218_Finding Your Personal Path to Self Reliance

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 218

Finding Your Personal Path to Self Reliance

Certainly we all remember the time in our lives when we were kids and told our parents how we couldn’t wait until we were all grown up. We thought all about being independent, making our own decisions, going where we wanted when we wanted. We just couldn’t wait to be independent, self reliant, and make our own decisions. 

But at that time we were not old enough to even know what we didn’t know. And once we were “all grown up” it doesn’t take long to realize it’s not exactly all it’s cracked up to be. Being an adult comes with responsibilities and financial obligations. As it turns out, doing whatever we want and being self reliant requires money.

But beyond that, if you want to find out a different path to being self reliant, join me for episode 218.

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E218 Finding Your Personal Path to Self Reliance.

At first you might think that this is an easy topic for me to talk about because I’ve been at the cabin for over 25 years. It is now a comfortable place to be and it is still completely off grid. But I will have to tell you it certainly did not happen over night. I had plenty of grand success and some pretty dismal failures. I would get so discouraged at times I would just leave and go work into another state for a few months. Then by the time I returned I was happy and motivated to start again.

But if you are thinking of leading a more self reliant life, then stick around and listen to the rest of this episode. I think you will gain some valuable insight in just how to do the same sort of thing for yourself. But fair warning, just like me, it is not going to happen over night.

But before me get to that, let’s talk about the good news story of the week.

Good News Story of the Week

Now this weeks good news story is certainly very interesting. But there is also something quite ridiculous about it and something sad as well. However, this story also highlights an enormous problem in our society and that is food waste.

This is a story about a woman named Sofie Juel-Anderson who only spends about $100 a year for some household basics and gets nearly all of her food from the dumpster. Yes that’s right, the dumpster.

Sofie began dumpster diving when she lived in Sydney, Australia. At first she only took fresh produce but soon realized she could get everything she needed. Even though she is able to afford buying food, so much food is thrown away that she is able to find all that she needs. But the key is that she only goes to supermarket dumpsters.

What she routinely finds is a variety of items, some are expired but many of it is not. Often times the food was expired by a day or so. She would often find dumpsters that were filled with packaged foods, whole chickens, frozen meals and drinks. Once she found an entire box of bottled kombucha that was thrown out because one of them was damaged.

Then she moved back to Denmark and continued her dumpster diving there. She now only spends about $100 years on the basics such as toilet paper, dish soap, and toothpaste. The rest of her groceries come from the dumpster.

The money she saves enables her to travel and she only works three days per week. She literally saves thousands of dollars a year by taking advantage of food that was headed to the landfill. She even got her family involved.

I will have to admit this was something I never would have thought about doing. But it is rather sad to think of the amount of food we constantly throw away when there are so many hungry people in the world.

So, that said, let’s get on with this week’s episode about finding your personal path to self reliance.

At this point you may be thinking that you are already independent and self reliant. You are already living on your own and maybe you even own your own place. You are gainfully employed or in school and you are very busy at being self reliant. So what could I possibly be talking about?

Well, besides the obvious as far as being a independent adult,  I also tend to think of self reliance in a bit of a different way. What I am referring to is learning how to be less dependent on mainstream, less dependent on the entire infrastructure that hand feeds us all of our needs. And the reason I think this is so important is that people have the impression that if all else fails, the government is going to swoop in a save us all. But the reality is nothing could be further from the truth. Consequently, it is important for all of us to develop some level of self reliance, meaning some level of independence from the infrastructure that we depend on so heavily.

So you may be wondering why you should care. Well, the COVID 19 pandemic is a great reason. At some point in time in your life, you are going to experience some weather related emergency and the infrastructure you depend on may just not be there for days or even weeks. In my opinion, learning to be self reliant is just plain smart. But if this is not presently within the realm of your thinking, most likely you have no idea of where to start.

Start where you are

This is why I say the best place to start is right where you are. Now that may sound like a silly thing to say but it is true. We all start out being dependent on something and then slowly move toward less dependence, then some level of personal security and then perhaps complete independence. So allow me to explain.

First of all there are four big things we all need in order to live: food, water, shelter and energy. Yes there are a lot of other things that go into making our lives what they are but food, water, shelter and energy are the things that are absolute in order for us to live.

