If you are just getting in to the homesteading/ sustainable living/locavore movement you may be confused by all the options and definitions and possibilities.

There are hundreds of websites, thousands of books, and numerous magazines, all touting their own brand of ,"You need this now!"

The funny thing is, many people began this lifestyle because they wanted a more simple lifestyle! They wanted less stuff, less stress, less pressure to keep up. And yet it is easy to become overwhelmed by the myriad of choices.

Basically, any sort of living falls into a few priorities:

• Shelter
• Water
• Food
• Finances
• Health
• Clothing/household needs

• Philosophy

Now, the philosophy is important in the long run, but it is easy to figure out yourself. Why is it important? When it is 20 below zero and you are shivering in a house that won't heat up, and you are eating beans again..for breakfast..you want to be able to know why you are doing it. When you say to yourself, "I must be crazy, why am I doing this?" You should have a quick answer based on your deepest beliefs. If not, you will never make it.

I can't suggest a particular book for that. My philosophy may be different than yours. The reason my family continues to move toward a more sustainable living style is simply that as Christians we believe that using resources wisely is part of good stewardship.

One of the best guides for remodeling green is David Johnston's and Kim Master's book, Green Remodeling. It dicussed options to make your home more sustainable, greener and more energy effiecient.

This is absolutely an important reference, covering everything from foundation to window installations and how they affect the whole house.

While it is true that you can build a eco-friendly home much more easily than you can remodel one, it is also true that remodeling and restoration are the ultimate form of recycling. Taking the time to make an existing home, especially a vintage one, into a sustainable home is good for the environment and an important way to preserve history.

Too many old neighborhoods with beautifully crafted details are being torn down to make way fro McMansions. BY purchasing these homes and making them sustainable you have preserved history, and preserved the environment. Wood floors are all ready in there, no need to cut trees. All of the manyfacturing has been done, and it was done in a way that was meant to last.

By taking those fabulous details and adding solar power, rainwater catchment systems, and other technology you can have the very best of the past and the present.

Once you know what you want to do you need to know how to do it. How do you repair plaster, hang wall paper, or shim a door frame?

Black and Decker's Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair will show you just about everything you need to know. Tiling, grout, replace a water heater...on and on..If you want to be sustainable you need to be able to do it yourself. Lots of books tell you how.This one SHOWS you how. It is an invaluable resource.

What if the grid goes down? How will you get your water?

Having a supply of fresh water is important for survival. Water Storage covers everything you need to know to procure water when you need it. even if you are not planning on going off grid you can learn to save money by using water catchment systems for your vegetable garden or to water your animals. If you ever do need to find water for your home this book will be the one to head for first.

Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times is a book on organic gardening that pushes simplicity. While intense gardening methods are excellent for most situations they do not do well during times of drought. This book has a list of simple hand tools and suggestions for planting and growing your own food during difficult times, whether economic or drought related.

Seed to Seed is all about seed saving. 160 different vegetables are discussed, and the best ways for growing, and saving, seed. If sustainability requires that you not be dependent on mail order catalogs then seed saving is an important part of that.

Storey's Guide to Country Skills is a how to do it all book. It does have information on gardening but also on butchering, tanning, and alternative energy. Of all the books that are recommended this one is a must have.

Dave Ramsey has an excellent, and proven common sense program for getting out of debt and staying out.

Ths is a simple method, not a quick one. It will require a mental change as well as a lifestyle change for most people. It is the method that is used in my home and it works, and works well if it is followed. Getting both the Financial Peaceand the Total Money Make -over Workbook book will radically change the way you think about and interact with money. The workbook has many forms that will help in the process.

This is a Christian based program, and the only basic program that I will recommend. Once you have gone through this then RIch Dad, Poor Dad is an excellent read.

DK Publishing publishes amazing books on nearly everything. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants is an excellent one for the beginning herbalist, as well as someone more experienced with the use of medicinal herbs.Everything you need to know about storing and using medicinal herbs as well as chemical make-up and the areas of the body that they work on.

There are many more plants that can be used for healing than you could ever grow.

Forgotten Household Crafts covers so many things from spining wool to canning vegetables that it is hard to put this in a particular classification.

So much of what our ancestors used to know how to do is lost. What if you could not get to the store to buy a shirt? What if you could not get to the store to buy fabric? It is good to make a list of skills that you would like to know how to do and begin learning them one by one, checking them off as you go.

There are so many books on sewing, homemaking and crafts that it is hard to single out just a few.

The homesteader that has access to these book wil find that they have an excellent reference to nearly anything that will come up in the course of time on the homestead.

Certanly there are a number of books that could be added, but this core group will serve you well in all but the most unusual circumstances.