reducing ones dependance on the grid

one thing i'd like to do for my place is a solar water heater... basically a black box with a tank and heat exchanger in it.

also i always thought of gardens like that 30 x 40 plot someone just mentioned, but a friend of mine showed me just recently that even a small 2 x 4 plot can give you lots of nice tomatoes, peppers, etc. and still be reasonably maintained.
 
We are still eating greens , beans, pototoes, sweet pototoes, pickles, have zuchinni bread .from the garden. there is still a bushel of assorted winter squash. I have enough hens to get all the eggs we need plus sell enough to pay my feed for them. Iam going to raise some eating chickens this year.
Roy
 
learn to cook (particularly slow cookers and bread making)
Slow cookers use much less energy than ovens or stoves,
they can make damn near anything edible' and its done
when you get home from work

breads and pasta are easy to make your self
and are better and cheaper than anything at the store
(I also make my own tortillas)

homemade chicken and noodles with fresh baked bread
rivals anything at any restaurant

buy some old votec books
like basic electronics
auto repair ect
if you can fix it then you don't need a new one
invest in good tools too
 
adding to that... get an oxy-acetaline outfit.
 
Very informative:thumbup: I planted a few tomatoes and peppers in pots and was amazed at the yield. I think a 10X20 plot for this year.
 
If you have a window air conditioner plant your tomatoes (or other plants that like water) underneath it. The constant drip coming from it will make them grow like you won't believe. It also saves on water usage.
 
When I first moved here (1991) , I lived in a cabin in the bush. I hooked up a 150 litre tank to my toilet. It was about 4 feet off the ground, and filled by the rain gutter at the end of the cabin, passing through a homemade filter. I used to check off my flushes , so I knew about how many were left. My cooking was campfire and coleman stove. I saved all the water I could ,and all my lighting was candles , flashlites, and lanterns. No heat, except for the fire outside ( no fireplace.)

I really enjoyed living there for the time , and enjoyed the peace and quiet. I was working at the time , but I couldn't wait to get there every night to escape the insanity of the city , and enjoy peace. I didn't own much back then , but I had my knives, guns, tools, and books to keep me occupied.
You have to push yourself a little, and be ingenious and self-sufficient. Don't expect to open the wallet to bail your butt out of every situation you come up against. Most stuff can be done with a little knowledge and research.

At my present location, I have a 600 sq./ft garden that keeps us in veggies almost year round, fed by rainwater. I downsized all our appliances years ago,and the electricity bill dropped at least $50/month, just by getting newer, smaller, more efficient appliances. Most people have way too big fridges IMO, and have the waistlines to prove it ! My new mid-efficiency furnace uses $30/month less gas. I plan all my driving carefully, and avoid wasted trips. Water usage is carefully monitored , and I don't flush less than 3 pee's. Cold -water laundry , re-wearing non-funky clothes , fixing dripping taps all helps. At the very least, my expenses and footprint is smaller :thumbup:
 
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