Self sufficiency is pretty high up on my list of things to work on. I love learning new ways to do things on my own. It almost always ends up saving money, and it always makes me feel better that we don’t have to rely on other people for everything we need.
There have been a few times in my married life when things have happened that make me realize just how UN-self sufficient we are. Like last year when our well pump went out, and we had to figure out how to get water somewhere else for several days. Or when we first got married and I didn’t have any food storage set aside, it got pretty stressful when our grocery budget ran out. I hate the feeling of being completely helpless in a “crisis” situation, no matter how small the crisis is.
When things like that happen, I usually kick it into high gear and try to figure out one or two more ways to be just a little more self sufficient. I am sure Farmer and I will be working on this until the day we die, but hopefully we can keep moving in the right direction.
Sometimes to do that, we all just need a few ideas to get our wheels turning. So for anyone out there that wants to be a little more self sufficient RIGHT NOW, here are 50 ways to become more self-sufficient in 1 hour or less.
- Plant fresh herbs in pots in your windowsill
- Cook a meal from scratch
- Research how and what to forage in your area- CLICK HERE for an article I found on learning the art of foraging
- Start a compost pile
- Set up a clothesline or drying rack inside- CLICK HERE for an easy DIY tutorial
- Start a seed vault- CLICK HERE for an impressive 10 year heirloom seed vault already put together for you
- Get rid of your tv
- Order cloth diapers for your baby- CLICK HERE to learn how I use cloth part time
- Set up a rain barrel with a hose to water your garden- CLICK HERE to see a simple one made out of a garbage can
- Learn how to use herbs for medicinal purposes- CLICK HERE for a really great list of herbs and their medicinal uses
- Make your own butter- CLICK HERE to see how to make butter in a mixer
- Set up a quick straw bale cold frame/green house- CLICK HERE for a little tutorial on how to put one together
- Learn to sew- anyone can sew something simple, like a baby blanket in less than an hour. Little House Living gives a tutorial for a 10 minute receiving blanket RIGHT HERE.
- Buy some baby chicks
- Make your own all natural cleaners- CLICK HERE to learn how to make four all natural cleaners
- Make homemade jam- CLICK HERE to learn how to make raspberry peach freezer jam
- Plant something edible, anything!
- Cut your families hair yourself
- Save seeds- CLICK HERE for a great tutorial on how to save seeds
- Order a dehydrator and learn how to dehydrate- CLICK HERE to read about the dehydrator I highly recommend
- Sew your own napkins, paper towels, wipes etc.- CLICK HERE for a DIY paper towel tutorial
- Put up a windmill
- Make a plan to get debt free- you can’t be very self sufficient when you owe other people money. CLICK HERE to see some of the ways we save money
- Plant a fruit tree
- Plan your meals and grocery list for the next week/month
- Order a flour grinder and learn how to grind your own flour
- Make your own soaps- CLICK HERE to learn to make milk and honey soap
- Put power bars wherever things are plugged in and turn it off when your done- Even when you aren’t using those things that are plugged in all the time, they are still using power.
- Put solar lights outside
- Exercise- you can’t be self sufficient if you aren’t in good health
- Walk or bike to town if you live close enough
- Chop your own wood
- Cook over the fire tonight
- Learn to can your own food- CLICK HERE to learn how to can raspberries in four easy steps
- Freeze your left overs or excess produce- CLICK HERE to learn how to freeze asparagus
- Learn to change your own oil
- Wash your own car, at home
- Make your own herb mixes- CLICK HERE for 14 homemade spice blends
- Start a cash fund somewhere in your home
- Make your own greeting/birthday/wedding etc cards- CLICK HERE for 25 beautiful handmade card ideas
- Start an emergency kit- CLICK HERE for an easy emergency candle kit tutorial
- Learn how to patch clothes- CLICK HERE to learn three different ways to mend clothing, and they actually look good!
- Store water
- Go get some raspberry/strawberry/blackberry starts from a friend- CLICK HERE for how to transplant raspberries
- Get a calendar notebook and address notebook and use it- we rely so heavily on our phones these days, if you drop yours in water or run over it with your car on accident, all of that information is lost. Back it up with an actual pen and paper.
- Make a food storage plan- CLICK HERE for a good food storage plan idea
- Make your own 100% juice- CLICK HERE to learn how to make organic grape juice
- Start a journal
- Plan a “no power night”
- Learn to make your own bread- CLICK HERE to learn how to make nutty chocolate zucchini quick bread
- Put together a first aid kit- CLICK HERE for a DIY dollar store version
Every little step counts so keep moving towards self sufficiency even if it’s as slow as I do.
Do you have any self sufficiency ideas that you can do in one hour or less?
~Farmer’s Wife
Crochet a hat.
Thank you very much! I’m an Outdoorsman some of your plans are on my bucket list to start. Like your Ideas.
Love your ideas and suggestions.
I’d like to add in a few things:
1)Learn to knit- make a hat, scarf, throw, or blanket. There are so many interesting yarns now that can be used, and they make such interesting patterns and textures. A hat can be made in less than an hour.
2) learn how to find water using a water stick and filter it for safe drinking in case of emergency.
3) learn how to make jerky and pemmican. Tweek it to your family’s tastes. Store bought is not near as tasty nor is it as nutritious.
Hope this helps.
Love it Dottie! Thanks