For the past 3 years we've been gradually becoming more & more self-reliant. Quite simply we enjoy the challenges & chores associated with this goal. It seems to suit us! We gain immense satisfaction from providing all our own fruit,veges, meat,cheese, chicken ,eggs, milk etc.
But is it all just an unrealistic ideal in this day & age? What changes need to occur in our thinking to totally encompass self sufficiency?
Somehow it has always seemed to me there is more to it all than just the everyday stuff. The site below explores some of the broader issues.
I hope you find it as interesting as I have. Certainly made me think about the wider aspects of homesteading & self reliance/sufficiency.

http://www.lifestylefarmer.com/articles/175e_self_sufficiency.htm

Maggie, I agree with the article. Thanks for sharing that.

Our family is working more and more towards self sufficiency. We've achieved a lot in the past several years and even more so since we moved to the country.

Here are some things we've done:

~bake from scratch (but I still use my electric range to cook with). We don't have a microwave and don't plan on purchasing one.
~I dry all my clothes inside on clothesracks or outside on our clothesline. I don't have a dryer (I do have an electric washing machine)
~we insulated our whole house except for one bedroom. (we did have to purchase insulation, gyproc and studs to make the walls into 6 inches)
~dh put in all new electrical wiring where he could (we did have to purchase the wiring)
~dh redid an old garage and made it into his workshop. We had saved sheets of plywood from a job he had done when he was employed and we had saved them for years. I had purchased all the light covers and plug-in covers from a yard sale for $5.00 for a huge bag full. He did all his own electrical wiring and learnt from books from the library. All tested and approved by the electrical company in our province. (We did have to purchase the insulation, studs and nails)
~I do all my canning/preserving. I bought many of my canning jars from yard sales and when we moved here, I was given 6 dozen of jars.
~we grow most of our own veggies (I do purchase the seeds)
~we use only compost for fertilizer, all made from scraps of fruit and veggies.
~I make many of our clothes (I purchase material)
~I do all our quilting (so far I've purchased all my material)
~I'm learning to crochet (so far I've purchased all my wool new, but I plan on watching at yard sales and the thrift stores. I do have a spinning wheel, I don't have sheep)
~I stay out of the big box stores and purchase what I need (as much as possible) from mom & pop stores in the country, rather than go into the city and purchase from big businesses.
~what I can't grow, I try as much as possible to purchase from farmer's or farmer's markets
~we have a small craft business which we want to grow into a larger one. Dh gets much of his wood from companies that throw it out, but he still had to purchase his toys (whoops I mean tools) :mwhistle: Yes, he could possibly have made some, but then our life probably would have gotten more complicated and he would probably have been more frustrated. Thats not his gifting (making tools). We hope that eventually, along with a small pension, that will give us the income we need to survive on, rather than having to be employed outside our home.

I'm sure the list could go on and on, and were not near to the point where I want to be. Were getting there, but we will always have to rely on others in some things. I don't plan on going without electricity or medicine or at this point natural gas to heat my home. BUT I can support local businesses when it comes to purchasing smaller things, or local farmers when it comes to the purchase of veggies I don't grow, honey (because I don't raise bees) and such. I refuse to have an outhouse or not having running water or a hot water tank, so that I can take a hot bath at my leisure.

I think in our society, most of us won't ever be as self-sufficient as we want to be. My dil's brother is as close to becoming as self-sufficient as I'd love to be. He built his own home, with no electricity, no phone, no computer, has a generator for his power, uses an outhouse, dug his own well and lives with his girlfriend quite happily. BUT even though he is where he is in the self-sufficient lifestyle, if he is sick, he gets medicine. He still has a vehicle, he needs one where he lives. We have a vehicle, we need one where we live, were 100 kms from the biggest hospital.

Our goal as a family when it comes to self-sufficiency, is to be as self-sufficient as we can possibly can and God reliant. We strive as much as possible to stay out of the city or BIG BOX stores, such as Walmart. We will continue to do what we can to become even more self-sufficient, but in actuality, in our society, we won't ever totally be where we want to be.

