Hi Everyone From Arizona!

[bcluff]

Hi my name is Bryce! Im new to the forum. I live in southern Arizona. I really want to be self sufficient and I want to get as much knowledge from you guys! So I already raise chickens on my small amount of space I have. Being under 18, I have a set of challenges with being self sufficient. I do not have any budget at all and I have school so I have little time. So if anyone knows of where to start let me know! Thanks so much!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hi Bryce, and

Chickens are a great place to start. What else are you interested in?

 

[bcluff]

I am really open to whatever! I would love to learn some gardening and whatever else helps! I wont deny any ideas that will work!

 

[Hinotori]

Find a nice spot in the yard for a small garden and start prepping the ground this fall so you can plant in the spring. Chickens are pretty easy, just start out with a few to see if you like them. Learn how to make meals from scratch and can or freeze part for later meals.

We always had a garden when I was growing up. Most of the chores in it fell to me since Mom has always had knee issues. We put in a bunch of herbs one year when I was in junior high after I'd read up on them. I was good at taking care of them and drying them. Easy to dry them in the high desert where I grew up. Not easy at all where I am now. I've had to relearn a lot of stuff and am still learning.

 

[Joel_BC]

It's worthwhile to even acquire just a bit of the various skills that can contrinute to (or toward) self-reliance.

Areas of these skills that I consider to be related to the goal include: gardening (including soil conditioning/enrichment); tree culture; animal raising and care; carpentry; plumbing and water-system essentials; household energy management (energy conservation & energy capture/transformation, such as solar); basic mechanics; metal work; electrical work (such as involved with a house, workshop, etc); road planning; drainage planning.

Take any classes that you can, especially ones that will give you hands-on experience. There are a lot of Youtube videos on the topics I mentioned above. Go to used-book stores and buy quality books that cover these topics.

Best of luck in your learning path!

 

[Britesea]

I would say don't bite off too much at one time. When you are learning, everything takes a little longer, and if you aren't used to being real active that will be an issue too. Try tackling one thing a year.

You say you have some chickens; how long have you had them? and how many? Have you tried incubating the eggs yourself? Just getting chickens under your belt can be plenty for one year.

For a garden, again- make a fairly small one to start. If you plan it right, it will be easy to enlarge it over the next few years. How many people would the garden be for? Start out just growing stuff you can eat fresh (you'll be surprised how much better it tastes than the stuff in the store); you can get into drying, or canning, or freezing later.

 

[k15n1]

Welcome to the club!

 

[Icu4dzs]

Bryce

All the advice above is helpful and wise. Since you are NOT 18, we shall assume that you continue to live with your parents, who if they live in AZ have some of this figured out, assuming the piece of land you describe was their choice.

Having said that, I notice that there are a few things that were NOT mentioned in the above posts so I thought I would mention them here. For starters, it would be very important to learn "PLANNING AHEAD". What do I mean by this? Well, when was the last time YOU went to the store shopping for food or supplies? Did you KNOW what you needed or do you shop "impulsively"?

The idea here is to understand your own a) surroundings b) needs c) wants. Did you make a list of the things you needed for, let's say 2 weeks? Do you even know what your own needs are for two weeks? How much food, water, personal hygiene items, etc. are required? Being self-sufficient doesn't necessarily mean you go wandering out into the world and start living off the land as though you had done it all your life. That my dear friend, will take many years of learning to do. You were probably raised in the "city/suburbs" and as such know only what happens if you go to the store to buy stuff you need. That then would be your first step to being self-sufficient. Learn what YOU need and how to manage it. Your parents will begin to see your effort to take care of yourself which, in my estimation is the first step in being truly "self-sufficient".

You mention "Not having a budget". Everyone has a budget. It may be small or difficult to manage but we all, in some way have to live within our means. That is a vital and critically important skill when planning to be self-sufficient. Once you get an idea of what you need to live, the next thing is to understand what it costs in terms of either a) cash or b) labor or c) a combination of both, along with bartering and scrounging from various sources. (we call it trash pickin' where I grew up. I still get stuff at the dump when I need something or see a thing that I know to be useful for my purposes.).

There is more stuff thrown out in this country that still works perfectly but folks in the generation after me (I'm a 'Boomer') learned only to buy it, use it, break it or (get tired of it) and then throw it away and buy a new one. I will tell you that such a philosophy is in my mind (and to many in my generation) complete and utter HERISY. Learn to use what is available and have it conform to YOUR needs/wants. Once you learn that things you need/want might be available without the need for spendable cash, you will be well on your way to "thinkin' like us" and being self-sufficient. We're a breed. We're left over from the time when our parents grew up during the "GREAT DEPRESSION" and found out how to "MAKE-DO" with whatever they could find or get. They learned to SAVE, not only money but EVERYTHING. Nothing was wasted because they knew it would be useful at some point in the future. Some of our parents became a bit psychotic on the issue and became what I call "pack-rats". They would just collect things but never use them so they just piled up and made life miserable for others.

When you "accumulate things" be 1) selective in that you are sure it will do what you need it to do. 2) be careful to store it so that when you are ready to use it you will have it in good condition and it isn't going to attract vermin, bugs or things that you won't want.
3) If it has a part that you want (a good example from an old washing machine is the timer and the pump) take what you need/want and then dispose of the rest. 4) Keep it organized so you can FIND what you have when you are ready to use/build it.
In the same way, do not squander your money on expendable junk, such as alcohol, cigarettes, useless entertainment etc. Make everything you acquire have meaning and purpose to you not only in the immediate period but in the future as well. Buy tools. Get GOOD HAND TOOLS and become good with them. Buy one at a time and learn how to use it, and care for it. A dull tool is much more dangerous than a sharp one. They may cost more but will always work for you and be satisfying in your hand.

