Becoming self sufficient is a dream for alot of people, and there are many different reasons people choose the self sufficiency route, for some it is about removing them selves from the rat race society has become in many countries, every one competing for jobs and an income on the employment market and you can get caught in a life of paying every one else to provide the food the clothing and a roof over your head, instead of providing these essentials for them selves.
Most people that have lived in large cities all there life, and have always paid others to provide everything for them have no idea how difficult it can be to provide the essentials for them selves, or how to solve and fix any potential problems that will arise at some time during the course of providing food and shelter for them selves and there family.
The greatest problem these days with self sufficiency is the cost of land to start your dreams of providing life essentials for your self and your family, and once you have the land you need a shelter, in New Zealand you cannot just build a house where ever you want or however you want, there are strict building regulations, health and safty regulations, property convants and a host of other people telling you what to do.
Starting a new life of self sufficiency for you and your family any where in the world is a huge step for anyone to under take, there are a multitude of obsticales to over come just to get a foot in the door and at some stage you are going to run into potential problems and if you are not prepared your whole plan will come crashing down around you, to make a life off the land is a huge achivement and escaping from the ratrace of residentual living in a large city is the greatest joy for most people attempting to become self sufficient.
For most trying out this self sufficient life style there are going to be times when cash is needed for emergencies, fixing the car, buying petrol etc, in some circumstnces you may be able to trade your expertise in your former profession or trade goods and products that you have produced on the farm and this practise is quite common, you may also be able to generate an income from arts and crafts, or from breeding animals on your property and selling them at market.
Depending on where you are set up you may be able to forage for wild food from hedge rows or from property owned by some one else, mushrooms are a good example these can be found on the road side in forests and in farmers paddocks but you need to know which are edible and which can make you very sick, also wild berryies and fruit can be sourced in various areas as well.
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