How to Live A Self-Sustainable Life on a Small Budget

If you're looking for simple ways to start to live a self-sustainable life on a small budget, then this blog post is for you. We'll explore some simple steps that will help you reduce your expenses and live a more sustainable lifestyle. So regardless of the size of your budget, these tips will help you save money and reduce your stress levels once applied. Let's get started!

Here are some tips I've gathered from my own journey of living sustainably on a super-tight budget:

1. Assess - Start by evaluating your current expenses and see where you can cut back

2. Grow your own food - this is a great way to save money on groceries and also be more sustainable

3. Collect rainwater to use for watering plants or washing the car - This is especially helpful if you are forced to pay for city water. You can invest in a Berkey or water filtration system to turn it into purified drinking water. A bonus tip is to partially bury terra cotta pots around your plants as an easier way to utilize rain water. It acts as a feeder to water your plants when they need it while saving the rain water naturally.

4. Switch to energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs - Turn off and unplug all appliances when you aren’t using them. I’m not saying go out and buy brand new, but when one of your appliances conks out, replace it with a more energy-efficient model.

5. Use recycled materials whenever possible for home repairs and renovations - Ask neighbors, friends, family, co-workers, community groups, etc. for parts or supplies they are no longer using. Some are happy to give it to you for free while others may appreciate a small compensation. Regardless, every little bit helps.

6. Make your own cleaning products using simple ingredients like vinegar and baking soda - Seriously, pretty much everything in your home can be cleaned with those simple ingredients. Household cleaning products are also by far the most toxic ingredients in our homes, so swapping to natural cleaning products is better all around.

7. Learn practical skills - Utilize free resources and trainings on the internet, then take specialty courses, classes and workshops to learn as much as possible to aid you in self-sufficiency. You may just find a new side-gig too!

8. Get the biggest return on your investments - Instead of buying a can of tomatoes, buy an organic tomato, save and plant the seeds and you get to eat the rest of the tomato too. It really is about thinking smarter and maximizing the function and use of every possible thing.

9. Community Swap - See if there is one already started or start it yourself. Connect with your local community for anything and everything you would normally buy in a store. It’s basically like a Barter/Trade store. Make a listing of all that is available to swap and a list with all the needs. Then, they can get matched up. This is a wonderful way to save money and keep good items out of the landfills. Especially among baby or kids items, this can save a TON of money for gently used items like clothes, toys, even furniture.

10. Skills Trade - Similar to a Community Swap for tangible items, you can also orchestrate a Skills Swap or Trade by collecting interested people who are willing to either teach or swap services. Say one neighbor is skilled in mechanics or carpentry and another is good at sewing or canning. A trade can be made to share those skills through education and also as a form of payment or even good will. This is what was common in the “old days” where communities really had to pull together to survive. These days, more than ever before in our lifetime, we need to start shifting to a different way of thinking and band together. After all, not one of us can do EVERYTHING that needs to get done, so we HAVE to have others to rely on at various points.

Living sustainably doesn't have to be hard or expensive. In fact, there are many ways to make small changes in your lifestyle that can add up to a more sustainable and self-sufficient life. I hope these tips have given you some ideas of things you can start doing today to reduce your environmental impact, lessen your dependency on the government and problematic systems, and save money.

If you're looking for more information on this topic, I encourage you to check out my YouTube channel for more tips and tutorials coming at you in the very near future!

Until next time,

~ Crystal