If you’re considering making your home more independent, there are a few problems you’ll need to solve along the way. Most modern households aren’t set up for self-sufficiency, but you can make some changes to ensure you always have the basic necessities. Here are four of the steps you can take to make your home more self-sufficient.

Plant a Large Garden

Surprisingly enough, the space in the average yard can yield a huge amount of food when used correctly. Using rotation planting and high-intensity spacing patterns, you can get large yields in several harvest cycles out of your home garden throughout the growing season. You should also be sure to lay in canning supplies and a large freezer, since these tools will let you keep some of your garden’s produce for the fall and winter months.

Provide Your Own Clean Water

Water provision is one of the hardest parts of making your home self-sufficient, but it’s far from impossible. In many places, installing residential water well pumps is enough to provide homes with quick, reliable access to water. If you live in an area without significant underground water resources, you can also consider installing a rainwater collection system for your water needs.

Learn New Self-Sufficiency Skills

Thanks to food processing and mass manufacturing, many people today don’t have the life skills their great-grandparents possessed. Learning some new skills will help you make the most out of the resources at your disposal. A few basic skills every self-sufficient homeowner should try to pick up include baking bread, woodworking, mending clothes, hunting, and fishing.

Go Off-Grid With Solar

Finally, you’ll need to take your house off of the traditional electrical grid. Fortunately, solar panel technology has advanced to a point that this is both easy and reasonably cost-effective to do. Having solar panels installed in your home will eliminate your electric bills and ensure that you always have electricity, no matter what’s going on in the normal power grid.

By taking these four steps, you can dramatically increase your home’s self-sufficiency and lead a more independent life. While you will probably have to make these changes in stages, there are some you can implement right away. Learning a few new skills and planting your first garden, for instance, are relatively easy and quick steps you can take. The infrastructure changes to your home are important, but they may take a bit longer to arrange if you’re on a budget.

Author's Bio: 

Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn't on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @RachelleWilber; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009221637700