So, let’s say you have all of these things. That’s wonderful of course. But without thinking about it, you are actually very heavily dependent on someone else to provide you will all you need in order to survive. Furthermore, all the things you depend on are completely out of your control.

What I mean is that when you go home and flip the switch you hope the lights will come on. You turn on the tap and you hope fresh water comes out. When you flush the toilet you hope it flushes properly. You hope the roof is not leaking so you can stay dry. You hope the electricity is working so you can heat and cool your home. You hope the refrigerator and freezer are working so that you have fresh food. When you drive to the supermarket you hope there are shelves full of food so you won’t go hungry. The point being is that you are completely dependent on someone else to provide all the things necessary for you to live.

Once you realize that this is exactly where we all start, a complete state of dependency, then you can take slow incremental steps toward less dependency. Then you will  eventually achieve some level of personal security. But we all have to start where we are. So, let’s look at a few real life examples for each of our basic necessities and hopefully this will bring thing back down to home a bit more and make you realize just how dependent you really are on our system of society.

Food

First you start out as being completely dependent. You go to the supermarket and buy things. But you can move very quickly to a state of less dependence by storing enough basic goods at home to feed yourself for seven days. This can easily be done even if you live in the city. Some level of personal security comes when you have a 30 day supply of food or maybe more.

But then you take other incremental steps to improve your position and level of security. Start a small container garden or a regular garden if you have the space. Build a root cellar or some other means of cold storage that does not require electricity. Learn about home canning, buy in bulk at the farmers market and expand your food supply. Now you have a high level of independence and resiliency.

By the way, this is how every one used to think. Both my grandparents had large walk-in closets lined with shelves that were stacked with home canned goods. It was just a way of life. Presently I have a large cellar underneath one of the cabins that is staked high with home canned goods. For me, that is just a way of life.

Water

Next on the list is water, another valuable resource we need to survive.

Once again, you start out being dependent. You turn on the tap and hope water comes out. But then you develop some level of independence by storing seven days worth of extra water. Some level of personal security comes when you have 30 days of water stored away. Then you build resiliency by drilling your own well if that is possible. Then add in rain water catchment barrels.

If you have some sort of water feature nearby, a lake, pond, stream, or river, purchase a gravity fed water purification system. Keep a dozen food grade 5 gallon buckets at home for hauling water. Better yet, if you have a truck, buy a tank that will sit in the bed and use a water pump to fill the tank. With this simple system, coupled with a water filter,  you will have an endless supply of purified water. Now you are completely independent and resilient.

Energy

Again, you start out being completely dependent on the utility company. When you go home you hope the electricity is working. But you can start being a little less dependent by doing some very simple things.

Purchase a dozen 100 hr candles for emergency lighting. Add in some kerosene lanterns as a second option. Better yet, purchase a whole set of portable lights that run off of rechargeable batteries. Add in a solar charger or a small solar generator and you will never be without lights ever again. 

Purchase a small DC refrigerator/freezer and set up a small solar array that is completely independent from the grid. You can take this one step further and set up a solar array with battery back up sufficient to run dedicated circuits in your house. If the grid goes down at least you have emergency lighting and refrigeration.

Eventually, expand the solar array and battery bank enough to run your entire house. Now you are completely independent and off-grid ready no matter what happens. 

Shelter

Now let’s talk about your residence.

Trust me when I say that you will do yourself a huge favor by learning some basic skills such as carpentry, concrete work, tile work, roof repairs, basic electrical work, how to run power tools, how to run a chainsaw, heavy equipment operation and even basic small engine repair. Over the years I have saved myself tens of thousands of dollars by learning to do things myself. You don’t necessarily have to know how to build an entire house but you should get to the point where you are a pretty darn good handy man.

Most of the big box hardware stores offer in person classes on most home improvement or home repair projects, even basic carpentry.  If you want to learn how to use a chain saw, get with a friend when they cut firewood. For basic electrical, take a class or read a book. These days you can learn how to do most anything on YouTube.

