5 Ways to Become More Self-Reliant

Many people want to learn how to save money and become more self-sufficient in the face of economic scares, or perhaps they want to learn to live simply and put less stress on the environment. They can easily be overwhelmed, however, by the thought of living off-grid or growing all their own food, and think that it's an impossible, never-ending task. It doesn't have to be all or nothing, though, and here are five beginner basics for self-sufficient green living.

Add Edible Landscaping and Learn to Garden

A person doesn't need a ¼ acre garden to grow food, and gardening can start as small or as large as desired. A tomato plant in a pot on a balcony will provide fresh food, as will spinach planted among the spring bedding plants in a flower bed, or grapes climbing a porch in place of wisteria. Suburban homeowners would do well to plant fruit trees in place of maples or other decorative varieties. Why not collect fruit along with shade and beauty?

Experiment with Making Basic Household Items

It's very easy to make laundry detergent and natural gentle cleansers. I've found that there's not much in my home that I can't clean with plain baking soda. Being independent of the need for chemical laden cleansers is a great feeling. Even soap and shampoo can be made at home, and are not very complicated. There are sites with how-to guides and recipes all over the internet for these items.

Learn Food Preservation Methods

Stocking up on healthy, local, organic foods when they are in season will save the environment a lot of stress, a family a lot of health concerns, and a budget a lot of spending. Jam making and preserves are simple to learn to make and safe and easy to can with just a hot water bath canner. They are great projects for beginners, and pressure canning will not be so intimidating once jam preserving is learned. Food dehydrating is also a simple and fun way to preserve foods. Dried foods are great for cooking, and awesome as snacks. Kids love homemade apple chips and fruit leather.

Practice Mending and Basic Sewing

Knowing how to repair and alter clothing can save a lot of money in the clothing budget and allows a person to really express individuality and style. No matter if clothing is sewn from scratch or if it's remade from second-hand things to save them from a landfill, skill with a needle is invaluable for those wishing to be more self-sufficient. Sewing skills can also come in very handy if a person needs to earn spare cash sometimes, and is willing to sew for hire. Researching needlework and sewing is a big step to saving money and having a smaller carbon footprint.

Find Out How to Make Favorite Foods

Baking breads, cakes, and cookies is a simple and fun pastime and provides a family with lots of day to day food and treats. These are things that most people have made before, but there are also some uncommon options for home food prep as well. Making fresh cheese is not much more complicated than baking a loaf of bread, and homemade yogurt is pretty simple to prepare using a dehydrator or even a slow cooker. Most foods can be made at home, and after doing it, most people wonder why we ever let big companies and factories take over such simple things.

Self-sufficiency, green living, simple living, homesteading, reducing your carbon foot print... whatever it's called, it can be a long road, and very few people on the road have achieved their goals completely. Every little step in the right direction will bring the goal closer though, so it's worth starting with what we can, and going from there.