Selfsufficientish.com

Hello! I don't know if this is the correct place to post this.

I was just wondering if you could give me a few tips so I could become at least a tiny bit self sufficient. I am finding it difficult at the moment as I have just moved into my first empty house and I really do not know where to start on becoming self sufficient.(the house isn't empty now)

I am at college weekdays and have a 18 month old too. So I am finding it difficult to juggle everything. So only small self sufficient things will be possible at the moment. All advise and ideas will be helpful though! :)

Gosh, where to start!

I think you are wise to start small, but which small thing to start with is difficult to suggest without knowing you better. Personally, I enjoy cooking, so I started there, learning to make meals 'from scratch' and gradually extending the number of things I cook from ingredients rather than buying ready made. Perhaps you like knitting or sewing, and could start with making clothes (small ones first!)? Perhaps you're good at DIY and could learn to make things you need for the house rather than buying them or paying someone else to do the jobs? Perhaps you've got green fingers and would prefer to start with gardening?

What do you enjoy?

I would agree with Zech, start small. I suppose I might begin by asking why I want to be self-sufficientish, as that might give me a clue where to start. So if I am worried about the kind of rubbish that goes in to food and what my toddler might be eating, then as Zech suggests I might start in the kitchen with food prep. You could sprout some seeds, and come the spring think about growing some herbs or tomatoes or salad leaves? If I am looking to save money I might look at doing my own DIY, swapping tools, materials and expertise with friends where possible. If I am concerned with the environment I might try to reuse as much as possible, try out freecycle and charity shops. What is your most urgent concern? Start there.
I have found people here to be very knowledgable and experienced, and most generous in sharing information and ideas. I also find the library a fanastic source of free information.
Good luck!

The problem I have is with Brendon being in nursery whilst I am at college I tend to spend all the remaining time with him. I do want to learn to cook from scratch as one of the things I always get this week said on the packaging "now with real cheese" and it has made me upset to think I have been feeding my son flavourd food rather than the healthy home made option. I do enjoy baking though so if you have ideas of easy food I could start with please let me know!

Hi Hunni
Next spring grow some seeds, what about peas or toms? They are both fine in pots, I am not sure how much garden you have. But Mr B will love to water them and pick them when ready.
Nikki xxx

How about mastering Bread?
You can use this to make Bread, Rolls, Pizza, Chese Straw things etc.
You can reduce the salt intake and have lovely fresh bread. T***o Value Plain flour if fine and at 56p for 1.5 kilos is cheap. Buy a tin of yeast and use a tiny amount in a mug with warm water and sugar first to "bulk" it. Go the the farmer market and buy butter and Jam and you got a low carbon meal with a bit of luck suitable for little one too.
In the mean time go to the library and get out books on the subject, you'll be able to cherry pick.
Try John Seymour, Dick Strabridge, and a very handsome and intelligent Mr Hamilton.

I found this recipe easy and once I got used it was able to try variations and it gave me confidence and motivation to move onto other things. It's not expensive or difficult so if it goes wrong you don't feel too depressed about wasting your time/money and can just give it another go.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2060 ... hite-bread

It doesn't take long to do each stage and there's plenty of time in between stages. I found this good for having children as it meant i wasn't busy in the kitchen for long and I had plenty of time for them in between.

Now my oldest has gotten over the issue of mucky hands (he's 3) he helps measure the ingredients mix it up and watches me do the rest.

Great advice to start with cooking and bread is great fun and cheap to play with.

However, you mention in your earlier post that an inspiration for you was the "now with real cheese" label (the mind boggles! ). What about starting with your own versions of the foods that you have been buying? I don't know what the meal was with the fake cheese but I bet if you post up what it is then between those of us on here we can suggest a recipe (or Google it of course). Figuring out a couple of these should give you the basics, you can then improvise your own improvements or changes to them and before you know it you'll have a repertoire to play around with.

Cakes are even easier than bread. Start making these and any snacks you're buying at the moment can go by the bye:

How about - http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/504 ... fruit-cake

Chrissie, there is another Isher based not far from you. Could you not get in touch? Maybe have a cuppa and pick her brains. She really knows her stuff. I can't quite remember her name .............................. but ermmmmmmm wait a min ............................. isn't she your Mum. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you everyone! I am in the process of making sweet things. Going to attempt bread again this week too! :D

We like soup - also very easy, cheap and you can make it with whatever you like. I've made it all my son's life as he used to be very difficult about eating veg and I used to hide all sorts of things whatever soup I was making! Just the thing to go with your bread1 Again, try library for recipes. Student cook books are good for cheap fast recipes, as is Rose Elliott's very old book 'Cheap and Easy'.

also a small step to being more self sufficient is making a pantry.
when you go to grocery buy a few extra items. stock in pantry. It is good to have food stores on hand. eventually you will have a garden and can/preserve etc. all that delish harvest.

and with gardening the baby can get fresh air outside while you teach the baby to grow good food.
doesn't take much to entertain a little one when gardening.

I started with a couple of tomato plants from a friend and a pot with an apple seed in.

You can keep these just outside the door so they're on easy reach to minimise time and/effort and it means you don't need lots of space.

If learning to cook is a starting point, get some of the student cookbooks which are cheap on Amazon. This is a good way of learning basic, economic cookery. Grandson has learnt to cook using veggie and vegan ones and is still well within budget.

Learning to mend clothes is always useful. My mother used to get a set of trousers for self and small brother cheap then get another one cheap the next week to patch the first ones - mind we were climbing farm kids so it was a saving.

If you know other parents with children of slightly older and younger ages, you may well be able to swap toys and deal in hand me downs. If your nursery has its brains together, it could be one of those that runs regular sales for parents to get rid of good clothes and toys.

You may well be pushed for time with being at college to get into growing things but you could ask for some presents of simple gardening books so that you can learn about growing to see if it is something you can do.