Who considers themselves self sufficient

[old medic]

I have enjoyed reading a lot of folks stories in here. DYI stuff and such.
I have wanted to ask, and well now I have... LOL
Our entire lives we have been exposed to this....growing stuff, put it up... canned, dried, froze....Raised and butchered... Worst job was Granny having us strip pig intestines for sausage casings. This was just a normal thing for us.
In todays world some people call this being a "Prepper"
But most of the "Pepper" stuff I see is not being self sufficient, but hording stuff.
We just put up a dozen jars of fig jam today.... no added sugar

 

[RetiredHappy]

We grow tomatoes, herbs and lettuces in our indoor/growlight hydroponic gardens/gadgets. Other than that, I can cook.

 

[SnowballCamper]

Chances are, that if you are reading this (or anything else on the internet) that you are not self sufficient. I'm all for more homegrown stuff, but if you're canning, did you make the cans/jars? Did you mine the salt for meat preserving (or collect it from natural saltwater)? Likely not...but maybe you did? or traded with the guy/gal that did?

I never have been, nor will I likely ever be, self sufficient.

 

[aja8888]

I fix my own cars (50+ years now),

I built many desktop computers for family and friends,

I can cook (enough to live on),

I can do laundry,

I built my own home in Connecticut (except for the foundation pour and framing),

I can roller skate and ice skate,

I was a baseball pitcher in college,

But I did not replace both my hips myself (farmed that out).

Also, I do not do my own dental work.

I probably forgot a few things here and there....

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We aren't self sufficient, but I am into urban homesteading projects and sustainable living. We've reduced how much water and energy we use, and tried to eliminate as many single use products as feasible.

 

[NW-Bound]

I would not be self-sufficient until I made my own chips, with which to build a computer to get on the Web to make this post.

It's impossible to be self-sufficient while living surrounded by today's technology. Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, lived as a survivalist in a shed in the mountain, but he still came into town occasionally to get "stuff".

Robinson Crusoe, a fictional character in a 1719 novel, lived for 28 years on an isolated island after being shipwrecked. He was about as self-sufficient as it could be, after he got bootstrapped with some tools he salvaged from the wrecked ship.

No, I doubt that anyone could be that tough. And if he were, he would not have the means to frequent this forum or surf the Web.

 

[CindyBlue]

I have enjoyed reading a lot of folks stories in here. DYI stuff and such.
I have wanted to ask, and well now I have... LOL
Our entire lives we have been exposed to this....growing stuff, put it up... canned, dried, froze....Raised and butchered... Worst job was Granny having us strip pig intestines for sausage casings. This was just a normal thing for us.
In todays world some people call this being a "Prepper"
But most of the "Pepper" stuff I see is not being self sufficient, but hording stuff.
We just put up a dozen jars of fig jam today.... no added sugar

This is a fun topic! Thank you for the memories it brought up for us!

Grew up on a farm with 50,000+ chickens, 500+ rabbits, lots of ducks and pigs and sheep and goats and horses and cows. Parents always had a large garden. Never had to strip intestines (ugh!) but did my fair share of butchering...I used to be very fast and clean. I still have a hard time eating chicken, but finally in my 60s, I enjoy eggs (smile!)

We raised most of what we ate, as did most people in the valley where I grew up and still live. We canned sometimes and froze most of the time, meat and veggies and fruit, in our huge chest freezers (my mom didn't trust canning much.) My folks shopped in town once a month - I still remember the joy of Bireley's Orange drink and fruit cocktail!

Nowadays, I do very little in the way of preservation of food...made apple butter and blackberry jam this year, still eating the strawberry jam, orange marmalade, and tomato sauce I preserved last year. My DH and I have a garden, but it's much smaller than when I was a kid - and we don't preserve any of it except occasionally tomatoes, just eat as it ripens.

We cut down three trees this year - we still cut and split all of our own wood for the woodstove that is our main source of heat (we each have our own chainsaws.) But we broke down a few years ago and bought an electric splitter - ahh...the joy of modern machinery (smile!)

We hand dug out the septic lines to put new ones in, and also dug out the almost 1.8th of a mile pipeline from the well house to the water treatment center up by the houses and replaced the leaking old pipes.

