What are you self-sufficient at and what....

**homesteadmamma** · 10-26-2005, 05:23 PM

Do you really need to work on?

I've been thinking of this and wanting to become more and more self-sufficient. After today and looking at stores about a specific appliance we were thinking of getting and the customer service I received (at one NONE), it made me more aware of where I want our family to be when it comes to this whole issue. The large stores just don't care about the small person who comes in and wants a deal, wants to see how energy efficient an appliance is or wants to talk about who makes the appliance. I was so disgusted today I walked out of one store telling them I was going elsewhere!!! As it worked out I didn't (nor are we going to) now purchase that appliance. We will make do with what we are doing right now!!!

Thinking about it we've learnt to do (much of this in the past 4 years):

~our own electrical work. Dh taught himself how by getting some electrical books from the library.
~our own renovating. We have torn down plaster, lathe, insulated, made walls into 6 inch walls from 4, redid dh's workshop almost from the ground up, built our own gardening shed.
~I can quilt and do much of our sewing.
~I can preserve anything as long as I have instructions.
~dh and kids fish
~dh hunts
~we do all our own organic gardening
~I cook from scratch
~I do all my own baking from grinding the organic grain, to baking cookies, muffins, pizza, bread, buns.
~I now make my own perogies
~dh does all woodworking, enough to give us extra cash to supplement our fixed income. We have our own little business (although we haven't done any craft sales for the past 2 years).
~we know where to shop for organic food items
~we know where the best thrift stores are
~I dry my own clothes, both winter and summer
~we can now install our own windows and doors. Dh has worked at enough odd jobs, helping contractors that he has learnt to do this and do it well.

The things we really want to work on:

~learn how to do our own plumbing. Although dh can change a toilet, I'd like him to learn how to install a full size bathroom, change the bathtub we have.
~how to make my own soap (still haven't gotten to this one yet)
~how to make my own creams/lotions
~learn how to make my own cleaning supplies
~learn more about alternatives when it comes to our health and prescription drugs.
~learn about eating more from the wild

A few things I'd need to learn if we moved to an acreage (which we might do):
~take care of chickens and small animals (goats specifically)
~grow our own grain for eating purposes.

What about you - ever thought about it? The more I learn things the less I give my business to BIG BUSINESSES who don't care about anything other that BIG PROFITS!!!

**marym** · 10-26-2005, 05:45 PM

Wow CJ! You sure keep busy.
I grow and freeze veggies peppers, tomatoes, onion ect. I also make jam when fresh fruit in in season Strawberry and peach.
DH laid a beautiful brick cobblestone patio out front of our house.
It cost around $800 that includes renting tamping and cutting equiptment. We were given estimates of $2000 to have someone else to the job. I bought DH a good set of gel filled knee pads which helped him alot. I do all my own gardening and yard work (grass cutting, pruning ect) I am still afraid of the chain saw though!

**Dedlered** · 10-26-2005, 05:48 PM

I am really fortunate in that regard

DH is very handy, we built a shed over the summer and he does all the electrical work. We still give money to Home Depot and Menards for the parts but we have saved buckets in installation costs. We just ordered new windows and again, he will put them in.

I am getting better at gardening, I just need to learn where to put the plants so that they don't over grow into each other.

If I can figure out how to post pictures, I will show you a picture of the shed

**Valerie in WA** · 10-26-2005, 06:45 PM

My dh is a general contractor, so whatever needs doing, he can do. Now getting him to do it may be a different matter!

Things he's done: complete remodel of a bedroom, several yellow jacket nest removals (from inside the walls), installed (some) new windows and carpet, installed a dishwasher, built our shed, installed our HVAC (furnace) and ductwork, increased our electrical service from 60amp to 200amp, including putting in a new electrical box (actually he had a 'real' electrician help for about 4 hours - but dh did most of the work).

Things he's going to do: complete remodel of utility room, then kitchen next year, and sometime later: a bathroom remodel.

I cook mostly from scratch. I keep an organic garden (which is now officially a year-round garden). I can can, but I prefer to freeze. I keep poultry for organic eggs. I sew some, but I buy most of our clothes at thrift stores. I knit, crochet, x-stitch and quilt for fun and for gifts. I also buy our organic food via bulk order for the best prices. I homeschool our kids. I carefully review our budget and taxes, on top of what the accountant does. (Dh is self-employed - we feel the need for a tax accountant at this time.) We are also pretty ready for a disaster.