After living without the everyday things that society deems "necessary" several times in my life, I find that when you are faced with a situation, you'd be surprised what you can do without.

As I've posted here before, you can do quite well living off the grid. If, for some reason, the eletrical systems were to go down again today, would you be prepared to live without it? Electricty has become the main stay in this world. Eveny thing that people do today has something to do with it. Their are those in our society that are "leeches" on the system and take everything for granted. If it were "sink or swim" with these people, they would sin. They would be horrified if told that there would be no more electric to run the office buildings or big screen TV's.

A few remidies to living off the grid:
Electric lights: Kerosene lamps (also provides heat), battery operated lamps
Electric Water Pumps: Gas operated pumps
Refridgeration: Gas operated refridgerators
Electric Stoves: Gas/propane stoves, wood stoves
Heat: Wood stove or propane stove - Kerosene heator or stove
Hot water: Heated on wood or propane stove.
TV: Battery operated
Computer - Liberarys or communtiy centers
Electrical tools: Gas generators
Toliets - composting systems. There are special toliets for people without a flowing water source.
Homes that are wired for operating off a gas generator, wind power or solar panels.

These are all things that I used on my farm. I saved over $100/month by having no electric and loved every minute of it.

Susie in MN

Susie, I agree with you in that if we had to, I know that we could live off grid. Do I want to, nope!!! At least not at this point in my life. Thats not saying I wouldn't ever want to, but right now I'm working on other things to be self-sufficient.

Even if you go off grid and use gas stoves, you still need to rely on business to purchase gas or propane. Even if you use oil lamps, you still need a place to purchase the oil from. I think thats what the article is talking about, in that even though you'd be more self-sufficient than the next guy, you still need to rely on others for some things.

My BIGGEST dream would be where I could be at a point where I didn't have to rely on business at all. Kinda like your friend Susie - by the sounds of him, he is pretty self-sufficient. I still think though in our society today, we'd need to rely on business at some point, kwim.

Wow, excellent posts! I am not as self sufficient as your families but I do what works for me. I greatly admire those who are striving to become more self sufficient. You are all an inspiration to me.

Susie, I agree with you in that if we had to, I know that we could live off grid. Do I want to, nope!!! At least not at this point in my life. Thats not saying I wouldn't ever want to, but right now I'm working on other things to be self-sufficient.

Even if you go off grid and use gas stoves, you still need to rely on business to purchase gas or propane. Even if you use oil lamps, you still need a place to purchase the oil from. I think thats what the article is talking about, in that even though you'd be more self-sufficient than the next guy, you still need to rely on others for some things.

My BIGGEST dream would be where I could be at a point where I didn't have to rely on business at all. Kinda like your friend Susie - by the sounds of him, he is pretty self-sufficient. I still think though in our society today, we'd need to rely on business at some point, kwim.

I agree, I couldn't live the full self-suffecent life style anymore because of the RA and osteo. But there are ways that I could be more relient on myself. I'm going to make it a point to be more that way this year.

And yes, we've always had to depend on others for things such as gas and propane. But even in the old days, they had to have some things brought in that they couldn't provide themselves. I was watching a PBS program (for the second time) on a man who lived up in Alaska for 36 years by himself without electric, coal or gas. He did have someone fly in the things he needed that he couldn't supply himself. He built his own cabin, using logs from the forests. Even made his own furniture and built his own fireplace. Made me envious.

Cowboy Del loves his life. He's had many chances to live another way, but he says that he wouldn't want it any other way. He's set up quite a homestead and has worked years to get it the way he wants it. He bought a motorhome a few years ago to take him to the horse auctions. He has all the moden convenices in the RV, but when he's home it's parked and he stays in his 3 room cabin. I asked once, why he didn't stay in the RV and he just said that the cabin was better.

I think that all of us here would like to be more self-sufficiant. And we're all working at it as well! I believe that it's a more satisfing life style.

