Here, you will learn 7 ways to become more self-sufficient.
Many people believe that living simply means going to the country to raise animals and tend to a large garden, and while this is true in certain cases, for the most part, living simply involves taking charge of your life, regardless of where or how you live.
It entails making the greatest decisions for your family and not relying on others, and becoming independent.
It’s not difficult to live a simpler life by becoming more self-sufficient; all it takes is a willingness to reclaim control of your life and do things for yourself.
Making your home and life more self-sufficient makes not only financial sense but also makes good general sense.
Let’s dive right in.
Do you want to live a more self-sufficient life and be healthier?
Then get your hands dirty and start growing some of your own food! It’s remarkable how many folks struggling with finances or living a healthy lifestyle leave their backyards barren.
Food is not cheap. And growing your own food can help you make up for any deficiency in your monthly budget.
Feeding a family for a week can easily cost hundreds of dollars. Consider how much more self-sufficient you could be if you simply grow your own food! Nothing is more rewarding than that. Your entire attitude changes when you grow something for yourself or your family. It is also an excellent workout.
Here is our guide for gardening for preppers that will teach you all the fundamentals of vegetable gardening.
2. Preserve Your Food
Learning to preserve food will stretch your hard-earned dollars further than anything else. Food can be preserved in a variety of ways, including freezing, drying, and canning. And they’re all easy to pick up and master. It’s one thing to have seasonal fruits and vegetables.
However, if you truly want to live a more self-sufficient existence, you must learn to preserve those large summer harvests so that you can have easy access to affordable, healthful food all year.
3. Make Financially Smart Moves
There are so many things you can do to be more financially smart. Here are some of them.
Cutting back expenses:
- Reduce your cable service to the most minimal level.
- Shop at secondhand stores; the prices are unbelievable.
- Only purchase items when they are on sale.
- If you must eat out, save it for rare occasions.
- Stay away from stores since they will try to persuade you to buy the stuff you don’t need.
Debt Reduction:
- Make a 5-year goal sheet for yourself and write it down.
- It is our mission to work less. Make a budget and keep track of where your money is going.
- Stop taking out credit cards. If you keep charging, you’ll never get there. All but one of your cards should be cut up and kept for emergencies.
We highly recommend you read our prepper’s financial guide if you want to learn more.
4. Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, and Replace
This is an extremely crucial element of being environmentally as well as financially friendly. We’ve all grown up in a wasteful society were throwing things away and buying new is the norm.
Here, I’ve also added replace because replacing is also essential for self-sufficiency.
Here are some potential new things you can do.
- Use reusable microfiber towels instead of paper towels and keep them near the kitchen sink.
- Paper napkins should be replaced with cloth napkins, which should be kept in a nice little basket on the counter.
- Reusable lids should be used instead of canning lids.
- Purchase items in plastic containers so that they can be reused for leftovers.
- Before throwing anything out, take a second look at everything and see whether there are any other possibilities.
- Replace Ziplock bags with reusable, washable bags instead. Light bulbs should be replaced with energy-saving bulbs. Unplug anything that isn’t in use right now.
- Use your dishwasher less.
- Instead of using a drier, seek out the warmth of the sun.
- Make your meals ahead of time and avoid using the microwave.
- Dry your hair naturally.
5. Forage Resources
Finding resources in the wild is what foraging is all about. You should learn more about this topic and be able to recognize popular edible plants. Collecting and recycling rainwater is another fantastic method to save money and become less reliant; just make sure you verify your state’s laws first.
6. Learn Basic Construction
Doing more things for oneself is the first step toward being more self-sufficient. Learning to work with basic tools is one of the best methods to achieve more for yourself. However, it is not as difficult as many people believe.
If you actually want to learn how to manufacture a kitchen table, mend a door, or create a patio in this day and age, there are plenty of materials available on the internet to assist you. All it takes is a little time, patience, and a desire to put in the effort.
They are the true secrets of living a self-sufficient existence. It’s remarkable how self-reliant you can become when you begin to accomplish more and more things on your own.
7. Learn Preparedness
Prepare for the unexpected and rely less on the government. Here are a few tips for you to do this.
- Store 50-100 gallon jugs under the house in case the power go out or worse.
- Have a generator that is in good functioning order and ready to go whenever needed to keep the freezer and refrigerator running. Here is my personal review of the Westinghouse WGen7500DF.
- Have a pantry that is packed with enough essentials to last us for months.
- Have the propane container for the barbecue is always full, and an additional is kept on hand.
- Have a first-aid kit that is conveniently located.
Final Comment
Doing more for yourself and your family is at the heart of the term “self-sufficiency.” That means making it a top priority to get off the couch and get stuff done!
Keep prepping and stay safe.
Now, we hope you learned something from this article and if you liked it, please consider following us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, and Instagram. Also, consider sharing this content and subscribing to get 255 free ebooks.
Here are a few articles you should read next:
This blog post will take you way farther than surviving a day or two in camping. I’m mostly aware of most of the stuff mentioned here, but it is a good reference for my kids to read. I think “become more self-sufficient” should have a dedicated subject in school.
What an awesome site. I’m going to enjoy the articles.