This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you.
You want to be self-sufficient. Where do you start?
When I left my job after my son was born, we were faced with the decision on how to feed our family and pay our other expenses on half the income. Granted, we no longer had the large expense of daycare, but we had the added expense of health insurance.
What did we do? No, my husband didn’t pick up a second job, and I didn’t pick up a part time job from home. I tried a few side gigs, but none of them brought in significant income.
The first thing we did was to look closely at our expenses and see where we were spending our money. What were our fixed every month expenses? What were our variable expenses? How could we best manage and keep ourselves on track? We switched to the cash envelope system for our variable expenses, groceries, eating out, etc.
The second thing we did was to see where we could minimize our expenses. We canceled several subscriptions. Evaluated if the services we had was worth the money, and canceled anything that was not, including all TV services. Yes we had antenna, maybe 2 channels if the weather was good.
Once we had a good grasp on our expenses, we looked at where the big categories were that we needed to manage better. How could we minimize those? One big one for most people is the grocery category. Food is necessary for life, but how could we continue to have good quality food, while minimizing the cost? Garden!
Ever since we were married, we have had a garden of some sorts. However, up until that point, it was more of a small hobby. Now it was a serious source of food. Eventually this garden will supply most of our vegetable and fruits.
The other component of food necessary is protein. We raised cattle and sheep, so beef and lamb are readily available for us. Most people don’t have the space to raise a steer or lamb. However, chickens do not require much space and produce an excellent protein source. Eggs! Bonus is most towns allow some chickens. Second bonus is they are great bug control and love kitchen scraps.
Where are you to start your journey? Go through the same process and see what comes at the top of your category list. What can you do to bring it down? If you need help figuring it out, reach out! I’m here to help you succeed.
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Courageous + Purposeful Mommas group! This community is for the Mommas, mommas to be, in the midst of raising, and kids grown, looking for tips on building your family up and providing for them through natural methods. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious, and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision.
Click here to get the stories straight to your email:
For more on wellness tips click here:
For more on homesteading on your budget click here:
For more simple DIY updates click here:
0 Comments