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18 Easy Ways to Become More Self-Sufficient

January 12, 2015 by Missy Rakes 18 Comments

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Check out these 18 Easy Ways to become more Self-Sufficient that almost anyone can do!

  This post contains affiliate links. See disclosure policy for more information.

 

 Ever since we started our simple living journey a few years ago we’ve slowly been learning new skills and becoming more and more self-sufficient. Our garden and subsequently the amount of food that we preserve has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. We also have chickens now and plan on getting more animals in the near future. Being 100% self-sufficient is not my goal, but I think it’s wise to be able to grow some (or a lot!) of your own food and know how to get by without the help of others if the need arises.

 

  If you are just starting out on your journey to self-sufficiency I would tell you to focus on one thing and learn how to do it well, then as time goes on you can add another thing. It can be overwhelming to try to learn everything at once so take a look at the list below and see what sounds doable to you. I do most of these things, but still have room for improvement in a lot of areas!

 

Grow Your Own Food

  I think everyone should grow something. We all have to eat so we all should have at least some kind of hands on connection with our food. There is something truly amazing about watching a tiny seed turn into an abundance of food for you and your family. If your new to gardening check out my 5 Tips for the Beginner Gardener to get started. And don’t stop at just growing vegetables, get creative and think about planting fruit (blueberries work well in landscaping), nuts, grains, etc. if you have the space. Check out my Farming & Self-Sufficiency board for more information.

 

Save Seeds

  Seed saving is a great way to become more self-sufficient because it eliminates the need to buy seeds and plants each year. This is something that I’ve only dabbled in, but plan to do more of in the near future. Just remember that you can only save seeds from heirloom varieties and not from hybrids.

 

Compost

  Composting is a great way to make use of kitchen scraps and eliminate the need for fertilizers. It’s an amazing thing to watch food scraps and yard clippings turn into rich black dirt.

 

Preserve Food

  If you’re producing more food than you can eat at once then you will need to learn how to preserve the excess. The most common methods are freezing, canning and dehydrating. Check out my Canning & Preserving board for more information.

 

Additional Resources:

 How to Dehydrate Peppers

 Dehydrated Apple Rings

How to Dehydrate Tomatoes

How to Freeze Bell Peppers

Strawberry Freezer Jam

 

Cook from Scratch

  The more you can cook from scratch the less you will be dependent on store-bought food aside from the basic staples. This will save you money while also being healthy and tasty.

 

Additional Resources:

Southern-Style Biscuits

 Homemade Banana Bread

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

Homemade Refried Beans

3-Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

How to get 5 Meals from One Chicken

DIY Seasoning Mixes

30 Things You Can Make at Home to Save Money

 

Choose Cloth

  Reusable cloths can eliminate basically any commonly used disposable paper product such as napkins, paper towels, wipes, cotton rounds, etc. You can either buy store-bought cloths or make your own from old t-shirts.

 

Raise Chickens

  Keeping chickens takes a little time and commitment, but it’s really not too hard once you get into the swing of things. Plus, they will supply you with fresh eggs and meat all year-long and will happily eat your kitchen scraps.

 

Keep Bees

  Bees are good for pollinating your garden and providing fresh honey. While I’ve never personally kept bees, it’s definitely on my to do list at some point.

 

Hunt/Fish

  Knowing how to get your own meat from the wild is a basic skill that everyone should know. Our ancestors would have starved if it wasn’t for deer, wild turkey, fish, etc. Being able to supply your own meat is a great way to be less dependent on the grocery store.

 

Forage for Food

  Foraging is basically just finding food in the wild. I would love to have more knowledge in this area and be able to identify common edible plants. The only two that I would be 100% comfortable in identifying and eating at this point would be blackberries and dandelions.

 

Collect Rainwater

  Being able to collect and reuse rainwater is a great way to save money and become less dependent. There are several DIY rain barrel tutorials on Pinterest.

 

Air Dry Clothes

  Air drying your laundry on a line or rack is not only better for the environment and your wallet, but it also extends the life of your clothes.

 

Cut Your Families Hair

  Learning to cut your families hair is a great way to save money and become more self-sufficient. We buzz my husband and son’s with clippers and I keep mine long and just trim it a couple of times per year. There are several YouTube tutorials that you can check out for more information.

 

DIY Everything

  If you’re going to be self-sufficient then you’re going to have to have a DIY spirit. Almost anything can be made at home if you take the time to learn how. Basic skills in things like sewing, mending, knitting, woodworking, carpentry, etc. are great assists for your self-sufficient journey. If you need help in any of these areas then you should consider enrolling in one of Craftsy’s 30+ Free Online Craft Classes.

 

Think about Alternative Energy

  Using solar energy is a huge step in becoming more self-sufficient. I haven’t looked into this much, but plan on doing so in the future.

 

Create Income

  If your goal is to become more self-sufficient then you will probably need to think about ways to bring in income along the way. Some ideas would be to sell produce, honey, eggs, meat, handmade goods, etc. for profit. Check out this post from Life At Cobble Hill Farm for 25 Ways to Make Extra Money on the Homestead.

 

Become Debt Free

  The bible says that debt makes you a slave to the lender which is the complete  opposite of being self-sufficient. If you are in debt then you need a plan and goal in place to becoming and staying debt free. I would suggest visiting DaveRamsey.com or read some of these frugal living posts for more information: 6 Tips for Living (well) on One Income, Money Saving Tips from a Frugal Stay at Home Mom, 15 Ways to Lower Your Grocery Bill, 10 Forgotten Money Saving Skills

 

Live Small and Need Less

  The basic over arching theme of self-sufficiency is to live smaller (house, car, possessions, etc.) and need less. If you can learn to be content with very little then you will probably find it easier to be more self-sufficient. After all, the sweetest things in life aren’t power, money and possessions, but relationships, experiences, memories and connections.

