The beginning of my list of goals....

I mentioned in my previous post about the goals I have, and I think it's a pretty good post to have at the beginning of my blog. It will be great to look back on after a few months and see what priorities have changed and what I would add.

 I just had to put a pic of me and my boy up so everyone can see how lucky I am! :)

 

My fiance and I have both come to the same realisation (seperately, but at around the same time, which was lucky!) that we each want to move towards living a more self sufficient lifestyle. This article really sums up why I want to live more self sufficently, and also I don't want to continue to work for the man! It really outlines what I aspire to be able to do - cook, clean, sew, mend, produce my own food, electricity, survive a crisis, basically I want to know how to properly look after myself! Isn't that a weird thing to hear from a 26 year old! You would think I would be able to at my age. But I mean really provide for myself, especially if the sh#t hit the fan (which I have no doubt will soooner rather than later). I believe, people of my generation would be totally lost if they were forced into a situation like the Depression. We'd have no hope trying to sew, cook or be frugal. Even living WITHIN our means is a tough ask for some, but to actually reduce that living to a point where we can save and have an emergency fund is almost scoffed at amongst my age group.

So enough yabbing on, how do I actually think I can achieve this simple, self sufficient life that I desire? Well I have put a lot of thought into this list and have already refined it many times(!) but I've settle on this list for the moment. Putting it into words will hopefully help motivate me to achieve them!


Pay down all debts and build savings and emergency funds
I will do this by:

• reworking my budget (looking at reducing expenses, tracking all expenditure, setting up the direct transfer of funds into a savings account)
• start living frugally (no extravagent purchases, buy second hand or make items required)

Learn skills necessary for self-sufficient living (sewing, baking, knitting, vegie gardening, preserving, etc)
I will do this by:

• reading books (rediscovering the library has been so much fun!), taking courses, researching online
• and then continue practising those skills to become better at them 

Declutter / simplify life 
I will do this by:

• re-evaluating the material possesions I own, fully considering any purchases
• prioritising time better and including time for myself
• decluttering my mind through meditation, mindfulness and yoga

Investigate ways to earn a (small) income from home
I will do this by:

• initially reducing my need for an income to as low as possible through the achievement of the above goals
• looking into online businesses that would be suitable (Etsy maybe, if my sewing, knitting are up to it!)
• selling produce/products that I grow/make at markets, to friends, neighbours, etc
• relying on my partners income (wouldn't like to do this solely, and would eventually like to have some way where he doesn't have to work either, hmmm what do you do to earn an income while still growing produce, home-making?)

Buy land and build our homestead
I will do this by:

• building our savings so that we can buy the land outright, then live in a converted shed while we build our strawbale home, with solar power, tank water, with a few chooks vegie patch, fruit trees....oh I could keep going but I am trying to focus!
• start living as self-sufficiently as I can now to make it easier to make the transition

 Phew so thats quite a few goals I have there, must get started working on those! I would love to hear your goals or feedback.

Kim