Things You Can Do to become more self sufficient

[Heather]

THINGS YOU CAN DO
(to be more self-sufficient)

How, where and what you do to become self-sufficient is a personal choice. Doing as much as you can yourself in the environment you live is a noble goal. It takes time and discipline to reach your goals but once they are reached it can be quite liberating. Here's a list of things you can do (some big, some small) to become more self-sufficient. You will find that most of these tips will save you money and are good for the environment. Saving money comes hand in hand with self-sufficiency. Your labor is much cheaper than someone else's.



Plant your own vegetable garden.

Change your own oil on your car or truck.

Cut your own firewood.

Collect and use rain water instead of municiple or well water.

Supplement your house's heating system with solar water panels.

Supplement your hot water needs with solar water panels.

Mulch your garden with local organic mulch instead of store bought products.

Use home-made compost and free manure to enrich your garden's soil.

Grow non-hybrid vegetables and save the seeds for next year's planting.

Grow potatoes and save the fingerlings for next years planting.

Use square foot gardening techniques to grow lots of vegetables in small places.

Build a greenhouse to extend your growing season.

Build a root cellar to store your harvest.

Start a small orchard for a variety of fruits.

Learn how to preserve food by canning.

Raise bees to help pollination and for honey. (Honey is the only food substance that will not spoil.)

Raise chickens for meat and eggs.

Raise sheep for wool and meat.

Raise goats or a dairy cow for dairy products.

Preserve vegetables by sun drying them.

Spin wool into yarn for making clothes.

Make your own furniture out of tree branches.

Preserve vegetables by freezing them.

Grow herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes.

Use edible wild plants to supplement one's diet.

Use containers to grow vegetables in small places.

Use chicken manure (composted) to help fertilize your garden.

Use, use and reuse as much as possible before throwing away.

Conserve electricity whenever possible.

Tune-up your own car or truck.

Sharpen your own tools.

Build your own home.

Grow grapes for preserves or raisins.

Build a pond and raise fish for food.

Use solar panels to supplement your energy needs.

Learn how to use a welder.

Use clothes lines to dry clothes instead of a mechanical dryer.

Grow grains to feed your own livestock.

Grow alfalfa to return nitrogen to the soil.

Use a generator for emergency and supplemental power.

Dig or drive your own well (make sure the water is tested before using for drinking).

Bake your own bread.

Do your own plumbing.

Do your own electrical work.

Run a small business from your home.

Barter goods and services with your neighbors.

Use a push mower instead of a gas or electric mower.

Use a bicycle (whenever possible) instead of a motorized vehicle.

Consider becoming a vegetarian. (Raising animals for food takes more energy and resources than growing vegetables--eat lower on the food chain.)

Have any maples trees? Make your own syrup as a sugar substitute.

Not a vegetarian? Supplement your diet by hunting game.

Home school your children. They can incorporate gardening and livestock care into their curriculum and it saves on travel(environmentally sound), uniform costs and school trip expenses(frugal).As well as allowing them to be educated in sustainable living/permaculture. Something schools don't cover!! It's rewards are many fold and results in happy well balanced children!!!!
(Submitted by Naomi Lever)


Would you like to add your ideas to the list? Drop me a note and I'll be happy to include your ideas.

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[Admin]

Wow, what a great list. Now if I just had the age, and energy to go with it. Sounds like lots of work but tons of fun. How many of these do you do countrygirl?

Everyone else..

Me, let's see

Dh can do plumbing and some electrical work

Does making bread in my machine count?? LOL

Dh can weld but doesn't have the equipment

We have a few grape vines

We do sharpen out own tools.

Dh does our tune ups and can do oil changes, but no where to get rid of the used oil so we take it in.

I try to conserve as much electric as I can. I am a big stickler about this but I think dh is even better at it.

A few years ago I grew over 35 different types of herbs for cooking and crafts. Not much anymore since we don't have as much space.

In the past I have canned alot. Not so much since we moved to this city house.

Now, let's hear how all of you rate in the homestead quest.

[braided-rug]

Here is our list:

Plant your own vegetable garden, we tried some last year, so will again this year, just a few.

