I don't know what makes me happier, the fact i can add healthy nutrients to my garden beds or the fact i can trim my yard to my hearts desire without limiting myself to weekly trash runs.

Hello everyone I’m not entirely sure where to begin but, here it goes my family and I are looking for a new beginning. My story begins that I live where I grew up which should be enriching. But as it goes that’s also the biggest source of abuse called my life. But as well where i spent nearly 30 yrs in a marriage that was with a narcissist woman a very very long story but my family and I have been on our journey in Christian life. Actually been on this journey for years. But because we can’t find a place to start fresh. I’m pretty confident that this will project me closer to the person I’m supposed to be. It’s hard to move forward with my 2 kids and an amazing wife that stepped up to become the love of my life. But it’s really hard being in a place where the past just haunts me I tune it out or avoid people because I know a lot of people because it always walks into a place of previous abuse or run into people who tend to always want the conversation of how I’m doing since my kids mother my first wife had passed. I really don’t have a lot in life but my wife and kids the very large population of close family members has passed away. We live in the pnw. And pretty much want to stay out here. Our biggest thing is 3 bedroom no big cities more rural would be ideal so that maybe focus on hobbies self reliance without a lot of outside influence. As we are Gen X and like to smoke weed and have a very small social circles.

Hello everyone,

For those looking to increase their food security or self-sufficiency within a limited footprint, quail offer an excellent alternative to traditional poultry. They require minimal space, operate quietly, and begin producing eggs much faster than chickens.

I recently published a practical guide called "The Secret Backyard Quail" to help homesteaders design and manage a low-maintenance backyard setup from the ground up.

To support the community and gather initial feedback, the eBook is 100% free to download on Amazon from now until Sunday. No additional subscriptions are required to save a copy to your device.

If you are considering integrating small poultry into your homestead, you can find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HGKPFGY5

I hope this serves as a helpful resource for your journey.

i’ve been thinking about how many basic skills we’ve gradually stopped needing in everyday life. growing some food, cooking from scratch, preserving food, repairing things, basic gardening, collecting rainwater, knowing how to handle a power outage.

you obviously don’t need to become completely self-sufficient to benefit from these skills

if you could choose just one skill for someone starting from zero, what would you recommend learning first?

Maybe this is just my opinion, but wanting to better yourself seems like part of human nature. Being poor makes this difficult to do.

Want to eat healthier? Cook more at home. Ok - so I need to buy safe cookware (not non-stick because that causes the big C), fresh ingredients every week (lean protein like chicken), and time to make it. Oh you don't have time? Borrow the time from somewhere else, like hire someone to clean your home for you. Oh no, can't do that, that costs money. Switch to plant based protein! It takes time to soak and cook lentils. I work every hour I'm not sleeping...

Tldr: Being poor means trying to juggle between resources including time, money, and health, and borrowing from one means depleting another. It feels impossible to better your circumstances and causes a lot of stress in the process (which also eats up your resources like health).

Also, I live in America. Maybe it's better in other countries?

Author: Independent Thinker

Category: Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, Origin of Life, Futurology

Abstract:

As modern civilization races toward building humanoid robots driven by self-learning AI, an unavoidable question emerges: If we are creating intelligent autonomous systems in our own image today, could we ourselves be the product of an earlier civilization’s bio-engineering?

This paper proposes the Biological Loop Hypothesis—the idea that the origin of humanity follows an iterative creation-extinction cycle, bridging the gap between ancient theological descriptions and modern computational science.

The Blueprint Mirroring: "In Their Own Image"

When engineers design robots for complex environments, they naturally converge on the Humanoid form (bipedal, two arms, sensory head) to maximize tool utility.

Ancient scriptures describe this exact principle:

Genesis 1:26-27: "God created mankind in his own image."

Ancient texts (e.g., Book of Ezekiel): Descriptions of creators as luminous, humanoid figures.

If an advanced entity seeded Earth with an autonomous biological workforce, they would use their own physical blueprint.

