It's been more than a year since our little family began it's journey toward greater self-sufficiency, but that's such a vague phrase...'greater self-sufficiency'...that I thought I'd restate what it is we're trying to accomplish. And by we, I mean me.
My first and primary goal is to increase the production of homegrown veggies and fruit so that eventually, we may be able to cut out store bought produce altogether. Yes, it's a lofty goal, and as bananas aren't native to Ohio, it's going to take a lot of getting used to. My plan is to grow enough produce that I can trade for what I don't produce...such as apples, walnuts, etc.
My second goal is to learn to make as many cleaning and toiletry products as possible, thereby decreasing what we spend each year on soaps, cleaners, etc AND ridding our house of nasty chemicals. I'm thrilled with no-poo, so shampoo is pretty much a thing of the past. And I have an excellent resource for homemade soaps, but eventually, I'd like to learn soapmaking to make my own herbal soaps.
My third goal is to relearn some of the lost skills; candlemaking, knitting, seed-saving, herbalism, etc. Things that aren't *necessary*, but make life pleasant.
My fourth goal is to create a permanent food supply, through canning, freezing, drying, buying dry goods in bulk, etc. I'd like to get to the point that I have a 6-month supply of food rations in the storage area of the basement...at all times.
Lastly, eventually, I'd like to create a home-based job to contribute to our household budget; through selling soap, seedlings, eggs and extra produce. That one will be years down the road as my hands are full of youngsters right now, but eventually, that's my plan.
You may be rolling your eyes at this point, but having children, watching the economic situation unfold and being fearful for the future has lead me to believe that this is a necessary path for my family. I figure if all things work out and next year the economy is just fine...well that's great! If not, my family won't be going hungry. My deal with Jeff for the past year has been..."you keep the roof over our heads, I'll fill our bellies." And that holds true whether we're turning a corner of not. I feel like we've thrived over the past year and that in many ways, I've found my niche in life. Call me a recessionista, but I'm having a great life regardless of what is going on up there on Wall Street.
2 comments:
Those are good goals Andrea. We keep and rotate through a supply of essential food stuffs that covers us for basics through a longer period than even you are aspiring to. It's an insurance policy of sorts and fits with our desire to cook from scratch - in part because of the preference for whole foods, but also because it is most economical AND allows for keeping a substantial food pantry. And, it provides the comfort that changes in our personal financial situaiton, or during periods of potential disruption of normal services (like in a pandemic)we have resources to continue on. Like you, we also aspire to food self sufficiency from our garden - we are there already on our vegetables, not nearly so on fruit. Work in progress.
Good work on the goal setting. It is impossible to reach your goals if they are not clearly expressed at the outset.
Sounds like a great set of goals to me! I'm thinking along the same lines. My 5 year old has been asking me what I'm going to be when I grow up, and I say a gardener!
It's pretty cool when the kids think of bananas and dried cranberries as candy!
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