Many times people find themselves unprepared for an event that puts a strain on their bank account or ability scrounge up funds to pay for even some basic things. At times like this we think to ourselves “I wish I could do something differently so that I could save some money on this or that”. Learning financial self-sufficiency requires changing one’s thinking and maybe even living habits or daily rituals so that money can be saved, obligations or emergencies covered, stress can be relieved and life lived.
My aim in this article is to help with advice and direction in others’ journey to this destination of financial self-sufficiency through planning, budget, self-control, action, being proactive and thinking ahead.
Defining financial self-sufficiency
Let’s define practical thinking: It is defined as; ways to adapt to your environment or changing your environment to fit you, so that you are able to pursue a goal.
There are a few different ways to define financial self-sufficiency. One way I would define it is changing your financial environment to fit to you and your financial needs, such as not needing a lot of money to have the necessities of life and be happy. Living frugally, keeping your own personal cost of living down and providing as much as you can for yourself such as I have touched on some of these topics in other articles here on Being Prepared Today.
An Entrepreneur is one example of financial self-sufficiency. Finding new ways to actively generate or make money work for them creates Financial self-sufficiency. By doing so, they do not depend on a company, corporation or the government for their well-being or social survival. They are supporting themselves.
Educate yourself on various topics so you have the know-what and know-how to get things done. I have linked here in the picture, a book called The Ultimate Self-Sufficiency Handbook. It will be of immense help in any goal to be educated in certain areas of getting things done for yourself, your family and your self-sufficiency.
Frugal living and penny-pinching can help financial self-sufficiency
Cutting unnecessary spending, eating only home-cooked meals and leftovers as much as possible as well as saving any extra money as often as you can will lead you to this frugal lifestyle that is a staple of financial self-sufficiency and independence.
Growing a garden every year and learning how to store, can and jar foods will save you some money in the long run.
Buy certain non-perishable foods when they’re on sale and have a rotating food or cold storage.
That doesn’t mean to live like you’re broke by any means. It means to live smart, not beyond your means and build a lifestyle that suits you while at the same time having everything you need.
Be debt free – save first spend after. Even if you need to take out a loan or borrow money, pay it off as fast as possible. You will save money on interest by shortening the length of your loan payments.
Set goals or objectives. Take action so that your actions become habits. This is by far one of the most effective moves you can make towards being effectively financially self- sufficient.
Living off the land
This is one that a lot of people think of when the term ‘self-sufficiency’ is spoken. It is also another very effective way towards that goal of independence.
Growing your own food is effective because you not only save money on food from the grocery stores, you know where that food came from and how it was treated. Or rather, not treated with harsh chemicals and poisons. It can be a clean source of wholesome foods for you and your family.
Hunting game and raising animals such as chickens, cattle or pigs provides meat and eggs and usually doesn’t cost outrageously to keep them fed. Nor do you need tons of land to do it. So many people choose to raise Hens in their backyard because of the price of food and eggs inflating to ridiculous heights. Check your local laws concerning this however!
A lot of people here in America are still living off the land as much as possible and an increasing number of people are learning to grow food for themselves. There is a movement happening now, as folks want to be food secure.
Farmers and homesteaders
Homesteaders are ultra efficient in their methods because most have had the traditions passed down in their family for generations. Don’t let that discourage you as you can always learn for yourself and from others!
Food prep for winter is a skill that you can definitely start practicing. Plenty of people still jar and can their own foods from their gardens for winter and even all year ’round use. Pickling and preserves/jams are the most common but you can also do salsa, tomatoes, fruit and pie fillings too. Smoking and curing meats is a skill that some have perfected into an art form. Myself, I love smoking meats and making jerky on my smoker.
There are markets called farmers markets or town markets. Some participate in markets to bring in cash to support the rest of the farm/homestead as outlined below. They produce or craft wares that will be sold at these local farmers market
Small business and entrepreneur
Small businesses support can their lifestyle by selling or bartering surplus of goods, whether grown or handcrafted. Doing the small business thing if you have surplus of items, you will even bring in a bit of extra cash if there is a decent demand for what you are creating.
There are plenty of ways to bring in a supplemental income online as well by e-commerce, drop shipping and even affiliate marketing. This requires some measure of creativity and ambition so check it out and see if you have what it takes! you could open the door to so many possibilities.
Families or homesteads will participate in farmers markets, own nurseries for trees and plants as well as buy and sell livestock and animals. They are the backbone of communities and can be the ultimate example of independence and self-sufficiency. A lot of times you will buy products that you never knew were produced by families or small businesses like these.
My Conclusions
This shouldn’t intimidate or overwhelm you or make you think ‘Hillbillie’ or anything like it. If anything you gain an appreciation for the natural cycle of the world and of life in general. You will learn quite a few cool things about self-sufficiency along the way and be knowledgeable in these areas.
There are plenty of other ways to save money and cut back on costs of various things such as biking or walking whenever you can, saving and recycling aluminum and other metals as well as line drying clothes and composting. All these things if done right, will save money and help you provide for yourself and your family. Whatever choices you make, with commitment, a little hard work and forward thinking your path will lead you to the independence you seek.
I hope you have found this article to helpful and informative. If you have any comments, questions or input please do so in the box below.
Thanks.
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