Escaping the rat-race in our society today may seem like a dream, or even a paradise. No more alarm clocks to shove you out of bed. No more heavy auto traffic to contend with each day. No more stressful workloads. Many people may dream about living a self-sufficient life where your closest neighbor is 2 miles away. But is this lifestyle really suited for you?
1. You should consider your health. Living out in the the middle of nowhere means that you will not be around many people. In fact, the closest doctor may be a 2 hour drive away. So make sure that you healthy and fit (and can maintain a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise) before you make your move.
2. You should consider your finances. If you are already self-employed, then your probably know the financial cycle quite well, and readily have 6-12 month financial reserve set aside. If not, then you may need to write up a budget and calculator how much money you can put aside to live off alone. If you have enough spare money for 4 years, then you will probably be able to survive the financial hardships of self-sufficiency.
3. Consider acting as though you are currently self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency does sound like paradise. With beautiful country air to wake up to each morning, and with the sight of neighboring hills surrounding the horizon, I doubt there is a person who has not considered this lifestyle. If this is so, then why are there so many people living in the city? Why is it such a dramatic change in a person’s life to live a self-sufficient lifestyle? The answers lie with how we live now, and how it is difficult to adjust to change. Before you make the major move try to change the way you live in the city. Don’t use any electrical lights for a month. Try using candles or small lanterns. Cook all your meals on a barbecue or over a small fire in your backyard. Can you live without a refrigerator? Don’t watch any television for a month and don’t touch the computer either.
4. Consider the ability to grow your own food. It is relaxing to have a vegetable patch. If your garden doesn’t grow you can always purchase your food from the shops up the road. Not on your self-sufficient farm! You have to depend on nature to survive. If all goes well, after you have spent weeks preparing the soil and germinating seedlings, and your garden does look like it is going to be a success, you have to watch out for the natives. Besides fruit fly and snails, you will also have to keep away rabbits, possums and kangaroos, so you can consume some of this food for yourself. Do you have a good supply of water nearby? Do you have materials to build fences?
5. Forging through the winter months. When winter comes closer a good supply of firewood is needed. You won’t have the benefits of being able to simply flick a switch to turn on a heater. Your firewood will be used for cooking, heating water, and keeping yourself warm. Does the property you plan to purchase have a vast supply of firewood or will you have to dig into your savings to purchase it?
True self-sufficiency means you depend on yourself alone. You have to place your trust in the hands of nature if you plan to live on a farm. Storms and hail stones could mean the end of your fruit and vegetable supply. The city life does supply you with a lot of stress, and to many people this can be a life style choice that affects their health. But a self-sufficiency life style contains a different type of stress. Everything that depends on the success of this lifestyle also depends on you.
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I have in the past dreamt about self-sufficient living. I still do from time to time. I think it will be necessary in the not to distant future. I am practicing my survival skills now and trying to teach others what I have learned. I like point #3. It makes a lot of sense to do a dress rehearsal if you decide the city life is not for you. Make sure you can hack it before you jump in cold turkey.