Reduce, reuse and recycle – the nineteenth century way! This book is packed full of helpful hints and recipes from the early 1800s to the early 1900s, when the United States and Canada expanded their frontiers and intrepid pioneers set up frugal, self-reliant homesteads. It is not just for homesteaders or self-sufficiency purists – whether you live in a country cottage, a city apartment or a college dorm, this book contains a wealth of hints to help you save money, live a greener lifestyle and ‘downsize’. It shows how to avoid expense and waste by using leftovers in new ways, substituting costly ingredients for more affordable ones and overcoming common household problems using everyday items.

This is a companion volume to ‘A Treasury of Thrift’. Whilst that book introduces the philosophy of old-style money saving, ‘Frontier Frugal’ gives you practical household hints to put those theories into action. If you would like to find out how to make filling meals for just pennies – make cheese from sour milk – get rid of shiny elbows on suit jackets – cook with free wild plants – bring stale food back to life – make tea taste better and go further – use meat bones to shine shoes – or just brew your own beer in a tea-kettle, then this book is for you!