Free: Adventures on the Margins of a Wasteful Society

by Katharine Hibbert

For many the daily grind can feel like a trap - work, gym, drinks, shops, home, bed, work. But what would happen if one day you just jacked it all in, to survive on next to nothing? Katharine Hibbert decided to find out. No job, no rented flat, no shopping, no debit card and no travel pass. Katharine decided to give it all up, to walk the streets with only a backpack and spend a year living off the food, clothes, other goods and accommodation that would otherwise go to waste. It would be year of squatting, scavenging and no spending. Would she survive and if she did would she ever want to go back? The journey takes her on a fascinating trip, from drug-dens to lavish squatted mansions. She has to learn to fend for herself and to trust the generosity of strangers and friends she makes along the way. She falls into a hidden community who teach her how to build a life using the things that others throw away, and finds that life on the margins amounts to so much more than you might think.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2010

Reviews

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read. I found the reflection on money, consumerism and capitalism really compelling, and I liked the tone of the book. The facts inserted here and there make it a serious read but it doesn't get boring.
I also liked that she believes in what she says enough not to move back home straight at the end of the challenge, but stuck with it longer because she found it sustainable.

[Alicia M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining memoir of the author's year of squatting, mixed with interesting and thought provoking facts about waste, housing and sustainability

[Margob99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! I would really, really enjoy an update from the author, given all that has happened in the world since she wrote this book.

[marbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this much more than I anticipated to. Very informative and thought provoking.

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book & while I admire the author's journey of squatting, binning (or skipping as they say in the UK) and hitchhiking, I know that life ain't for me. Katharine took a year out of her life without work, without paying rent and her only income came from finding things in the garbage and selling them on the internet. The other squatters & binners she met weren't scary or junkies, but activists or foreigners who had jobs working in cafes or bars & sent money back home so they didn't want to pay rent.

This book is meant to showcase how wasteful society has become. Cafe's make too much food "just in case" and end up throwing out perfectly good sandwiches, pastries and salads at the end of the day. Groceries toss out fruit & veg for no other reason than an apple isn't as shaped as nicely as the others. And the biggest waste is all the buildings that will sit empty for 5 years or more waiting to be redeveloped, when there are so many homeless people and people looking for affordable homes. It's a true shame and while a few times you get a lecture from the author, you easily get the message after a description of her day.

3.5 stars!

[Sharolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my mum might regret giving me this book when we take her grandson and move in to an abandoned property, living on food scavenged from skips. As the author writes from London it has inspired me to look in to squatting regulations in Australia, but I can only imagine they are not at all favourable. Katherine Hibbert concludes the book with an excellent summary of the overwhelming wastefulness of our society in terms of food and goods thrown away and properties left empty with laws prohibiting their use despite large homelessness problems and long waiting lists for community housing. It has got me thinking. I hope to take some kind of revolutionary action in response....

[Teo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about squatting in the United Kingdom! I honestly didn't expect this topic; I kind of just picked it off the shelf because the title sounded interesting. Anyway it's an enlightening book about living on the margins of what we know as civilised society and the excessive waste that we produce as urbanites. It's appalling, and just think that if we stopped wasting resources probably none of all these disasters from climate change would be happening right now. I would consider going squatting myself, except that it's probably illegal here. :P

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting read on a subject I didn't know a lot about beforehand. It illustrates just how wasteful and needlessly cruel our society can be, as edible food is ruined and liveable homes wrecked for the sake of stopping squatters (or anyone else) from getting anything for free.

It's a well written memoir on a topic that I've not seen much else written about and it has some clear points and arguments to make about the current state of housing and waste in the UK.

[Lorra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting account of a lady in the UK who decides to live without money for a year. She squats, skips (dumpster-dives), and freecycles. She rides her bike everywhere. She makes great communal friendships. It's a very inspiring look at the world and how much we take for granted and throw away.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part journal, part documentary on the subcultures of squatting and skipping. Katharine manages to live for a whole year without spending any money. A page turner for me, balancing the story of her journey from scared newbie to seasoned pro with informed detail of the history and laws surrounding squatting and skipping.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of people on the fringes of society

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very interesting read