14 Simple Changes To Help You Step Into Self-Sufficiency Today

Self-sufficiency has been a dream of mine for about 10 years now. Sadly, I always put it off thinking that it was impossible if I wasn’t in the right place, didn’t have enough time, didn’t have the money, etc. 

The truth is, if you are waiting for all the boxes to be checked before you start working toward self-sufficiency… well, you will be set back by years!

There are simple things you can do today to help you start working toward the life you have been dreaming of.

That’s why in this article we are going to go over several small changes you can make today and in the days and months to come that will get you headed toward self-sufficiency.

Why Live a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle?

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Self-sufficiency at its core is being able to take care of yourself and your family without any outside assistance. 

That entails a combination of things. From growing your own food and raising your own meat so you don’t have to get all your food from the grocery store, to digging your own well so you don’t have to rely on another water source. 

There are so many different ways to implement self-sufficiency but it takes time and effort. 

The fruits of your labor will be well worth the hard work when you begin to reap the benefits.

Benefits of a lifestyle of self-sufficiency:

You won’t see some of these benefits right away, but some you will reap almost immediately. 

Here are a few of the main ones to get you thinking:

You Save Money:

By making meals from scratch, creating your own cleaning supplies, and growing your own food, you are setting yourself up to save a lot of money in the long run. This is one of the benefits you may not fully enjoy until later on down the road but it is a guarantee!

Healthier:

It’s a no-brainer that growing your fruits and vegetables and raising your meat will result in improved health for yourself and your family. 

There’s no telling what’s going into the food purchased in-store these days. 

Just to get an idea of how deep it goes, download the Yuka app and scan a few food products lying around your house. 

You’ll be surprised at how bad the stuff really is; especially when it comes to things marketed for children.

Peace of mind:

Knowing you don’t have to rely on the grocery store for food or the government for assistance is a breath of fresh air. 

It gives you peace of mind knowing that if it all goes crashing down, you have something good at home to fall back on. You didn’t need them when it went down and you don’t need them now.

Greater control over your life:

When you don’t rely on anyone else to feed your family, you have greater control over your life; where you go, who you associate with, etc. You don’t have to answer to anyone because with or without them you are going to make it happen. 

(Not in a conceited way, but in a way where we know we don’t need any outside help from man. Our Father in Heaven provides for us what we need.)

14 Steps Toward Self-Sufficiency:

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Now let’s get to the meat of it. Here are the things you can begin implementing today to help you get there little by little. 

Taking small steps is better than taking no steps at all. 

Choose a few of these to begin today (or at least this week.) and the ones that seem more difficult to obtain, set a realistic short-term goal to get started– maybe this month. 

Here we go:

# 1: Start Canning Your Food.

This is a huge leap toward self-sufficiency! Here are a few essential things you need to get started:

1. 1. Canning Starter Kit: This kit comes with all the necessary tools you need to have a smooth canning experience such as a canning rack, ladle, measuring spoons, funnel, tongs, jar lifter, lid lifter, and other accessories. If you already have all this yayy!! You are ahead of the game!
   2. Pressure Canner: Pressure canning is recommended for canning meats and low-acid vegetables like okra, carrots, green beans, etc. Back in the day, they water-bathed pretty much all of this stuff but now the USDA recommends that these things be pressure canned to reduce the risk of Botulism (a type of food poisoning). Pressure canning also uses less electricity since the processing time is a lot shorter than water bath canning.
   3. Waterbath Canner: High-acid items are perfect for water-bath canning. These include fruits, jams, jellies, tomatoes, pickles, vinegars, etc. Waterbath canning is simpler in my opinion. Once the water starts boiling, make sure the jars are covered by water, set a timer, and let it do its thing.
   4. Pint Size Mason Jars: We have a large family here so we use these for jellies and jams, but anything else and we need the quart-size jars to make a meal.
   5. Quart Size Mason Jars: For our 7-person family which includes 3 growing boys, we need these. The wide mouth jars are awesome for easy access and cleaning but we also use the regular mouth jars for certain things.
   6. Canning Book: This is the book I used when I first started this journey. This along with guidance from various sources on the internet. Having the information all in one place right in front of you helps when you’re in the process.

With these items, you can get started strong on your canning journey, bringing you that much closer to your goal of self-sufficiency. 

You may find that along the way you need to pick up a few things here and there for certain recipes but this is the bulk of it.

Also, just to note, you can start canning even in the winter. 

Pick up some fresh organic fruits and vegetables at the grocery store and get started. 

The end goal is canning food from your garden, but until this can be attained, practice makes perfect! (In the summer months, if your garden isn’t going strong you can get your produce at the Farmer’s Market and can it as well.)

#2 Start Growing Your Own Food:

Start small on this if you need to. The last thing you want to do is overwhelm yourself. 