Susie in MN

gotta run, short answer, love this topic.

living simpler and more in our control so to speak, by doing as much as possible within the home

Reduces cost
reduces waste
easier on environment
more healthy
moves towards an organic foods diet

reduces energy of me (go out to work, high stress, buy stuff other people made, come out with less life, less energy and less money, and cost me way more time, energy and money to live)

feels good

protects our family from bad times (pantry is more than just about catastrophe, it's about insulating from short paychecks etc)

Insulates against financial ups and downs

buys freedom!

Interesting link, Maggie. Thanks. I think there is much more to self sufficiency than merely producing one's own requirements. I really like one particular sentence in that article "Cultivate a generous attitude.". That, to me, it one of the central points of self sufficiency. It's one thing to be low on money and grabbing all you can get, it's quite another to have a generous spirit and still be living within your means.

The more I think about it, and this has been one of my main topics with myself in the past few months, the more I dislike the term "self sufficiency". Like CJ, I don't aim to be what many people would call self sufficient. I'm leaning more towards a "homesteader" and that really is due to the influence of this board and FV on my thinking. It's like my version of vegetarianism - I made a committment to it but I live with it in my own way. I've tailored it to suit my needs.

I've decided that what I have now is enough. I'm not into acquiring more and more. But I'm not giving up things that I've worked hard for and I'm not living without the comforts that I already have. Airconditioning for example. For a hard line practitioner of self sufficiency, airconditioning would be one of the biggest no nos. For me, it's a necessity in summer, so I keep it.

I'm also not about to give up my car - but we will sell our second car.
I've halved my grocery bill by shopping more selectively and cooking always from scratch.
CONFESSION TIME! I've had an ironing lady for the past 7 years - she also helped me clean occasionaly. I let her go, but got her another job to replace me. I do feel so attached to her, she's been like family to us and it was a difficult thing to do - to both of us!
I have a vegie garden and will grow most, if not all, the vegies we eat. We have put in fruit trees.
We have chickens and get eggs from them.
We are going to learn how to fish.
I'm going to can the excess of our food production.
And the biggest thing for me - I'm not wasting anything. I was a terrible waster before, of food, money, clothing, everything! That's all stopped now.
I'm decluttering my house.

My aim is to be less reliant on big companies. To shop less at supermarkets. To support local businesses. And that gets me back on the generous spirit again. I think that unless you give of yourself to your locality - in whatever way suits you, I think your journey will be a selfish one. It's easy to give to neighbours when you have much to give, I wonder why most people don't do it. It means much more, to yourself and to those receiving it, when you give when you don't have much to give. THAT, my friends is the clincher for me. To be part of your local world, not because you buy yourself into it, but because you give something uniquely you to your community or your friends or neighbours. I suppose it's a movement away from the commercial and into the market society. It's looking at a can of Coke and saying: No, I don't want to drink something that contains 7 teaspoons of sugar and will rot my gut and my teeth, I'd rather have water. Maybe if more of us did that it would wind back the Coca-colaisation of the world - where we push western culture onto all other cultures. I digress.

So for me, "self sufficiency" is much more than the productive capabilities that make it possible. It's more a shift in my thinking and how I carry that philosophy into a simple lifestyle that makes my family happy and allows me to tread lightly on the earth.

Great post Bethany! You've given me a few ideas! There's more that I could do as well.

I have 2 vechicles, both paid in full. Being out in the woods, I want to make sure that I have one that will start, when I need it and DH may need it as well. I find myself using coupons on brand name products, rather than buying the store brands. Sometimes the store brands are cheaper, even when using the coupon. This will end.

I do conserve water, I know what it's like to haul water when the well stops producing. I'm also going to look at saving rain water again. My old farm house in MI had the eaves all going into my cistrin, that was easy. Now, I think I'll place plastic barrels under them.

Thanks for all the ideas!

Susie in MN

Great post Bethany. Your so right when you say we need to make self-sufficiency so were comfortable with it at our own level.

I'm with you BIG TIME on support the local economy. You said:


My aim is to be less reliant on big companies. To shop less at supermarkets. To support local businesses. And that gets me back on the generous spirit again. I think that unless you give of yourself to your locality - in whatever way suits you, I think your journey will be a selfish one. It's easy to give to neighbours when you have much to give, I wonder why most people don't do it. It means much more, to yourself and to those receiving it, when you give when you don't have much to give. THAT, my friends is the clincher for me. To be part of your local world, not because you buy yourself into it, but because you give something uniquely you to your community or your friends or neighbours. I suppose it's a movement away from the commercial and into the market society.

