If you want to live a simpler life, you need to build a more self-sufficient homestead. The more tasks that you can carry out yourself, the less you have to rely on the rest of civilization. Life becomes far less complicated.
But becoming totally self-sufficient requires a lot of work. You’ll need to build multiple systems that allow you to extract the resources you need to survive from your land. Water and electricity are relatively easy. But things like clothing and food are more challenging.
In this post, we take a look at some of the ways that you might be able to build a fully self-sufficient homestead where you don’t have to rely on the rest of society at all.
A Self-Sufficient Homestead
Convert Your Garden
The goal of any homesteader is to move from being a consumer of food to a producer. Not only does it improve your food security, it also gives you access to healthy organic produce.
To feed the whole family, you will need to dedicate a lot of land to growing food. You’ll need at least four acres – probably more.
You’ll want to grow a range of fruit and veg as well as something starchy. Potatoes are the easiest option here.
You’ll also need plenty of pickling jars to preserve any produce that you can’t eat on the spot, plus a lot of freezer space.
Collect Rainwater
The next step in self-sufficiency is to become water-sufficient. You can do this in a number of ways. For instance, you could collect rainwater that runs off your GAF roofing and then pass it through silver ion filters. This process allows you to stock up when the weather is bad and then draw down when it is good.
A second approach is to dig a well or install a pump near an aquifer. Again, this is a great way to access the fresh mineral water.
Lastly, you can collect water from a nearby water source. However, you will also need to invest in equipment to filter it.
Generate Your Own Electricity
Some homesteaders hook their properties up to the mains power supply. But most would prefer to go entirely off-grid.
Thanks to modern technologies, doing this is easier than ever. The obvious example is to install solar panels on your roofs and let them passively generate energy, storing it in a large battery pack.
If you are near a running stream, you can use a watermill to drive a turbine. And if you have the budget for it, you can install a windmill. For best results, mix multiple energy sources to keep your property powered. Keep a backup diesel generator onsite, just in case.
Final Thoughts on a Self-Sufficient Homestead
Self-sufficiency isn’t something that you will achieve overnight. And for some items (such as solar panels), total self-sufficiency is impossible. However, you can largely meet your day-to-day needs without any external assistance. Food, water and energy are all accessible with the right approach. You can even forgo energy if you want and live without electricity, though this is challenging.