How Self Sufficient Are We?

[FarmerChick]

Are you happy at where you are in the "self sufficiency game"?

Or are you the type that wants to be less and less dependent on "the man" as time goes by......

How would you achieve more self sufficiency without comprising your convenience and lifestyle or does that matter to you?

just wondering how every feels about what they are doing to head in the right direction?

 

[ticks]

I would like to be more self sufficient. I have tried and so far so good.

 

[mirime]

I'm actually getting overwhelmed because I keep thinking of ways of being MORE self sufficient...
' and berating myself when I find myself not up to my own standards.

I take things too seriously sometimes!

 

[patandchickens]

To be honest, I am not in any sort of self sufficiency game at all, I am just going through life in hopefully a relatively frugal, prudent way. 'm afraid I don't have big ambitious standards that I'm failing to live up to <g> -- there are things I am trying to learn to do differently, although frankly my self-improvement projects are more apt to involve things like childrearing tactics than being all eco green homestead-y, but they're virtually always just a modest step up from what I'm doing already.

So I guess I'd say I'm reasonably happy with how I'm living my life, although naturally there are always things I'm working on improving.

I realize that makes me boringly "non nonconformist", but oh well

If you ask me, the major ticket to "being less dependant on 'the man'", as you say, is simply to employ lots of critical, independant thought about "convenience and lifestyle" and what would constitute a compromise in either, instead of just following along with whatever advertising and neighbors and tv say we ought to do or use or need or want.

<shrug>


Pat

 

[poppycat]

All of my "self-sufficiency" tendencies are really just disguise.

The truth is I'm just plain cheap.

I enjoy gardening, but if I tried to feed my family on the garden we would shrivel up and blow away.

 

[Beekissed]

I would like to be more independent of the power grid, that's for sure. For various reasons, of course, but more for the sheer independence of it. The freedom of snubbing one's nose at someone who holds you ransom each month and knows you have few choices but to pay.

Now, I would like to find the same way to be more independent of fuel. I am taking steps to work from home for that very reason.

I'm sort of like Poppycat, I like the idea of living cheap. Makes me feel good to know I can manage to live pretty cheap and not worry like most folks do.

Ideally? I would like to have my own property, approx. 50 acres, with few neighbors. I would like to have a windmill, construct a hay bale/cob home, get my water from a spring or well, have solar panels to supplement my windmills, solar heating system as well, heat with wood with maybe a radiant floor system. I would like to work my place with a work horse, raise a sweet little Jersey cow, have my chickens, work from home and supplement my work income with products from my mini-farm.

My answer? No, I'm not as self-sufficient as I want to be and maybe will never be. I am still trying to achieve what I can with what I have and I'm pretty content with that effort. I like the challenge of becoming more independent, as the world grows ever more dependent on luxuries and conveniences.

As time goes on, the less contact I have with the "real" world, the happier I am!

 

[coopy]

Beekissed you and I think alike. I am with you. Would love to get off the grid. Just can't afford the cost of it all right now.

 

[heatherv]

Ideally? I would like to have my own property, approx. 50 acres, with few neighbors. I would like to have a windmill, construct a hay bale/cob home, get my water from a spring or well, have solar panels to supplement my windmills, solar heating system as well, heat with wood with maybe a radiant floor system. I would like to work my place with a work horse, raise a sweet little Jersey cow, have my chickens, work from home and supplement my work income with products from my mini-farm.

Hey, can I move in w/ you? I'd love to live like that, but highly doubt it'll ever happen! DH is so opposite of me. Now if I could just talk my brother into moving in w/ us, he'd help w/ alot of the work, and would love to help me get this place to be more self sufficient and independant. His mind thinks like mine.. and he's a strong hard worker. I just know I can't do it alone!

 

[Beekissed]

heatherv, that may be a good solution for you!

My middle son is now 18 and plans to attend college in Colorado to be a veterinarian. After that we plan to go together to buy a small ranch in Montana. We've invited my other sons to participate in our venture. My son wants a log cabin, I want the hay/cob. He has agreed to help me build mine if I help him in his business as a large animal vet.

He's pretty steadfast in his thinking and intent, as well as a hard worker, so my dream may not be so very far off. 'Til then I participate in every discussion I can about self-sufficiency, storing up information and ideas!

 

[FarmerChick]

I think self sufficiency for me is a game....a game of How Much Can I Give Up and be happy.

I can easily push more more self sufficiency in food areas, eat more from the garden and farm and such and freeze more, etc...and by pass the grocery a bunch, I have cut down on driving to save fuel and money.....but I can't give up many conveniences.

These are some problem areas for me:
I hate TV but I love TV and my cable
I hate the phone but I need the phone(or do I?--scared to find out, what if something happened to my parents and they had to get in touch quick)
I hate AC but wouldn't live without it.

So some things I hate having and would love to kick the habit, but I know I will never part with them.

I know I would have trouble dragging Tony down the more "off the grid" way of life. He isn't into the "real" homesteading type issues. Not for him.

I guess I am content cause I do what I can....but I feel so inadequate and hate being a slave to bills every month. I don't know how to crop these bills without giving up what I need to farm.

Have to have a monster truck to pull hay wagons and such for the farm. That truck costs tons of money. $600 right now for tires, just paid $588 for work on the truck...boom...real fast that adds up and then the vehicle tax came on it, $220. That one vehicle just cost me almost $1500 in a minute..LOL.

I wish I could walk away from so much maintenance on the stuff I own. But I can't.

I don't know....I guess I have to find a happy medium in all things in life. Just rambling and chatting.....fun to do when someone else understands how I feel about these issues. Tony just shrugs..HA HA