We keep an old generator tuned and ready to take care of the freezer when the power goes out, but other than that we are prepared to live without power for at least a month. We keep a pop-up trailer ready to bug out (we live in fire area.)

I can prepare a fleece, spin it into yarn, knit or weave it into cloth, and sew it into clothing, but there really isn't much practical use for that now...I do it because I enjoy the process.

So...not self sufficient, but we have a good time doing whatever we can still physically do to support ourselves. I think in an emergency, we would do all right...but we are getting older and it's getting harder to handle the physical work.

 

[ivinsfan]

Old Medic at a certain age jam is a luxury, heck even toast (the carbs) is a luxury. If you were totally self sufficient you would have just eaten the figs...


I remember when lots ladies sewed their own clothes...no way in heck am I going to do that...some of the self sufficient self is nostalgia being entirely sufficient is a job in itself and one you can never retire from.


I do fine as far taking care of me and mine, neither high maintenance nor low maintenance ..

 

[Sunset]

I'm not, but I have done some things:

Roofed some houses with shingles and the outhouse with metal roofing.

Cut down trees and slice them up and split them, first with axe and large bow saw, then years later with chainsaw (whew!) we cooked on woodstove.

Few years ago I replaced the motor in my furnace as it stopped working due to water dripping on it, fixed the A/C coil pan to tilt proper way too.

Dug the hole for my new septic tank by hand 2 years ago. Contractor took too long to show up.

I cook and can do laundry.

We are giving away tomatoes and squash from the garden I planted this year, since Covid is still here and we aren't traveling.

I'm NOT self sufficient, but willing to learn and try to do things.

I've always wanted to learn to butcher an animal, so I would know how to do it in a prepper situation, but no opportunity yet.
I have caught and cleaned fish, so we could eat them ( I'm a catch and eat kind of person).

 

[Closet_Gamer]

I'm more of a self-sufficient specialist:

I specialize in earning & saving money that I use to pay other people for their specialties. Between us we do a good job!

LOL.

I'm so far from being self-sufficient that I can't even see that from here.

Truly though, no one can be really self-sufficient for any length of time in a modern economy and with this density/number of people. The productivity our society has by NOT being self-sufficient is the only thing that allows us to feed, house, protect & heal this many people.

 

[braumeister]

I would say that some of the Amish are mostly self-sufficient as a community, but not individually. Apart from them, I don't think there is any such thing in today's world.

 

[Ronstar]

Not very self sufficient. Don't grow, raise, can, butcher or freeze anything. But I do build and repair stuff.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

No I am not. I'm handier than many people I know but compared to my grandfather and others am pretty pathetic (but enjoy a higher standard of living... at least materially). Of course, my grandparents lived in a community where people were more reliant on and connected with their neighbors than we are today so maybe he was just more handy but no more self-reliant. You could probably argue that their town was more self-sufficient than cities today with a more disbursed supply chain.


I think most that think they are are not and I view prepping as a hobby. In a world in which you must subsist on your own anyone with "stuff" or the ability to get or make stuff would be a target. Even a well-armed crack shot (or just the biggest guy on the planet in a world without modern materials) individual cannot defend themselves from desperate mobs and would need to depend on others for a collective defense.


Reading "1 Second After" and "Lucifer's Hammer" have convinced me that I won't last long (the 1 Second After" series is really good and well researched and reasoned) if society collapses.

 

[old medic]

Chances are, that if you are reading this (or anything else on the internet) that you are not self sufficient. I'm all for more homegrown stuff, but if you're canning, did you make the cans/jars? Did you mine the salt for meat preserving (or collect it from natural saltwater)? Likely not...but maybe you did? or traded with the guy/gal that did?

We do barter quite a bit... We have collected 100s of canning jars... mostly free. Funny you mentioned salt... Have a a couple 50Lb bags of rock salt that can be processed. Not implying we are 100% independent, And its defiantly easier to just run to the store, and can be cheaper...

 

[old medic]

but compared to my grandfather and others I am pretty pathetic , my grandparents lived in a community where people were more reliant on and connected with their neighbors than we are today

Even a well-armed crack shot (or just the biggest guy on the planet in a world without modern materials) individual cannot defend themselves from desperate mobs and would need to depend on others for a collective defense.

