When Donna asked me for an article, we were gearing up for our county 4-H fair...just the busiest time of the year for me, but I was flattered to come up with something for her. Donna is such a wonderful, caring and talented pillar in our community and I didn't want to let her down. Below is the article I submitted. I hope you enjoy it!
Self-Sufficiency is Easier than You Think
Not
long ago, as the economy took yet another nose dive and gas prices surged
again, I decided it was time to become more self-sufficient. We don’t
live frivolously, but I decided that there was more that I could do at home to
help save money and live off the land. According to an April USDA
report, a family of two adults can spend $479 to $745 a month for
groceries. Add some children in the mix and that price could increase to
over $1,000 a month just for food. Of course this expense is on top of
your mortgage, electric and transportation costs. How is the average
consumer to survive?
The
level of self-sufficiency that you want to achieve is up to you. In the
beginning, I learned different methods to cut costs and start an emergency food
stock pile at home. These are some of the ideas and things I have done
that you can do too:
·
Plant a garden. Gardening is an excellent family or individual
project and if you grow items from seed, there is little cost involved.
Your garden doesn’t have to be big, just enough to provide food for your
family. Don’t have a big yard for a garden? Try using pots to plant
tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs in. They will look great on your porch or
deck and still give you extra food during the summer months. Rhubarb
and strawberries make great additions to yards or gardens as well and can take
as much or as little room as you want them too.
·
Can and freeze fresh fruits and vegetables for use later in the
year. When these items are in season, buy in bulk from your local
farmer’s market, neighbor or grocery store and can or freeze them for
later. I have to admit that I didn’t know how to can until several years
ago, but my mother-in-law took the time to show me and now I love it!
There are many organizations that offer canning classes and your local
extension office can provide you with publications on canning and freezing as
well. I recently purchased a dehydrator to dry fruits for cereal, make
beef jerky, etc. The possibilities of things you can do are limitless!
·
Use coupons! Unlike some of the television shows, you don’t have
to go extreme, but each coupon represents a savings to you, the consumer.
Take advantage of it. My only words of caution would be not to buy
something just because you have a coupon…make sure it is something that you
need at home and will you use. Also, find a friend and share
coupons. This is the best way to collect a lot of coupons that you can
use at a fraction of the cost of purchasing them in the Sunday paper.
·
When it makes sense, buy in bulk. There are some things in the
home that you know you will need no matter what. Toilet paper is a great
example. If it’s on sale, or you can buy it in bulk at a good price,
stock up. This will save you trips here and there to the store for items
like this because you will always have it at home and you won’t spend extra
money on unnecessary trips.
·
Plant fruit and berry trees. There is nothing better than being
able to walk into your back yard and pick an apple off the tree, clean it and
eat it! Berry trees like blackberries, raspberries and blueberries can be
fairly easy to grow as well and are a wonderful source of food during the
summer.
·
If you can, raise a few chickens for meat and eggs (trust me, you don’t
want more chickens than you can handle). Chickens are great not only as a
food source, but can also be extremely amusing to watch. We have been
raising chickens for over five years and selling our farm fresh eggs to clients
and it is a very rewarding process. Fresh eggs also have a deeper orange
yolk color than those that you purchase in the store.
Self-sufficiency
is all about you and can be taken to any level you want. There are even
opportunities to make your own candles, butter and soaps. If children are
involved, you can encourage them to help with some of these projects and to
make a difference in your household budget by turning off a light when they
aren’t in a room and not leaving the water running while they’re brushing their
teeth. Children love to be a part of what we are doing, so be sure to
include them.
With
the economic uncertainty that we face today, taking little steps in being
self-sufficient can go a long way. By being self-sufficient, you gain
valuable skills and knowledge that you can share with others about growing your
own food, living off your land, and making useful items for your family.
Gosh Lis! Thanks for the VERY kind comments about me! I am humbled! Thank you for sharing your article with our readers of HER, too!
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