How to Live Well Without a Job and with (Almost) No Money (Revised Edition)

This book was a really interesting read, but I really didn't get many ideas that were really of use to me in this day and age. I wish someone would write an updated modern version! Still, it did give me some basic ideas to work with.

Product arrived in a timely manner, as advertised. I bought this book for my son, who wants to live closer to nature and outside the mainstream. He loves it, and is already utilizing some of the ideas in this publication

I agree with S0nicfreak's review. The author had no idea what she was talking about when she wrote this book. She is so against "working", yet everything she has is because of her parent's (mainly her mother) jobs. At the time she wrote this, she had never been on her own, never started a homestead from scratch, and never know what it's like to be self-sufficient because she was dependent on her parents. If she is so against making money, then why do you think she wrote the book? Um...to make money? She's just a hypocrite and a strange one at that. I would never take her advice. I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being the leader of some freak cult that drinks Kool-Aid.

This book frequently details methods of scamming other individuals. I'm all for living cheap, but often this book is geared towards being a crook.
Full transcripts of her manifesto have been on the net for years.

The author reveals the fact that it is possible to live on very little money if you are determined too. The book also shows that this type of lifestyle is not for everyone. If you want your bling you better look somewhere else. I love the fact that she came back later in life with a prologue to hear her views on the lifestyle as a married adult. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it heartily.

In these times, this book should be mandatory reading...... not just for American School Children, but for heads of certain countries in Europe (Hey, Greece and Spain, I'm talking to you, you morons). This is a book on how to live well while living well below the poverty line. It is difficult for most people to understand the concept of either living within or below their means, this book will explain it to them if they read it.

There is also a book out there by Rob Roy called MORTGAGE FREE that should be read right after this one (or before it) and then either read Carla Emery's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COUNTRY LIVING or the Storey's BASIC COUNTRY SKILLS (I own both and they are similar, but I do prefer Carla's tome to the Storey version), even if you live in the city.

I recently read "Possum Living" on the web, in an electronic format, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish a more recent edition was available, as much of the information the 1978 edition was based on current conditions. Dolly's reference to making turtle soup, for instance, from a Leatherback found in Florida is, today, politically incorrect. Also, considering the growing popularity of vegetarianism, some may find her "homesteading recipes" slightly offensive (anything with four legs, fur, or feather's, is fair game in the name of survival). Overall it is a worthwhile read, and her sense of humor is refreshing. For those intent on pursuing a more self-sufficient lifestyle, and want more up-to-date information, I highly reccommend the book "Mortgage Free - Radical Stratagies for Home Ownership" by Rob Roy. ...

"Possum Living" was a big part of what inspired me to quit my job and start living the life I really want. So far, I am happier, more relaxed and more fulfilled after forging my own path for the past 3 months. Paradoxically, I'm also richer money-wise than ever before in my life.

Dolly challenges basic assumptions about the way western society functions, and the solutions she and her father detail in this book are just as relevant today as when the book was first published 3 decades ago.

The world is going through a major rough patch right now, which is why the re-release of this book is so timely. If I could give more than 5 stars to this book, I would.

I first heard about this book in "Countryside and Small Stock Magazine" (published in Wisconsin by the Belanger family) about 15 years ago. It was hard to find--I finally lucked out after looking for 3 years and found a used copy in a thrift store. Dolly Freed wrote this when she was 19 living with her divorced father in a house they had bought cheap and restored in rural Pennsylvania, the nearest city being Philadelphia. She writes with such individuality, humor, and enthusiasm that I broke out with laughter while reading the book. For example, she talks about the "necessities of life" including alcoholic beverages; she then explains how to make your own--no problem--using a pressure cooker! She also tells how she raises chickens and "bunnies" in the basement for food.

It's great that the book is available again. The cover of the new book is very similar to the original edition's, which was paperbag-brown in color. These original editions, printed in 1979 and the early 1980s, are priced today at about $200 a copy!

The reprinted book is a bargain at less than $10 from the store. "Possum Living" is much shorter but in the same vein as Carla Emery's "Encyclopedia of Country Living." Don't miss it!

I read an online/electronic version of this and found it to be a very entertaining read, written with a literary sense of folk wisdom.

I don't doubt you can survive on a back-to-the-Earth kind of lifestyle, but most other accounts I've read of people doing this describe the lifestyle as being about as hard as it was 100 years ago, plus somewhat harder considering the real temptations of modern living.

There are also a number of factual questions. A 5 acre lot 5 miles outside of Philadelphia seems improbable at any price, especially for what they wanted to pay. Rabbits and chickens stink, despite what the author claims. You could NEVER raise them in your basement without significant effort towards cleanliness (such as hosing down the entire place on a daily basis).

Urban wildlife, especially the wetlands variety, wouldn't be at all healthy to eat. I live in a MUCH younger and cleaner city than Philadelphia, and even lakes in outer suburbs have warnings against eating too many of the fish, and bottom feeders would be even more likely to harbour pollution. Especially in the late 1970s -- we've been improving air and water quality since the 70s, and the mid/late 70s would have been close to the pinnacle of pollution, especially in an older smokestack city like Philadelphia.

It's a fine polemic, but not believable as a real existence.

Don't bother with this book unless catching and killing turtles for food, raising and slaughtering rabbits in your basement and making your own indoor moonshine appeals to you. If those are the kinds of things you are interested in, this book is for you. If you are homeless, a hermit or a nutcase your might enjoy this book as well. Otherwise, don't waste your money. Looking for ways to reduce, recycle, reuse, and re-purpose to save money and go green, I thought this book might be helpful. It wasn't. It is so ridiculous.

