This article discusses the benefits of self-sufficiency and suggests strategies for becoming more independent emotionally, practically, and financially. It emphasizes the importance of embracing frugal living and implementing practical steps to achieve self-sufficiency. The article suggests that building layers of knowledge and experience, such as installing a fireplace, using alternative heating methods, and baking bread from scratch, can help create a life that is more self-sufficient.
One of the key steps to becoming self-sufficient is to grow your produce, which provides a hands-on connection to the food that nurtures your body and allows you to decide what goes into it. Other steps for good health include cycling for exercise and free transportation, gardening for physical health, preserving food to reduce waste, and teaching hard work.
The article also discusses the importance of downsizing, embracing less is more, frugal living, cutting monthly expenses, eating seasonally, debt reduction, recycling, reusing, and reducing energy. The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live book is the only book that teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land.
In summary, the article emphasizes the importance of embracing self-sufficiency and sustainable living, as well as the importance of downsizing, embracing frugal living, cutting monthly expenses, eating seasonally, reducing debt, recycling, reusing, and reducing energy.
📹 14 Years Living Off-Grid in a Self-Built Cabin & Farming Tons of Food on the Land
Stephanie and Joel share their 14-year journey of building a home from reclaimed materials, living off-grid with solar power, and …
How can I be self-sufficient mentally?
To foster independence and autonomy in one’s life, it is essential to identify personal goals, cultivate effective communication skills, establish a supportive network of individuals, build confidence, engage in solitary pursuits, establish clear boundaries, embrace new experiences, and prioritize self-care through mindful strategies.
How to survive alone in life without money?
Living off the grid with no money can be achieved through various methods, such as joining an off-grid community, finding low-cost or free land, building a cabin or tiny house, growing food, fishing responsibly, foraging for edible plants, and collecting and filtering water. Worldpackers is a great way to start this lifestyle. Engaging in work exchange programs can help you find off-grid communities that offer free accommodation in exchange for your help.
This is a great way to learn the foundation of this lifestyle and to escape traditional monetary systems while fostering personal growth and environmental conservation. By following these steps, you can create a sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle without relying on money.
How do I become 100% self-sufficient?
Self-sufficiency is a lifelong mindset and way of living that involves growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs, preserving food, cooking from scratch, saving seeds, composting, choosing cloth, raising chickens, and keeping bees. If you’ve ever dreamed of living on a farm, growing your own food, and caring for animals, consider these tips for becoming more self-sufficient. This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase through one, the author may make a small commission at no extra cost. Since starting their simple living journey, the author has learned new skills and has seen their garden and food preservation grow significantly.
At what age should you be self-sufficient?
A survey conducted by Bankrate indicates that the average age at which individuals achieve financial independence is between 20 and 23 years old.
How do I stop being emotionally deprived?
This article is part of an 18-post series on schemas, which are the “DNA” of your personality. It discusses the concept of schemas, which are the “DNA” of your personality, and how to manage them. Emotional deprivation schemas are feelings of neglect or sulking in relationships, where the person feels like they are not being understood or valued. These schemas can be triggered by past experiences, self-inflicted barriers, or the presence of people who don’t understand the person’s emotional needs.
It is essential to understand your past, learn about your emotional needs, and speak up when you feel that someone doesn’t understand. Consult a therapist for additional help and support. Understanding and managing these schemas can help you cope with emotional deprivation and maintain a healthy relationship.
How to start off-grid living?
In 2024, more people are seeking to live off the grid than ever. To achieve this, follow these seven steps: find the right location, build the smallest possible home, design for passive heating and cooling, install off-grid solar power and hot water systems, waste disposal, and grow your own food. This sustainable lifestyle reconnects you to family, nature, and freedom, and allows you to live without relying on society for basic needs. With sustainable technologies like solar energy and tiny home innovations, living off the grid is now more accessible than ever, making it a challenging and rewarding shift.
How to start relying on yourself?
Mandy Kloppers discusses the concept of self-reliance, which involves accepting oneself as one’s best friend, fostering inner confidence, making decisions independently, recognizing and managing dependence, and accepting oneself for who they are. Self-reliance gained prominence in positive psychology due to its implications for happiness, self-worth, self-expression, self-knowledge, resilience, and self-acceptance. Ralph Waldo Emerson introduced the concept in his 1841 essay, Self-Reliance.
How to be emotionally self-sufficient?
