Find Edible Plants

Fruit such as strawberries, apples and raspberries don't have to come from a supermarket. You can find it in your street, a park or a forest near you. You can reap this food relatively often. And except fruit there are also chestnuts, dandelions, wild herbs and a lot more.

This activity of finding food is often called Urban Foraging. It is advisable to know what you can and can't eat, and where to find good food. For many areas there are websites. For example for Amsterdam there's a map where you can find usable food. It is encouraged to add new spots. In Dutch there's also a entire wiki, a website with a whole lot of information about eating wild food.

Manual

There's a good manual in English.

Here are four guidelines to stick to for smooth operations:

  • Be friendly: ask permission if it's unclear who the owner is of a specific tree.
  • Be generous: how much do you really need? Only take what you want to eat, leave the rest for others.
  • Be alert: watch out for chemical crap on trees or plants.
  • Be careful: don't pick rare or protected species.

We have more tips about free food here on this website.

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Share stuff

Networks for sharing stuff are great to get to use things such as tools. You don't need to buy anything, because you can simply ask your neighbor if you can borrow from them. For example a bicycle pump or a ladder for painting. Many people are already doing this in their neighborhood: "Quickly ask the neighbor if we can borrow his drill."

Bartering

Bartering is a simple and cheap exchange of goods and services between people. Bartering is also recommended if you want to live without money or if you want to save money. Bartering is also a fantastic way to get new stuff and it can be a good alternative to the monetary economy.

Book: Steps Towards Inner Peace

The Peace-Pilgrim was a woman living almost 30 years without money, in the walhalla of money: the United States. She made many walking trips and took only little on those trips. She lived just from what people gave her and she never needed any money!

Her message was about an inner peace that is reachable by anyone. You as well! It's the ultimate form of happiness, always in peace with whatever is there. Always be at peace with yourself.

"Steps Towards Inner Peace" is the book published after her death. The book is available for free. You can order it at the website about the book and there is also a digital version in Dutch and other languages.

Also check Wikipedia for more information about her life and the website Peacepilgrim.

Dumpster Diving Tips

tips for dumpster diving

There's enough food for everyone, but a lot of food is chucked. Stores, consumers and producers simply dump a lot of good food! You can find this food by checking the bins you find outside of stores. Dumpster diving can also be a lot of fun!

Free haircuts

Free haircuts can be had in different ways. If you find yourself moneyless it doesn't mean you need to walk around like a bum. We all know hairdressers are quite expensive in the Western world. So let's look at some alternatives.