When I needed to install solar at the cabin, I took a rather extensive class on solar design and installation. When I needed to learn how to run a tractor and backhoe, I attended YouTube University and rented a smaller tractor first time out. When I needed to learn how to run a skid steer to do my own road repairs I spent several hours with a friend of mine who owned one. He needed some work done at his house. It was a win-win. He got some work done for free and I learned a new skill. I am now at the point where I rarely hire anyone to do anything. I do things myself and if I need to I learn a new skill.

Start where you are.

The whole point of being self reliant is to not be completely dependent on the infrastructure that runs our entire society. The reason for this is that it doesn’t always work out so well for everyone. The pandemic is a perfect example. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Helene are perfect examples. You have to take responsibility for your own choices and learn how to take care of yourself.

Weather related disasters are another reason I encourage people to live in rural areas. When such things happen, local resources become immediately strained and sometimes non-existent. In my opinion it is far better to be away from urban areas and somewhere out on your own.

The other thing to realize is that some level of independence is not going to happen over night. Start where you are, take small incremental steps and you will be surprised what you can accomplish in less than a year.

Don’t Start From Scratch

The other thing I would recommend is don’t start from scratch like I did. Granted I don’t regret anything I’ve done at my homestead. But I can tell you it was a tremendous amount of work and took a lot of time, to get where I am today.

If having a homestead, be it in an urban area or a rural location, you will save a considerable amount of time, hard work, and maybe even money, if the property already has the basics in place. Then you can build additional structures, such as a small barn or a green house, as needed in order to make yourself a bit more independent.   

Also, start out doing the things you like and know how to do. If you are a great gardener, then start a garden. The chickens, rabbits, goats, or whatever, can come later. Spend your first year or two focusing on some smaller projects. Then add something else or complete a new project one at a time. It may take you 3 to 5 years to get where you really want to be. Don’t overload yourself in the beginning or you will get discouraged and give up. You will make your life much easier if you don’t have to start from scratch and you will get to where you want to be much, much sooner.

Value Skills Over Resources

The next thing I would strongly recommend is place a higher value on your skills than on your resources. You can always start small if that is all you can afford. For example, start with a smaller cabin. Then as time and money allows, add on to the cabin, build a barn or a greenhouse, etc. If you have the skills to do all these things, when something breaks, and it will, then you can fix it. And the best part of having a lot of skills is that you can save a tremendous amount of money by doing things yourself.

A perfect example of what not to do is the guy that lives on the 40 acres next to me. When he first started living there he had a small prefabricated cabin hauled in, then a storage shed. He set up a solar array with the panels propped up against a log on the ground then hired someone to do the wiring and get it set up for him.

Four years later, this guy still does not know how to do even the most basic construction work, road work, put up a gate or even how to put on tire chains when it snows. Every time something goes wrong he has to hire someone to come fix it. He rarely leaves the property in the winter because his friends bring food and water to him. He has all the resources to live off grid but none of the skills. While being off grid he is still dependent on everyone else to do things for him. This is exactly what you don’t want to do.

Once again, as far as your skills are concerned, you have to start where you are. If you live in suburbia but dream of an independent life in a more rural location, or perhaps even off grid, the best place to start is by developing your skills. If you are unsure, read a book on homesteading and self reliant living and that will give you a great idea of the types of skills you need, which are a lot by the way.

Get comfortable with learning new things and tackling projects you have never done before. One thing that is a constant about living a more independent lifestyle is that you are always solving problems, always meeting up with some sort of new challenge.  If there is one thing I have learned after living off grid for so many years, creativity and ingenuity will become your best friends. You have to lose the fear of tackling the unknown. You can have all the resources in the world and be the best off-grid prepper on the planet but when something goes wrong no one is going to be there to fix it but you.

There are two skills from my own life of living off the grid there are perfect examples of the type of person you have to be. There was a time when I was literally afraid to do any sort of electrical work. I have no knowledge and no skill. But I needed electricity and the only thing that was going to get me there was solar energy. I took a rather extensive class on solar design and installation taught by a master electrician. I then went back home and ordered all the equipment I needed. Piece by piece I put it all together.

The second example is running heavy equipment and doing road repairs. The road up to the cabin is a single lane shelf road that many people are afraid of even in dry weather. It seemed as if I was always having to pay someone to do repairs because every year there is always a certain amount of damage due to run off after a heavy rain. After several years I’d have to pay someone to bring in equipment and fix it.

