Simple Ways To Be More Self-Reliant

Preparedness leads to self-reliance in some fashion or another. As we see the shortages happening during the COVID-19 Pandemic, it only makes sense to want to learn how to be more self-reliant.

More people are looking to cook and bake. They’re learning to can. They’re learning to sew. People are getting their own backyard chickens. Starting their own gardens. Making their own cleaners, etc.

People are realizing they need to be prepared.

I think it’s great! I absolutely love seeing people learning to be more self-reliant. You don’t have to have 1,000 acres, or even 1 acres to be self-reliant. Sure, it would be great to produce every little thing yourself, but sometimes we can also look to our community. People throughout history have relied on community, trading and bartering to get by with items they couldn’t produce themselves.

So when you’re thinking about being more self-reliant, look to your community, neighbors and relatives to help supplement what you can’t produce.

Here are some simple ways to be more self-reliant:

Grow! Not a lot of room? Grow some micro greens on your window sill. Sprout seeds. Grow some herbs. Grow in containers or hanging plants. Find solution(s) that works best for you. You may not have a huge harvest, but you may be able to supply a lot of your nutritional needs, thus less need to buy from the grocery store.
Learn how things are made! How do you make your own yeast? How do you make candles? How do you render lard? So many ways we can be more self-reliant by simply learning how things are made. People discovered rather quickly that hand sanitizer is just rubbing alcohol and aloe gel. After that realization, they began to make their own. Baby wipes are extremely easy to make, too. Making your own tinctures from medicinal herbs is very easy. Learn how to make all the things.
Get out of debt! The only thing debt does is make you more reliant on banks. That’s only good for the bank. Debt will not only drag you down financially wise, but it’ll keep you from moving forward with your dreams. If you’re spending $100 towards debt every month, that’s $100 you can’t spend on preps or training or savings.
Look into getting off the grid! I know this isn’t possible for a lot of people, but getting off the grid is extremely important for self-reliance. We’re not tied to the grid, completely solar, and we will never tie to the grid again. It seems ‘expensive’ to invest in some solar or a wind turbine or maybe even a hydro system. However, knowing that you’re off grid and don’t have to answer to anyone for your power needs is incredibly empowering. Even just having a couple small solar panels is better than nothing.
Turn to nature! Learn about wild edibles, hunting, sourcing your own water (and collecting rain water), etc. Nature provides so much for us and it can be great for supplemental purposes.
Protect yourself! Taking your own life into your hands will increase your self-reliance. You’ll be able to protect yourself and your family through self-defense, fire, storms, etc.
Learn to preserve! Learn how to preserve your own food through canning, dehydrating, fermenting and smoking. There are plenty of primitive ways to do these things without electricity. Such as canning on your BBQ grill or dehydrating in a solar oven.
Reduce waste! Burn your trash, compost your trash or even bury your trash. And in general, reduce your waste such as, use less water, waste less food and use more reusable items.
Learn to repair! Knowing how to maintain and repair your home, car, bike and whatever else, will not only save you money, but could save your life in times of crisis. Have a flat tire? You can change it instead of calling someone. Need to replace a ceiling fan? You can replace it instead of hiring someone. You don’t have to know everything, but basic repairs will save you time and money. Don’t forget to learn how to use manual tools, as well.

You don’t have to be completely self-sufficient, but these are certainly easy ways that we can learn how to be a little more self-reliant for everyday, as well as emergencies and disasters.

See you in day 19!

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