It can't be said that publishers haven't responded to the financial crisis, and I don't mean cutting back staff, though there has been a bit of that as well. I blogged earlier on in the year about the books that charted the history of the crisis: such books as George Soros' The Crash of 2008 and What It Means and Harry S Dent's The Great Depression Ahead. Further into the year and the widening of the recession, there is a movement of books targeted at changing lifestyles and extending your money a bit further. For those who want to understand a bit more about how it all works, Filthy Lucre: Economics for Those Who Hate Capitalism, by Joseph Heath, explains some of the economics that rule the market.

There are new books on personal finance, such as From Red to Black: How To Get Out of Debt and Understanding the Numbers: The First Steps in Managing Your Money. Then there are the more hard-hitting: Credit Card Stressbusters, which sports a scissor-weilding hand, cutting up said credit card, on the front cover and another How To Give Up Shopping (or at least cut down): the journey back to conscious spending. And onward to new DIY-inspired books in craft, art and architecture, cooking and gardening...

There has been a marked interest in books on craft: knitting, sewing, making toys and a steady stream of new books to cater to the increased demand. The craft shelf is chockers full of vibrant and strange creations. Meet Me At Mike's the book to go with Pip Lincolne's craft shop in Fitzroy has been selling like chocolate and the likes of The Knitted Odd-Bod Bunch and Wild Tea Cosies, detail extraordinarily bright and curious creatures to liven up your home.

I personally find it all a bit frightening, being used to a more minimalist style of living, the thought of doilies and tissue-box covers and dolls with long frocks covering up the dunny paper sends a shudder down my spine. But it seems everyone is into it. Creative Space: Urban Homes of Artists and Innovators, is a funky new coffee table book, introducing young and radical designers from around the world and the spaces they call home: almost all crammed full of sh...stuff: piles of records, books, mags, toys or cds stacked in corners (how hard is that to keep tidy!)

The more romantic will probably enjoy Thrifty Chic: Interior Style on a Shoestring, that contains lots of white-painted wooden furniture and rose-patterned fabrics draped around the home. Beyond the interior, there is also a recent book on budget architecture: Modern Shoestring: Contemporary Architecture on a Budget, that features US homes built for under $220 per square foot (falling well below the normal starting point of $400).

To inspire young artists there is The Guerilla Art Kit and How To Be An Explorer of The World both books focusing on ideas and projects to get in touch with the world around you and make a personal and affordable statement about it.

For the budget-conscious cook, The CWA Cookbook has been updated for the 21st century in its 70th anniversary year. Others include the hugely successful Four Ingredients and Cafe Food At Home, as well as more books focussing on topics like baking and preserving such as the local book Preserving the Italian Way.

One of our most successful gardening books of recent months is One Magic Square: Grow Your Own Food on One Square Metre, a very practical guide for those with only a small amount of growing space. On a similar theme, Growing Stuff: An Alternative Guide to Gardening, gives step-by-step instructions on how to grow potatoes in a paper sack, or carrots in an old pair of wellies. There is also the lovely new Natural Garden Style, which features a return to bio-diversity and natural habitat in gardening design.

And of course, for a little extra inspiration, there are all the biographies about sea changes and tree changes and carbon-free changes to hit the market over the last couple of years.

The message is clear, it's time to spend less time in the shops, and more time designing and making your own stuff - cut up the credit card, don the smock, pull on the gumboots, tuck in the apron, drag out the sewing machine and get creative.