This book is more of a homesteading memoir (from before memoirs became so popular) than it is an informational guide. That said, it's very amusing, especially when you realize it's written by an 18 year old dropout who later went to work for NASA.

I read Possum living when it was first published and continued reading has required gluing the pages back in the cover. I fell in love with Dolly Freed, and her independent spirit. She raises resourcefulness, to a level beyond anyone in my experience. She is honest, unique and original in her approach to living. She has decided to "live deliberately".

Possum Living is literally my most read book. I read and re-read it until the pages started coming apart. It took me years to find another copy. There is nothing in its pages that could not be done today. The most amazing thing about Possum Living is that it was written by a young lady less than 21 years old! How could someone so young be so experienced? Dolly would be in her mid-forties now. Come on, Dolly - we know you're out there! How about a sequel???

I do not think homesteaders are crazy; heck, I aspire to be a homesteader. However, I think the author of this book is a bit crazy. She talks about "leaving the rat race," but it seems she was never in it; what she really means is that her father (whom she calls Daddy throughout the book) left the rat race and her mother left them. She plans to have kids someday while continuing to live with her father and having a man either move in or "visit." (Yeah, good luck finding a guy to father your children when you spend all your time at home with "Daddy") And one of her ways of dealing with legal issues it to "catch your adversary's attention" by doing things like throwing a brick through his window in the middle of the night. She mentions other people that she claims are making the homesteaders look bad, but does not realize she is one of them.

Since she was never in the rat race, you'd think this book has some helpful tips about starting homesteading without having ever been in the rat race; but sadly, it does not. The house she lives in was bought by her parents when they worked, and she says that one should work for a few years to buy a house and give it to their children. Personally I think a huge part of homesteading is being self-sufficient, and would not want my adult offspring dependent on me giving them a house.

Not only does this book not tell you how to start from nothing, it also does not tell you much of anything. There are a few tips, but certainly not $10 worth. More than once it tells you to go to read books about a subject, when if you bought this book you probably expected this book to tell you about the subject. The fact that this book was written by a 19 year old with a 7th grade education and a sense of entitlement (that she somehow manages to have while homesteading) really shows. This reads more like the diary of a sheltered girl than a book of homesteading tips.

If you are looking to begin homesteading, do not read this book as it will only sully your perception of homesteading and homesteaders. If you are a homesteader already read it to laugh at the absurdity, but don't expect to get $10 worth of homesteading tips.

I was very interested in reading this book because I've been working on growing as much of my own food as possible, and who wouldn't like to live more independently of the economy? I saw it was highly praised here and elsewhere and was happy to find a copy of it. Ha. This book makes you realize that the reason why SOME folk want to live outside of the economy is because they are criminals. For instance, you're advised that to deal with sticky legal matters, you go to the house of the lawyer or opponent in question late at night and cut the phone lines or put a brick through the window or poison the dog. Make sure to walk there. And this is discussed like it is something adorable and just so good-old-fashioned self-reliant when in fact it is absolutely insane and a good way to end up either shot or in the penitentiary. But it makes total sense when you put it together with the fact that one of the highest priorities of this author and her father is to have plenty of high-proof liquor on hand which they produce themselves from a homemade still. I don't know--when you think of living independently of society, does a still come right to mind? Shoot. If you want a life like this, you can become a bum and go live in a tent in a hobo jungle for a lot less trouble, and you will find many like-minded people who consider drinking and violence and eating carp to be a good way to spend their lives. If you are instead interested in becoming independent of the economy, there are many other books that will help you do it. This ain't it. All this book does is make you glad you don't live next door to these folk.

The live cheap stuff has been done better elsewhere.

The real problem here is that her father settled disputes by trashing peoples cars and throwing bricks through their windows.

Pesonally, I wouldn't want these guys living next to me and I grew up with little money and woodstoves for heat!

This book has serious ethical flaws and is very dated as well.

I understand that a great many people enjoy this book and are at least able to apply the principles to their own lives, and kudos to them for that. I think that's a fine idea, and originally that was my plan on reading this book. The basic principle is an excellent one. However, I found the discussion of meat in this to be somewhat distasteful and completely unrealistic. If she actually ate many of these things, considering she lists several endangered and protected species, she would go to jail. She discusses eating turtles, mountain lions, wild pigeons, starlings, robins, woodchucks, squirrels, and raccoons, as well as dogs and cats. This isn't only disgusting and morally reprehensible, it's also very, very illegal. So unless the zombie apocalypse is actually clearly going on outside your window, there is little advice here to follow.

She then goes on in a later chapter to say what you should do if you're ever in legal trouble. She advocates threatening the opposition's lawyer (the "adversary") and going to his house to vandalize his property-- slash his tires, throw bricks through his windows, etc. If he has a dog, attempt to befriend it, or if it disapproves of your entrance into its yard, poison it. "It's no sin to kill a vicious animal, and it will make your adversary feel more vulnerable." Uh-huh. Well, at least she didn't say to eat it. The afterword discusses and repudiates this chapter, but it still is extremely discomforting.

I love the basic idea behind this, but her methods concern me. If you do want to read this book, there are free versions available online, and I recommend reading some or all of the text to see if you like it before purchasing.

It is a sad commentary that people celebrate the life of a person that participates in the extermination of any and all creatures that cross her path. There are simply too many of us and too few of the wild creatures any longer to use them for our convenience. Shame on her and those that support her.