This being the beginning of a new year, I’m sure there are those that are looking to start a journey of self-sufficiency, cutting living costs, and/or homesteading. This journey can take many forms and is unique to each individual(s). For us, it means being responsible for most of our own food through growing and raising animals, as well as taking an active role in creating as much of what we need ourselves by wisely using the resources we have available to us. Ultimately, it means designing a lifestyle that is efficient, sustainable, and enjoyable. Transitioning to self-sufficient living is not an all or nothing proposition, but it does requires research and planning. But have no fear, there are some small steps that you can take that can get you started today, wherever you live, and with whatever resources and skills you already have.
Take Care of Yourself By Purchasing Real Food: Taking care of the body you are given is probably the best way to start your journey to self-sufficiency. There is no better way of depending less on big pharma and health insurance companies than to eat healthy. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say that it’s too expensive to eat healthy. When I ask what they purchased or I see cart full of processed “food,” I can’t help but think, “No wonder your bill is so high.” If you eliminate the crackers, bread products, cereals, granola, etc., you will find that your food bill will go down (or at least stay the same). “But what will I eat?” You ask. REAL FOOD! Stock your fridge and pantry with meats, cheeses, nuts, fruits, seeds, and veggies. Not only will you reap the benefits of a smaller waste line, but you will also help cut the cost of health care as you will have less colds, flu, headaches, depression, cancer, etc.
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Buy Produce in Season and Local: Just because you can buy about any fruit or veggie at the grocery year round, doesn’t mean that you should. Believe it or not, strawberries, blueberries, and most other produce don’t grow 365 days a year. Buying in the off season costs you more. Plus there is a price associated with getting fruits, veggies, and meats from across the country or another country. This includes food being less nutrient dense, the potential for contamination from the country of origin (and our own country), and it just isn’t sustainable. Resources are used to ship food around the world, land is exploited, and corporations treat food as a commodity with the almighty dollar being the bottom line, not your health and well-being.
Fruits and veggies are less expensive and more nutritious when they are in season where you live. During this time, it’s a good idea to stock up and save. You can freeze, can, dehydrate, or freeze-dry produce to use during the off season.
Wanna cull your dependence on big box stores? Visit farmers markets or join a CSA. Not only will you get local, in season foods, you also get to know the farmer and how they raise their produce and their animals.
Grow Some of Your Own Food: While this might be intimidating at first, it doesn’t have to be. Start small, maybe just a container full of greens. Let’s say you spend $5 on a bag of potting soil and salvage a pot or bucket for planting in. Spend $2 on a packet of lettuce seeds, sow them, and in a month’s time (give or take) you’ll be rewarded with multiple heads of lettuce and a food that grows back after a cutting. If you’re paying $2 for a head of lettuce, you only need to grow four to recoup your cost. Not only has it paid for itself, but you also know where the lettuce has come from, how it was grown, and it will be packed full of more nutrients!
Check out our blog post on 3 Reasons to Begin Gardening
Perhaps you have grander plans and would like to start one or two beds outside. Here is a good place to start.
Barter or Trade with Friends and Neighbors: The other day, our neighbor killed a wild boar and we traded raw goat milk, cheese, and eggs for fresh boar. We have also traded for fresh fish and venison at other times. It doesn’t just have to be trading food for food. Perhaps you have a skill(s) that you can barter with or items that you have accumulated. Need some ideas? 40 Items to Barter With in a Post-Collapse World
Get Creative and Learn New Skill(s): Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes, and self-sufficiency with force you to think on your feet. Learn some new skills and do it yourself. The internet and the library are abundant with DIY instructions for fixing just about everything. Thanks to Youtube my partner and I were able to redo my bathroom, including the plumbing, something I had never done before.
Reuse items that you have laying around. We have used old pallets to build a chicken coop and left over plywood from a project to build a brooder. There are TONS of creative people in this world who have come up with some crazy and useful ideas. No reason to reinvent the wheel. Search Pinterest and Google for ways to use things that you have laying around.
Other skills that could be to learned is to cook your own meals, prepare your own snacks, and mend your own clothes (about as far as I have gotten is sewing on buttons and mending seams and holes). One of my goals this year is to make my own lotions and soaps from goat milk and herbs.
We hope some of this suggestions help get you started. One of our goals at The Chosen Weeds, is to give you encouragement as well as provide practical, useful information and resources.