Leo Babauta shares his experience of being emotionally needy for years, seeking happiness through others and blaming others for unhappiness. This led to relationship problems, resentment, and unhappiness due to the belief that happiness was outside of oneself. He also emphasizes the importance of learning to fix one’s own problems and taking responsibility. Babauta shares his own experience of being emotionally needy, which led to relationship problems, resentment, and feelings of helplessness.
He believes that by focusing on oneself, one can find happiness and fulfillment, rather than relying on others for it. Babauta encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own happiness and take responsibility for their own problems.
How to be self-sufficient as an adult?
This guide focuses on the development of independent adults, emphasizing the importance of fostering independence through responsibility, developing critical life skills, cultivating a growth mindset, nurturing emotional intelligence, encouraging entrepreneurial thinking, fostering a healthy relationship with technology, and instilling a sense of civic responsibility. The guide emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility as the cornerstone of self-sufficiency, and encourages parents and teachers to take responsibility for their children’s daily activities, such as managing time and completing projects independently.
Parents and teachers should resist the urge to save their children from difficulties, instead offering direction, discussing their own experiences, and allowing them to learn from both their achievements and failures. Making mistakes is an inevitable part of the learning process, as it helps children bounce back from setbacks and improve their problem-solving abilities.
How to be self-sufficient in life?
Living off the land can save money on energy expenses and demonstrate the ability to live without assistance. Explore alternative energy sources and try before you buy. Relational dependency is a progressive disorder where one person becomes more controlling or dependent on the other, leading to unhealthy relationships. Self-actualization is essential for personal growth and motivation. Independent and self-reliant individuals generally survive and function better in society than those dependent on others. Taking control of basic tasks and life skills helps stay in control of one’s life and contributes to happiness.
Part of being self-reliant involves taking on responsibilities that enable independence, such as paying bills on time, cleaning up after oneself, and attending work or school on time. If you don’t have a job, you have the responsibility of looking for a job, seeking education, or starting your own business. By embracing independence and taking responsibility for your own life, you can become a happier and more responsible individual.
Is it possible to live completely self-sufficient?
It is possible to live in a self-sustainable manner in the modern world, although it may be challenging to achieve complete self-sufficiency. It is feasible to diminish one’s reliance on external systems and attain a lifestyle that is nearly self-sufficient.
📹 4 Steps to Self-sufficient Living and Leaving Society
Live Life DIY is about being self-reliant, self sufficient, and independent. You creating a fun, happy, lifestyle of freedom. Live Life …
I swear that anybody growing up in a situation like this is going to have a better and brighter future with all of these tools they learn. We miss a lot of things schooling 9 to 5. It’s always great to learn from your parents and it’s always great to learn things that can’t help you survive, it’s crazy that this is the majority these days because not too long ago at all this is how most people lived if you couldn’t get by this way you couldn’t get by at all… Thanks for the articles, cheers!
I love homes that look like nature is trying to reclaim them. Homes that look like they “fit” into the surrounding environment. The red sunroom part of this home has to be my favorite part. I love the color and the structure. The window arches add the perfect touch. It reminds me of a conservatory in Victorian homes. I adore that entire look. Also love the openness and straight height of the home. It doesn’t have annoying corners to block the view. The metal staircase is another favorite view point to me. The two of you have created a beautiful life and home together.
I am really into perusal these alternative/ off-grid lifestyle vids but this one blew me away. The beauty of Stephanie and Joel’s house! Its really inspirational that they made that themselves spending almost no money. I am really impressed! Their house could be featured in an interior design magazine. My favourite part is the glass bottle wall behind the spiral staircase. Another highlight was the woodworking details on the outside of the greenhouse room. Well done. Greetings from Stellenbosch, South Africa
It’s nice to see an off-grid property featured that actually experiences winter. So often I find these idealistic properties are located in places like California and other areas with the luxury of year round, or nearly year round growing seasons, tons of sunlight for solar, and minimal insulation requirements. Meanwhile those of us up north with 3-4 month growing seasons have to take an entirely different approach.
LOVE your BEAUTIFUL HOME & GARDENS that you’ve built starting from nothing & building “as we could afford”!! Very cool! You’re a GREAT EXAMPLE of what one can accomplish through DETERMINATION & HARD WORK!! You’re an inspiration! It’s awesome that you’re doing workshops & sharing your wisdom, knowledge & experience with others. U GUYS R ROCKIN IT!! Words to the wise, “simple living isn’t all that simple”! Many Blessings to you all! Mahalo nui loa for sharing your incredible journey! Aloha!
