How to Learn to Be Self-Sufficient

Figure out your limits. List the creature comforts you require. Some people can live without electricity, for example, while others don't want to do so. For some, having a hot shower is essential; others are happy with a bucket of water and a dipper.

Learn how to calculate your estimated cost of living. Even self-sufficient people who live off the land need to buy some things from a store and operate a vehicle.

Plan how you are going to generate an income. It could be through growing vegetables and selling them at a farmer's market or by designing websites on a computer powered by solar panels.

Learn the skills you are going to need to live off the land. Study how to can vegetables for the winter, get instructions on how to cut and haul your own firewood and learn similar tasks.

Start small. Rather than plowing up the front lawn to put in a vegetable garden, try simple things such as growing sprouts in your kitchen window to see how well you like gardening.

Get tips from people who have done it. Discuss your self-sufficiency plans with someone who has firsthand experience to get insider advice. Check the blogs on the Internet and read what people have to say about their lifestyles.

Pick the right property. If you are going to build your own south-facing house with solar panels, make sure the nearby road is plowed in the winter and that you have a good supply of fresh water.

Build a root cellar to store your fruit and vegetables under the house. This is also an ideal place to keep the food you can for the winter.

Develop Plan B. Always have a fall-back option in case you can't cope with a self-sufficient lifestyle. You may want to take a leave of absence from work for six months to see how well it goes before you quit your job.