Things I'd like to work on:
-I want to learn about investing. As I get some of this debt cleared, we really need to get on with retirement savings.
-I'd like to be able to make whole wheat bread that would be 'sandwich-worthy' for the kids, at least. If dh would use it, all the better!
-Figuring out how to line-dry during the rainy season (8 months of the year) - my attic is a possibility.
-We have got to find a way to be okay without electricity. I can cook (outdoors) on a campstove, and we have battery lanterns and some candles. I'd like a kerosene lamp or two and some form of heat if the power is out. I'm going to look into getting a generator.
-I'd like to master yogurt-making.

I think the best thing I do is the first 'R' of the 3R's - reduce, reuse & recycle. I really work on reducing. For example a '96 load' bottle of laundry detergent lasts me nine months (about 160 loads).

**forestdale** · 10-26-2005, 07:44 PM

What a great thread! It's good to see what others are doing and it's good to challenge ourselves to do more. I always learn a lot from threads like this.

Things I'm either working on or want to learn soon:

* fishing. I have my friend Jude lined up to show me how to fish from the jetty near her place. Now I just need to find the time to do it.
* sewing. This is a constant battle for me. I'm extremely impatient so when I sew on a machine I always make mistakes. I love hand stitching as it slows me down a lot. I'm teaching myself to make quilts as I want to make one each for my boys.
* researching HM cleaners. Some things I read about work for me, some don't. I'm building up my supply so that I have a homemade cleaner for everything I need to clean.
* I'd like to learn how to make quark and hard cheese.
* I'm currently working on reducing the amount of plastic I buy, have given to me or bring to my home.
* Working on reducing the amount of rubbish I send to the land fill. I've reduced this by about 75% since I started two years ago but it's a constant and ongoing battle.
* Teaching myself to make castile soap.

Things we are currently doing:
* I think the biggest step we took lately is that we are sure that if anything happened - avian flu, terrorist attack or a major catastrophe, we know we could easily survive here in our home for many months without having to go out and bring anything in. We can feed ourselves from our backyard and eat nutritious meals everyday. Our stockpile is building each week. We are at about a 5 month capacity now and are aiming to have enough supplies for a year. We are doing this mainly as a safety net for when we sell our store, but it will serve us well for other reasons too. We have enough natural gas in cylinders to run the stove for a about 6 months, we have a 5000 litre water tank and are about to install another one- that will give us enough water for months. We also have a creek out back that we could harvest water from to water vegetables, if needed. We have oil and kerosine lamps for light
* We grow organic vegetables and fruit. By next year the fruit trees will be bearing peaches, oranges, mandarins, bananas, macadamias, passionfruit, loquats and lemons. We are about 80% self sufficient in vegetables. We could garden year round but it's just too hot in the middle of summer.
* DH used to be a fitter mechanic so he can fix anything. He's done a lot of work around our home and also makes furniture.
* I bake bread - rye, white, wholemeal, wholegrain and a rye, corn and barley loaf that is wonderful.
* I cook almost completely from scratch. I make jams, relish and pickles. I make fruit cordial from our lemons and all the cookies and cakes we eat are the ones I make.
* I barter our eggs for local milk and cream.
* I shop locally and rarely go to malls anymore.
* We eat about 90% organic food.
* Use mostly organic toiletries - toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo etc, the only thing that isn't organic is the soap we use. It's natural vegetable soap but not organic.
* Have solar hot water heating.
* Have cut my excess water bill from over $400 to $11 per quarter. This next bill will be $0, I hope.
* Drive a small fuel efficient car.
* When we sell our store, we'll be working from home.
* We buy only 5 star energy rated appliances.
* We are trying to reduce our green house gas emissions from our home - both in what we do here and in what we buy that have lots and lots of greenhouse gasses attached. Buying our solar hot water unit reduced our emission by 30% because of the reduction in electricty we are using.
* I'm a member of the Homesteading Club which helps keep me motivated everyday. Thanks everyone.

**HandyMom** · 10-27-2005, 01:01 AM

I learned sewing and cooking very young. I helped with all the household chores with my Mom until I could do them myself.

I helped my Dad out in the yard and working on the cars and bikes and general fix-ups and tinkering with electrical appliances.

Some things I learned by reading about them or seeing it done on tv shows.

Once I took an interest in gardening and picked a spot near my apartment window outside and planted seeds for a flower and veggie garden. That was pretty wierd but also very satisfying to go out and pick my "FOOD"!!! I need more work on that now at my own home. No good spots to plant anything and soil with lots of rocks. Can't even keep an evergreen shrub alive.

