John_Seymour self sufficiency

[veggiechicken]

You can't be self sufficient without cash - but you could generate that cash by selling your produce/services/body.
Have you read about the Moneyless man? Living without money: what I learned | Environment | The Guardian He seemed to exist by "scrounging" which doesn't seem to me quite the same as being self-sufficient. He's also churning out books now!

[noviceveggrower]

If you could get solar panels for all your power and find some where, if your lucky, to have a stream to get your fresh water and a septic tank to cut down on water bills.
But then if you have live stock you would have to possibly feed bills during winter or vets bills.
Have seen a couple of programmes on Discovery about families who live in America and they live off the land. They don't use money they just swap goods or services. Remember one of them paying a dentist with some wild salmon he had caught that morning.

[veggiechicken]

Problem is, you need money to buy the solar panels and the land to live on and to buy the animals etc.
I know someone who lives in an old railway carriage in the middle of a piece of wood that she owns. She uses water from the little river that runs through it, has solar panels, enough for basics, uses wood for heating and moved all her belongings by horse and cart.
Not a life I fancy, getting older though.

[noviceveggrower]

It must be nice to live like that VC in summer but it must get really cold during winter. That's the sort of life you'd have as a young person. Must be hard work getting water and wood sorted every day.

[veggiechicken]

She's not young either - about my age - an OAP

Instead of believing there is an unachievable Holy Grail of complete "self sufficiency", lets list the ways in which we are "self-supporters".
For example, this year I have been "self-supporting" in onions, tomatoes, jam and eggs. In other words, I haven't bought any of those items - although I have bought seeds and sets, chickens and chicken feed to do this!
How are you "self-supporting"?

[alldigging]

When we were last in Scotland we were told that you could get what was known as a crofters loan. As long as you could show you could look after live stock then you could get virtually a 99% loan..

Financial support for crofters for their homes - Shelter Scotland

Found that. Not much though!

Maybe there's more.

I would love a small detached house with a little bit of land and room for our hobbies.
Something like this would do.
7 bedroom farm house for sale in Churchstanton, Taunton, Somerset, TA3, TA3

[Bren In Pots]

How are you "self-supporting"?

I don't need to buy lettuce any more, its grown in the garden then overwinter in the GH borders. Kale grows almost all year round plus I freeze any extra for soups.

Plus I've got a cupboard full of chutneys and jams

So i think I do OK with what space I've got in my garden.

[noviceveggrower]

Financial support for crofters for their homes - Shelter Scotland

Found that. Not much though!

I found a bit more by googling Crofters Loan Scheme. It threw various things up to do with the funding. There is a full one on the government site

Croft House Grant Scheme (CHGS).

Hope the link works.

Thinking about being self sufficient VC has pointed out the cost of setting your place up but what happens if you have a 'bad' year with crops and animals. Could really end up deep in it.

[Snadger]

I found a bit more by googling Crofters Loan Scheme. It threw various things up to do with the funding. There is a full one on the government site

Croft House Grant Scheme (CHGS).

Hope the link works.

Thinking about being self sufficient VC has pointed out the cost of setting your place up but what happens if you have a 'bad' year with crops and animals. Could really end up deep in it.

Have farmers not got the same problems though and they seem to manage. Be prepared to diversify and not put all your eggs in one basket I would say?

[noviceveggrower]

Have farmers not got the same problems though and they seem to manage. Be prepared to diversify and not put all your eggs in one basket I would say?

Don't famers still get subsidized by the EU or the government?

[bramble]

What an interesting thread and what idealistic dreams, but I think that is all it is.
I think life is far too hard for anybody to be truly self sufficent.
For most people in the past, self sufficency was not a choice but a very hard and difficult way of existing.

[Elfeda]

For most people in the past, self sufficency was not a choice but a very hard and difficult way of existing.

That is true Bramble, sametime skills to grow stuff, looking after live stock is rewarding interms of quality of food, and also quality of life.

development is good, but the same time our origins makes us compare. and we are fancy about many things like home grown veg, home made food , handy crafts etc. which were treated as old types earlier, so the cycle keep happeneing. and then the books like these should exist and guide , as none of us are here forever?