That is such a profound quote. What a different world it would be if we strived to do that.

I know many would say, "well I can't afford to do that". You can't afford not to. We live below the poverty line for a family of 5. And yet, we work hard at supporting our local businesses and the farmers that surround us. I look around rural Manitoba, and I know its the same in most provinces, and I see dying communities, because people have gone to the city and big box businesses to shop. They didn't counted the cost!!!! I see shops closed up, where when they were opened, you got the best service possible. I hear the local people complaining because they no longer have a grocery store, they no longer have a clothing store or a pharmacy, etc. Well no wonder!!!! Its a high cost we end up by paying, when we refuse to at least try to support the local community.

Yes, I do shop in the city when I'm there. I won't deny that the grocery bill is much lower when I do that and I can also get a discount. BUT we do as much as we possibly can to support our local communities, by purchasing local or at farmer's markets or by growing our own and sharing it with others. Then we work at being self-sufficient where we can, and becoming a "homesteader" in all areas of our lives, where we can be comfortable and content.

btw - I too own an a/c and I'm not giving it up. :mwhistle:

Bethany that point you make about generosity is wonderful. ITA!

When I've taught on frugality at church, I try to make it relevant for all income levels by teaching that the whole point of frugality is to increase choices

give us alternatives so we can choose to give more, be more generous with what we have and make conscious choices instead of railroaded into stuff because the neighbors buy an expensive vacuum, therefore we all need to do it or we don't "live right".

To me this self sufficiency frees up my life, so I can give more time, money and energy to needs around me.

RIGHT ON!

AND that local economy thing helps the environment. When you have choices, freed up to choose, you can choose local for other reasons than just cost.

Choosing local does a lot of good where you live. It's like giving but its not.

It's that conscious choosing again.

Thanks ladies. We all seem to be on the same wavelength regarding cultivating a generous spirit.
Last night I thought of more things we are doing here. They are:
We collect rainwater. We had a 5,000 gallon rainwater tank installed when we bought this house. I use that water on the garden but if needed and by installing extra filters, we could use it in the house as well.
We installed skylights in all the rooms with low natural light levels - the kitchen, one bathroom and the laundry room. This saves turning on lights during the day.
We always use energy saving light bulbs. They cost more but last much longer and end up costing less.
We added front and back verandahs to help cool the house. This means we only use the aircon during summer.
I make our bread.
We have a filter installed on one tap in the kitchen so we never buy bottled water.
I make my own laundry liquid. It's simple to make, it cleans like the dickens and it costs much less.
I use organic products whenever I can.
We use organic shampoo, hair conditioner, toothpaste, bug repellant and body lotion which we sell at our store. When we sell the shop, I will make the shampoo and hair conditioner that we use.
All our major appliances are five star energy efficient. They cost more to buy but it's like my gift to the environment and I find that the quality of these goods is much greater than the less energy efficient ones. Most of these appliances have 20 year warranties.
We recycle all our newpapers, cans, bottles and plastics. In the past year, I've halved the rubbish we throw out.
We compost everything we can. It's brilliant fertiliser.

There might be other things that I can't remember at the moment but you get the drift. If you have any other ideas for me to try let me know.

so right Bethany! It's about living consciously, making well thought out choices to benefit the environment as well as ourselves and our budget. They aren't incompatible.

I am loving all of the ways of self sufficiency here! Even though DH and I are frugal, we currently live in an apartment and are in the process of getting ready to move...hopefully to Colorado in the Summer/Fall of this year. Where DH will be starting his own Solar Energy company. and I will be starting my online design business. So, even though we cannot live as self sufficient as we want, for the moment...

