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   While I have made some minor spelling and formatting changes, I have taken great care to insure that this electronic text has been accurately transcribed from the original version.

   Unfortunately, no editor is perfect and any errors or omissions which have been introduced should be attributed to me.

   Although this book is copyrighted, it is also out of print and extremely rare. Therefore, in the interest of fair use, and in order to prevent this work from fading into obscurity, I have created this electronic version.

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   Should she wish to contact me, the best way to do so is to post an open letter on the Internet Usenet newsgroup "misc.survivalism".

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POSSUM LIVING

   HOW TO LIVE WELL WITHOUT A JOB
AND WITH (almost) NO MONEY

   DOLLY FREED

   Universe Books New York
Published in the United States of America in 1978
by Universe Books 381 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016

   (c)1978 by Universe Books

   All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

   Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-52190

   ISBN 0-87663-987-2

   Printed in the United States of America

  

  

   [From The Back Cover]

   Possum Living
DOLLY FREED

   Do you want to get out of the rat race but not drop out? Do you want to live a life of leisure without worry or guilt? If your answer is yes, Dolly Freed will show you how to live well without a job and without working very hard.

   After discussing reasons why you should or shouldn't give up your job, POSSUM LIVING gives you details about the cheapest ways with the best results to buy and maintain your own home, dress well, cope with the law, stay healthy, and keep up a middle-class facade--whether you live in the city, in the suburbs, or in a small town. In a delightful, straightforward style, Dolly Freed explains how to be lazy, proud, miserly, and honest, live well, and enjoy leisure. She shares her knowledge of what you do need--your own home, for example--and what you don't need--such as doctors, lawyers, and insurance. And she has a lot of realistic advice about saving money, as well as practical information about

   * buying a house cheaply through a foreclosure or back-tax sale

   * raising and slaughtering rabbits

   * catching and cooking fish and turtles

   * distilling your own moonshine

   Mainly, however, through her own example, she hopes to inspire you to do some independent thinking about how economics affects the course of your life now and may do so in the coming "age of shortages."

   If you ever wondered what it would be like to be in greater control of your own life, POSSUM LIVING will show you--and help you do it for yourself.

   DOLLY FREED and her father have lived outside of Philadelphia in their own house on a half-acre lot for almost five years. They produce their own food and drink and spend about $700 each per year. Dolly is 19 years old and lists her occupation as "chief possum."

   UNIVERSE BOOKS 381 Park Avenue South New York, N.Y. 10016 ISBN 0-87663-987-2

  

  

   Contents

   Introduction

  1.    We Quit the Rat Race
  2.    The Cost of Living
  3.    Income
  4.    We Rassle with Our Consciences
  5.    Meat: About Killing Meat--Presenting a Case; Rabbits; Slaughtering Rabbits; Chickens; Pigs ; Goats; Game Meat
  6.    Fish: Catching Fish; Cooking Fish; Turtles
  7.    Gardening: Herbs; Garden Cultivation; Foraging; Yellow Rocket; Mushrooms
  8.    Grain
  9.    Groceries
  10.    Preserving Food: Canning; Smoke-Curing
  11.    Nutrition
  12.    The "Necessities of Life": Glossary; Yeast; Sugars; Equipment; Freeze-Concentrating; Winemaking; Recipes
  13.    Housing: Low-Cost Housing; How Foreclosure Sales Work; Back-Tax Sales; Home Repairs; Your Property Tax Assessment
  14.    Heating
  15.    Electricity
  16.    Clothing
  17.    Transportation
  18.    Law: Rules; Procedure
  19.    Health and Medicine: Dolly's Depression Dispersing Directions; Home Remedies; Dental Care; Various Therapies
  20.    Daily Living: Autumn; Winter; Spring; Summer; What's Gonna Happen Next?