I tried my hadn at many handicrafts, too. Clay pottery (college level) embroidery, macrame and such but never got interested in croche and knitting very much.

I am self taught with all I know about computers, building webpages and adding digital camera images with using Paintshop Pro.

My last biggest challange has been the computer world and mastering the varied elements of that. I am always learning something new about my PC and the internet.

**momof42003** · 10-27-2005, 12:08 PM

Things that we are more self reliant on are:

DH can do most any plumbing, electrical or construction... YAY!!!
DH can trouble shoot our older vehicles, not the new ones. YAY!!
I can sew, cook from scratch, garden..
I don't need some one to come in and clean my house, help me move, or do my nails.... LOL (DSIL would rather hire a maid, moving crew, and go to a salon than do any of those herself.. And it is just her and her DH in a small apartment.

)
We also do our own yard work...

Things I would like to improve on...
Learning to can.
Sew more elaborately.
Have the kids and us go fishing more often.. For some reason we rarely do this..
Getting the greenhouse done with the neighbor and expand my veggie garden.
Barter more to save even more money..
Learn to bake bread..
Getting on the band wagon to start making HM products.. I have started to use Borax in the laundry and cut my laundry soap in half.... It's a start, right??

That is it for now.. Love reading everyones posts... Makes me think that on some levels I am on the same page as many of you... I do have so much to learn and understand though..

**Emerald_Mommy** · 10-27-2005, 12:55 PM

I am in awe of some of your skills! These threads are good inspiration/encouragement for me.

I feel like we're good at cooking from scratch, making homemade cleaners, minor house repairs, we do our own decorating, and neither of us is a shopper/spender type of person. We are proactive in making more money, whether Philip builds a webpage or subs or I give piano lessonsor work a part time job.

We live very simply but we haven't learned a lot of self sufficiency. I would really like to learn how to sew more comfortably, to be able to make the girls some clothes. I would like to bake bread. I would like to learn to enjoy gardening so we could grow a few of our own fruits or vegetables (most likely container gardening since our yard is small). These are just the first things that come to mind.

**QuilterMom** · 10-27-2005, 01:05 PM

Originally posted by homesteadmamma

~learn how to do our own plumbing. Although dh can change a toilet, I'd like him to learn how to install a full size bathroom, change the bathtub we have.

You know you are welcome to email dh at any time with questions regarding this!

I will have to think about this and come back and answer later (ds is begging to use the computer right now LOL).

**staceyy** · 10-27-2005, 01:31 PM

I'm more of an urban homesteader. I'm good at stockpiling food and tolietries, cooking and baking from scratch, I have a preparedness kit, I'm good at interior design, making my own gifts.

I'm just starting to make my own homemade cleaners. I've made jam before. I'm a mortgage professional so was comfortable buying my own home. I travel a great deal for my job so I am comfortable travelling by myself. I often visit two different cities per week (and I do not know how to drive).

I also feel I am good at locating alternative ways of doing things such as having a standard furnace, logs for the fireplace, and an electric space heater. In addition I am always researching how to save money or do things better. Another instance that comes to mind is having a gas stove, an electric counter-top oven, crock-pot, microwave, electric fryer, waffle house, outdoor grill etc. I also stock my freezer, canned and dried foods and stock energy bars in case I need to leave quick and can't carry anything heavy.

There are many,many things I am not good at--I don't even know how to drive! I admire all the things true homesteaders can do and aspire to become more and more like you. I think I'd like to start by learning to garden as I have a decent sized backyard.

**QuilterMom** · 10-27-2005, 02:34 PM

What I have come up with so far..........

Things we can do or know how to do:
* All aspects of plumbing and solar water heating
* Basic electrical
* Carpentry, woodworking, renovating, installing windows, doors & flooring, painting, etc.
* Quilting (non-machine)
* Make our toiletries (skin care, hair treatments, etc.)
* Rasied bed organic gardening, growing herbs, and fruit trees conducive to our zone (still learning in this area though since hurricanes and record rainfalls have wiped out some of our efforts thusfar)
* Scratch cooking & baking
* Raising, breeding, and caring for horses & cattle
* Fishing
* Very, very basic automotive
* Composting
* Make our own cleaners & laundry detergent
* Barter
* Cross-stitch
* Homeschooling
* Know the best places to shop (for the best prices) for organics and natural living products
* Dehydrating
* Thrift store shopping/yard sales
* Line drying clothes
* Accounting
* Groom our dogs (nails, paw pads, shaving, bathing)