What I do currently is:

have a small vegetable garden in the back (I thanked the landlord many times for this! :) )
Can all my preserves, chutney, apple butter, tomato sauce, salsa, stewed tomatoes,peaches, apples, etc.
We make most of our Christmas gifts.
We keep our heat very low and use candles and oil lamps for extra light in the dark Winter months.
I use an electric washer, but only use the dryer, to dry the clothes for 15 mins. Hang them up the rest of the time to dry. (saves on any electric ironing)
I design and make all of our bedding (including sheets), with purchased fabric.
I quilt
I sew some of our clothing (except jeans, and DH's work clothes and coats)
I crochet afghans, mittens, scarves and hats for charity and for ourselves.
We recycle and reuse everything we possibly can!!
We try not to collect clutter or stuff that we will never use.
I am currently learning how to make all of our soap and candle products!
We are very conscious about where we make any purchases. We stay away from all of the big corporate stores.
We use rechargable batteries in everything we can.
make all bake goods and meals from scratch.

I have to say that we will always have the convience of electricity and running water, but I can't wait to:

Have our own chickens (for eggs and some meat)
bees (for our never ending love of honey!)
solar power for heat and hot water
sheep (for wool, for knitting and crocheting)
rain barrels (for collecting water to use everyday)
land (just to be able to have a small piece of our own, where we can call home!)

Sounds like your a seasoned self-suficant family already! You have some great money saving ideas as well. To make it more admirable, you live in an apartment and are able to do all of this!

Wishing you the best on your move to CO.

Susie in MN

Hi Michele and welcome to HG.

You're smart to get a start on self sufficiency while you live in your apartment. I think self sufficency is more about your mindset than about the physical place you live in. What you are doing already is a great start to your new life. I love the idea of keeping bees too but one of my dogs needs to eat every flying insect she sees so it's not viable for me at the moment.

I wish you and your dh every success in your new home and your businesses. Let us know about your search for your homestead and your journey along the way.

Michele, what a wonderful post. Its so good to see your already doing so many wonderful things on your journey to self-sufficiency.

All the best as you continue. What an adventure your on. I can't wait to hear more about it.

btw - another quilter. My biggest passion is quilting. What type have you done and how long have you quilted?

Aww, thanks ladies...I'm blushing!

I have to say that DH has wanted to move to Colorado for a long time. Now I am ready. I want a piece of land and there is just none to be had here at any reasonable cost!

Plus, DH and I are dying to build a strawbale home! The weather in CO is more condusive for that. DH wants to start his own solar energy business, but not in VT. We hardly have any sun! LOL!

MommaCJ, I've been sewing for many years, but just started quilting three years ago. I have made baby and lap quilts, but not a huge quilt yet! I do love it though. It only took me 7 years to start. I wanted to do learn ten ears ago and just kept putting it off! I then said, the heck with that, my life is valuable and I think I need more things in it that "I" enjoy! Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, but if you do I would Love to see them!!!

I'll keep everyone updated on the moving saga! LOL!

Michele, check out these 2 links.

http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7155&highlight=quilt+I+made

http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9292&highlight=quilt+I+made

I have more posted at the village, I'll find them later and post the links here.

I couldn't agree more. Life is short so we need to enjoy it, doing things we love and have a passion for. Glad to hear you took up quilting.

CJ,

Your quilts are beutiful! I hope to someday post picts as I get them finished. We got a digital camera this year...I love it, saves on film and developing!!

We are leaving our home in June to move off grid in northern Minnesota. We have purchased 12 acres and a cabin on the Rapid River. The only access we will have at first will be by boat. We will eventually build a road into property going across our neighbors back property. (with their permission) The cabin is 20x28 with 2 sleeping lofts. We will be hauling in water until we hand drill a well. We will have solarpanels but not right a way but will still use oil lamps for light and have a pioneer maid woodstove for cooking and heating plus it has a watertank on back to heat water for washing. We will have gas fridge and hand wringer double washtubs for laundry. We will have no till gardens for veg's. The river has plenty of fish and we have deer and bear on property. We know we will never be totally self sufficient but we will be living a simple and cheaper lifestyle. We have both lived on farms growing up and have lived in Alaska and Canada for a time so know we love the cold weather. We are very excited about our move and have planned it out for 5 years. Its not the lifestlye some people would care to have but its the one we want and will have in a few short months!

