There are so many reasons to become more 
"Self Reliant" 
Get Free...
By Michael Edwards and Jeffrey Green
 
We
 are now three to five generations removed from the rural backbone that 
strengthened America.  The world at large has undergone a similar 
transformation as the promise of easier work has created a migration to 
big cities.  These mega-cities could be seen as an experiment gone awry,
 as general 
well-being has declined, with 
suicide
 rates increasing across the world.  Crowded conditions and economic 
strife have led to rampant crime, pollution, corporate malfeasance, and a
 dog-eat-dog type of competition that can be described as a temporary 
insanity.
 
The economic crisis we are 
living through has been the final straw for many people, as promises of a
 better, easier, and more creative life seem to have been sold to us by 
carnival-style tricksters who are laughing all the way to (their) bank.
Here
 are the top reasons for becoming self-sufficient; these are based on 
fundamental, systemic concerns for why undertaking this life change will
 not be a fly-by-night fad, but rather a long-lasting means for personal
 independence.
10 Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient
- Freedom from market manipulation
 – The traditional market-driven investment vehicles are more and more 
obviously controlled by traders and banking institutions.  The debacle 
of the private Federal Reserve Bank is just the icing on the cake to a 
previous decade full of Ponzi-type schemes.  Now, the institutionalized looting of retirement money is being planned.
 
- Hedging against inflation – Have you noticed the price of goods lately?  Even Wal-Mart is silently raising
 its prices.  People might have a choice whether or not to buy stocks or
 gold, but people have to eat — the current increases in basic goods 
portend hyperinflation, and will not ease anytime soon.  Food shortages could make the problem exponentially worse.
 
- Increasing health and wellness – It has now been revealed that some “organic” items have been falsely labeled.  In addition, a host of “GMO-free” brands have been exposed as deceptive.  GMO food lacks the nutritional value of what can be grown in the average backyard.  GMO mega-corporation, Monsanto, has a sordid history and has continuously trampled on our trust.  It is time that we do the work ourselves.
 
- Building community strength
 – We constantly hear people say, “I don’t even see my neighbors, let 
alone know anything about them.”  Of course not:  80-hour workweeks and 
grabbing meals-to-go doesn’t exactly promote community interaction. 
 With such little time to interact with our immediate community, it is 
no wonder why many people report feeling disconnected.   In these trying
 times, it is a local community that can offer the best support.
 
- Working for yourself – Working hours are increasing, pay is often decreasing, and corporate executives are taking bigger bonuses
 than ever.  This is leading to a prevailing disgust, as people are 
being forced to admit that they are living lives of near-indentured 
servitude.  Even for those not working in corporations, working for 
someone else is rarely as satisfying as creating and working for 
something where every minute you spend is yours alone.
 
- Having more free time
 – We have been taught to believe that life on a farm is arduous sun-up 
to sun-down drudgery where you collapse at the end of the day.  This is 
not so much the case anymore.  Sure, the setup of any farm or 
self-sufficient endeavor is often time-consuming and laborious, but new 
technologies and new skills of manufacturing food via permaculture and aquaponics
 are offering low-cost start up and minimal maintenance, as these 
techniques serve to create symbiotic systems that are remarkably 
self-governing.
 
- Generating food and energy security
 – The planet is running out of food and traditional energy. Climate 
volatility, market forces, GM foods, and rising costs of harvesting and 
transporting food are all conspiring to create food shortages
 even in the First World.  This trend will not reverse.  And our 
oil-soaked way of life is being threatened by mounting evidence that the
 oil lifeline could be disconnecting rather soon.  We should be looking 
to the air, sun, geothermal, and wave power to wean us from the energy 
grid.
 
- Acquiring an appreciation for life – As 
one gets closer to life-giving forces, there is a natural appreciation 
for how things come into being.  When you have created your garden, 
toiled there, selected the best for harvest, and have prepared that food
 for your family and community, the significance of what you have taken 
part in can be transformative.
 
- Restoring balance
 – Nearly everything in our society is at a peak, or is drastically out 
of balance.  The systems and governments to which we have looked for 
balance restoration are missing in action.  We must take it upon 
ourselves to restore our own financial and environmental balance sheet. 
 The best way to do that is to reduce our overconsumption.
 
