Extreme Simplicity: Urban Homesteading - A Book

[helwen]

Someone on the 90% list recommended the above book, and someone else got a copy from the library and loves it enough that she's going to find a copy of it. Book is by by Christopher and Dolores Lynn Nyerges. Many things for people with homes, but she found enough things that she could do/adapt for apartment living to find it worthwhile.

Some examples:
- Use fabric from old clothes to line garden pots. The fabric keeps dirt from leaking out the bottom and holds in some moisture.

- Use sandwich bags as gloves (while painting or doing other messy jobs). I'm assuming they mean used sandwich bags. Those cheapo grocery bags could be good for that too. Or if you buy bread that comes in a plastic bag, that might be another possibility. You secure the sandwich bag on your hand with a rubber band around the wrist. As for me, I just get paint on my hands.... but there are messy jobs out there that I'd rather not touch.

- Screw covers of empty jelly/PB/condiment jars to underside of kitchen cabinets, then screw the jars into the covers. Good for storing nuts, dried fruits, tea bags, other stuff, clearing counter space.

Comments

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I disagree with a couple of these.

The plastic bag ones is using a plastic bag, a non-recyclable in good condition, for a good purpose. Perhaps it might be a use for those grocery bags still lying around, particularly the split-open ones? We use biodegradeable cooking gloves for truly offensive tasks. They are less expensive, will break down, and being latex based, have a chance to grow again.
Usually we just agree to have "colorful" hands =)
On the glass jar storage: we have chosen not to do this. Glass jars are excellent for such things as tea, particularly baby food jars kept in cookie tins ( one for tea, one for spices, and the like ) but the screwing them to the underside of the counter doesnt work.

Not only does it breach the air-tight value of the jar, it also places it in a tough-to-grasp position, making it less comfortable to access as well as making it more of a mess should it slip and drop.

We use the underside of the cabinets for cuphooks, which which we used to hang coffee cups, my folks use them for plastic cups only, and a friend uses them for oven mitts and "every time" cooking utensils.

Chris Nyerges is a very interesting fellow, he has columns in a magazine I used to read, though I have forgotten which one.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree, I wouldn't use a good bag for what they suggest. L says the jar thing works well in the basement workshop for nails, screws, and such. See my response to gwynt_y_storm for more.

We have some cuphooks under cabinet/shelving, but the only one we still use is the one for the measuring spoons. I felt nervous about using them for actually holding cups (we only have a few plastic cups, and the ones with handles are travel mugs - too bulky). Mostly, I think there's too much stuff in the kitchen anyway, and would rather have the visual space.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

Are you familiar with the old Tightwad's Gazettes?

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, of course :) We have the original. But she lives in the countryside, and this book is supposedly useful for city people, so I thought it was worth mentioning... perhaps, perhaps not.

[lady-jade-01.livejournal.com]

empty jars...also good for plant food to be stored from nosy kitties. I have a stack of plastic jars ready for screws and such.

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

I tried the jar trick. Less than enthused about it but you might have a better experience.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I have to say I never thought of it for the kitchen. L says it's works in the basement workshop (for nails and screws and such).

In the kitchen areas I tend to try to put together shelving that's the right height for what I'm putting on it. And for fixed height shelving, I try to find what in the kitchen is the best height to put on that :D

But I suppose the book might have other useful ideas....