Hip Girls' Guide to Homemaking

I love books that encourage living well on a budget. This usually includes shopping at discount or resale stores, eating a diet containing mostly local and vegetarian ingredients, and living simply. The most recent book to cross my path that provides this sort of information is the Hip Girls' Guide to Homemaking, by Kate Payne.

The book offers decorating ideas, storage clues, recycling hints, and plenty of other suggestions for how to live a simple, recycled life within a budget.

Check out a few of the tips I found...

-use a milk crate to create a "shelf" in the bathroom - either store on the ground or adhere it to the wall (p. 63)

-"houseplants improve indoor air quality by removing VOCs like formaldehyde and benzene and by absorbing carbon dioxide" (p. 82)

-"line a walkway with cinder blocks...and plant succulents (or other inedible native plants) in the holes..." (p. 83)

-"look for statements like these on the cleaning products you buy:

• plant-based
• petroleum-free
• nontoxic
• biodegradable
• non-bioaccumulative
• cruelty-free
• no phosphates
• fragrance-free" (p. 113)

-use these three eco-friendly household staples as home-safe cleaners: distilled white vinegar (preferably GMO-free), baking soda, and dish soap (p. 116-117)

-"tear a cotton ball in half, dot it with real vanilla extract and suck it up like regular debris the next time you use your vacuum. You'll infuse the house witha  sweet smell while you clean!" (p. 121)

As you can see, there are so many great tips and lessons for every one of us. I hope you check this book out - it's definitely an informative read.