by C.M. Tucker

Created on: February 28, 2009   Last Updated: March 02, 2009

SELF-SUFFICIENCY AS A WAY OF LIFE:

(Web sites are listed at the bottom.)

Off-grid, a family garden, being a jack of all trades, homesteading, alternative energy choices or raising livestock are terms that can apply in some combination or alone to describe self-sufficiency.

Being self-sufficient means a lot of things to many different people. It's actually a sliding scale. A sliding scale where time, personal energy, ability, skill and resources are taken into account before deciding on what degree one wants to be in control of their resources.

Bottom line: Self-sufficiency is all about taking care of yourself and family with the least amount of reliance on companies, governments or communities for daily needs. It's a little like the TV character McGyver... except on more mundane terms.

We hope, perhaps, that we may never need to know how to make our own mustard or mayonnaise. But, what if we live out in the country and our car is broke down or in the shop when we run out of something like that?

Self-sufficiency is also a way to make the budget go farther when one can grow most of their own produce. It's healthier and better for the economy of the whole country. It's not for the lazy person who fleeces the government through public aid programs. Programs that are paid for out of everyone else's pocket through increased taxes. (This last sentence or two is not meant to disrespect those who are truly needy for a temporary amount of time.)

AS A WAY OF LIFE:

As a way of life, it can be anything from homesteading with a log hut you've built yourself to living in a farm house with livestock, fruit trees and a garden to growing herbs on your balcony while living debt-free.

Magazines that I read on this topic include Country Side magazine (for a wide audience), the Backwoodsman (mostly a man's type of magazine) and sometimes Country Woman or Mother Earth News.

There are numerous books on how to build clay ovens, build a shelter in the wilderness, using a wood heating stove and alternative energy. Blogs, chat rooms, how-to and other sites on the web are also useful.

SUGGESTIONS:

My suggestion, from experience, is to first decide how self sufficient you want to be. Do you just want to live on your own farm? Do you want to be more self-sufficient while living in the city? Or, what? Basically, how and where do you want to live. Will you have the time to do everything you need to and then have time for fun or personal pursuits?

For example, if you want to live on a farm using a combination

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