Beautiful. This is how we used to live, and it’s time we taught our children how it’s done. There’s been times when I haven’t had much money, and I’ve though of going out and picking nettles and making my own soup. Story telling around the camp fire, is far more valuable than perusal TV or other devices ❤
Living simply definitely isn’t simple! But it is rewarding, we learn how to do so much, and there is definitely a sense of richness and true quality of life. Yes, it is hard work, too. I love love love to see young people choosing this lifestyle and passing on their learning to their children. Thanks for sharing this couple’s experience.
I love it. Congratulations. I retired at 29 to live a simple life in Cambodia. I picked up a one bedroom condo in a beautiful community that includes a pool,gym,and restaurant for next to nothing by buying it before they finished building it.The real estate company didn’t have enough money to finish the project so they were practically giving the units away out of desperation. I had to wait for 5 years to move in, but it was worth it. I have a strict budget of 700$ a month which i make double that in residual income from my investments. with my condo paid off this amount affords me a beautiful.. even luxurious lifestyle here when in the states i would have had to work for 20-30 more years. Its not for everyone but Its all about what makes you happy.
I love it! Sadly, this is the kind of thing that I really want to watch on YouTube but I’m assuming they don’t have a website? I’m really not interested in an Airbnb but I would love to get more of their build and their daily lives. Instead of all the people with huge budgets moving on to a piece of property and buying everything they need to set it up. I live on three acres and $860 a month. I’m alone and on permanent and total disability. It’s the struggles that I like to see people work through for inspiration.
The tall vegetation in front of solar panels as well as soot and ash from chimney could be dramatically cutting your solar output. Snow removal is also a challenge. Consider ground mounting panels to counter these problems and add ability to tilt panels based upon the Sun’s seasonal position in the sky.
Wow, I am impressed, this is fantastic. What a humbled beginning, you guys have put a lot of hard work into this build, and it is growing. I really love that wood stove. 14 yrs living off grid that is the longest I have seen online. I also liked the bottle wall. Stephanie has that award winning Julia Roberts smile. Tfs
Interesting and inspiring. I had a few questions: 1. How did this couple find each other, to find someone like-minded who wanted to live this type of lifestyle. 2. Are the kids home-schooled? 3. What do they do about health insurance? But then I looked at their AirBNB page and see that they’re in Canada, so I guess they have universal healthcare? I’m in California, USA, and always feel like health insurance is such an obstacle for people who want to be self-employed or live an alternative lifestyle like this couple is doing.
Lovely couple who is conscious of their life choice and still have feets in earth. I am glad they teach precious values to their daughter but still remind her social reality. Yep, going off grid is not promised heaven, their little argue about who has more problems is cute…just like normal life. Off grid or not. Wish them all happiness.
This is VERY inspiring! My husband and I bought land a few months ago and are gradually building on it. It’ll be totally off-grid. We already built a tiny-house-on-wheels that is also completely off-grid so we are using what we learned on that to try and do the same thing on a “larger” scale (448 sq ft).
When I was young and first lived off grid I had nothing..well 1 car batters for music. The best thing I ever got (built) that even made me cry was my out house. Omg…3 feet of snow in a 14ft trailer shell made that beautiful out house a blessing. I’m 64yrs now, and when I hear someone complain that the internet is down and life it is so hard…I just laugh (under my breath). EVERYONE should live off grid at least 1yr. It’s eye opening on how rough life can be but still it’s so so doable. Melting snow to give an infant a bath, using a treadle sewing machine to make your clothes. Was it easy..absolutely “NO” but it was awesome and self full of gratification. I’m grateful for all in my life ( the past and the here and now). Love and Light 💞✨️❣️
When I watch articles like theirs, I feel discouraged because I don’t know where to start. I’ve tried buying a house to build myself a small farm, but it’s way too expensive and is very complicated here (rules & regulations) to build. And how to find the land where to do it, and good people. I’m leaving this crazy country for Mexico in January, I always feel like here everything is made to complicate everything haha… Anyway thanks a lot for your achievements & inspiration.
I still have an issue with using the term “living off-grid” when there is so much fossil fuels being burned to support so called off-grid homes. When I was off-grid, I had no such fossil fuels to support the life. Water came down the hill, water was heated with the water jacket on my stove and we used a composting toilet.
People are programmed robot slaves of the system thinking happyness starts with extern factors like status, money, material things that means nothing and its relativ and an illusion create by society……create an illusion out of emptyness inside. If your happyness depend on extern factors you will never be because extern factors are endless. Happyness starts inside you. The more people around you, the more expectations, talk about others, lying, frustrations, negativity, jealousy, double standards, violent, sneakyness, own benefits, hate etc…. reflection of their broken souls. Alone or in solitude you have more strength, peace, power, happyness, freedom and time
Rich kids? that decided to do this so they have a fallback plan? So, be careful jumping in when you see some people say they were broke. Their broke may not be your broke. This can break someone and leave them with nothing. Example a dishwasher when you can do by hand and use less water and heat less water?
