Working and self-sufficiency

[raro]

Okay, I look at all these posts and all the brilliant ideas people have. I really, really want to make my food from organic things, from scratch, grow my own food, have my chickens, and all that.

But I'm a widowed mom who has to go to work. In addition, I have cancer in my spine, which although it's stable, it causes a lot of pain. If life were perfect, there are SO many things I would like to do and try. But life is sometimes pretty crappy, and I end up having so little time or energy to do much.

So my question is, do any of you have any ideas as to how I can be more self-sufficient while having to work? It's not like I don't love my job (teacher), but I would much rather muck around the house inventing things and making healthy foods, etc. And I know you don't have to work outside the home to be tired or sick or have little time. So I'm just wondering what I (or others) can do to be self-sufficient with so little energy and/or time. ?!?!?

 

[savingdogs]

I had this issue for a long time, although different health problems. Not fun sometimes, is it?

I think when you work full time you really cannot do all the things around the house you might like to. But you can pick and choose a few important things to do. Even if a part of your food source becomes more close to home (get a few chickens, grow a garden, make your own food from scratch). None of us here is totally self sufficient, we all are just picking and choosing a few things.

I'm not working now, but when I was, we were managing having chickens pretty well and making our own laundry soap. My hubby and sons accomplished a few more things (wood for the wood stove and keeping the fire going, for instance) that a widowed mom probably would have a hard time accomplishing on their own, but try just taking baby steps.

I'm finding it a lot easier to make cheese, milk goats and grow my garden now that I'm home. They would have been really tough things to fit into my old schedule.

However, not sure how old your child is, but I'd get them helping you on this quest asap.

 

[Mattemma]

You could grow some tomato and zuke plants in some 5 gallon buckets.Just cut off the botton.Can get the buckets free from restaurants or at dollar stores.
I just built a garden box with some lumber.Just a 4 x 4 box,but it is a start.

Plant some berry bushes.

Get an indoor/outdoor cloth line.

If your kids are old enough they could help with the chores you are unable to do.

3 hens are not to much trouble for some eggs.I had hens in the house(injury)one at a time, and they would give me an egg a day.No big deal keeping them in a crate.

 

[JRmom]

Having a full time job and cooking can be a challenge! One thing I've started doing is to cook double the amount and freeze whatever is left over in meal-size portions. Even though I am home all day, I still don't particularly feel like cooking a meal at night. I usually spend one day of the weekend cooking a very large meal(s), then freezing. Makes eating healthy a whole lot easier on those nights when I don't want to cook.

 

[valmom]

With working and being tired and hurting just pick one thing that is easy to do that you would feel is a start. Whether it is making your own laundry detergent (that is so easy I think I forget about it now) or yogurt or fermenting, or getting a couple hens, if it is something that you enjoy it is less work. The chickens are very little actual work- we have a very predator proof chicken fortress, but I'd really love to have them closer to the house so I can keep a better eye on them.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Agree with the other posts. You could try once a month cooking, or as suggested, just make double or triple portions and freeze the extras.

Chickens, after the initial startup are easy peasy, and so much fun.

Baking bread is fun, you could maybe dedicate one evening to bake several loaves and freeze the extras.

laundry soap is easy, ( I used the powedered version) it i easy to make and will save you so much money.

Get the kiddo to help out. hanging laundry is easy for kids ,and will ave you money for not having to use your dryer.

Small garden pots as suggested.

So pick one that eems doable to you nd start with that. Once you are comfortable, move on to another one. Baby steps....

 

[framing fowl]

Sprouting seeds is a fun quick thing to do in the kitchen. Great way to get more greens in the diet and your kids will love it. You'll need some seeds to sprout, a wide mouth jar and some kind of filter over the jar.

I am currently working two full-time jobs and lord knows it ain't easy. The key for me has been planning ahead. Making a schedule and sticking to it so there is less wasted time. The other key is to pick one thing. Do that consistently. Then once you get good at something, it becomes second nature. The first time you do something, there is a learning curve. Once you master 1 thing or make 1 lifestyle change, add 1 more thing.

Also, is there anything in your life that you can delete to make time for more important things. For example, is there a weekly tv show that you would be willing to give up to cook?

 

[moolie]

I think a lot of us work, and it seems like a lot of us have disabilities as well.

to you as you deal with daily pain, I know it's not easy as I also have daily pain although probably nothing like yours (I have joint issues).

There's tons of great advice in this thread an all over the forum, but I'll just add the caution to not try to do it all at once. Cook when you can, if you feel good and have some time--do a big cookup and freeze meals for days when it's not so easy. Get help--from your kids, other family members, good friends. Asking for help is hard, but people who love you will always want to help you. Make tasks easier on yourself--if standing is difficult, use a chair or stool while you work etc.

And most of all, don't worry about not getting to everything you want to do.

 

[patandchickens]

What about just doing what you feel most enthusiastic about (given real-world constraints of course). If you are "enh" about gardening but canning/freezing/drying sound like they'd be right up your alley, then do that (from farmers markets or whatever's cheapest at the grocery store this week). Or vice versa if you really enjoy gardening more than cooking. Or maybe neither of them greatly float your boat but you'd like to try sewing. Or knitting. Or whatever.

It's a lot easier to find time/energy to work something into a full and exhausting schedule if it's something that you really get personal enjoyment out of, not just "oh cool, I did this myself" but really have FUN with.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Lady Henevere]

I work full time and then some, and one of the hardest things I have had to learn about being more self-sufficient is what projects I can do and which ones start to feel like a burden because I just don't have enough time to deal with them. One major time-saver for me was growing a lot of fruits and fewer veggies, because fruit trees require less work than veggie beds.

And I agree with everyone else that once you do one SS thing, you get comfortable with doing it and you suddenly have the time and energy to do something else.