With artificial intelligence, economic concerns, and societal upheaval all wearing on the average consumer, we thought it would be helpful to put together a quick guide that will have you on the path toward self-sufficiency. These are a few beginner steps that are also fun, that will get you motivated to try a more survivalist lifestyle.
This is perhaps the most fun way to get into self-sufficiency (if you drink alcohol, of course.) If you are not a fan of adult beverage, just scroll down to the suggestions below. But for those who really want a way to ensure they are having their favorite drinks while becoming less reliant on the system, you can easily learn to make cider, wine, or beer. All of which will come in handy in a SHTF situation too. Alcohol can be a powerful bartering tool. You can make wine out of almost anything, including carrots and pumpkins. Start by doing a little research online, and then perhaps choose to make the beverage out of something you care little for so it won’t be going to waste. This simple to follow online tutorial made available by The Homesteading Boards lays out the plans to make blackberry wine. It is great, easy to follow, and a good starting point for those looking to make their own alcoholic drinks!
2. Learn to hunt and fish
Learning to be completely responsible for your own meat can be beneficial in more than helping you become wholly self-sufficient. Wild game is largely free of the chemicals, genetically modified foods, antibiotics, and pesticides that can be found in much of the meat on the shelves at the grocery store. If you have space, make a chicken coop and raise your own birds for eggs. Hunt a large animal and learn how to cut it up on your own saving hundreds of dollars. This step alone will have the added benefit of positively impacting your health as well as helping you slide toward self-sufficiency.
3. Raise a few backyard animals
Obviously, chickens are the first to come to mind here, and those birds are great to have around if you are on a quest to become completely self-sufficient. Their waste can be used as compost and you can feed them food waste from your household. The amount of space required by a small flock of chickens or even a rabbit hutch is minimal and is a great source for nutrients for you and your backyard farm. There is nothing better than making breakfast or a cake with eggs fresh from the source. Plus they are a great asset with help keeping bugs and insects in check and will gladly take care of any extra vegetables or fruit from the garden for you.
4. Compost Everything
A compost pile or bin is the key to a healthy and nutritious home garden. It is estimated that 30 to 40 percent of food Americans buy ends up in the trash heap. However, if you choose to compost, any waste from leftovers either goes into to the compost pile by either being fed to the chickens and after working its way through the chickens ends up in the compost bin. All raked leaves, newspaper, cardboard, weeds, grass clippings can also go directly into a compost pile.
5. Learn to save your seeds
Learning this valuable skill is a great way to make sure you’re buying fewer seeds. It will also help you be able to keep a garden if there are no longer any seeds that can be bought. If you don’t have any heirloom seeds, start with the best! Try Ready Nutrition’s “Vegetable Garden in a can.” This simple can full of amazing non-GMO seeds could be your ticket to a self-sufficient lifestyle. Imagine never having to buy produce ever again and learning to store and use everything your garden produces. This also makes a great Christmas gift or birthday gift for those who live a more homesteading lifestyle or have an interest in beginning one.
https://www.readygardens.com/how-to-save-your-seeds-for-planting-next-year/
6. Try to adopt a “zero waste” lifestyle.
Using everything you have already purchased could do wonders for helping you become self-reliant. Zero waste is difficult to do, but once you’ve figured it out, it could save you a lot of money and give you some more freedom from consumerism.
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Learn to hunt and fish
I hear that all the time: “I’ll just go kill a deer.”
Well, I am afraid to tell you… In Texas there are 27 million people and about 3 million deer. The numbers don’t add up.
Better off going and buying a couple of cows. I was at the feed store today and the ranchers were reporting that a new born calf to 2 years old are only getting about $175.
Thats nothing.
My animal count;
2 cattle, 1 steer and 1 heifer.
1 sow pig.
1 mule.
1 donkey.
14 chickens.
5 dogs.
3 cats.
Shitloads of wild pigs, doves, pigeons, and turkeys.
And ya’all thought Hawaii 50 was how we live.
75 degrees and sunny today.
Rellik, sounds like you’ve got your own zoo, LOL.
We have lots of wild turkey near me. If you have a few hens in a pen, the wild males will just keep coming, have a good quiet air rifle. As long as the males keep coming to the pen you have meat. Otherwise you should have eggs, consider miniature turkeys, it is a breed. The eggs are still huge.
If there are no wild turkey in your area, consider introducing them, where legal.