Over time, this kept getting more and more expensive. I needed to learn how to do this my self but I was completely intimidated about running heavy equipment especially while working on a steep road. After watching every video I could find on YouTube about running a tractor and backhoe, I rented a small tractor to start and got comfortable with that. But then I needed a skid steer, which is even bigger and heavier. I spent several hours with a friend of mine that owned a skid steer. After running the tractor and backhoe, learning the skid steer was a piece of cake. Now I do all road repairs myself instead of spending thousands of dollars to pay someone else.

I don’t have the resources to own this kind of equipment because it is super expensive and I don’t always need it. But I do have the skills to operate it and I rent the equipment as needed and I save thousands of dollars in the process. So, just remember, skills are more valuable than resources.

Don’t Be a Lone Wolf

My last recommendation is don’t be a lone wolf. This is exactly what I did when I first purchased the cabin property. I was always in the middle of no where working completely alone under some really tough conditions. But it took me a tremendous amount of time to do any one major project and I always had to get extremely creative about how I did things because I was always working alone. Granted I was proud of what I was able to accomplish. But in retrospect I should have asked for some help.

Over time I managed to make some really good like-minded friends that turned into a fantastic small community. The best part is that we are all really good generalists but at the same time we all have some sort of specialized skill. Bottom line, when someone needs help everyone chips in and we get things done a big quicker. If one person does not know how to do something they learn it from someone else.

The point being, you don’t have to be a lone wolf. A community is important even if it is a small one. At some point in time you are going to need help with something. In my opinion, the best time to make a friend is when you don’t need one. So, don’t be a lone wolf. Make friends, help out the neighbors, be a part of a community and reap the benefits.

Conclusion

There was a time in our culture when nearly everyone was independent and self reliant because they had no choice. But over time, as more and more people have moved into urban areas, most of us have lost those skills. The vast majority of us are now dependent on an enormous and complicated infrastructure to hand feed us all that we need to survive. But there is a big underlying problem to this type of societal structure that most people completely overlook. As long as someone else is in control of your resources they are in control of your life. If that doesn’t make you uncomfortable it should.

In general we have gotten so far away from being self reliant that most people have the impression it is some big mystery. However, it is really very simple. But you have to first recognize that in the beginning we are all dependent on something. You can change that by starting exactly where you are and taking small incremental steps.

The first step is to develop some level of independence. Maybe this just means you have a few extra supplies around the house. The next step is personal security. At this point, you can take care of yourself for greater than 30 days. Maybe this means you have a stock pile of supplies or a small garden. Maybe a greenhouse and a few chickens.

After that, you develop what I would refer to as personal sovereignty. This means you can govern yourself, meaning run your life how you want, without any sort of outside interference. In order to do that, you need to think about having redundant systems in place in the event someone goes wrong.

For example, for lighting at the cabin we have 100 hour candles, kerosene lanterns, gas lights, rechargeable batteries, and of course the solar electric system. For electricity, we have the solar electric system, a small separate array that charges back up batteries if the main system goes down. But then we also have a generator that can charge up all systems if needed. For water pressure, we have the water pump that runs off the solar electric. We also have a battery powered pump that is rechargeable and an electric pump that plugs into the generator. But we also have small tanks that can be pressurized by hand if all else fails. The point being we have redundant systems in place of something goes wrong.

But as you can see, there is nothing magical about this. You simply have to start where you are. The context of this is going to be different for everyone because each of us will have a unique starting point as well as individual strengths and weaknesses. Build your skills a little at a time. Above all, remember your skills are more valuable than your resources. That said, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be a lone wolf. The best time to make a friend is when you don’t need one.

Alright folks, I am going to close out this episode by discussing one simple sustainability tip. This tip goes right along with developing your skills of independence. If you are producing some of your own food, you will appreciate this tip which is about eating seasonally. But what does that really mean?

Eating seasonally just means eating what is in season. While it may be nice to have those juicy grapes from South America in the middle of the winter, putting those on the shelf has a significant environmental impact. Eating what is locally available, and in this case maybe what is available on your homestead, is more environmentally friendly.

Well folks that is about it for this week. I hope you have enjoyed this episode and will join me again next week. Until then, always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.