Thank you so much!! Hubby and I are not off grid but we do so many things ourselves and on almost NO MONEY! People do not understand that living a simple life is not simple. We have to go with the season in the forest. Our only heat source is also a wood burning fireplace. We too are working for the luxury of a propane hot water on demand heater and some solar panels so we can become more off the grid but unfortunately everything does take money. We would like to grow more food but zone 5 is a LEARNING CURVE!!! I would love to come stay to your property to hopefully understand a few things more. Thank you for saying it has been 14 years because people are like you’ve been at your property for almost 7 years and this is as far as you’ve gotten😂😂😂 I’m like you come live our lives for 1 week!!! We are happy together 24/7 and we have been together for 15 years 😊 THANK YOU for the inspiration of We are on the right track ❤❤❤
Great article just awsome . More people need to see this,the world is to soon fed . Good for you guys its inspirational makes me think about doing this with my family being an electrician with experience and self employment in multiple trades I’m sure we could but like you said it’s a huge learning curve and you have to adapt,overcome and learn every day it sure sounds exciting but scary all at the same time . Thank you for this it sure looks like you guys kicked off grid living in the butt
This house is awesome. Does anyone know a specific name for the framing style at 1:09? He calls it post and beam, but his walls are regular stud walls. It is awesome that he reused barn materials and I’d love to the same, but I’m curious about his method. I have experience a carpenter’s helper but I have never seen that kind of mixed framing before. Thanks in advance!
Love it… I was trying to head down that path, and everything fell apart. Everyone close to me died, I lost my income, I lost my leg, I’m handicapped now. My only goal now is to walk again. But I’m fast approaching the finish line. I guess so long as I can walk off this mortal coil instead of having to be wheeled… Gosh, we got close. Yet so far.
Great article!!! Good for you!!! You said it all !!! The best decision I ever made in my life…now 54 did the same 5yrs ago with my wife!!! sold everything in Canada and moved to Greece and built my farm which is my own debt free paradise…I now enjoy TOTAL FREEDOM!!! along with my 4 dogs 2 horses 2 cows 2 pigs 4 goats 20 chickens all free range!!! I don’t miss anything from the RAT RACE SLAVERY!!! Now I can really say I am enjoying my life in peace with mother nature where all of us really belong…Mother nature just keeps on giving me everything from my garden, real healthy organic food no industrial diet /my olive oil from my own olive trees orange trees nectarines lemons figs grapes berries nuts almonds peanuts etc…and I even make my own soaps and toothpaste!!! my only cost that I have is cell phone petrol when I use my 4×4 pickup and toilet paper…and the ocean is a 10 min drive away!!! NO BILLS=TOTAL FREEDOM…I am now a real millionaire!!!
Beautiful setting, nice style, a lot of light, plants, etc. Thanks for sharing. I would actually like to start more easily with a generator for the Winter,, a propane water heater, etc. Where do you guys recommend to live off the grid in the U.S., because we cannot ultimately own our land in Canada, just a house, because it belongs to the crown!
Joel n Stephanie sound a lot like us. It’s not easy but so very rewarding. Showering in the greenhouse in freezing weather and pumps that over heat at five minutes. Better wash the important things first. To slowly graduate to the next level of comfort is like sweet honey. So many dreams so much gratitude.
Hey all I’m so impressed with what you’re doing this is a lifestyle that I would like to transition into I currently live in Costa Rica I’ve been here 12 years but I’m from the US and I plan on relocating back to America I’d like to contact you all so if you can reply this message with a way of reaching out to you I really appreciate it thank you!
Considering all the truly amazing achievements on that property, I got hung up on the grass blocking the solar panels !? it lived out the entire life cycle and died and no one thought to cut it down. I wonder how much gas they burned because of 5 minutes worth of grass clipping? like I said hung up and stayed hung up. My 3700 watts of solar is blocked by 6 trees for 8 weeks in winter… I regularly contemplate tree murder, but it’s not my land so I can’t even nick the tops off ARRRG!!! my hands stink like gas, my ears assaulted by the generator… you get the idea. so grass murder !? I wouldn’t even hesitate. and also I hate you guys because you have hardwood trees where you live, I miss that so much. here’s something most will never have to think of, I had to design my solar racking so the goats cant jump up on them (and explode the tempered glass) cant be too tall so as to block the view. it aint all roses for sure.
