Not Happy with SS?

[Quail_Antwerp]

Maybe I'm in the honeymoon phase of the SS life, not where the rest of ya'll are, but I honestly can't come up with something I don't like.

We were forced into being SS. We didn't choose it. But, as a result, I've found we've a stronger family bond, my husband and I have learned to work well together, my kids are happy and healthy, and right now I'm looking out my window by my desk watching about a 100 or so chickens and two turkeys giving chase around my yard and I feel so overwhelmingly blessed and rich!



I'm sorry, I love it all!

 

[tortoise]

I love SS lifestyle, it has been my life goal since I was 14 years old. I've checked off everything on my teenage list of my idealistic future goals except one - having a Jersey cow. 😄

I dont like feeling like I should or could be doing more. Its hard for me to accept my limits on time and energy.

 

[flowerbug]

i'm not aiming for 100% SS because we're not ever going to raise meat animals here and Mom will always want some kind of meat. same for eggs.

to me i just aim for reducing how much we need to buy, but also much of this is driven by dietary problems that Mom has. eating out and a lot of premade foods just do her in badly.

since i love gardening and breeding new beans and such or just working outside instead of being inside when the weather cooperates the exercise of gardening is to me a useful way to exercise, i despise exercise for the sake of exercise alone. the only way i get enthused about Tai Chi is if i try to teach it to someone, but that's not really happening and i'm complete mush again other than shovelling snow (no don't make suggestions i'm not in the mood to even think about it at the moment).

working with plants since i was pretty young and having the natural history bent meant i was always thinking in terms of ecosystems and how everything worked together, my gardening years in the past incarnation since i moved in here has been more fun and rewarding than a lot of the work i did before, except the library which i still miss.

entertainment wise, reading and writing are a much larger percentage of how i spend time (especially in the poorer weather and winter time). there aren't people around who like to game which when i was at the university was fun as we could usually find people for bridge, hearts or some other games. i have projects to finish too which keeps me out of most trouble (not all ).

 

[Wifezilla]

Snide comments from idiot relatives?

 

[Ldychef2k]

I wish I could do more. I don't have the proper tools to build things, for example.

 

[PamsPride]

Being completely SS seems like and unattainable goal! Like a race I will never be able to finish. I hate feeling like it is always out of my grasp!

 

[FarmerDenise]

It is hard to take a vacation. You need to find someone to water the plants and take care of the animals, if you can even afford the $$ to go on a trip. I'd love to go to Hawaii for a couple of weeks and laze on the beaches, be served meals and drinks and not have to clean up after, go out and not having to say "I have to be home by 5:30, I need to feed the animals" and generally be a tourist. Most of the time I don't mind the work and the restrictions of having a farm that feeds us.

I also don't like the friends who think that because we grow it ourselves, it is free and they expect handouts or say things like it's only $9.95. When you only have $100.00, $9.95 is a lot.

I also don't like people who think it is ok to steal from people who grow food. They also seem to think it doesn't cost the grower anything, so what's the harm.

And it is awfully hard to pay a mortgage, car insurance etc with eggs and tomatoes. I tried to put them in the return envelope, but they just didn't fit .

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I love traveling, and finding a farm sitter has proved impossible. Never mind one who will come milk twice a day.

You know . . . that makes me wonder if people who want to farm, but don't have one of their own, should maybe think about working part-time as farm sitters? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to call someone that you know has experience and that other farmers recommend? Or maybe even if you did have your own farm . . . it would still be a good side business? Just a thought.

 

[Farmfresh]

I think you all are taking a hard line on the whole Sufficient Self idea.

It is because we ALL tend to strive to be truly Self sufficient. We have those goals set WAY WAY up there. The fact is human beings are dependent on other human beings. We are now, we always have been and ALWAYS will be. That should be obvious to even the most hard core of us that play on here. Some of the reason we DO meet here is for support, help on our goals and friendship. May we never be so self sufficient that we no longer need or want those things. Almost Self sufficient is as good as it will ever get.

Our goals ... Let me back that up ... MY goal - is to be self sufficient enough to take care of my family and close friends if I ever needed to. I want to be able to provide food and clothing, shelter and supplies enough to keep body and soul together. I want to be part of the process. Know the animals I eat and husband the seed till it reaches my plate. I want some marketable skills ( In my case soap making and preserving ) that I could use in a barter situation. But I will always be dependent on other people to some degree. I am sure as I age and my body falls apart it will be make me more and more dependent as well.

So take it easy on yourselves. Most people these days don't have enough stored food in their homes to last more than a week, have no idea how to cook without a microwave and can't imagine living without cable TV and a couple of cell phones. How are you coming along based on that "norm"?

Besides that we need to realize that the one great thing about living the way we do is the simple joy. Watching the hens. Lining up those jars full of jam. Tasting a fresh berry. Plucking that tomato. That kind of happiness is "sufficient" for me.

 

[TanksHill]

I don't like sitting on the fence. I usually like to jump into things with both feet. It's very hard for me to try and be SS while dealing with the everyday challenges of suburban life.

I guess the only thing about being SS is that I am not. Like Pam said it feels like I will never get there.

Maybe we need to call ourselves A.S.S's Almost Self Sufficient.