 

Are you on a journey towards simple living and self-sufficiency? If so, what ideas would you add to this list? I’d love to know!

 

Other posts you might enjoy:

Check out these 10 Forgotten Money-Saving Skills on gracefullittlehoneybee.com See this list of Frugal Lessons that we can learn from the Amish Lifestyle on gracefullittlehoneybee.com

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  1. Jendi says

    January 12, 2015 at 12:16 pm

    Some of these I feel pretty comfortable with and am doing. Others I want to try so am learning what I can. This year our big emphasis is to get out of debt. That makes such a big difference with everything. Best wishes!
    Reply
  2. Janelle@The Peaceful Haven says

    January 12, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    WOW! What a great post and I LOVE how informative it is! It gave me some great new ideas...thanks!
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      January 12, 2015 at 11:01 pm

      Janelle, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Missy
      Reply
  3. Amber says

    January 15, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    Great list! My fiance and I are working on a few of these this year. Our garden is going to be our major project during the warmer months...so excited!
    Reply
  4. Julia says

    January 15, 2015 at 4:22 pm

    These are some amazing tips! We live in an apartment in the city so growing food is a little problematic. I do, however have some potted herbs! I do a lot of the other things and in regards to reusable kitchen cloths/ teatowels I couldn't agree more. that's a very good saving and great for the planet too! and diy, awesome idea too! Last xmas I diyed almost all of the xmas presents. Mostly in a form of very nicely wrapped preserves. Thank you for this article!
    Reply
  5. Staci@LifeAtCobbleHillFarm says

    January 15, 2015 at 8:11 pm

    Missy - what a wonderful article!! You've packed a lot of great information in here. Thanks so much for linking to one of our articles too. :)
    Reply
    • Missy Rakes says

      January 15, 2015 at 8:54 pm

      Of course! I really enjoyed your post.
      Reply
  6. Jenna T says

    January 19, 2015 at 11:30 am

    This is a really extensive and well-put together list! Great work! We have been on this road of self-sufficiency for awhile and it's an interesting one, for sure.
    Reply
  7. Kristina @ My Own Home Blog says

    January 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    This summer I'm going to try to start composting and expand my garden. I've also been researching rainbarrels lately. We just moved into our first home, so now that I own it I'm so excited to have a big garden! I'd love for you to stop by and link up with me at Talented Tuesday, 1 party 5 blogs, every Tuesday at 9am central!
    Reply
  8. Janet Garman says

    January 23, 2015 at 2:02 pm

    Congrats on being one of the Simple Saturdays Blog Hop Fabulous Five posts Your post was pinned to the pinterest board for the hop. #simplesaturdaysbloghop
    Reply
  9. Stephanie says

    January 23, 2015 at 10:52 pm

    Such a fabulous and informative post! I am also hoping to forage more food this summer with the kids, things like blackberries, lavender and the such. The plan is to then make ice cream with the foraged items. I am excited to get them involved in the food process!
    Reply
  10. Valerie says

    January 24, 2015 at 8:12 pm

    This is a great post. So glad you shared at Simple Saturdays. Hugs from Oklahoma, Valerie
    Reply
  11. Elaina Newton (@TheRisingSpoon) says

    June 4, 2015 at 8:40 am

    I love this post so much! Your last tip really rang true with me. I've been focusing since January on decluttering (it helps so much with your mood and overall energy) and living your life in a "live small and need less" state of mind really aids that process.
    Reply
  12. Elaina Newton says

    June 4, 2015 at 8:43 am

    I love this post so much! Your last tip really rang true with me. I've been focusing since January on decluttering (it helps so much with your mood and overall energy) and living your life in a "live small and need less" state of mind really aids that process.
    Reply
  13. WILL PETERSON says

    February 18, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    Thank you dear lady for your efforts to help others . I greatly appreciate your Bible verses . My best advice for the younger folks is to read Proverbs in the Living Bible , frequently . Wake up and grow up , is my personal advise (at age 75.) The times , they are changing --fast ! The day will come when the only water, food and shelter , etc., must provided by the family unit . The sooner you get started , the better . Break the modern day lifestyle and learn to be self sufficient ASAP ! ! ! There is so much priceless information available at this time . That will not always be so . Pray for GODS wisdom and guidance and get ready for hard times -they will come . I hope to write more specific advice soon . I have built and live on a 98% self sufficient homestead called The SonArose Farm . GOD bless you and yours , Will .
    Reply
  14. Bobby Ajdarodini says

    February 21, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    I make my own breakfast bars they are great! I Use whatever I have on head a cup of oatmeal a Cup flour a Banana maybe some chopped nuts some yogurt or applesauce a egg just anything I Like I might put a spoon of peanut butter mix it Up put in a 8x8 pan on 350 oven bake about oh 20 minute cool cut I have wonderful bars for breakfast Snacks a lot cheaper than at the store
    Reply
  15. Homestead.org says

    April 6, 2018 at 4:58 am

    Thanks for providing us this kind of information in simple steps. In recent year self-sufficient homesteading is more popular and people want to start there own business. If you planning and maintaining your homestead whatever where you live. Follow this link http://www.homestead.org and learn more about self-sufficient lifestyle.
    Reply
  16. Tanya Armor says

    August 27, 2018 at 6:59 pm

    Hi I'm Tanya I have a land block 1 acre I have hens they are broody at present and we I am starting the summer garden planted so far potatoes maze popcorn tomatoes beans Schick peas am about to do a crop of lentils ? First time and wheat for my own bread so hears hoping had 100 per cent strike on beans and peas needless to say am organic don't have power and cart my water in. I see the potential of being self sufficient love your little hone bees
    Reply

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