Ask Aunt B

Dear Aunt B,

I would like to become more self-sustaining or selfsufficient? Do you have any ideas on small easy steps I can take?

On my own

Dear On my Own,

Especially with spring here, my first thought was to grow some of your own food. There are so many interesting ideas out there on growing your own food even with little space. I recently saw someone growing potatoes in a cardboard box. As much as we old ones like to complain about social media, some of the most interesting things can be found there.

Start a savings/emergency account. It is much easier to become self-sufficient when you have a few green ones stashed away. To start with, it circumvents charging on a credit card.

Wear your clothes longer. Trade clothes with friends to get new experiences. Shop in second hand stores. Interesting vintage clothing can be fun and cheap. Clean out your own closet. Let others get some good out of the barely worn clothes just hanging around in your closet.

Recycle whatever is recyclable in your trash. Most cities now have recycle bins that make this very easy.

Don’t waste food. Eat what you buy. It is very hard for me when I throw away food. Take a look at your refrigerator and make something with all that is in there. Also take a look in that freezer, get rid of food that is no longer good and be more conscious when you are buying ahead.

Repurpose furniture and household items. Again, shop at resale stores and garage sales. Look around at what you have and explore new ways to use things that you have already on hand. I once had a small coffee table that I turned into a desk to use when I was sitting up in bed. I felt so creative.

Cook from scratch and eat out less. This is a twofer. You can get better nutrition and save some money for that savings/emergency account while you are at it.

Use less paper and more cloth. This is an ongoing discussion(argument) in my household. Don’t use a paper towel all the time. Wipe up things with a cloth. I realize there are arguments against this but, to me, it is a no brainer.

Save rain water. Even when done on a small scale, this can make a difference. There are rain water collection barrels or small containers just to collect for watering your plants.

Get a water filter and recycle glass containers for your waters and stop buying plastic water bottles.

Air dry your clothes. This can increase the lifespan of your clothes as well.

Look into solar energy.

Buy books from a second hand book store or ebooks.

Love,

Aunt B

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