Self Sufficient Living:

Where Do You Start?

Self sufficient living encompasses a broad spectrum of subjects. In other words, it's something that can take on many forms - there are literally dozens of ways you can become self-sufficient!

But first, you may be wondering, "Why even bother with self sufficient living? What's the big deal?"

Because of the world we live in, there are so many things that can happen. Accidents, emergencies, disasters, crisis...you name it, it can happen. Life happens. That's why I think it's important to be prepared for the un-expected.

The "Why" of Self Sufficient Living

Many people think that just because something hasn't happened in the past, it won't happen in the future. "I've never been trapped in my house because of a 3 day blizzard!" "A national crisis hasn't happened in my lifetime."

Well, the fact is, maybe these things haven't happened to you. But how do you know they won't? There's no need to be an alarmist and constantly worry about what "might" happen, but it is definitely wise to calmly prepare for future emergencies.

Maybe self sufficient living is something that you haven't thought a lot about. That's okay! It never crossed my mind either, until a few years ago.

It's good to consider possibilities. Think with me for a minute: What would happen if YOU lost electricity? Even for a day? It's happened to me before and it really opened my eyes! Little things, like:

• No running water (includes toilets, sinks, showers)
• No lights
• No computers
• No kitchen appliances (stove, microwave, dishwasher)
• No eletrical clocks
• No laundry machines
• No electric garage doors
• No electric hair appliances (curling irons, hair dryers)

We don't think about these things in normal life because they are so readily available to us. If our clock breaks we get a new one. If our light goes out we simply replace the light bulb. We don't usually think of alternatives to these daily luxuries because we've been spoiled!

The loss of these things would make most of us panic. If there's now laundry machines, how on earth am I going to do laundry? And what about my hair dryer?!

Thinking of Alternatives

Before you actually become prepared, you need to make a plan. It's time for some serious thinking and planning. Becoming self sufficient will require some deep thinking!

Self Sufficient Living Question List

What are my alternatives to the following luxuries?

• lights
• dishwasher
• laundry machine
• dryer
• stove/microwave
• showers
• pet water
• flushing toilets
• washing hands
• styling hair
• garage door
• alarm systems
• rechargable cell phones and other electrical devices
• internet
• radio
• TV
• Air conditioning and heat for your home

Remember that if you lose power, everything else goes too. Nearly everything you use each day is run by electricity. Think also of things like gas for your car. If there is no electricity, the pumps at the gas station won't work, meaning, no gas.

Don't Leave Being Prepared to the Last Minute

Self sufficient living is something that you should be prepared for all the time. Don't wait for an emergency to start thinking of a plan. Start now.

Planning for the loss of power means really thinking outside the box - thinking of things you wouldn't normally consider as being problems. For instance: If you run out of water, what would you do?

Go to the store.

Nope, not going to work! Maybe you'll be able to drive there just fine, but one of two things are going to happen. Either the store will be overrun by people just like you trying to get bottled water, or the store will not be able to let you in because they have electric doors that are closed.

You need to be prepared ahead of time - before the crisis happens! Practice self sufficient living right now, when nothing is wrong. Then you will be well prepared when a real emergency comes.

If you ever lose electricity, guarenteed there will be some serious changes ahead for you. And that will take some serious getting used to - unless you've prepared for it. If you practice ahead of time, you'll know just what to do.

Don't wait for an emergency - make self sufficient living a priority. Plan for it. Be prepared.

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