For starters, being 100% self sufficient in our society is nearly impossible. You have to be insured, you often have to pay mortgage, you might need a doctor, you probable can’t grow you own rice or wheat or you might need a car.
But, there are some things you can do and they create good reasons to be, or get, as self sufficient as possible.

1. Utility Bills

   We, currently, pay about a gazillion euros per year on utilities. This is for water, gas and power. Plus a whole lot of taxes (actually more than half). We intend to reduce this to nothing (after investment of course).

2. Food

   Grow your own, we spend about 25 euros on groceries a week (this is what we can grow our selves). Again, you need to invest, but you can easily reduce this to a fraction. Especially if you have a nice garden, but you can grow food anywhere, all you need is water and sunlight.

3. Health

   Reduces the amount of supermarket food will invariably be beneficial to your health. Unless you buy everything organic, and then it would be an even better idea to grow your own, because organic food is expensive.

4. Outdoors

   You’ll spend so much more time outside (when you have a garden). It does take effort and quite a bit of work. We plan on having a fruit orchid, bees, a vegetable garden, chickens and a fair sized greenhouse (and that’s for starters).

5. Independence

   A study in Holland showed that the reliability of the grid will go down while the costs of energy will go up as a result of privatizing the sector. This is contrary to what the government promised (of course). Do you want to rely on a faulty and over expensive system?

6. Challenge

   Depending on how far you are willing to take it, it is without a doubt, a huge challenge. We intend to build a new house, designed to be as energy efficient as possible, build in a sustainable manner, grow our own food (and then some) and generate our own energy. Putting it in one sentence, it sounds easy, actually living up to the challenge is a whole different matter
   But you can pick some items and do a few things, everything helps.

7. Satisfaction

   But when you harvest your first batch of tomatoes, or see your windmill turn, or feel the sunlight and you know that when you turn on the radio in does so because of it. Does it get any better?

8. Eco Friendly:

   If anything, we need to rethink the way we live. It just has to become more sustainable. Every food item you grow is produced locally, it doesn’t have to come from far away and you know it is grown organically. All the energy you get from the wind or sun or water doesn’t have to be generated by coal or garbage or gas or  something nuclear.

So, there, my two cents. Like I said, you can work for one or for all of these things, the satisfaction you’ll get, or the money you’ll save will depend on how much you invest. We happen to go all the way (or at least 80% or so). But having one tomato plant in your window will be a good thing, you’ll see…

Any additions, any thing a forgot or got wrong? You can leave suggestions in the comments.

I just couldn’t resist posting this. 50 ways to help the planet, man, there has to be something there that you can do. I myself came up to 20 (nice round number).

Found this at Green Building Elements. Could be a nice addition to a low energy consuming environment.., like an Earthship. You can buy these in the States for a meager 30 bucks.., that’s just 20 Euros.., without postage. Or you can try and make one yourself.., it is doable. Luckily, Heat Stick explains how they made them…