[Small Farmer]

We got here by accident. 

We bought a house with a little land 8 years ago with the idea we could put the horse on but it wasn't enough so the horse went to livery stables.  Then we noticed that we were surrounded by houses that also had a bit of land and  so we gradually got to manage about 8 acres in 6 different ownerships.  The horse came home with a companion rescue pony, I lost my job, we took in lodgers and sheep beat mowing.  OH got into bees and chickens along the way of planting an orchard which now produces loads of fruit

I now work for myself and our quality of life is immeasurable improved but I have to work quite hard to keep it all going,  There will be a point when I don't get enough work and we have to move to a smaller house, and we're hoping that coincides with wanting to do less because we both get pretty tired some days.

We used to think that we could retire into smallholding but it comes with a lot of physical work.

[in the hills]

No real plan here but doing what we can and trying to learn as much as possible. Aiming initially to lead a more sustainable life rather than being self sufficient as such.

So not thinking now about generating income but who on here believes they are somewhere near self sufficient? Or getting there? Some names were mentioned but being quite new on here not sure who you are or what you do.

Would love to hear about it and pick up some tips. 

Think true self sufficiency must be pretty difficult 

[deepinthewoods]

mel,
 please dont scrap those sashwindow weights, theyre getting harder and harder to find, maybe put an advert in your local paper so somebody working with old windows has the chance to buy them, i get alot of mine this way and will pay up to a few quid each.

[Mel]

mel,
 please dont scrap those sashwindow weights, theyre getting harder and harder to find, maybe put an advert in your local paper so somebody working with old windows has the chance to buy them, i get alot of mine this way and will pay up to a few quid each.

Oh,Ok,Thank you so much! I did not realise 

[bazzais]

Yep another bottomless pit here. We are sort of halfway between a farm and a smallholding and it seems impossible to actually earn anything from it other than costs.

Have even been challenged by HMRC the losses are so bad, they think its a hobby business - I can think of far better hobbies that dont involve the stress or work!!

Bought the farm 3 years ago now and have made no money from it due to the huge capital expense of fencing, equipment, wages, flock expansion - but its  long term game this (or so I keep saying and muttering to myself)

I have never thought of being self sufficient - I did try to build a vege patch but a number of animals got in over time and destroyed it and too be honest I dont think I'd ever survive without working on the interweb thingy - but I spose that in a way that is self suffciency as I dont leave the farm to work for someone else I work from here all the time.

I spose it depends on what you view as self sufficiency - I would imagine that even the most self sufcient have to either sell or do work for someone else in some form or another - it would be hard to just live on the fruit and veg you grow and power your house by an old bicycle you found in a skip?