Reading "1 Second After" and "Lucifer's Hammer" have convinced me that I won't last long (the 1 Second After" series is really good and well researched and reasoned) if society collapses.

Very well said, And that what I love about where we live. (Its near Black Mountain) In 93 the Blizzard shut this place down... no power for 9 days, didn't see any outside help till 5 days in. The community pulled together and took care of each other. We grew up in the same type of isolated area in NY, once a month trip to town to shop...

Another book for you is " Lights Out"
And If you really want a scare... read Forstchen's " Day of Wrath"

 

[folivier]

Growing up I've done many things that I don't want to ever have to do again.
One thing I'd love to learn is how to identify and prepare natural weeds, etc. for food and medicine. That IMO would give someone the ability to live self sufficiently.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

We're definitely not self-sufficient, but having recognized that, we did get a reverse osmosis water filter, a supply of sterno (a safe short-term indoor heat source), and some freeze dried food. I used to consider that a bit extreme, but after the anthrax sniper attacks in the DC area, we decided it would be good to be able to ride it out in the house for at least a few months. I joke that I have enough booze to trade for whatever else we might need.

 

[Aerides]

I have a garden for pleasure, not for sustenance. I grow a handful of vegetables/herbs, but just for fun. Most people today who sew or quilt do so for the love of the craft, not for the need for clothing and bedding.

I know my limits, and I know where I want to spend my time. Making for the pleasure of making, vs. need and survival, is one of the benefits of a modern society.

 

[pjigar]

Like a lot of people mentioned, we do lot of stuff ourselves but being self-sufficient is not possible. I like to call it self-reliant. I work the soil for food, fix stuff (cars, household stuff, tools, etc.), build a lot of things (including the house, furniture, parts, etc.) I need, keep bees, brew mead, etc. But I have to rely on a complex web of economy for my needs of materials and tools. Although we aim to reduce our resource footprint and try to live sustainably. And we do what we do is because we love it. There is not other logical reason to endure the labor and pain!


I noticed that a lot of people that live in the remote places are self-reliant. I don't know if it a cause or the effect! YMMV.

 

[old medic]

I like to call it self-reliant.

That may be a better term...

 

[MRG]

That may be a better term...

We were for many years. We called it being poor.

 

[JRon]

I’m pretty self-sufficient.

I order pizza online myself. I make the appointment to get the cars worked on. I drive to the restaurant so we can eat. I contact the companies to get work done around the house.

Whew - just typing this myself made me realize how much I do - time to rest.

 

[38Chevy454]

Self sufficiency has many definitions. We grow a small garden, but that's more for fun than anything. Otherwise food comes from the grocery store.

I do almost all of the repairs on house, vehicles, or yard at the house. Saves time and money, I get the job done when needed with no waiting for the service guy. Most times at better quality as well. I didn't build my own house though.

 

[Car-Guy]

Don't fool yourself, no one here (or anywhere) is truly self sufficient.... Maybe some are a "little" (very little) less dependent than others, but we all depend on others for most "stuff".... With some exceptions, like air and sunshine. (Some may argue that even air and sunshine has been given to us )

I can fix just about anything around the home and property myself but to do that I drive to town in a car I didn't manufacture, using the roads I didn't build, with gas I didn't refine, to buy the parts that someone else made to fix the things that have broken back at home with tools I didn't make. Along with the endless list of things that had to be done by others to get the "stuff" to the store for me to even buy.

 

[skyking1]

I'd say no. I have never skinned and cut up an animal to eat beyond fish, so I'd do a terrible job of it.
On the other fronts, I grew up in a rural setting with a father who would have an idea and just build it. I do the same, if I have a vision I will make it reality with those skills I learned as a teen. If it broke we fixed it ourselves.
This is an example of the old knowledge. Last week I was repairing the brakes and axles on the office trailer and one of the bearings was rusted on.
I had a hunk of 3/8" chain and bolted it to the drum and used it as a slide hammer to yank off the drum.

Then I cut the bearing race off with the scarfing tip on the cutting torch without harming the axle.

Both of these bits of knowledge are from 45 years ago, from dad and the farm.