Keep in mind that it’s perfectly fine if you don’t have outside space! You can begin inside or even on your balcony (check out this article for an in-depth guide on balcony farming.) 

All you need is adequate sunlight for your plants and some containers to start them in.

To grow your food, you can take a few different paths: you can either start your seeds yourself or buy the plants already started at a local Walmart or nursery.

Starting seeds on your own is a little more tedious and requires a few things to help you get started:

1. 1. The seeds: We use heirloom seeds for everything we grow on our homestead because we can save the seeds from our harvest and use the heirloom seeds year after year. This is not the case for hybrid or other types of seeds. Our go-to seed company is Thresh Seed Co. but when they don’t have the seeds we’re looking for, Eden Brother’s is another great heirloom brand we use.
   2. Seed-starting Trays: these trays with the plastic dome act as a greenhouse and help the seed get plenty of humidity which helps it sprout.
   3. Seed-starting Mix: We prefer to use an organic mixture. This one is great if you are starting a lot of seeds, and this one is if you are only doing a small number of seeds.
   4. Small spray bottle: It’s important to have a small spray bottle when you start your seeds because the amount of water the seed needs is minimal. You don’t want to drown the seed or deprive it of water. A spray bottle gives you more control over the amount of water your seeds get.

These 4 items, coupled with attention and care, will help you successfully start your plants without buying them from the store. 

One advantage to this is the price. You are saving a lot of money by purchasing seeds because the plants that are already growing strong at the store are much more expensive. 

Another advantage is that you know what type of plants you’re getting, whether hybrid or heirloom, because you purchased and planted them.

Many people would rather go the other route instead of investing time and energy into starting their own plants. 

Whatever you choose, growing your food is an essential step in self-sufficiency.

#3 Crafting DIY Cleaning and Beauty Supplies

Becoming completely self-sufficient means parting ways with the chemical-filled cleaning and beauty supplies we are so accustomed to purchasing in-store. 

But this parting of ways means we must learn to make the essential things we need at home. 

Doing so benefits our families more than we can initially understand.

Creating your own soap, laundry detergent, glass cleaner, dish detergent, shampoo, lotion, etc. eliminates a huge number of chemicals you’re exposed to daily. 

Be sure to start small so you’re not overwhelmed. 

Start with the easiest things like cleaning supplies.

Here are a few recipes we use on our homestead that are super easy to make:

Recipe #1 All-natural Air & Fabric Freshener:

What you need:

• • 16 oz glass spray bottle: When using essential oils we recommend using glass containers since they tend to damage and deteriorate plastic bottles over time.

• • 15 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil: We’ve been using strictly Eden’s Garden essential oils for over 8 years and have never regretted it.

• • 20 drops of Spearmint Essential Oil: A Eucalyptus and Spearmint combination is an amazing anti-anxiety blend plus it smells super fresh and minty.

• • 1 Tbs Baking Soda: You can find it at your local grocery store. If you are looking for baking soda in bulk, here is a link.

• • 1/4 cup of High Proof Vodka (or Rubbing Alcohol): Use this to mix the essential oils with the water. Water and oil don’t mix so make sure to mix the essential oil and alcohol first. If using rubbing alcohol, look for 95% or higher isopropyl alcohol.

• • 1/2 cup of Distilled Water

• • Funnel: For adding the baking soda to your mixture.

Directions:

Mix alcohol, and essential oils together first. Then add the water and baking soda using the funnel. 

Shake well before each use. Use as an odor eliminator to spray in the air or directly on your clothes and furniture (spray fabric from about a foot or 2 back.) 

Store in a cool, dark place to preserve the essential oils.

Note: You can change up the essential oils used. For a relaxing scent, use lavender and lemon. For more of an uplifting vibe try sweet orange and vanilla.

Recipe #2 All Natural Counter Cleaner & Disinfectant:

Mix equal parts water and vinegar. Add 15-20 drops of lemon essential oil to give it a fresh aroma and mask some of the vinegar smell. 6 oz water to 6 oz of vinegar in a 16 oz spray bottle works perfectly.

Once you’re ready to embark on some more in-depth DIY’s come back to Bloom in Eden and check out some of our DIY recipes for bath bombs, soaps, and more.

#4 Harvesting Rainwater

Harvesting rainwater is a helpful step to self-sufficiency since we need water for our animals and plants. 

Benefits of harvesting rainwater include the ability to water your garden during droughts, using less electricity, and decreasing your electric/water bill overall. 

There are some extremely quick and simple rainwater harvesting setups for beginners.

All you need to get started is:

• • 50-gallon rainwater collection barrel: This barrel is already equipped with a spigot at the bottom for convenience and is made out of 100% recycled plastic making it an eco-friendly choice that requires less legwork than creating your rainwater harvesting setup.

Set it up under your gutter or if you don’t have gutters, in a place that has ample water flow off the roof. 

