How to be Self Sufficient No Matter Where You Live?

There are many methods to begin living a more self-sufficient lifestyle right now, whether you live in an apartment in the city, a tiny property in the suburbs, or on acres in the country. Of course, you’ll need to be resourceful and prepared to put in the effort to reach your objectives, but it’s not impossible! 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 to complete tasks for which you have been given two hands. It all starts with altering your mindset and learning to trust yourself. 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. Here are some of the ways you can be self-sufficient.

Plant a garden

You can produce vegetables in your own backyard, or even inside your home, whether you have a typical garden or not. No matter where you live, you can cultivate some of your own food. Even if you only have a balcony, you can grow some herbs and salad greens in pots. Consider creating a few raised beds if you live in the city or the suburbs. Make it a goal to provide all of your family’s fresh vegetables during the growing season if you have the room. If you’re feeling very optimistic and have the room, you may attempt growing more and preserving enough food to feed your family through the winter.

Learn about vertical farming if you live in an area with little outside space or a climate that isn’t conducive to outdoor cultivation. It’s an excellent technique to grow a large amount of food in a little area, such as a closet, spare room, garage, basement, storage unit, or even an enclosed cargo trailer. It’s all about being resourceful! Another important step is to learn how to cultivate sustainably by saving your own seeds, making compost or worm castings for fertilizer, and conserving water with mulch and drip irrigation.

Practice the 3Rs

We’ve all grown up in a wasteful society where throwing things away and buying new ones is the norm. Everything that can be re-used and re-invented in our world is. Reusable lids should be used instead of canning lids. Plastic containers receive a second life by being used to store leftovers or to bring goodies home. Rainwater can be collected and used to irrigate potted plants in the yard and garden. Goodwill is a great place to shop and contribute. Before you throw anything out, take a second look at everything. It creates an unattractive mound next to our barn, but if something has to be fixed, the solution is most certainly waiting in our reuse pile. Replace Ziplock bags with reusable washable bags instead.

Live Frugally

Frugality and self-sufficiency are inextricably linked. If you owe a lot of money and live over your means, you’ll never be able to achieve your objective of being more self-sufficient. So, the best place to start is to seek any option to save money and get out of debt, whether that means cutting up your credit cards, downsizing into a smaller home, or driving a used car with a lower monthly payment.

Learn to Sew

This is a skill that is sorely underutilized that it is on the verge of extinction. Sewing is a skill that only a few people have. It’s a useful ability. You can fix rather than buy new garments, and you can even sew your own. It will be cheaper if you shop around, and the quality will be greater if you manufacture your own.

Store food for tough times

We live in an age of luxury, where grocery stores provide food all year and snowplows allow you to go to the store right after a storm. From a young age, we develop a comfortable reliance on the grocery store. But what if a storm closes the highways and knocks out the electricity for a week or more? What if you become really ill or injured and are unable to work for an extended period of time? Reduce your reliance on the grocery store by growing part of your own food and stockpiling up for rough times, which is one of the main notions of self-sufficiency.

Visit local farmers’ markets,

you-pick farms and local orchards throughout the growing season to buy fresh produce in quantity and learn how to preserve it for later use. Keep an eye on local food store sales and stock up on things that are on sale. You’ll discover that buying in bulk at a fair price saves you money over time, and you’ll gradually build up a well-stocked pantry that will carry you through practically any situation. To reduce your reliance on outside resources even further, practice cooking and baking from home.

If anything, the past year has taught us that things may shift quickly and unexpectedly. When life throws you a curveball, having the ability to make at least some of the things your family utilizes on a regular basis can dramatically minimize your stress and anxiety. If your ultimate objective is to have a self-sufficient farmstead in the country, practicing self-sufficiency now will help you when you get there. Living frugally and becoming more self-sufficient can enable you to save money and get to where you want to go even faster.