Self-sufficient lifestyle is the capacity and routine of accommodating the greater part of your own needs and the necessities of your family without outside guide or assets. It depends on a heap of information and expertise, and additionally a soul of freedom and inspiration. Its endeavor is surely not for everybody, but rather the individuals who pick it have a tendency to be impassioned about their reasons.
To put it simply, growing your own food, generating your own energy and working on your own farm or from a home office is following a self-sufficient lifestyle. To a great extent, this results in vanishing your ‘expenses of living’. You get to be untethered to the work-purchase- spend buyer economy and flourish, rather, in an all the more privately focused, independent economy in which money related pay is less fundamental for a rich life.
Transitioning to self-reliant living requires quite some planning and research. In any case, have no apprehension: You can begin today, wherever you live and with whatever assets and skills you as of now have. Here are some basic strategies you can adopt to turn your vision into reality.
1. Practice frugality
Implement budgetary control by practicing frugality. Learn to do without the extravagances. Also, spend less than you earn and keep a tab on the expenses.
2. Think long-term
Focus on a permanent area and build up a long-term vision. You will need to have a practical arrangement that you can accomplish over a period of time suitable to your present phase of life. Be sensible and legitimate with yourself in regards to your capacities and task time spans.
3. Stick to the basics
Choosing where to begin your journey can feel overpowering. In case you’re unstable on lattes, dug in workspaces at unpleasant enormous city employments, living off monthly paychecks — just finding an ideal opportunity to thoroughly consider the how, where and when is testing. Begin by concentrating on survival and sustenance. Six principle circles direct your way to deal with independent living: water, shelter, nourishment, energy (counting transportation), finance and social circle. The circles you choose to take a shot at first will be depending on your circumstance, interests, one of a kind skills and funds. We as a whole have restrictions to accomplishing absolute confidence — yet after you know your points of confinement, you can endeavor to change them into potential outcomes.
Start your journey to a self-reliant life by sticking to these three easy strategies and build a life that’s independent and self-sustaining!
the six self-sufficient lifestyle areas we concentrated on:
1 – HOUSING
Downsize – We took a good look at our house…we had more of a house than we needed or could afford? Our house in town was 2500 sq. ft. and cost a small fortune to heat and cool let alone the taxes we paid each year. We have downsized to a 1400 sq. ft. house and saved over $800 a month just in taxes, insurance, and mortgage payments.
Less is more – There is something about purging all the stuff you collect over the years. When we downsized, we felt a real sense of freedom from owning less and ridding ourselves of all that useless clutter.
2 – FINANCES
Debt reduction – This was top on our list. Like every other family in America, we were caught in the vicious circle of debt. When we made the choice to live a more simplistic life, we knew that our first plan of attack was to deal with our outstanding debt.
We created a 5-year plan and wrote it down. Our goal was to work less and live more! In order for us to work less, we needed to be debt free. Being debt free allowed us to build our homestead and become more self-sufficient.
Created a budget – We had to know where every penny was going and what was being wasted. Once we reviewed our budget we clearly were able to make adjustments to our income and expenses.
Started a payoff plan – We took the smallest of our debt and added anything extra to it every month, in no time we had it paid off.
Stopped using credit – We knew we would never get anywhere if we’re still charging. We cut up all of our cards except one we kept for emergencies.
This did not happen overnight and it took us five years to have all our debt, except our mortgage, paid off.
Understand the difference between needs and wants – This was hard for me to come to terms with. I now put myself through a list of questions before I make any new purchases.
Have I researched this product and found the best price?
Can I fix, repair or reuse the product I am replacing?
Have I waited a few days to see if the need outweighs the want? 3 – EXPENSES
Use only one phone service…choose a land line or cell phone we didn’t need both.
Cut out our cable completely.
We rent movies instead of going to the theater.
Shop at second-hand stores.
Limited eating out to special occasions, if at all.
Use up leftovers.
Stay out of the stores.
Replaced paper towels with old cut up towels.
Replaced paper napkins with cloth napkins.
Replaced Kleenex with old fashion hankies.
We make our own laundry detergent.
Replaced fabric softener with white vinegar.
A monthly box of baking soda, Borax, and white vinegar go a long way. The vinegar diluted with water cleans all mirrors, windows, and floors. The baking soda and Borax cleans all sinks, toilets, and tubs.
Recycle, Reuse, Reduce
In our home, anything that can be reused and reinvented is done so.
Any kitchen scraps, chicken, and rabbit manure are turned into rich compost that fertilizes our garden and refills the raised beds every year.