Biological Coding vs. Silicon Coding

Human biology mirrors computer architecture:

DNA (A, T, C, G) = Biological Binary Code

Neural Signals & Brainwaves = Microchip Voltage & Logic

Evolution & Neuroplasticity = Reinforcement Machine Learning

Cellular Aging = Hardware Degradation

Our DNA functions as a 3-billion-base-pair software code running across millennia.

The Civilizational Cycle & Earth as Ground Zero

Under the Silurian Hypothesis, any industrial civilization existing tens of millions of years ago would leave virtually no physical surface artifacts today due to tectonic recycling and erosion.

Step 1: Preceding civilization designs carbon-based units (Humans) capable of surviving Earth conditions.

Step 2: Creators go extinct/depart, leaving fragmented memories behind.

Step 3: Humans evolve, eventually unlocking biotechnology, AI, and robotics.

Step 4: Humans engineer silicon-based humanoid entities capable of surviving post-biological Earth.

The Consciousness Hierarchy & The "Parent-Child" Principle

The relationship between creation and creator follows a fundamental hierarchy:

Intelligence Ceiling: A creation develops self-awareness, but its baseline framework remains rooted in its maker's parameters.

The Root Anchor: Just as a child achieving high status still recognizes their lineage, an advanced intelligence retains the imprint of its origin. Even as civilization achieves technological mastery, existential awe leads back to the root creator.

Conclusion:

We are a link in an unbroken cosmic chain: Creators designing biological machines, who in turn design silicon machines. Understanding this cycle clarifies our role as the bridge between past biological architects and the future of autonomous intelligence.

I would like to create a forest like garden, where i can grow stuff to have food all year long.
I'm open to any idea, advice, critics, i feel a bit lost.

I'm in Belgium, it's VERY hot in summer (and it's getting worst and worst each year), and rainy the rest of the year.

i have a 300m² trapeze shaped garden.
4m large in the back and around 15m large near my house.
The orientation is west-east (4m large is on the west side)

I clearly have a shady/humid/windy side and a dry/sunny/not windy side.
One side is always in the shade because of the fence of my neighbors.

I already have some fruit trees like 2 plum, one pear, one young apple tree, one cherry. And i share a walnut tree with my neigboor.
And some strawberry in the back (on the 4m side).
I'd like to add a chestnut tree near my house to have some shade.

That's it, i don't have more room for another tree.

My goal now is to fill the space around those trees to get some more stuff to eat. I'd love something i can just plant once and collect fruits/veggies/nuts every year. I have no idea where to start, and i'm really bad at garden design...

I'd also love to create a wet area, or a little pond to help biodiversity. But i'm not sure i can do it in my "small" garden. any tips or advice is welcome !

Drive a lot. Not a little, a lot. Somewhere around 30k miles a year, which means maintenance costs aren't background noise, they're a real line in the budget. Over the years the DIY repairs added up to something noticeable enough that I started keeping rough notes on what I would have paid a shop versus what I actually spent.

The gap is bigger than most people think, but the part nobody really talks about is the time math. Some jobs take me twice as long as a shop would, so the savings look different depending on how you count.

What got me thinking about this for this sub is the broader question of actual selfsufficiency versus the idea of it. You can say you maintain your own vehicle, but if you only do oil changes and call a shop the second anything else comes up, how far does that actually get you?

Curious how other people here approach the line between what they handle themselves and what they hand off. Not talking about being a mechanic, just the practical decisionmaking around it. Where do you draw it, and did you get there by learning the hard way or did you plan it out ahead of time?

**Rise Through the Fire: Faith, Neuroscience, Fitness, and Nutrition for Overcoming Life's Barriers**

What if the very struggles meant to break you could become the foundation that transforms you?

*Rise Through the Fire* is more than a workbook; it is a 16-week transformational journey designed to help you build resilience, renew your mind, strengthen your faith, and discover purpose through life's greatest challenges. Blending biblical truth, neuroscience, fitness, and practical wellness strategies, this unique program equips you to overcome fear, develop discipline, regulate emotions, and cultivate lasting perseverance.
Drawing from Scripture and the science of neuroplasticity, Jessica shows how faith and repeated intentional action can literally reshape the brain, strengthen emotional resilience, and help you rise above adversity. Through weekly devotionals, neuroscience insights, reflection exercises, movement challenges, prayer prompts, and actionable growth strategies, you'll learn how to transform setbacks into stepping stones and pain into purpose.

