Little Ways to Add Self-Sufficiency Into Your Daily Life

Dependent…

It’s not a word we take very kindly to…dependent on the government or dependent upon someone else to take care of us.

We don’t like being dependent on the grocery store. We strive every day to make small changes in our routines that make us less dependent on someone else for our food sources- in other words, self-sufficient.

Before we go any further, I do want to say that we are aware of our complete dependency on the Lord. If you want to read more into my thoughts on this, read this post: The Problem with Self-Sufficiency. (I hope my titles are not too ironic. I promise they make sense.)

Maybe You Don’t Even Live on a Farm

Hey, maybe one day you would love to dive into the homesteading lifestyle, but right now it’s just not feasible. Maybe you don’t have hogs fattening in the pasture, or chickens hatching your daily eggs…

If you live in a tiny apartment in the middle of the city, there are still small things you can do to make yourself less dependent on the grocery store and “the man”, if you will, and become more self-sufficient in your daily life.

Allow me to share a few little swaps that anyone can make!

Swap Number One: Make Your Own Bread

Sure, you’re going to need ingredients from the store…or better yet, start ordering from Azure Standard! I highly recommend finding a bulk source for your flour if you want to be a regular bread maker. I love the Whole Wheat bread flour Azure carries. It lasts me two-three months, if I make my bread recipe once a week. And it saves money and time at the grocery store. Learn more about Azure in this post. There are more items that I prefer to buy from Azure– a family company out of Oregon, than from faceless grocery store chains.

If you don’t want to hop on the Azure wagon…then buying your flour from the big box store is just fine, too. 😉

Need a recipe to try? I feel like this one is great for beginners: My Mama’s Homemade Bread. This is perfect for sandwiches and toast! You’ll feel like a regular Ma Ingalls. (Ahem…I know I do.)

Swap Number Two: Shop the Farmer’s Market

Buy your ingredients from your friendly neighborhood farmer. In our area, there are so many little farms popping up and selling their produce! I think this is just great.

If you live in a city or a town, you’re bound to find a farmer’s market. Utilize their homegrown produce.

Make a menu, and jot down the ingredients you’ll need for a from-scratch, whole foods meal. Buy your fresh veggies from your local farmer. I just about guarantee it’s fresher and healthier than even your fancy organic store. (They’re overpriced anyway.)

Swap Number Three: Grow Your Own

I couldn’t write a post about self-sufficiency without at least suggesting you try to grow something of your own!

Do you have a windowsill? Then find a little potted basil plant! Or parsley! Then you can pinch off a few leaves to add some wonderful homegrown flavor to your meal.

It would be a fun family project to try and grow tomatoes or even potatoes in buckets or containers on your porch.

I know many people that have small raised beds in their yard. It doesn’t have to be a big yard at all! It just takes a bit of weekend work, and then you have the makings of a little garden. A few tomato and pepper plants will be enough to make some fresh salsa that you will be so proud of.

Swap Number Four: Use Less Paper and Plastic

I’m definitely working on this one, myself. I would love to ditch the plastic wrap and freezer bags completely. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m working towards it.

If you search Pinterest, you can find so many posts on making your own bread bags, beeswax wrap to replace plastic wrap, and cloth napkins instead of paper towels.

If you have babies, try cloth diapers!

There are so many creative ways to ditch items that you only turn around and throw away. Use mason jars for storage instead of plastic containers!

Replace soap dispensers with mason jars. You can use these convenient jar attachment lids to pump soap and spray your cleaner! (Bonus points for making your own cleaner from easy and available ingredients!)

Swap Number Five: Read Books

This may seem like a silly number five. After all the practical tips I listed above, I believe that part of becoming more self-sufficient is education. Stop watching mindless entertainment/news on the TV and pick up a book. (Becoming less dependent on the news will free your mind in more ways than one.)

Books about agriculture, home dairy, sewing, cooking, health, homemade remedies…the list is endless. You can even check them out for free at your local library.

If you love the idea of growing a garden but literally don’t know where to start, check out a book or visit a blog! Find accounts on Facebook or Instagram that inspire you! Set up a Pinterest board with your ideas. It’s all free!

Instagram has been invaluable for me finding ideas and building connections. All you have to do is follow an account and send a message if you have questions! If the Instagram account is anything like mine, they will love to help you figure out your problem, whatever it may be. There are plenty of fine folks on social media if you’re looking in the right places.

Fill your mind with great ideas and who knows…maybe they will inspire you enough to start doing what you’ve read about.

My very favorite books to expand your mind about such things:

The Prairie Homestead Cookbook by Jill Winger. She covers all my favorite aspects of homesteading. Cooking, milking, gardening, and more! I can’t recommend this enough. It’s pretty much all you need to get started slowly and confidently.

Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide by Rosemary Gladstar. This was my launching point for learning about herbs and how to make your own medicine. A great start to becoming more self sufficient is knowing what to do if you don’t have access to manufactured medicine. Use food instead!

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. I love this book for the great nutrition info plus the “traditional” recipes. By the time you’re through reading this, you’ll be fermenting everything. Learning about health is an important step in this self-sufficient process, I believe.

These are just a few examples that have greatly helped me.

I Hope I’ve Sparked Inspiration

If nothing else, I hope these little ramblings and my list of practical swaps makes you think, “Hey, I might be able to do at least one thing!”

If I have encouraged you to step back and think about becoming less dependent on the system, then my job is done. Not only is it freeing…you save money, you learn amazing skills, and you make great connections. Just give it a try. Let me know if you do.