Many of you know I was touting planting a few fruit trees. I was doing great, then a rat bastard white tail decided my best peach tree was the only place in town he could scrape. The damage to the tree was surprisingly huge. Do I need to drive a dozen rebar around my plantings? Damn.
Regularly dump a bottle of your urine around the area, and if you have hair clippings, toss some of that around as well. Most animals will leave when they smell those things.
Peas porridge Hot,
Peas porridge Cold,
Pease porridge in the Pot,
Nice Days Old..
We are all going back to the good old days. Mid 1850’s No electronic technology, hand tools will be popular, true grit and balls of steel. Are ya ready? Got your year of food storage. I have about 50 Lbs of rice. Same with black beans all put away safe and sound. Got your weapons and plenty of ammo in all calibers?
Necessity is the mother of invention. I had a shade stand canopy that was really good at catching rain water, so I reassembled the canopy frame and laid the canopy in the frame upside down and its now made for a great rain water catch system. Results. Just 1-1/2 inches of rain produced about 18 to 19 gallons of water in this 6×6 wide canopy. Amazing, Or 2 weeks of water for me, as my new back up system. I would or could filter it, and store it, or use it for auto or hand washing or flushing a toilet off the grid. I used this first batch of 18 gallons of water to complete a cement stand foundation for my new solar stand. About 26 bags of 60 Lbs cement mix. Good deal eh?
I am looking at putting a clear shower curtain on top of the canopy to create better water catch and flow. This tent canopy stand can be adjusted in height to give plenty of elevation for a barrel and filter below the system to catch the water.
Just simple things you can invent will solve your situations and improve moral.
Do you all have a way to run your water well pumps if the grid crashes? Solar or gas generators..? I’m going with a separate, stand alone solar power array for a well pump power.
during the dust bowl, opossum and raccoon were nearly hunted out of existence in Texas. Fact.
That said, what makes you think someone wont rustle, kill and eat your cow..? Or worse, simply shoot it dead and steal a few hunks of meat to get by?
Right…
We need to kill all the damned feral hogs
Learn to make your own adult beverages
Better to learn to filter and secure your own water source.
Getting drunk in a SHTF is not advisable.
I really enjoy making booze/wine. I usually drink beer though. It’s just something I find interesting and you can be creative. Another thing that newbies will find fun and useful is reloading. It doesn’t cost much and is very useful and saves $$$. Teach people how to make their own match ammo and do long range shooting. Challenges are fun especially when they are multipurpose skills. Teach people how to build structures like a shed. Easy enough and you can make it anyway your imagination wants. Learn blacksmithing, no end to what you can make.
But by the time you spend a thousand dollars on reloading equipment and another $500 in ammo parts, you could have just bought a $1500 worth of ammo. How many rounds is your break even point on the set up expense for reloading You know “ROI”? Probably 10,000 Rounds maybe. Then if you are missing one item like primer caps, your entire assembly line is shut down, and its game over. Back in 2010 lots of ammo parts were unattainable. Like during the ammo shortage 2010 and 2011. When Obama was trying to ban AR15’s during the Sandy Hoax False Flag. The school was already shut down for some time when this fake attack unfolded.
$1500 worth of ammo is a finite resource, whereas the money you put into reloading equipment is (pretty much) a one time investment.
If you’re run out of a component, you’re still in better shape than when you run out of that $1500 worth of ammo.
you can get a good progressive reloader, all dies etc for under $500. If you look used, you can even get a used Dillon 650 for under 500 and go from there. My Hornady LnL has been a trooper, and I picked it up complete (all dies for 2 calibers, etc ec) from a friend for 280.
If you shoot any appreciable amount and dont mind the relatively minimal time investment, reloading is where its at. The equipment cost is pretty much not even worth worrying about. If you’re the kind of guy who blasts a 50 round box of ammo every month or so and feel you’re prepared to face an adversary, well I guess stick with buying from walmart.
I reloaded just under 14,000 rounds of 45acp in 2018.
total cost in components: about $3200
buying cheapass off the shelf ammo (.35/round) would have set me back $4900
$1700 in savings. done.
needlessly foolish to discourage someone from reloading. It does not take a thousand dollars worth of equipment to reload. Your lack of knowledge about reloading is clear, yet you speak like you know what you are talking about. I find that fascinating.
indeed.
this advice assumes you have the basics like water covered.
