are you self-sufficient? :: book review

Recently a friend and I were talking about all the things our parents and, even more so, our grandparents know that we don’t know. We may be able to google up the answer to any of the billion off-the-wall question our kids ask. We may be able to skype with friends who live in other countries. We may be able to order almost anything we need and have it shipped to our door, often in a matter of days. But how many of us know – really know – how to raise animals and take care of our own pest control and keep bees or garden with seeds that didn’t come from a package. My friend and I, both fans of the Little House books, also talked about how Ma made do with what she had. They built their own house, for pete’s sake! And in The Long Winter, Ma kept a whole family from starving by using small pieces of sourdough bread and potatoes. Now, I know that wasn’t ideal. And I know that they nearly starved to death that year but my point is that I hope that if we found ourselves in a similar situation, I’d have the know-how to keep us all going. Unfortunately, I can’t say with certainty that I would know how to sustain us all long-term, especially without the help of the internet. Most nights I can’t even cook dinner without looking up the recipe on my phone.

The Self-Sufficient Home book covers a lot of those things I mentioned above but SO much more, too. It’s incredible how much information is packed in this small handbook. I love how the author gives you enough information without it all seeming too overwhelming. And once you have the basics, she often tells you where you can go to find reliable information that will go into more detail.

One of the chapters that got my attention the most were the ones about alternative sources of energy and how to harvest and store water. I think it’s the hippie coming out in me, but I often think about how wasteful we (as a culture) are. Especially when it comes to collecting and using rainwater. I admit that it’s not something we do at our house, but something I really want to start. It’s really simple, y’all. Catch rain in a container and use it later. If you’re going to drink it, you’ll need to clean it (she tells you how) but if you’re just watering plants in your garden (she shares lots of information on how to garden as well!) then just catch and use.

For energy, I’ve been wanting solar panels for a long time. Since our house is for sale, we decided not to make that investment but after looking at all the options (which include geothermal power, wind power, and hydroelectric power), I’m glad we waited. I think that by combining several of these options, we can really make a difference. And, based on how much electricity we use and the costs associated with each of these energy sources, we could also save a good bit of money over time.

Are you interested in learning about how to be more self-sufficient? Maybe you want to go completely off the grid? This would be a great ‘starter’ book for you. Or maybe, like me, you just want to learn how to simplify life and do your part to help the planet be a cleaner, happier place. This book will be a great resource for you. You can assess all the options and choose which ones will be most conducive to your life. Or maybe you just want to be prepared in case of a disaster. There’s a very through chapter on that, too. Whether you want to take big steps or baby steps toward self-sufficiency, this is a great comprehensive book for your learning library.

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