The great thing about this is, that you can begin using it without any extra work; just hook your water hose to the spigot and start watering your garden or whatever you have planned for your harvested rainwater.

#5 Check out energy-efficient power solutions

Look into options like solar and wind power in your area. 

These are considered “clean energy sources” because there are no chemical processes involved. 

These two options are, of course, dependent upon nature since solar needs the sun to work properly and wind power needs the wind to work.

Despite that, these are great options as a secondary energy source, and many people living off-grid use these power sources solely. 

It’s worth researching.

#6 Start sewing your clothes

Sewing your clothes is a genius way to dig your roots into self-sufficiency. 

Some clothing is easier than others. 

For me, all I wear are skirts and they are super simple to begin with, not to mention how fun it is to play around with the different designs, colors, and materials.

To start sewing your clothing you just need a good sewing machine. 

Unless you opt to hand sew, which is always an option and would be our only option if something happened and we didn’t have electricity. 

Other than that, you just need to pick up some material from Walmart or second-hand material which you can usually find in flea markets or at yard sales. 

This sewing essentials kit comes in handy for beginners and Youtube will be your best friend.

#7 Start Foraging

Foraging was one of the 1st things we did when moving onto our little stretch of land in 2019. 

The kids and I went on a little adventure searching out the land to see what we could find and make use of. 

What we found was lots of persimmon trees, blackberry vines, plum trees, and American Beautyberry bushes (which we had no idea about before moving here.) 

Here is a quick article on the benefits of Beautyberry and how to use them.

Exploring your land has a somewhat fascinating/mysterious feel to it. 

The best times to begin this exploration are early spring, mid-summer, and early fall. 

I say all three of these seasons simply because you don’t want to miss anything! 

There are so many things you can do with the different wild plants you find on your homestead. Think salves, jellies, jams, honey, tincture, etc.

Before heading out, download a good plant-identifying app on your phone, grab a notebook and pen, and have fun scanning everything you come across. 

Write down the important things you find and a simple map drawing of where to find them so you can go back to that spot more prepared next time.

#8 Homeschool

Homeschooling is an endeavor we began in 2020 and never looked back or regretted the decision. It has given us a profound sense of freedom in our days to learn how we want and do what we want. 

It’s not always easy and there are 100% those days when I don’t feel like the best teacher. 

Not to mention those days when the kids teach themselves outside in nature and I catch up on housework or work on my blog. 

And the good thing is, we have the freedom to do that.

Check out your state’s homeschooling requirements here. 

Thankfully my state (Arkansas) is extremely relaxed and they put the education in the hands of the parents once we opt to homeschool. 

We are required to sign our intent to homeschool form each school year and the rest is all on us. 

We do a combination of unschooling, nature schooling, and some worksheets.

A large part of their schooling involves learning in nature; things like gardening techniques, canning, carpentry, caring for various animals, animal and plant identification, etc. 

On top of that, we constantly work on strengthening our math and reading skills. 

It’s a learning experience for everyone involved.

Some parents worry about socialization which is understandable. 

There are many creative ways to implement socialization in your homeschool. 

We go on “field trips” to state parks, local parks, zoos, and the skating rink. Some “field trips” are educational and some are purely for fun!

This year, we plan to visit some other interesting places like the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter to name a few. 

There are a great deal of benefits to homeschooling and it’s deserving of its own separate article. But for now, check out the book IndoctriNation. 

It was the 1st book I read on the topic and was extremely eye-opening. 

I’m sure it will be for you as well.

#9 Create an Herbal Apothecary

Self-sufficiency entails the ability to take care of minor aches, pains, scratches, and bruises on your own. 

You can put this into effect quite simply by creating an herbal apothecary. 

Put together a list. Some of the most important things are pain-relieving salves, DIY antibacterial ointment, headache-relieving aromatherapy, elderberry gummies, and various dried herbs (which you can use for teas or to restock your tinctures, salves, ointments, etc.)

It’s pretty easy to put this together. If you are already growing herbs, that’s even better. 

If not, get some herbs started ASAP. 

Most of them grow well inside if it’s too cold out. If you are looking for a trusted source to get started, I highly recommend Farmhouse Teas, whether you want to start with the herb or the seed, they have everything you’ll need to get started with your herbal apothecary. 

You can also check out their Essential Medicinals Seed Set to get off to a great start. 

They even have a whole page of items dedicated to helping you stock your home apothecary here. 

I recommend starting with these herbs:

• • Lavender

• • Chamomile

• • Calendula

• • Peppermint

• • Elderberry

• • Valerian

• • Comphrey

• • Dandelion Root

Once you have these growing well, the next step is finding some good recipes to craft the things mentioned above. 

They’re generally simple to make and use a very minimal amount of products. 

This is also a fun thing to implement into your homeschool curriculum.