Things we can't do or need to learn more about/expand on:
* Solar energy
* Solar/alternative cooking & baking (if no electrical is available)
* Sewing (making clothing, etc.) and using a sewing machine
* Canning
* Expand on scratch baking & cooking (things like making our own pasta, crackers, baked snacks, cheese, butter, etc.)
* Soapmaking
* Candlemaking
* Learn about farm animal care, breeding, and raising for animals we're not familiar with (goats, sheep, chickens, etc.)
* Have our own source of eggs and milk (we are zoned for farm animals here, but currently do not have any)
* We have a huge home library, but I would like to expand it further (via thrift stores, yard sales, library sales, etc.) so we could avoid the library if necessary
* Hunting
* Major electrical
* Automotive
* Container gardening (no luck with it thusfar)
* Cutting our own hair
* Crocheting & knitting
* Seed saving
* Alternative medicines/herbal remedies
* Root cellars (not possible where we currently live)
* Line drying (need to expand to include dh's work uniforms, bedding, and towels)
* Making lotions and expanding on toiletries
* Foraging

**Mamaw** · 10-27-2005, 09:52 PM

What a great thread!
Over the last few years I have learned to:
Do basic sewing and mending ( nothing fancy yet folks)
Hand quilting and some machine quilting
Counted Cross stitch, embrodery, stitchery on plastic canvas
Basic Rug hooking
Canning, mainly tomatoes, kraut, applesauce, veggies and the like
Bake and cook from scratch much more than before!
Shop at thrift stores and garage sales
comparison shop for groceries
Make home made laundry soap and line dry clothes more!
REduce my consumption of everything!

DH is quite handy. He has learned to
Do our landscaping and yard chores
Keep chickens
Garden
Woodwork
Build decks, porches and add on rooms
Remodel the basement into a spare room
Install windows and doors
Basic car repair and maintenance
Basic home repair, plumbing and the like
Installed a new shower
Repair appliances

I would like to see us
Improve our home repair and remodeling skills such as laying a new floor
Learn to bake bread and actually do it more often
Learn to make a "pretty" pie crust! ( Mine taste good but looks horrible! )
Work on finishing all my projects and not just start them! LOL
Find an alternative heat source
Purchase oil lamps for when electricity goes out
Learn to grow and properly care for apple trees to produce more apples
Keep working on reducing consumption and recycling items
Work on finding more contentment with less STUFF !!
I would also like to improve my sewing skills
Would like to learn to knit and crochet. I have the worst time with that!
Lastly, I would like to work on finding more creative uses for items that I currently throw or give away and to find more creative gifts

**geniebird** · 10-28-2005, 12:11 AM

Yeah, the "world" gets to me too. We have had two major fights with stores over "customer service" issues this week and we are having trouble rolling over DH's 401k from his former employer.

But, in spite of all that I don't think we can be totally self-sufficient. I don't think we are meant to be. My belief system is that we are meant to be dependent on God and our relationship with our fellow humans is to be one of interdependency.

I can't even imagine trying to learn how to do everything necessary to survive in this world myself. As difficult as it can be to get along with others I believe we have to keep trying -- that's what we're here for.

**homesteadmamma** · 10-28-2005, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by geniebird

But, in spite of all that I don't think we can be totally self-sufficient. I don't think we are meant to be. My belief system is that we are meant to be dependent on God and our relationship with our fellow humans is to be one of interdependency.

My belief for our family is that we be has self-sufficient as possible but TOTALLY GOD RELIANT. I believe the only person we need to be DEPENDANT on is Jesus. However, I do believe we need others to make our lives more rich, that's why I buy at mom and pop stores whenever possible, support our local businesses when possible and barter as often as we can and turn to friends when I need a hug, support or prayers. I also believe we won't ever be totally self-sufficient in the time we live in. That is okay too.

I firmly believe that NOT SUPPORTING "BIG BUSINESS" (if we don't have to) is RIGHT for our family.

I believe the more I learn, the more I can pass down to my children and grandchildren. I love the mentoring part - that is part of who I am.

**homesteadmamma** · 10-28-2005, 10:02 AM

I also want to add that being self-sufficient has saved us thousands of dollars in way of helping save our environement, reaching our goals and saving for our future. More importantly though it has given us extra $$ to help others. For us, that is what life is all about.