Learning How to be Self Sufficient & Self Sustaining
SELF SUFFICIENT – being very independent and providing your own basic needs and not needing outside resources to do so.
SELF SUSTAINING – continuing to be self sufficient and maintaining a healthy life.
A lot of people go to homesteading or farming because they want to be more self sufficient.
It’s not a bad trait to have, in fact, you will ultimately live
A Healthier & More Fulfilling Lifestyle
Having these traits could eventually lead to living off the grid or you could just make it that!
Some people think about homestead as having a couple chickens on a 1/2 acre of land and a small garden for a couple vegetables to make homemade salsa.
While this is somebody’s version of a small homestead, it’s not self sufficient or will it ever be self sustaining.
Figuring Out How to Be Self Sufficient
Think about your daily/weekly item usage:
Hand Soap
Shampoo
Conditioner
Laundry Detergent
Paper Towels
Toilet Paper
Food (breakfast, lunch, & dinner)
Animal Feed
Electricity
Water
Gas
Phones
The list could go on…
FIRST
Having the ability to be self-sufficient is the key.
Independence and hard work don’t always come easy, but they are your first 2 mental & physical steps to becoming self sufficient.
Patience & the ability to learn new things are 2 others that are super important when it comes to homesteading… money doesn’t grow on trees and neither does knowledge.
Changing your mindset. You may not have a problem with this, or you may already be in this mindset. The homesteader mind set is a thought process of, “it’s broken, how can I fix it; not buy a new one?”
You don’t realize how much time and money you spend on buying things that you could make or fix until you don’t have any money to go buy anything. I hope nobody has to experience this level of broke, but it is something to think about when trying to become self sufficient.
NEXT
Without these you don’t have anywhere to grow or do anything.
Personally, I think the minimum amount of space to be self sufficient (without animals) is 1 acre. It’s enough space to grow a number of things and space for storage and movement.
You could defiantly start a homestead on a 1/2 acre and get the basics down and then move to a large plot of land later on down the road. Again, it starts mentally and then moves to land & space.
Having the land is super important because how do people get food…they grow it.
How do you get items to make soap, animal feed, etc… you grow it.
THEN
Planning & Executing!
Making it happen can be a lot harder then some make it seem. I know if you’re reading this you’ve probably scrolled for a while on Pinterest or Instagram on homesteading.
The how-to’s. The what-to-dos. The what-ifs.
Don’t overthink it, but don’t under think it. Homesteading is a way of life.
It’s not easy to be self sufficient off of homesteading or farming if you’ve never experienced that kind of life before.
Do you have the land?
Do you have the space?
Do you have the mental well being?
Do you have the resources?
Do you have the time?
Look back at that list you read at the very beginning…how many of those things do you think you could replace with your hard work instead of buying them?
Make a list of what all you would have to grow to make it through a week of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners…it’s a lot!
What all would you have to grow to make homemade dog food?
Could you make your own soap & toothpaste instead of buying chemicals at the store?
It’s a lot to take in and a lot to plan for, but you can do it!
Think of the long term and what it will give you in the future.
A healthier life.
Healthier & happier pets.
A more stable mental state.
A less stressful day to day.
Freedom from a lot of things.
The fulfillment of the hard work you’ve put in.
What To Learn
How to garden.
How to can.
How to cook.
How to make bread.
How to bake.
How to store things in the freezer.
How to make hand soap.
How to make shampoo & conditioner.
How to make toothpaste.
How to make your own cleaning products.
How to make laundry detergent.
How to make homemade dog food.
Things to grow for chicken feed.
How to store eggs.
How to meal plan from your garden.
How to make essential oils.
How to make candles.
How to build things.
How to stay healthy.
How to provide without a “go to work” job.
How to sew.
How to raise chickens & other animals.
How to make your own clothing.
How to use the bible to keep you going.
How to keep healthy relationships with a busy lifestyle.
There are SO MANY MORE things to learn how to do, but this was my starter list.