Change your own oil on your car or truck, yes.

Cut your own firewood, definitely, we worked up to it.

Collect and use rain water instead of municiple or well water, I'd have to enter some more competitions to win a tank.

Supplement your house's heating system with solar water panels, it is pretty foggy here but I have thought about it, well for hot water anyway.



Mulch your garden with local organic mulch instead of store bought products, have been getting mulch from the tip/dump, just bought one recently to see what I was missing out on.

Use home-made compost and free manure to enrich your garden's soil, yes we have a pile down the back, don't buy any fertiliser except an occasional lawn fertilizer.

Grow non-hybrid vegetables and save the seeds for next year's planting, we recently accidently bought two or three hybrid cherry tomatoes. A friend grew us some tiny replacements or additions and they were planted out on the weekend, they are tiny though.

Grow potatoes and save the fingerlings for next years planting, one came up in the compost.

Use square foot gardening techniques to grow lots of vegetables in small places, must investigate that.

Build a greenhouse to extend your growing season, ours is pretty big, but greenhouses have been popular, my Nana had one.

Build a root cellar to store your harvest, our first house, we always tried to fill with food.

Start a small orchard for a variety of fruits, we have a seedling apple, could get an orange.

Learn how to preserve food by canning, a bit rusty.

Raise bees to help pollination and for honey. (Honey is the only food substance that will not spoil.) My Grandfather's skills died with him, we would have to start from scratch.

Raise chickens for meat and eggs, could do that, was very tempted recently with the post on chickens.

Raise sheep for wool and meat, seen too many sheep in my lifetime I think.

Raise goats or a dairy cow for dairy products, too cute re: goats. Don't think I have enough room for a cow. Have a farm I'd love to buy, but have other commitments atm. Possibly too cold there and too far out of town for gas.

Preserve vegetables by sun drying them. Lovely idea. Love the idea of doing that with walnuts.

Spin wool into yarn for making clothes, have the equipment, not too good with the mothballs.

Make your own furniture out of tree branches, thinking.

Preserve vegetables by freezing them, done it before, maybe we'll get to it again.

Grow herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes, yes.

Use edible wild plants to supplement one's diet, blackberries, are going to try soon. Did this in 2003.

Use containers to grow vegetables in small places, does the herb tub count?


Use, use and reuse as much as possible before throwing away. Used to reuse jars for jam. I think we do this.

Conserve electricity whenever possible, we changed our bulbs to flourescent.

Tune-up your own car or truck, yes.

Sharpen your own tools, yes.

Build your own home, not if we can help it!

Grow grapes for preserves or raisins, usually something happens to them.

Build a pond and raise fish for food, not sure about this. Could probably go to the river.



Learn how to use a welder, yes.

Use clothes lines to dry clothes instead of a mechanical dryer, son uses it, I don't except for bedding sometimes.

Grow grains to feed your own livestock, not enough room.

Grow alfalfa to return nitrogen to the soil, maybe lucerne instead?

Use a generator for emergency and supplemental power, probably a good idea.

Dig or drive your own well (make sure the water is tested before using for drinking). Have done this once. Water is expensive.

Bake your own bread. Not too good with yeast rising.

Do your own plumbing. It is illegal but we try.

Do your own electrical work. Same.

Run a small business from your home. Tempting, not really a business type.

Barter goods and services with your neighbors. Same.

Use a push mower instead of a gas or electric mower.

Use a bicycle (whenever possible) instead of a motorized vehicle.

Consider becoming a vegetarian. (Raising animals for food takes more energy and resources than growing vegetables--eat lower on the food chain.) We eat alot of vegie meals.

Have any maples trees? Make your own syrup as a sugar substitute. Maybe a bit hard in OZ.

Not a vegetarian? Supplement your diet by hunting game. Love to do that, have the dog for it.

Home school your children. They can incorporate gardening and livestock care into their curriculum and it saves on travel(environmentally sound), uniform costs and school trip expenses(frugal).As well as allowing them to be educated in sustainable living/permaculture. Something schools don't cover!! It's rewards are many fold and results in happy well balanced children!!!!

Thought about it and got some workbooks.