Can I ask does anyone live completely self sufficiently? Is this realisitic

[WigglyWormy]

We currently grow our own vegetables, have chickens for eggs and meat and have some pigs for meat. We exchange some of the pigs for lamb and beef with a local farmer. We have a real desire to become even more self sufficient but this would mean DH going part time, we currently spend about £75 a week on food as the above covers about half our meals. We have the land to expand what we do and could even sell locally at farmers markets etc. We don't want to be 'farmers' though, we want to have a small holding and sell meat/ veg to the local community or exchange it for other goods/ services. On top of this we want to become even more self sufficient. We have a wood chip heating system going in this summer so we can use our own wood and would like to cut our food ill down to just non-food essentials like toilet roll, etc. Has anyone succeeded in going this far with it?

Oh yes he does have a car as he says in today's world it is impossible to be without.

I have a property that I will retire to and I'm starting to set it up to grow as much of my own food as possible. So far I've planted a small orchard and been working on a small vineyard, in addition to laying out garden beds and paddocks. I don't think it's something you could do if you were working full time, and I don't think you can every go completely off the grid. You're going to want some things that need to be purchased, and you'll want to go places, see things, take holidays. I think the key is to do as much as you can, whilst not making a rod for your own back. For some it means a few pots of herbs on the bench, others go the whole hog (pardon the pun). Do what works for you, and don't try to aim for some perceived ideal standard of self sufficiency.

I think the key is to do as much as you can, whilst not making a rod for your own back. For some it means a few pots of herbs on the bench, others go the whole hog (pardon the pun). Do what works for you, and don't try to aim for some perceived ideal standard of self sufficiency.

The more I've thought about this the more I agree with this statement. Good advice, thanks midniteScribbler

Hello OP

We did this during our early marriage and it worked well, I don't think we could do it now though as we enjoy our comforts too much. We managed it for 12 years though and its a great way to bring your kids up.
I wish you well, hope you go for it and it works out well.
It can set you up for life with the money you can save, or free up valuable family time if you only want a small income.
I used to make pies and jam, do car boot sales with perishable goods and our old cast offs.
Our dc grew up running through fields, they were carefree times. I looked out of my window in the morning onto the most beautiful poppy fields and rolling countryside.
I like the town now and my mod cons, but never regret our self sufficiency days.

why are you buying nappies and not using the terry nappies ?Just thoght that would be the first eco thing to do.

even Tom and Barbara recognised that they needed to generate money from somewhere for the water, electricity and rates (council tax as it would be now)

I don't think any of us can be utterly self-sufficient but we can all work hard to use a lot less. Of course self-sufficient means no internet - who would want that now?

As an aside I've stayed in places in New zealand where they have composting toilets that work properly and don't smell - you 'flush' with wood shavings. It can be done.

Apparently you need 4 acres of land to grow enough food to feed your family. And 7 acres of woodland to sustainably produce enough firewood.

I think when you really think about it, self-sufficiency is an irrational goal. I think people should analyse what it means to them then re-state their goals without using those words. For example, their goals might be to have a smaller ecological footprint, to spend more time with family than work currently allows, and so on.

Self-sufficiency as it's normally framed means opting out of the mainstream economy, yet for many people, that would make life harder, not easier. If you're a plumber who can also farm, your economic output per hour of plumbing is going to be much higher than your hourly output as a farm labourer. (Deliberately ignoring the component of farm output that is a return on capital - that should be considered separate.)

Self-sufficiency sounds fantastic and I would love to be. I know 2 groups of people who are nearly there.

One couple owns a small holding in France, they buy and sell to local markets etc but even with having workers (they get them for free, can't remember the name but they are workers that help on organic farms for room and board and travel around) they still have to buy some things.

Another is a hippy commune in NZ. There's a group of about 25 of them and they grow and make all sorts of things. The lady I know there says they are around 85% self-sufficient and although they have tried over the years (the commune has been going over 30 years) they find it impossible to be 100%.

It's a lovely dream though and I wish you luck with it.