- Becoming a producer, not a consumer
 – This is the best way to reduce your cost of living and increase your 
self-sufficiency.  In the U.S. over 70% of the economy is based on 
people buying things. This is a clear sign of imbalance and, by 
extension, it is not sustainable.  Furthermore, we also have seen 
corporations race to the bottom
 to find low-cost production on the backs of desperate people.  The 
exploitation of the Third World to clothe, feed, and entertain the First
 World is something that most people do not want to think about, but it 
is abominable. Again, new technologies are making it easier than ever to
 produce your own food, and even your own clothes.
 
As the cliche goes: Freedom is never free.  But it sure beats the alternative.
10 Ways to Get to Self-Sufficiency
 The
 global economic collapse has become an eye-opening experience for many 
people. The ongoing crisis continues to create more joblessness at a 
time when the cost of essential items like food and energy continue to 
rise.
Inflation is only expected to 
continue due to excessive printing of money to compensate for the 
bursting economic bubbles, which were arguably created by printing too 
much money with artificially low interest rates in the first place.
The
 2008 price shocks in oil followed by the financial collapse have led 
many people to begin taking measures to become more self-sufficient. 
 And recently the ominous signs of food shortages, the weakening dollar,
 and the rising price of oil all point to a similar atmosphere as 2008. 
 Some have taken steps to conserve electricity, reduce spending and 
consumption, while others are planting kitchen gardens and installing 
solar panels on their homes.  Even living off the grid is becoming a mainstream concept for those seeking independence.
 
Indeed,
 becoming more self-sufficient is proving to make common sense whether 
one anticipates more hardship to come or not. Sure, many of us would 
love to live completely off the grid without giving up everyday 
comforts, but this is not practical for most of us.  However, there are 
many steps that can be taken to move towards self-sufficiency which can 
be relatively painless and quite rewarding.
The following are 10 suggestions that can lead to independent living:
- Reduce your debt: Especially get your credit card debt under control, since it is entirely corrupt.
  Call your credit card companies and ask for a work out plan similar to
 what they received from the taxpayer bailout.  If they don’t cooperate 
to your satisfaction, there are some reasons not to pay at all.
 
- Reduce your consumption:
 Evaluate your current budget and determine absolute necessity. Push 
your comfort level to find areas where you can scale back, and then 
identify comforts that you’re willing to sacrifice.
 
- Reduce energy use:
 Change light bulbs, have entertainment systems plugged into a splitter 
that can be shut off completely to reduce phantom charges, etc. 
Carefully plan shopping trips and other transportation needs.
 
- Store energy:
 Always have back-up propane storage and a large wood pile for a rainy 
day. Investing in a generator of some kind (even a solar generator) will
 be money well spent.
 
- Invest in food storage: 
With a falling dollar and rising food prices, why not create a food 
savings account?  Get some good books, dehydrators and vacuum sealers 
for storage methods. Best storable food items are grains (rice, beans, 
flour), canned goods, seeds, and some prepackaged items.
 
- Produce your own food: Replace your lawn with a garden, fruit trees, and keep chickens. Go on hunting and gathering adventures for nuts, fish, and wild game.  Store extra garden seeds!
 
- Learn new skills: Surf the Internet, read books, and take courses
 in practical skills like gardening, cooking with whole foods, 
composting, carpentry, alternative energy, natural health and wellness 
etc.
 
- Start a side business: Turn your passion 
or hobby into a small side business to make some supplemental income. 
 Who knows, it may become your path to full financial independence.
 
- Install alternative energy: Start with small installations like a solar hot water system, a solar freezer, a solar attic fan, or a wood stove etc. If you have limited funds, tip-toe your way to independence.
 
- Suggest solutions for your community: Start or join a local cooperative
 for food, products, and services.  Engage your local community in 
discussions to take steps for self-sufficiency. Share your story and 
build support.
 
These steps will
 save money as we move closer to the ultimate prize of independence. 
 Each action we take to live more simply frees us from the control 
systems put in place to make our lives more complicated, more toxic, and
 less independent.
                               Information From A Different Perspective