Hello maudemae and welcome! You have obviously given much thought to your new life and have planned well. It sounds like it will be hard work.....but oh so rewarding! Will you need to work off the property for income? That is my biggest bugbear here! If only I could shut the gate permanently and stay home (sigh!).
I hope you will keep in touch with us here at Homestead Garden and let us know how you are getting along. I'm sure you will have lots of interesting stories and much to teach us. You will be living a life that many of us dream about.... but would probably not have the courage to actually make happen.
I wish you all the very best for this exciting challenge.

I agree with Maggie. Please stay in touch with us here so that we can learn from you. It's not a life that I could do but I am in awe and inspired by those who can. I wish you only the very best on your new adventure.

It has just occurred to me (DUH!) that you will not have a computer at your new abode! I hope you can get to one now & again so we may share a little of your adventure, Maudemae.

I suppose I have a different perspective on sustainability, and look more inward than outward.

I really do not ever foresee myself being completely self-reliant when it comes to the things I want, need and use in my life. For me, sustainability will come when my feet are placed to the fire and at that point, I will see just how self reliant I can be. I suppose as long as the things I enjoy in this world are readily available to me, I will continue to use them and enjoy them being part of my life. But if push comes to shove one day, I would hope that I can rely on strength of spirit, determination and creativeness to get by.

I heard many stories from my Dad about the Great Depression....no one was 'ready' or prepared. Some survived. Some didn't. But I think for those who survived it had just as much to do with their determination and ability to make do and cope as it did having lots of things at the ready. I suppose my point is 'can we ever be completely prepared and self-reliant'? When it comes right down to it, even the most prepared of us may have to live without things we are used to having. And at that point, will creativity and ingenuity kick in? Or do we become so accustomed to thinking in terms of being self sufficient that we almost get brazen in our attitudes that we do not need anyone but ourselves.

I know around here there are fat weeks and lean weeks....times when I have to watch money much closer than other times. And we survive. There is always fat that can be cut....luxuries that we can do without when necessary. Ways to make that package of meat go farther and still make sure everyone is fed and healthy. And most importantly, ways to feel comfortable and satisfied with life even though we don't have the extra money for pizza on Friday night. MY dream of self-sufficiency is that if 5 years went by with no money for a pizza, I could still find a way to make my family feel rich in heart and find the blessings that ARE there, rather than feeling sorry for the things we no longer have. Maybe that sounds silly to some of you who are working so hard to not have to rely on outside sources for your survival - and please don't misunderstand me. I applaud your ideas and pioneer spirit...you are doing something I could never do by choice. But I also think there is an aspect to sustainability that has nothing to do with how many jugs of water are stored or how many acres of woods is necessary to supply heat in a woodstove for 5 years.

I loved the comments Bethany made about being generous of spirit. Of all the qualities a person could possess, I think that is right there at the top. Anyone can give from their excess, but to really be generous when you can least afford to be....that takes great heart, and courage, and faith.

Just my take on this subject on a cold Michigan morning!! :) This has been such an interesting thread with so many great ideas and views - one of the reasons this site is my favorite!! And I have to say this, even though I've said it before. This is the ONLY site I have ever been to where I have never seen any mean comments made or anyone ever get snippy with anyone else. Everyone here is to be commended for their wonderful attitudes and thoughtful consideration of ideas different from their own. :hurray:

Wonderful thoughts there Farmgirl. Thank you.

thanks for the welcome and encouragment. We will have solar panels and a back up generator to use for laptop, charge cellphone, occassionally play a dvd on tv(not often). We will be using starband (http://www.starband.com/)for internet service.So I will still be online once a day or so and will keep you up to date on our adventures. And enjoy reading about everyones here :hearts:

Sorry, I forgot to answer about working. I am fortunate to be able to stay at home. I am a retired labtech. Though hubby is retired army he is a owner operator truck driver and wants to keep doing this for at least 2 more years before retiring again. So I will be the farmer, builder, cook and bottle washer most of the time though I have already lined up a handyman to help with things I can't do.

Oooh can't wait to hear more about your experiences.