Thoughts on Self-sufficiency

Self-sufficiency is getting a lot of play these days, in the news, on prime time programming, and clearly ensconced in the YouTube psyche.  It has brought out every armchair fantasy survivalist, prepping guru, sheepdog, conspiracy theorist, etc., etc., etc.  Don't get me wrong, I see a lot of great ideas, innovative view points and discussions; and equal balance of bad ones.  It's not about spending all your money and then leveraging all your credit to buy more to prepare for some perceived threat to you or the world (read pandemic, asteroid impact, zombie apocalypse, etc). That's just counter-intuitive.

The reality is self-sufficiency is about being able to support yourself and your own.  Not being dependent, or minimizing dependence, upon any support infrastructure.  It's about being at war with debt, dependence, and excess.  It's about developing resilience.  In a winter storm could you heat your house or even one room, if the heat went off?  Do you remember what you did for water the last time a water main broke in your neighbourhood?  Could you cook a hot meal, safely in your house, if the electricity is out?  Could you do it outside in the winter?  A problem with today's North American society is that too many people have gotten accustomed to being supported from cradle to grave.  The ease of access to infrastructure, like electricity, water and even heat, have caused almost every one to lose the ability to survive these upsets to our modern lifestyle, let alone be able to thrive without them.

In my life, I have used three social support mechanisms: student loans, income insurance, and been a client of a food bank.Student loans I have no regrets about using; it was there and I paid it back, in full, with interest in under 5 years.  I had to use income insurance; I'm not proud to say, because I always assumed I was the best applicant in my field, because I was asked to apply, and never looked for lateral options.  It was kind of a wasted effort because I never got more than three payments before I was working again, and I was always working part-time while I was receiving it.  The turn around was at my absolute worst, I had to go to a food bank to feed my family, once, and I was working two jobs.  It was the last time I ever let myself get to that point economically again.  I now work ardently to become self-sufficient every day.

I think the resources produced for the public and service men during the First and Second World Wars are great resources.

1) I work to develop/improve other traditional skills (carpentry, wiring,

basic gardening, so on);
2) I now can and look to put away extra food;
3) I work hard at getting out from under my debts, and save

bit by bit to move up in the world, and
4) I teach my children to not depend on other than themselves

when it comes to money and to get into the habit of saving.  In fact, my children only get to spend 40% of their allowance; the other 60% goes into saving, sharing (tithe), and planned spending (preparing for the idea of future financial obligations - utilities, rent, food, etc. - when they're older).  Anything extra they earn doing other jobs is bonus.

Don't get me wrong.  I believe there is a social contract between a nation and its citizenry.  The availability of social programs is what provides security in times of uncertainty, if applied prudently.  Socialized health should be available to all citizens, period.  Dental care and subsidized eye exams for children under 18 years?  Absolutely!  Should people be ashamed to use the food bank in times of need?  No, they shouldn't.  But when people make a living on the dole, and raise their kids to do the same, I start to get upset.  Social programs are not there to allow you to sit on your ass and complain about being overweight and underfed.  And it is time that the majority of working citizens make our leaders know we will not accept this abuse of our safety nets.

I know it's hard to not use credit cards when your pinched financially, I've been earning a good wage going on 4 years since I returned to work and I'm still feeling the squeeze.  Examine what you can do to reduce your financial output.  Can you raise some vegetables in your yard, on your balcony, or window sill?  Do you know how to build a solar furnace or water heater?  Can you mend or alter clothing to get one more turn out of them? Search 'Make Do and Mend' and 'Victory Gardens', inquire at the local archives and libraries for World War I and II pamphlets on rationing and you'll find a wealth of ideas to start your journey on to self-sufficiency.

In a healthy body, a healthy mind; and in the health of a nation, its wealth.

What are some things you’re doing to become more self-sufficient?