Eight Tips for Herbal Living on a Budget

A few well chosen herbs, tools, and resources can be surprisingly versatile. Here are eight things that I do around the house that keep us happily in herbs, without needing to invest a lot of money into supplies. But be warned: I have found an herbal lifestyle to be habit forming! It's hard not to get hooked when you can feel great for so little. . .

1.    Focus on a few herbs. Make an herbal wish list of ten or fifteen herbs that you want to learn about and/or keep on hand. 

2.    Shop at discount stores or thrift stores for any tools and kitchenware you need for dedicated herbal purposes.  

3.    Drink herbal teas. Herbal teas come in so many wonderful varieties, and they are surprisingly economical. 

4.    Use bulk quantity herbs to make your own teas and extracts- bulk quantities are usually cheaper, and making your own teas and extracts is much less expensive than store bought.

5.    Dedicate a shelf or cabinet for your herbs, and keep an inventory list so you don’t make duplicate purchases.

6.    Use the public library and/or be selective about which books you purchase. At the very least, look for a book that gives detailed information on many different herbs as your main reference book. Then, add to your personal collection over time. Detailed guides to making herbal preparations, books about traditional herbal theory, and even gardening handbooks are other examples of useful reference books that can be added as you go along. 

7.    Grow your own herbs. Some herbs even do well in extra small spaces like patio containers.

8.   Use the plants around you. Learn to identify wild plants (and weeds!) and how to care for and harvest them responsibly. 

 I will probably be revisiting each tip in a post of its own, but I hope that gives you some useful ideas to play with in the meantime. Happy Simpling! Agatha