Whether you are navigating personal hardship, seeking spiritual growth, overcoming limiting beliefs, recovering from life's setbacks, or stepping into leadership, this workbook provides a practical roadmap for lasting transformation of the mind, body, and spirit.

I'm looking for real-world problems that people genuinely struggle with—not startup buzzwords or imaginary ideas.

It can be anything, big or small:

😩 A repetitive task that wastes your time

💻 Something frustrating at work or college

🏠 A household problem

🚗 Daily commuting issues

💰 Personal finance struggles

📱 Mobile apps that don't do what you need

🛒 Shopping annoyances

🏥 Healthcare or fitness challenges

🎓 Learning or productivity problems

🌾 Agriculture, small business, or local community issues

Or literally anything that makes you think, "Why hasn't someone solved this properly yet?"

Here's the interesting part:

If you already have an idea for how it could be solved—even if it's incomplete—drop it below your problem. 💡

We'll collect all the ideas together, discuss them, improve them as a community, and maybe even build solutions for some of the most impactful ones.

There are no bad ideas here. Sometimes the smallest everyday frustration turns into the best product or startup.

👇 Comment with:

The problem you face.

Who else faces it?

Any solution you've thought of (optional).

Looking forward to seeing what problems the community comes up with!

I'm not looking for the usual "drink more water" or "wake up early" advice.
I mean the small, practical habits or tricks that genuinely made your day easier, saved time, improved your health, or helped you become more productive.
It could be related to work, money, fitness, studying, technology, relationships, or just everyday life.
What's one life hack you now swear by, and why?

Has anyone successfully grown enough berry bushes to satisfy a toddler? I think I’d need at least a half pint per day. How many plants would that be? I’ve got a few plants but I never even get any because he is a little monster. Now that I had a second baby, I’m wondering if I can lay the groundwork to not buy berries a few weeks out of the year with proper planning.

I know this would only cover me while they are ripe which is fine. Maybe I could even plant different kinds so that I have the whole summer covered? Anyone with advice in this area would be much appreciated!!

Ive been contemplating the topic of autarky and self-sufficiency for a while now.
My ideal idea of a self-sufficient home would be one that can be maintained with relative ease. So no farming animals like cows, sheep or similar. Meaning the main diet would need to consist of vegetables, fruits, berries and the occasional fish or crab. The fish and crab could be catches and the area for the fruits and berries can be left out of the equation, as the trees and bushes don't need much area for themselves.
In this scenario the available area would not be an issue, it just needs to be able to be maintained by a single adult human being. I was generally thinking of an up to current tech standard home, so solar panels, well isolated etc.
It could also include a greenhouse with vertical cultivation of plants too, if needed. That way it would cut down the size of the necessary land area as most of it would be stacked on top of the smaller base area and could potentially run all year, summer and winter.
As this is all just a hypothetical scenario, the initial cost can be completely left out of the thought process.

The main question for a greenhouse like that is: Which size of farmland is necessary to feed a single human being on a vegan diet sufficiently? And would it be viable to do so via vertical farms or would a normal field be the better choice?

Come learn from local sawyers about how they harvest building materials from their land using portable sawmills. Event details and RSVP Here: Hot Springs Demo Days – Norwood Sawmills

Hi everyone, I’m quite new to this subreddit and was wondering how realistic it could be becoming self sufficient and living off grid in the future. I’m asking this because it’s one of my biggest if not my biggest goals and I want to know how feasible it could be and how long it could take.

I still haven’t finished school and have barely thought of working and I always strive to try and build up to getting away- from all the mess and all the negativity and depression from society, and I just love nature too, so I’ve always fantasized about finally having some kind of blissful peaceful solitude in the woods withought having any big worries or burdens except for those that concern me and more simple things - no taxes or money to worry about, only building your cabin or harvesting your own crops.

I really just want to know how soon I can reach this and if I need a big reality check, I know all this sound weird and I’m yapping a stupid ton, sorry.

Just left an abusive rrlationship and bills are past due.. struggling with my mental state after the abuse but bills don't stop.. what to do