How self sufficient can you get when you don't have a smallholding?

jackyann

not self-sufficient but I was a stay-at-home mum for the best years of my life. In addition to the excellent advice:

make sure you use the library (& toy library if there is one)
look in your local newspaper for all the cheap & free entertainment on offer (we made friends with families who turned up, like us at all the free stuff put on!)
see if friends want to bulk-buy stuff with you (caution both with friends & stuff, but we made it work)
I have always made my own clothes, and either made or altered kids - caution again as some fabric shops are expensive, and if you buy on the internet, get samples first - but charity shop finds can be altered
ask family to buy gifts that are fun & useful - we got a zoo season ticket every xmas & it was wonderful
really enjoy your life, you are instilling skills that will serve your children very well in the future.

stiltwalker

I make my own laundry powder, softener and washing up liquid, all from recipes somewhere on here. I also do all my own toiletries, toothpaste, bath bombs, soap, lip balm and moisturisers. I make bread every day and yoghurt in a flask 3 times a week, all our food is cooked from scratch. I also grow veggies in the garden - unfortunately not enought to be self sufficient even in the summer as we rent so can't exactly dig the lawn up - lol, but enough to make a dent! I also have a pantry full of homemade preserves from buying or preferably being given or foraging things in season. This saves us enough on the shop so that I can buy whatever meat/fish we want and so that we can always have loads of fruit in as my DD is a fruit monster and as we are on one low income we would not be able to afford to have as much of these things as I think we ought to otherwise.

I also started my Christmas and birthday shopping in the sales and pick things up which are good bargains or on the grabbit board as the year goes by to keep Christmas and birthday costs down. I work on the principle that if a lot of thought has gone into the pressie then people won't know or notice that it was cheap as chips! So far its working!

pink_numbers

that reminds me, we also don't buy sponges but crochet sqaures out of aclyric yarns, and swapped paper kitchen towels with flannel cloths. We also swapped tissues for hankies (although I made lots of squares out of old t-shirts which I then wash when used, as I couldn't bring myself to reuse a used hankie without washing them). The only paper product we buy now is toilet paper.... I'm not brave enough to take that last step!!!

We don't have a telly (very glad for online TV!), and coupled with just being a bit more careful about energy use, we cut our fuel bill by 20%.

rhosynbach

we grow a lot of fruit and vegtables and make a years worth of jam/jellys/chutneys/jarred fruit pie fillings apple sauce etc, have got a small dehydrator and dried different flavoured apples, pears and plums for the kids lunchboxes and herbs and sun dried tomatoes for cooking they last all year we also have hens they eat the scraps and lay lots of lovley eggs. we collect seeds to grow our own plants and this year we shall get a small dexter cow for milk then we shall make yoghurt , butter, cheese , I cook from scratch and we collect our own fire wood for heating and water

dom300186

wonderfull ideas people keep them coming, as not only is it usefull for me but to alot of people out there that could be struggling financially like myself!! xxxxx

thank you evreybody

ginnyknit

Like most of the other posters on here, I make, knit, bake, grow and forage. Thanks for the wraps link, they are so expensive now I will not buy them. Just making table centre pieces and favours for a wedding gift and I make my own bouquets for certain occasions - that started when a friend died and I couldnt afford to buy a made spray. That costs very little and I always have a roll of floral cellophane in, handy for many things. have kitted out my Dgs with alsorts of things and Ds was lent or given nearly everything she needed.

Its just a matter of looking at things differently - can I make my own? And lets face it the solution to that question is either on this site or somewhere on the internet :T

oldtractor

I bake bread biscuits and cakes and make hm soup, all meals and have an allotment for growing veg and some flowers for the house,i also make jam and marmalade and go to a PYO farm for strawberries and other fruit.I never buy ready meals. I go walking and jogging instead of going to the gym. I try to make each car journey do more than once,I save up shopping and just go once a week into town. I buy things from charity shops ,like cups and plates and clothes. I grow herbs. I do my own home decorating. I use the library instead of buying books. I dont have a tv but buy dvd's only when discounted! and watch things on iplayer. i dont belong to any clubs or societies. i dont eat out ,not even a pub lunch,unless its a special occasion,like a family birthday. i dont go on holiday. i wish i knew how to sew.

dom300186

oldtractor wrote: »

I bake bread biscuits and cakes and make hm soup, all meals and have an allotment for growing veg and some flowers for the house,i also make jam and marmalade and go to a PYO farm for strawberries and other fruit.I never buy ready meals. I go walking and jogging instead of going to the gym. I try to make each car journey do more than once,I save up shopping and just go once a week into town. I buy things from charity shops ,like cups and plates and clothes. I grow herbs. I do my own home decorating. I use the library instead of buying books. I dont have a tv but buy dvd's only when discounted! and watch things on iplayer. i dont belong to any clubs or societies. i dont eat out ,not even a pub lunch,unless its a special occasion,like a family birthday. i dont go on holiday. i wish i knew how to sew.

well i just learnt to sew by watching tutorials on you tube so thats come in handy and i have a sewing machine yet again learnt by watching videos.

Amysavin

First time posting and looking on this forum I'm definitely going to use the wrap link! I think i'm quite low down on self sufficient though. I grow vegies in the garden and make chutney, homemade ketchup, veg sauces etc with the extras. I also found that by talking to other people about gardening you find others to share plants and gluts with so they can give you things you don't have the space for or didn't grow. Also simple things like making compost for the garden helps save money there and saves putting extra things into landfill.
I love baking at home and cooking from scratch as much as possible, making extra and freezing it for later is great although I frequently get asked what i've got for lunch/dinner and i say freezer surprise when i've not labelled something.
I am terrible at sowing but can stitch things back together by hand so try to save money by mending clothes before buying new ones.
I made elderflower champagne last year from a tree in the garden which was nice, just waiting for the flowers to come out this year :beer:
I use the car as little as possible and live near town so walk in. I run and cycle to keep fit which is free!

Sublime_2

I'm a stay at home mum, and am comfortable enough, but it would be nice to be better at saving. My slow cooker, and bread maker are invaluable in that respect, as I make fresh bread for nothing, and batch cook a lot of the time. Its not just about the savings, more about having a healthy, home cooked meal.

Defintely room for improvement, as I spend over £500 a month on groceries, which is shocking for just the three of us.