Beautiful life and such a nice, down to earth couple who know their priorities and are living the way I have done in the past and really want to get back to. I never minded candles, oil lamps and wood stoves as they are the important things. You can get the other bits piece by piece if you start with your basic shelter. You can add as you go along. I wish them all the best.
YES, ABSOLUTELY, when one “starts from nothing”, appreciation of each and every little piece and part of the home that helps, is a blessing. The concept of, “entitlement”, doesn’t really play. When we know where and how each luxury came, we feel better comfort, each fresh breeze, each wave of warmth, the food we eat, the time of rest…all are better.
Well done you guys… I’m deeply respectful of young people deciding an alternative lifestyle for themselves and to raise their children in, rather than just complaining about a system we all seem victimized to, yet are not, not really – if you can find the right people to share the same vision with you, it is quite possible to make into a living reality… and to be real about it, too, for it’s not all ‘fairy cottage in the woods’ romance, when the most basic things we all take for granted need to be reinvented from scratch. Enjoy the fruits of your hard work, it’s really paying off for you right now, congratulations!
It’s hard to explain off grid living but you did it !!! I’ve always said to people – you walk into your house turn on a light, a faucet etc. and if it doesn’t work you call the utility co. — off grid you are – plus the butcher the baker and the candle stick maker – along with garbage man ! If a hundred try it – in two years there are 5 left — what kills you as i am now is you have to ask for help and that HURTS – but quitting hurts even more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is nice! I grew up with less than you have guys. No power at all we had diesel lamps made by dad instead, we cut wood with a machete. Wash clothes by hand and to preserve meat my dad smoked it. Ah the floor was soil . It was an amazing living style. I’m planning to move back to this lifestyle again. I’m happy for you guys
“Simple living isn’t so simple.” This is all most people perusal this article really need to know. It’s the reason people have been flooding into towns and cities for as long as they’ve existed. It’s the reason modern conveniences have created countless, billion dollar industries. It is infinitely easier to do a 9-5 job, then take that money and pay for someone else’s labor – in the form of buying goods and services. It’s just one, big, division of labor. Some of the toughest people you’ll ever meet are generational hill folk. They were born dirt poor and scraping for everything. Y’all know this and that’s why you’ve started adding modern conveniences to your off-grid setup. At this rate, by the time you’re 40, you’ll have satellite television, a hot tub, a shiny pickup truck, etc. Why? Because it’s human nature to continue to want more than what you have. To most of those out there perusal this, thinking “Hey, I want to do this!” No, you probably don’t. You’ll buy some land, spend a year or two “improving” it, give up – because working 16-20 hours/day, 6-7 days/week is too much for most people – and then try to sell that land for a profit (so that you can afford your return to civilization). It’s happening all over the US, right now. You’re essentially gentrifying the wilderness. You’re making it too expensive for those who would actually use that land to afford it. Stay in town, work at putting money away and improving your credit. When you’ve saved enough, buy property with the modern conveniences already on it.
This is so beautiful, and a true reminder for anyone in life… Look how they reminisce of the hardest times… That’s just it, life is beautiful when you have things to overcome, challanges… This is a testetmant story that applies to all people of all finances! Enjoy this time in your life, it’s precious and amazing!
It’s interesting…this phenomena has actually had a major effect on cities. Around 2015, when more and more companies began moving to a fully remote work model, the upper-middle class educated hipsters who were living in cities like Seattle, NYC, and Philly, etc. realized they could pretty much live wherever they wanted. They started leaving in droves for places like Nashville, Franklin TN, and Greenville, SC. It’s had a profound effect on cities as their dollars that once funded the fancy craft brew bars and farm to table eateries in the city, have all but completely dried up. Now we are seeing those institutions being evicerated by looting.
You two look like John Denver/ Julia Roberts… love that laugh young lady…. so many people would love your life. So many others would benefit by taking a leaf out of your book and just “give it a go”. Give up all of the ‘must haves’ and just get the ‘needs’. As Forest Gump says ” simple is as simple does”…you guys are awesome. You are living your dream. You are making your world a better place for your children. Little debt, lots of love (and yes you have your ups and downs but everyone does – that you can talk about and resolve your problems…thats the key) well done!! Best wishes from Western Australia ❤
Why don’t people who want to live like this make a community, plan and make such off grid living possible india. I mean who have inherited such farms are lucky, but considering social and security aspects, those who haven’t would definitely need a group of at least a few families living nearby to make it really happen.