Get all the books you can on "HOW TO ..." whatever. Joel BC mentioned some of the home-owner arts such as wood working, plumbing, etc. These skills are CRITICALLY IMPORTANT and much of it can be learned from books. The perfection of the skills can only be learned by doing, but the basic techniques can be learned from the folks who do it all the time by reading their books and studying their photographs and drawings. Learn to work with metal. It is a good deal different and dare I say a bit harder (no pun intended) than working with wood. Learn the techniques for fastening metal, i.e. welding, soldering, etc. Remember, anything that was built in a factory and is simply old WORKED when it was built. The parts may need some tweaking but the basic item WORKED. Learn what it did and how it did it. Learn also the skills for the basics of living; sanitation, heating, water treatment. Understand the physics of a building and why certain structures need to be built to a specific standard.

LEARN NOW to draw plans and make the calculations for things. For instance, you want to heat a room. What is the volume of the room? If it is a Quonset hut, what is the volume of that? Basic geometry is still one of the MOST FUNCTIONAL SKILLS in the history of man and should be among your most basic of tools, readily at hand. There is an old saying in the Navy when we do diving..."plan your dive and dive your plan". What we mean is make a plan for what you are doing and STICK TO IT. Your project will come out better in the long run if you know what you are going to do and what you are going to do it WITH such as tools and materials. This is also true for your garden and everything you do in your effort to be self-sufficient. DON'T Guess! Make a drawing, or get a drawing that someone else did and follow the plan. Right now that is plentiful on the internet as well as in books. Begin now to make a library of your own for those types of things you will want to build/make or design. You may not be ready for all of it, but you will at least have an idea of what you will be doing when the time comes.

BE RESPONSIBLE IN ALL YOU DO NOW AND FOREVER. This goes for your personal relationships with everyone and in particular, women. You must assume that at some point, you will be responsible for the health, welfare of a wife and children. THINK AHEAD. THINK with the BIG HEAD. Do not squander your future on being irresponsible when you are young and full of hormones and vinegar. In all things, CHOOSE WISELY. Don't be fooled or lulled into doing what "other folks" are doing because they are "cool" or with an "in crowd", etc. Likewise, show respect to your parents and in particular show respect for their resources. Do NOT waste their resources on frivolous things. Let them know you appreciate them bringing you to this earth at THIS TIME and that you appreciate what they have done for you to get you to the point where you have become AWARE that you want to be self-sufficient. Remember, when they get old, they will need you to help change THEIR DIAPERS. I do not say that in jest. I mean it with all my heart because it is the natural way of things and being self-sufficient implies that you understand and can live with the "natural way of things".

REALIZE NOW that you are going to be on your OWN PATH and few if any will either be on that path WITH YOU or in front/behind you. The majority of those who are your contemporaries WILL NOT BE ON THAT PATH. They are going another direction and you will be separate from them primarily because YOU CHOOSE TO BE DIFFERENT. That is NOT to say you should not be a social and contributing member of society. Quite the contrary. You want to associate with "your own kind" because they will be the "neighbors" you need when it comes harvest time, etc.

BELIEVE NOW that (in the immortal words of Gerald P. O'Hara, Scarlett's father in Gone with the Wind) LAND IS THE ONLY THING WORTH FIGHTIN' AND DYIN' FOR!" Treat your land, regardless of how much or how little with the greatest respect. Land will support you when society cannot or will not. THAT, my friend, is the essence of self-sufficiency.

LEARN NOW and understand our form of government at the local level as well as the state and Federal level. Participate in our way of government at your local level. Serve your community in some manner. Show an interest in the things that made America the greatest nation ever to come to the face of the earth and be ready at all times to defend what you believe in and protect those who for whatever reason are unable to do so for themselves. That is our duty as members of a free society where we have the right to choose those who administer our form of government. Do not squander your right to vote but do it each and every time the opportunity arises. This will protect your desire as well as your right to be self-sufficient and it is of paramount importance for the future because YOU ARE the future. We, will in a short time, be the past. We will need and depend upon you to take up the reins of life and drive on.

These my friend are some of MY recommendations for your journey toward self-sufficiency. I hope you find them useful. I offer this to you as one who is on that path. I have learned from my own mistakes but at least have the credibility (as have many others here) for doing what we speak about. We welcome you on OUR road and hope you will find Peace, Joy and Prosperity on it.

Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis, Fratres Aeterni
Trim sends
//BT//

 

[Joel_BC]

There is more stuff thrown out in this country that still works perfectly but folks in the generation after me (I'm a 'Boomer') learned only to buy it, use it, break it or (get tired of it) and then throw it away and buy a new one. I will tell you that such a philosophy is in my mind (and to many in my generation) complete and utter HERISY. Learn to use what is available and have it conform to YOUR needs/wants. Once you learn that things you need/want might be available without the need for spendable cash, you will be well on your way to "thinkin' like us" and being self-sufficient.

How true this is! In Canada, as well as in the U.S.

We had a discussion about the importance of good tools (a basic set of them, at first) and about getting good ones used (rather than new) to save money, when possible. It's here:
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11497

I, for one, have acquired a lot of useful tools in good condition at anywhere from 1/2 to 1/5 of their new price at yard sales, flea markets, pawn shops, and second-hand stores. You have to learn what to look for.

 

[haserd]

Hi Bryce, and

Chickens are a great place to start. What else are you interested in?

You are so young.But your plane is great.You can start goats along with you chicken.Money is not so problem.You can start your little money.One day you may succeed.