Rainwater is gathered to water plants around the yard and garden.
We give everything a second look before it heads to the trash. Our recycle bins leave an unsightly pile beside the barn, but if something needs repairing the fix is waiting in our reuse pile.
4 – FOOD
Buying out of season fruits and vegetables is very costly. We plan our menus around what is fresh and in-season.
We watch the sales and only buy items when they go on sale.
We shop at stores that offer volume discounts and those that are typically cheaper. The Dollar Store and Aldi’s are two of my favorites.
We grow our own vegetables.
We raise your own meat
5 – ENERGY
Replace light bulbs with energy-saving ones.
Unplug anything that is not currently in use.
Stop using your dishwasher.
Use the sun as your clothes dryer.
Plan your meals ahead and don’t rely on your microwave.
Naturally, dry your hair.
Save all errands for one day.
Have no TV days.
Close doors to rooms, not in use to conserve energy.
Have no light days…enjoy the flicker of an oil lamp.
Replace electric clocks with wind up ones.
Go to bed when the sun goes down…this is my favorite since I love going to bed early!
Find an alternative heat source. Wood, solar or wind power.
6 – PREPAREDNESS
As we strive to become more self-sufficient, we are also planning for the unexpected.
We have 3 – 10 gallon filled water jugs stored in case the electric goes out and we do not have access to the well.
Bottled water for drinking is always in the pantry setback for emergencies.
Our generator is in working order and always ready to put into service to keep the freezer and refrigerator working.
Our pantry is stocked with staples and home canned goods that could feed us for weeks.
The grills propane bottle is always filled and an extra is always stored away.
Candles and oil lamps are a staple in our house.
Our first-aid kit is readily available.
Growing Your Own Food
Growing your own food is a hands-on way to lower your foodprint.
When you are growing your own food you are in control of every step of the growing process — from seed selection and soil and pest management all the way to harvesting and composting. Plus a garden can provide a relaxing way to connect with nature and work with your hands.
And while a home garden might sound intimidating, gardening can be done on any scale, from a windowsill of kitchen herbs to a backyard vegetable plot. With the right plan in hand, a home garden can easily fit the demands of busy lives and tight budgets.
Ready to get gardening? We’ve got plenty of resources to get you started, including a step-by-step gardening guide and seed selection information, plus lots of resources for making best use of your fresh produce.
Gardening 101
The idea of growing your own food can seem intimidating: you need a lot of space, sun and great soil for that, right? But gardening can be anything from a windowsill herb garden to a few pots of cherry tomato plants on a small patio or ledge. The rewards of daily plant care – watering, weeding, harvesting – are fresh, home-grown foods that really can’t be beat.
In order to do gardening right, you just need a plan. And lucky for you, we’ve got a step-by-step guide to get you from zero to full grown garden plot. So take some time this winter (it’s best to start early, before the gardening season actually starts) to map out your plan, and come summer time, you’ll be swimming in veggies — or have an apartment full of herbs — whatever works best for you.
1. UNDERSTAND YOUR SPACE
The first step of successful garden plan is understanding your space. Although you might want a full-fledged garden, does your backyard get good sunlight, have steep slopes or have areas with lots of tree roots?
There are a lot of things to consider when picking out a garden space. The ideal garden has great soil, gets six to eight hours of sunlight a day and is spacious enough for the plants growing in it. Conducting a soil test beforehand is also a good idea; these tests can help make sure the soil will provide the essential nutrients and isn’t contaminated. Soil test kits can be purchased online, and may also be offered at agriculture colleges.
2. THINK ABOUT YOUR GARDENING GOALS
Once you evaluate your space, you’ll also want to consider your gardening goals. Think about how much, time, effort and money you want to put into your plot. Some plants take more maintenance than others; first time gardeners might decide to start small and can always add in more later if things are going well.
3. CHOOSE YOUR SEEDS
Once you have an idea of your goals and garden size, it’s time to pick your seeds. A guide like the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map can help determine what plants will thrive in your area and will make it easier to choose the right plant varieties. There are a number of organic, non-GMO seed companies to choose from that offer heirloom, vegetable, flower and herb seeds.
4. MAKE A MAP
Next you’ll need to map out your garden. Seed packets often include spacing in terms of traditional, farm-based row cropping, so using a plant spacing chart can help determine how much space you need to leave between your seeds for ideal garden growing. Creating a calendar and to-do list for your garden — with tasks such as planting seedlings, setting up your outdoor space and transplanting seedlings — will also set you up for success.
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