(Related Article: Home Apothecary Inspiration)

#10 Raise Chickens

Raising chickens is an ideal way to practice self-sufficiency. 

There are many benefits to raising chickens and it’s a rewarding endeavor. 

These feathered fowls will become a true companion in no time. 

Check out this article for all the benefits of adding chickens to your homestead.

From fresh eggs daily to their simple comradery; this is a simple and obtainable step toward self-sufficiency, even if you live in town. 

It’s best to start small, although I caution you, that buying day-old chicks becomes an addiction if you aren’t careful!

#11 Work Your Way Out of Debt

Getting out of debt is not a one-move thing. It understandably takes time, consistency, and patience. 

The thing is, we have to start somewhere. 

Even if you’re paying off the debt with $50 per month you are still putting a dent in that debt.

My point is, that even a small amount monthly toward debt is better than nothing at all. 

A huge step to self-sufficiency is paying your debt off. 

It’s hard to feel/be free when we owe money. To be completely free and shed that gloom off of us, we should start paying our debt. 

I am currently doing this and it feels good when I get those emails from creditkarma telling me my debt is going down. 

It’s like little by little I feel more weight is lifted off of me.

Trust me when I say, it’s hard to practice self-sufficiency in debt. 

Understandably, mortgages and car payments will take longer to pay off but the less debt you have the better. 

If you have debt, I encourage you to start working on paying it off a little at a time.

#12 Make Money from Your Homestead or the Work of Your Hands

This part will take a little time but it’s a goal you can begin working toward. 

If you’re already good at something in particular like woodworking, making natural products, gardening, sewing, etc. then you have a basis on where to start.

You can also do a combination of a lot of things. 

here are a few ideas:

1. 1. Selling at your local farmers market: You can sell your homegrown produce, baked goods, canned goods, and handmade natural products.
   2. Save and sell seeds: Heirloom seeds stay consistent year after year. This means you can save the seeds from your produce and sell them locally or online.
   3. Handmade products: Making soap, bath bombs, candles, lotion, bath salts, etc. is a great way to make money locally.
   4. Selling eggs: You can sell eggs to eat or sell fertilized eggs to hatch.
   5. Selling day-old chicks: You could do this on a small-scale, or if you choose to do it on a large-scale– a high-capacity incubator like this one would work perfectly for you. Chickens always sell!
   6. Raise and sell meat chickens: There is a large market for healthy free-range meat chickens.
   7. Sell farm animals: If you have goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, or any other farm animal, you are likely going to have babies born on your farm. Who doesn’t love baby pigs or goats?
   8. Start a money-making blog: This is an option that can make you a large amount of money in the long run. Honestly, the time and effort put into it will determine how quickly your blog makes money. 

Be creative and think of skills you already possess to get started! 

Think about it– These are things you can implement now, even if you aren’t where you want to be physically. 

You can already have this going when you get to your dreamland.

Want to learn more ways to make money from your homestead?

I’ve devoted an entire article to the topic. Click here!

#13 Dig a Well

I kind of mentioned this earlier, but we’ll go more in-depth here. 

Digging a well is an important step in self-sufficiency.

There are many videos on YouTube explaining how to do this yourself, with the products you need linked in the descriptions.

Here is a video you can check out that is pretty popular and here is another very informative one. 

Now, both of these options are going to take some basic equipment and some hard work.

The other option would be to call someone locally who digs wells and have it put in professionally. 

This is, of course, a more expensive option but would eliminate the time and effort you put into the process.

The goal is to have a well that doesn’t run on electricity. 

Then you have a sure water source for hard times and another good step toward self-sufficiency.

#14 Prayer of Jabez

I hope you made it to this point as this is a very important part of self-sufficiency. 

I have seen so many people attest to this prayer. 

That, by praying this prayer and having faith in our Creator to answer it, they have had this prayer answered.

Here is the prayer:

1 Chronicles 4:10

“Oh that You would greatly bless me and extend my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it would not hurt me!” And God brought about what he requested.”

The prayer of Jabez is a short and simple, yet extraordinarily powerful prayer. 

In this prayer, he asks for:

1. 1. Blessing
   2. For his border to be extended
   3. For his Creator to be with him
   4. Protection from evil

This is all we need in this journey to self-sufficiency! Asking Him to enlarge/extend our border is asking Him to trust us with more. 

To put more into our hands and entrust it to us. This is important in beginning the homesteading and self-sufficiency lifestyle because most of us are taking a huge leap of faith.

I challenge you to start praying this prayer along with your normal prayers, of course. 

By faith, watch our Father work this out for you, and help you come into self-sufficiency little by little. 

You will reach this goal! 

Keep the faith and work hard toward your goal because faith without works is dead!

Happy homesteading! And may your goal for self-sufficiency be realized before you know it!