What influenced you on your path to self sufficiency?

[FarmerDenise]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. What was it that first put the notion into my head? And how did that notion keep growing?

From early childhood I liked doing things myself.

 

[Beekissed]

My upbringing and, of course, poverty level living!

My folks were really into Mother Earth News in my formative years and the mag was one of the few sources of reading materials in our home. It used to be a great mag back in the day, with real info on how to make something out of nothing....solar panels for less than $500 from materials you can find easily, etc. I always loved it.

Then we lived it. My dad even made us sandals out of tires and we wore them. We mud chinked the cracks in our little hand made log cabin and found out we made several mistakes in the process. I guess it was all that trial and error, off-grid living on a shoe string, living off the land and wildlife, my later life of a single mother having to make do and then my folks going completely vegetarian late in life..... a combination of so many things that pushed me down the path less traveled.

AND, of course, my need to be an individual and not follow the pack has always been a big influence in my life.

 

[HiDelight]

really it was my desire to only work 3 days a week as a nurse and still have energy to put into my home..

I had a choice either work my butt off and make more money then deal with contractors and gardeners and housekeepers so I could work more and make more money to pay someone else to keep my house?

I can see how some people love what they do so much and that is great and want to come home to cushiness ..I would never put anyone down for having someone clean thier house or cook their meals ..as long as they had satisfaction in life it does not matter what your goals are as long as you have some

I gain my satisfaction by figuring out and doing all the things other people pay others to do ..including making my own wine

doing tile work ..building rooms ..putting in windows ..building the garden of my dreams
roasting coffee, charcuterie,
the more I do for myself the more I can keep my life balanced and not burn out at my job either

hope this makes sense?

 

[FarmerDenise]

Those old "Mother Earth" magazines were great.

 

[Beekissed]

I'll look at my stash and see if I have that issue, might be able to scan it and post it for you.

They had such great articles and even a lot of political discussion that I must have ignored in my young mind, cause now I look at it and half of the mag was devoted to political moves and grooves.

I loved the sections on herbs and their uses, how to solar dry this or that, and the articles on doctoring animals at home. I especially loved the Celestial Seasons ads with the bear!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

FD, have you checked their website?

I got into SS mainly because I got tired of
1. eating misery (CAFO)
2. Not knowing what might be in my food
3. Feeling like poo after eating processed foods
4. Losing power after storms (Katrina took us down for a week and we are hours from the coast)
5. Not having any foods that won't go bad after said storms
6. Having nightmares about the SHTF and me scurrying around like a vagrant trying to feed my family

I determined that there were plenty of people who lived in relative comfort without the daily grind, that helped too. I've still got the grind, but its less stressful now that I watch chicken TV on a regular basis

 

[Henrietta23]

Those old "Mother Earth" magazines were great. Before they went glossy. They even used to print on recycled paper. I still have mine. I love re-reading them.
I want to find the one that had how to make a solar water heater, using an old water heater. I had a neighbor in San Fransico who did that. They were able to get nearly all their hot water that way, even in foggy San Francisco!

When my parents moved out here 6 years ago my mother threw away my father's stash of MEN from my childhood. He had many years worth. Oh how I wish I could get my hands on those now!

 

[FarmerDenise]

noobiechickenlady, I have their website bookmarked. I have also subsribed to them off and on through the years.
But the old ones are still the best. I think that was when Celestial Seasons was new and the drink of the hippie. At least this hippie

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

For us, it was the need to survive!

Needed to find a way that we could provide for ourselves without relying too much on outside sources after DH became disabled.

 

[k0xxx]

For myself, I believe that it was the hurricanes (especially hurricane Betsy in 1965) and living without electricity in their aftermaths.

Henrietta, I believe that I remember the issue you mention. The water heater was stripped of its' insulation and painted black. Then it was placed in a box with a mirrored, concave, thin piece of plywood (like luann) behind it to help reflect sunlight on all sides of the tank. Lastly a sheet of glass was used to cover the box.

I made one of those a long time back (in the 80's, if my old brain serves me). It worked well almost year round down in south Louisiana, that is until a hurricane dropped a tree limb on it. I don't know how it would compare with other models, but it was a great pre-heater for our hot water.

If it was a different one, my apologies.