We are homeschoolers learning self sufficiency. :)

[vadynsmommy]

I am a homeschooling mother of five with four grandchildren and one due at the end of July. We are learning self-sufficiency, how to plant gardens and raise our own livestock just in the case of an emergency. I want to know that I can still feed my children and grandchildren and loved ones in the case of well anything really. I look forward to getting to know others that are like minded and hopefully learn a lot from all of you who have already paved to the way! take care and God bless

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Hi and welcome to SS.
I am also a mother of 5. I homeschool the last 2 right now. I'm considering putting one of them in public, but afraid I will miss her and not really 100% sure I want to.
It is hard to do all my chores and then get in the books, especially with the youngest.
I would suggest take baby steps and do small easy things, especially if you can get the kids on board.
There are many ways to skin a cat.....look, DH wanted to give me an awesome coop. He wanted my coop to be the absolute best coop I ever saw and he spared no expense. You can take a level to every post and board in that coop and everything is perfectly straight and treated....concreted in ground. High water protection in place. He thought of everything. But in all honesty, he didn't really need to spend 3,000 dollars on a coop. He could have easily salvaged around and used junk we already had and then our yards would be cleaner and I'd probably have a good little coop anyways. But I do feel blessed that he thought of me and wanted that for me.
You don't really need to dive in to deep water. Start small and test the water.
Some projects cost up front and need some tending, but once set up are pretty much free. Bee keeping comes to mind. You don't really have to have much space. You can spend a fortune, but if you are creative, you can improvise some of those expenses, but once you set up a colony, they will forage their own food and if you raid them at a time that they can recuperate your damage, there is no harm to the colony.
Same holds true for doves and pigeons. Once you set them up, they will go out collecting their own food and you just keep up their house and slaughter the offspring.
I'm about to go from gardening in raised beds to container gardening, except I'm keeping my asparagus bed. I think that will be the easiest for me to pull off. Learn what is easy, like squash, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans. Also learn to grow up on trellis' to make it easy and use a lot of mulch.
If you can teach the kids, you will have helped your family for generations to come. It will help them with survival skills.

 

[Denim Deb]

Also, keep records. That will help you know from year to year what worked, what didn't, when the best time is to plant, etc.

 

[Britesea]

Fruit trees are great- lots of food for minimal work. If you don't can yet, consider taking a Master Food Preserver class at your local extension office; you will learn a lot about putting food by safely.