You never know when something might happen that leaves you without income, transportation, power or other necessities of life.
Would you be fine? Not sure? ~ Read on to find out, and discover ways to help ensure that you are!
Let's begin this post this post with a small quiz. 📝 📝 📝
Nothing to difficult, but it will help you decide how prepared you actually are. ❓Ready❓
Are you prepared for emergencies? Would you be able to take care of you/your family's needs if you weren't able to leave your home for an extended time?
❓ Do you have another power source if the grid went down?
❓ Do you have enough food to eat for a month?
❓ Are any of the above sustainable for longer periods of time?
In the article "Sustainable Living Vs. Self Sufficiency" (http://www.altenergyshift.com/page/blog/_/green-energy/sustainable-living-vs-self-sufficiency-r655), LaMar Alexander states "Going off-grid and sustainable living does not mean giving up all the tools and conveniences that make life easier, safer and more comfortable. It does mean reducing your reliance on society for things like food, energy, and other conveniences that you could produce for yourself.
My post today will concentrate on the last part of LaMar's statement: reducing your reliance and could produce for yourself.
Actions to Take
1.) Have alternative sources of power.
🔌 Have a generator ready for use. Install a woodstove, if possible. Look into
solar products.
🔌 Ensure everything is prepared. Does the generator have gas? Is firewood cut,
seasoned and ready?
🚰 Keep jugs of drinking water on hand & away from sunlight.solar products.
🔌 Ensure everything is prepared. Does the generator have gas? Is firewood cut,
seasoned and ready?
2.) Keep stocked on food staples.
🍞 Keep canned goods, baking items, dry milk, etc. always on hand.
🍞 Learn how to keep foods fresh/safe for as long as possible.
3.) Have several sources of clean water.
🚰 Keep water filters on hand to use as needed with any water source.
4.) Find long-term solutions for sustainability
🌱 Start planning for future energy needs. For example, we will be filling a large propane
tank soon & are designing our solar energy system for our future.
🌱 Start a garden. Plant fruit or nut trees. Try your hand at microgreens. Learn how to can
and preserve.
🌱 Consider rainwater harvesting, if possible. Not for drinking water, unless extremely filtered. Use the rainwater for other purposes, so you can conserve your drinking tank soon & are designing our solar energy system for our future.
🌱 Start a garden. Plant fruit or nut trees. Try your hand at microgreens. Learn how to can
and preserve.
water.
Practicing What We Preach
My hubby and I have faced some of these emergencies. We have had a job loss in the past, and also several power outages where we live now.
We make sure our present needs are met, while consistently looking towards our future. What does this look like for us?
🔌 Regarding power, we are hooked up to the local electric company. We do have a generator filled with gas. A woodstove helps to keep our heat bill much lower. And for future needs, we have been gifted a propane tank. It just needs to be filled once prices have lowered to out-of-season rates. We have also been working on designing a solar energy system that will meet our needs.
🚰 Although our water needs are being met, we are looking at plans to be able to harvest rainwater. Two of our neighbors have given us permission to access springs on their
property, if the need would arise. We also always keep several water jugs on hand and out of sunlight.
🌱 We have made sure to always keep food staples on hand, and fresh as long as possible. I have my garden catalog in front of me, and ready to order. We have blackberries, apricots and apples we could harvest. Lately, we have started to look at the possibility of microgreens.
You know the old adage, "You can never be too prepared!" Does this mean to be scared and start panicking? Not at all.
Just one step at a time, start taking steps. Take stock of what you already have in place. Figure out what the needs of you/your family are. Each household is different! And take it from there!
👉 I would like to hear from you! What steps have you taken to be more sustainable? What steps do you plan to take?
Sources:
Sustainable Living Vs. Self Sufficiency
May 05 2012 solarman (LaMar Alexander) in Green Energy
A good resource for canning and preserving foods is the National Center for Home Food Preservation. I took an online course from them in 2013 and refer to their recommendations often.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Virginia! I did whatever my mom asked when she was canning, but I didn't take the time to learn from her. Now, I wish I had! My hubby says he knows how. We shall see! I will check out the website! Thanks!
DeleteGreat tips for becoming self-sustaining.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tammy!
DeleteVery interesting post. In times of crisis like we are living now we come to realize that we are not effectively prepared. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Even if not prepared when the crisis hits, you find yourself taking stock of what you can do now, and for the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this post. This list reminds me of my childhood, when my grandmother taught me how to be frugal and self-sustainable. My summer holidays were spent at a farm and life was simple. Of course we have our modern conveniences now and being self-sustainable might be challenging for many but it can certainly be done.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Corrine! I'm glad that I brought back good memories for you. I agree that we have gotten used to our modern conveniences, but it is not as challenging as one would think. We all just need to get used to playing the "what if" game a little more often. What do you think?
DeleteGreat article Diane. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I agree that reducing our reliance on outside sources is important. It's probably easier to achieve than being completely self sufficient.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christina! I think reducing our reliance is what most of us should strive for, in my opinion. Complete self-sufficiency is a very high standard that takes a lot of work. Reduced reliance is more doable.
Delete