My Self-Contained Dad...

Good for him! All he needs now are some windmills and some solar panels, and he could be earning money from the electric company - selling power back to them. That's what our next project is - solar panels. We found out that you can start adding them one at a time and it's not that expensive.

i have been by myself most of my adult life. i don't know know if you'll call me selfcontained ot not but i am a survivor. raised 2 boys by myself, own my home & a car & so far so good. you should be proud of your dad. i know he has made sacrifices to. is he in his 60's?

I live in the city. So, I do depend on stores for my food. However i do have an orange and banana tree out back. I do wish to add a garden some day. and grow my own veggies again. Possibly start canning. As I have doen that in the past and made out very well. The house I rent does have well water. So that is free.

Your Dad has obviously got everything sorted and yes I feel the same way you do I'd love to live like this. I always wanted to have my own farm and survive off the land. Our ancestors did it so why can't we?

Your Dad is living like a lot of people would like to live twoey - I know I certainly would like to be as self-contained as he is! Getting back to basics and living off the land is my dream and I'm getting there slowly; I grow my own veggies and we have tank water but I have to buy our fruit and meat. Perhaps one day I will be just like your Dad - that's my goal! In my area there are a few people who would be able to survive without any outside help - they are living just like your Dad. That's the way to live and I admire your Dad for being so self-sufficient!

We wouldn't even last a day without help from outside sources. I have no clue how to even keep a plant alive nevermind keeping an animal healthy enough to depend on them for food.

the guy next door to me has a generator to heat his house and we are in the big city, I don't know if he gets any electricity from the city or not.

I am pretty much a self contained person also. I do get out every now and then but not very often. My dad was a jack of all trades and master of none, that I know of, before he passed away, when I was 12. I am alot like him.

My former roommate's grandfolks were pretty self sufficent back when she was young, except that her grandfather had to go to Houston and earn more money. If a person has enough space and the where-with-all to be self-sufficent, there will still be someone with their hand out demanding money - its called TAXES!

I don't know of anyone who is self contained. It does sound like a nice thing your dad is doing and it is great that he is able to do it. I love fresh home grown veggies, they taste so much better. We have had small gardens in our back yard before. I would love to have one again. Oh I forgot that one time when we lived in the country my husband tilled up a big garden and we planted a lot of things. As for electricity? I don't think I could live without it for very long at all, have had to before when power went out due to hurricane and another time due to an ice storm. I bet your dad would do good on the TV show Survivor.

We live in the city and have all electric too. I know how to garden and raise chickens,I have done this before,but where we live I can not do it.I could not survive long were we are without help. I have a sister that lives on a 90 acre farm,now see could survive a long time,I would hope she would help me if I needed it.

Hi twoey68, Your father has the right idea, but I don't think I can live like that as I like to depend on all mode cons around our home and now can't do without them. Tamara

That's the way that all of us than could be need to be. That's the way I grew up and I know it works, especially in hard times. What youyr dad needs now is a solar saetup for his electric and he could tell the whole world to kiss his Bu**. He would have a lot more real security than wqe do. He can live from one growing season to the nest but we have to hit the local supermarket about once a week at least. We are depending on someone else for the things we need to survive and that means we have no security.

Twoey68 your dad is a great man! You should jump right in there and learn all you can from him! I would love for us to be that self sufficient one day! Right now we have a duck and we are on ten acres of land. Planning on getting chickens and rabbits this spring as well. I am also playing with the idea of a few pigs too. Our garden this year just sucked but I hope that next year it will be much better! It takes quite a bit of time and skill and even luck to be as self sufficient as your dad seems to be! I would be there every day learning from him if I could. You are very fortunate to have such a wise dad!

That is great about your dad in these days and times it is getting to be rare that people are self contained. Next year we are putting a big garden out but only if we can fence it in cause of the chickens, But I will freeze and can alot and that would be a small step in self-containing. But I don't think I could do the meat part. I couldn't when I was younger and I doubt I could now. There is just something about raising a animal and then trying to eat it I can't do that...Our well dried up and we had to get city water.

Well we are not quite that self-sufficient but are doing many of those same things as we have a small organic farmlet. We grow most of or own fruit and vegetables, some of which are sold under contract and the rest we make into jams, sauces, relish and preserves. We also sell some of that as well, depending on how much we are able to make and if we will not be using it all ourselves. We also snap freeze some of the vegetables for out of season and some of it we also dry. We have our own hens so have eggs plus some of the hens are meat birds. The rest of the meat we have to buy but mostly get that on a trade with local farmers who run organic beef and sheep. They take some of our produce in return for some of their meat so it works out well for all of us. We are still dependant on the river for water as due to the drought our rainwater tanks went dry. Still recent rains have put a fair amount into them so we should be okay that way for some time to come. Electricity too is another thing we are reliant on others for although we do have solar panels on the cool room and packing sheds. Unfortunately we cannot afford to only have solar panels as they are not cheap to buy and it would take a very long time to recoup the cost of them. You should learn from your father how he grows his vegetables. He would be happy to advise you I am sure and you could get in some quality time with him.

My dad grows alot. He is not self contained though. They say that is the smartest way to be. It sounds like your dad knew what he was doing. Many people wish they had done that now. It is so exspensive to get good land and then it takes time to develop it. Good for your dad. I am glad to know there are still people who are truly self contained.

hi twoey68...that is remarkable about your father. my grandfather was close to that. he dug his own well and had chickens. i heard of man who built his house to be independent of everything. he had his own water, and built his house with solar power so he didn't need electricity. the city didn't like it cause he didn't have any utility bills. they gave him some trouble but he managed to win out over them. he built the house using recycled cans and tires. it looked fascinating because you wouldn't know it was from recycled materials. it had a very unique and interesting design.

Your Dad is surely amazing. I wish I can be like him. Not too dependent on some other stuff. I wish I can be that resourceful. He really knows how to run his life the way he wanted it to be. Free from the clutch of the outside world.

I'm not self contained and I wish I were too. Your father's lifestyle is an ideal to me. I'd like to live on an island with a garden and a few chickens and go fishing every day for my meals. That would be the life. I've started a garden.. but I'm still new at this and it's a long slow process.