Now Is the Time When We Need to Be Sure We Are Moving Forward With Our Own Version of a Self-reliant Lifestyle. What Does Yours Look Like?
It’s been so crazy in the world lately. We’ve had hurricanes, forest fires, floods, earthquakes, a school shooting and terrorist attacks, all in the last month. While I don’t usually dwell on the negative side of things, it has been brought to my mind that this is the time when we need to be sure we are moving forward with our own version of a self-reliant lifestyle.
Thankfully, no two families are the same and we will each be impressed to follow the path that leads to self-reliance. This will look different for each of us but we will all have a few common paths that we will follow.
Food Storage
We will all be putting together a food storage plan that fits our lifestyle. It should have a stocked pantry of the healthiest food we can afford, packaged for short and long-term needs. We will often need to learn new skills to get this plan together. Things like:
- Fermenting pickles and sauerkraut
- Making our own bread to save money and use healthy grains in our diet
- Yogurt making for snacks
- Collecting recipes to use whole grains and real, non-processed food
- And meal planning so we are rotating our stores
These are old-time skills were used by our ancestors every day and a self-reliant lifestyle will have many of these elements.
Raising Food: Gardening & Homesteading
As we learn more about food storage, canning, and dehydrating, growing our own food naturally comes to mind. After all, it’s hard to be truly self-reliant if you are always waiting for the grocery store to be stocked.
We can all raise crops in pots on the patio, or take the step and add a few raised beds to the backyard. You’ll be surprised how much can be grown in a small space if you use crop rotation, natural fertilizers, and plan ahead with your crops.
Homesteading is the next step in the natural progression of the lifestyle. You may find that having backyard chickens, raising goats, or going off grid is the next step you need to take to become more self-reliant.
Herbs and Home Remedies
Do you grow an herb garden for cooking, spices, and to make herbal teas? How about your own herbal remedies to stave off colds and the flu? These time-tested, natural strategies can be part of your preventative approach to health and will advance your self-reliant life.
Essential oils are used in many ways, from aromatherapy to body lotion. They can help your body fight colds, relax sore muscles, and heal skin conditions. So, if you have a basic knowledge of herbs you can take care of your family and save money in the process.
How to Get a Self-reliant Life
Once you have identified the lifestyle you want to live, and the things that are important to you, the next step is to gain the knowledge. You need to know how to freeze and dehydrate food, make bread, use herbs every day, and grow your own food to save money.
Plus I’ll bet there are probably 50 other things on the list!
It can be overwhelming at times. There is just so much to do! I have a long list of YouTube video’s to watch, bloggers to follow, and books to read. How do you sort it all out and only get information from the best?
You could go it alone, or you could ask a friend for advice…
Here are my top 5 recommendations.
- Keep a library of skills on hand as a reference. These books, magazines, and ebooks will give you many ways to learn new things.
- Practice what you’re learning. No matter where you live, the skills that you need for self-reliance need to be practiced so they are second nature.
- Take up gardening, even if it’s just the 5 vegetables that you eat the most. You’ll save money and be healthier.
- Learn to cook from scratch. Again, cooking at home is money saving. It also stocks your pantry for tough times.
- Take classes to further your knowledge. Many community colleges are teaching classes to help your self-reliant lifestyle. These are often low cost and taught by masters in their field. I’ve learned pottery, gardening, and cooking by taking classes.
The effort you put out for a self-reliant lifestyle will be worth it in the end!
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