Distilling is great for things other than getting drunk like making disinfectant, trade goods, vinegars for preserving, distilling fuel for lanterns, and if you’re really good, streching your fuel supplies with gasohol
Raise a few backyard animals
Already got the chickens and goats. When we become a socialist country, then I’ll eat the dog too.
I’m gonna find out what horse tastes like when it goes down. Sadly.
Compost Everything
I am trying this method for growing potatoes this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlratwBT5OI
I’m going to try it!
Love it! Easy! Thanks for posting!
Learn to save your seeds
I bought a “Liberty Seed Vault” a few years ago.
Last year I opened it and tried to germinate several kinds of seeds. NONE of them would germinate. Totally dead. Something was wrong with the seeds. Maybe radiated or something?
I bought a bag of orages at a roadside stand. No GMO’ and I saved all the seeds, will try to get some growing for orange trees. Same with apple seeds and many more fruits people just throw out the seeds. Go to farmers markets and look for the best fruit with seeds and grow your own. I used to get hundreds of pineapple tops from the grocery store deli and would plant them. In 2 years they are producing pineapples. Yep here in Florida. Out on my BOL, I am starting over with pineapple plants. I seem to find they grow best around big oak trees. Just enough shade and protection from any mini frost. Save all seed and give it a shot. Get your bread basket growing ASAP.
I bought a several cases of Honeyville hard white wheat years ago, I took a can to test this summer.
I planted some, the germination rate on 12 year old canned seed was like 90%. Yes, you can grow spouts to eat. No light needed and it’s like eating fresh vegetables. I planted a garden with it and had lots of plants, the deer came and ate it all just days before harvest, but we preppers know deer are just another patein source in a SHTF. Got a crossbow?
I also made bread from it. It was awesome! Find a good hand powered grain mill, and an electric one. Some car batteries, solar panels and an inverter lets you run a myriad of appliances.
Several people were talking batteries a few stories up, anyone have experience with super capacitor batteries?
I just throw out cracked corn in the AM and whole corn just before dark on my property. It attracts Deer/Turkey/squirrels/rabbits/doves. My simple easy protein food plot. Just a few handfuls daily keeps the game coming in daily. Also put a salt lick out there as well. I’ve seen rabbits go lick on it. Deer crave it.
You can buy a Salt block about $6 to $8; a 40 Lb bag of cracked or whole corn at a feed store for only $9. Get yourself a metal trash can with a tight lid to store your seed grain, and you are good to go.
Seeds don’t have an unlimited lifespan. Also, you can’t just throw seeds in dirt and expect stuff to grow. Some need to be soaked. Some need to be kept warm. Sounds like you need some education on germinating seeds. It’s not rocket science but it does require some skills and a bit of knowledge and patience.
8 hours. That is the trick I have learned. Soak the seeds for 8 hours in water, then plant.
Try to adopt a “zero waste” lifestyle.
Does that mean I have to stop wasting my time on this web site too?
Yeah you cyber squatter.. ha. Go be somebody.
Those web sites about prepping and self sustainment will be the sites that grow.. When the S-hit hits the fan are ya going to be ready?
Yes that’s fine.
To quote the Marx Brothers, don’t go away mad, just go away..,,
Was Congress interviewing the former Director of the FBI, James Comey, or the head of the mafia? He claimed he didn’t know or couldn’t remember 251 times! Those are the actions of someone who has committed a crime and is in the process of covering it up and obstructing the investigation. Survive the deep state. Resist.
Plus 50 points.
We either try convict and execute Obama, Hillary, Holder, Learner, Lynch, Mccabe, Comey, struzk, Page etc for treason sedition and espionage or we enter a civil war.
Balls in your court Donald
My money is that Donald does not finish his term. Muller will get him.
Funny thing is this: The democrats actually think if Trump is removed, then Hillary will take his place.
Not surprising that they don’t understand the basic structure of government. Have you seen what Oscio-Perez said about the three branches of government?
JS, I’ve done some research on that Puerto Rican bitch. Talk about a fruitloop! She claimed there were 3 CHAMBERS of govt.; Presidency, Senate, and House. It’s 3 BRANCHES; executive, legislative, and judicial. I took civics in grade school so I didn’t need a college degree for that. That PR bitch has a college degree and is as dumb as a rock! A real winner! She’s the gift that keeps on giving, LOL!
Impeachment requires a predicate crime. Not just an accusation.
I’d wager neither will happen…
Anyone know about miniature cattle?
I can’t see slautering a full size angus and having to process and store it in grid down situation
Just did a google search for them. Interesting, but expensive…