What Is Self-Sufficiency?
Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what self-sufficiency means.
Merriam-Webster defines it as being "capable of providing for one's own needs," and I think that's a pretty good definition without getting too deep into philosophy.
The truth is, no one is completely self-sufficient I've had to admit.
Even the earliest American pioneers relied on trade. They might have raised their own food and built their own homes, but they still traded for essentials like salt, lead, and gunpowder. Complete independence has always been more myth than reality.
To me, self-sufficiency means being able to meet your needs through a combination of your own production, skills, and responsible financial decisions. If you can provide for yourself—either by producing what you need or by trading your time and skills for income—and do so without living in debt, that's a pretty self-sufficient life in my eyes.
The Problem With the Modern Self-Sufficiency idea
In recent years, there seems to be a growing belief that being self-sufficient means doing absolutely everything yourself.
Grow all your own food.
Raise all your own livestock.
Cut all your own firewood.
Generate all your own power.
Live completely off-grid.
But does that really make sense? We all have our strengths and our weaknesses, build off them!
Human beings developed trade networks thousands of years ago because they worked. People specialized in the things they did well and traded with others for what they lacked. That cooperation helped civilization flourish.
Why shouldn't homesteaders do the same thing?
Instead of trying to become experts at everything, perhaps we should focus on building strong local networks with our neighbors where everyone contributes what they do best.
Community Is Part of Self-Sufficiency
One of the greatest lessons I've learned is that relationships are just as important as skills. It truly does take a village.
I have a trade network that supplies about 80% of the hay I don't produce for my livestock. I work with local breweries that provide spent grain in exchange for farm products. Those grains help feed my pigs, chickens, and goats. I've gotten small jobs done by trading pork, honey and jelly. I have good friends. I can call if I need an extra set of hands and they know they can call me for the same.
These relationships make my homestead stronger and more able to weather the storms in this ever-changing world.
I also learned long ago that while barter is valuable, it won't pay property taxes, veterinary bills, or emergency expenses tho. That's why I have maintained a career, a "day job", that provides a reliable income and is allowing me the financial stability to plan ahead while I work to build the farmstead's business income.
Some people look down on outside income when someone claims to be a self-sufficient homestead. I think that's a mistake. Financial security is part of self-sufficiency.
Being able to pay your bills, avoid debt, and prepare for unexpected challenges is just as important as raising your own food.
What Relative Self-Sufficiency Looks Like for Me
At 51 years old, I consider myself relatively self-sufficient—not because I do everything myself, but because I've finally realized I don't have to do it all.
Some of the things I do include:
- Heating with wood, much of it harvested from family property
- Cooking, heating the house, and drying clothes on a wood stove during the winter
- Line-drying laundry whenever possible
- Using well water for the house and rain catchment for the barn and pastures
- Generating solar power for the barn and chicken coop
- Raising most of my own meat and vegetables I eat
- Grinding wheat and making my own bread
- Making cheese and butter at home
- Producing my own soap and cleaning supplies
- Cooking with and making soap from Guinea Hog lard
- Buying quality goods and purchasing secondhand whenever practical
- Living debt-free and paying cash whenever possible
- Bartering when opportunities arise
- Doing as much as I can with my own hands
- Living below my financial means & Maintaining an emergency fund
- Following the simple principle: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
While none of these practices alone make me self-sufficient, together they create a lifestyle that is sustainable and less dependent on outside systems.
The Road That Led Me Here
Of course, none of this happened overnight.
The person I am today didn't appear the moment I bought this farm, installed a rain barrel, or paid off the last debt. This lifestyle was built one step, one skill, one late night decision at a time over many years.
The road hasn't been straight, and it certainly hasn't been smooth. There have been mistakes, setbacks, lessons learned, and plenty of hard work along the way.
But every challenge taught me something valuable and brought me one step closer to the life I wanted to live.
It's about building a life that allows you to take care of yourself, your family, and your community with confidence and resilience. It's about building a life from which you do not need a vacation.
This is the path I've chosen, and here I've found my Peace. Thank you for walking with me in my journey along this Winding Road.