Ireland
25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
(a division of Penguin Books Ltd)
Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd
11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ)
67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd
Rosebank Office Park, Block D, 181 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North, Johannesburg, 2196, South Africa
Penguin (Beijing) Ltd
7F, Tower B, Jiaming Center, 27 East Third Ring Road North, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2012
Text copyright Rhonda Hetzel © 2012
Photographs copyright © Penguin Group (Australia), except Greg Elms (ppiv–vi; 20–34; 43, middle; 44–46; 48,right; 51–74; 78; 82; 85; 86, right; 90–95; 96, middle; 102; 109–132; 142, left; 146–159; 164; 171–178; 194; 204; 208,top; 222; 246; 248; 255; 267; 286; 312–316); Rhonda Hetzel (pp5, top and bottom; 10; 11, middle; 16, bottom; 76,bottom; 108; 180; 186–190; 197; 200, right; 202; 208, middle; 225–227; 243; 282;); Shutterstock (pp96, top; 142,right; 161; 168; 224, left)
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Cover design by Allison Colpoys © Penguin Group (Australia)
Text design and illustrations by Nikki Townsend © Penguin Group (Australia)
Cover photographs by Greg Elms, with special thanks to Est (estaustralia.com) for products
Colour reproduction by Splitting Image Colour Studio Pty Ltd, Clayton, Victoria
penguin.com.au
eISBN: 978-1-74348-014-4
Down to Earth Page 25