The Self-Sufficiency Handbook. Alan Bridgewater
they are plentiful and extremely affordable. We know a couple in England who has five plots between them and are completely self-sufficient in vegetables and fresh eggs. Anything they cannot eat, they sell. Much depends upon the area, but most allotment associations traditionally allow the holders to keep small livestock, such as chickens, rabbits, and goats, as long as the animals are securely fenced and housed.
ADVANTAGES
• The frenetic activity—and the feeling that you are at the heart of it—can be inspirational.
• You will be able to draw inspiration from cultural activities in town, such as museums, art galleries, theaters, lectures, and so on.
• The ground is less likely to be affected by severe frosts.
• You can get by with an older car or van simply because there will always be garages and mechanics close at hand.
• You will be able to do part-time paid work to support your go-green activities.
• If you already live in town, you will not be affected by relocation costs.
• Much depends upon your definition of self-sufficiency, but it is possible to dramatically cut food costs by buying perishable foods that you cannot produce yourself.
• If your notion of self-sufficiency has to do with selling produce or other items to raise cash, you can sell at farmers’ markets, craft shows, and the like. With the large potential customer base in town, you will have no problems selling items like goat’s milk, cheese, and fresh vegetables.
• Community gardening is ever growing in towns and suburbs, so you should be able to find and join like-minded groups.
• Your children will have no problems getting to school.
DISADVANTAGES
• Transportation costs can be high if you need to travel out to the country frequently for essential supplies.
• Just as in the country, your livestock need constant care. You will not be able to take a vacation from feeding and tending to the animals.
• When keeping livestock in town, you may run into restrictions such as noise ordinances, the number and type of animals you are allowed to keep, and complaints about odors.
• To an ever-growing extent, mindless vandalism is a part of town living.
Olive trees line the road to a Tuscan farmhouse.
• A self-sufficient setup in town has to be a tighter and more controlled operation than one in the country simply because space is at a premium.
• There is more pollution in a town or suburb.
• Land is more expensive than in the country.
Living Abroad
More and more people are moving abroad—for example, from the United States and United Kingdom to places like Spain and France—for the simple reason that land and property are cheaper and the weather is perceived as being easier. Of course, it is not all sunshine and siestas, but for many people it is a good, solid option.
My best advice is to never move abroad without building in an escape route. If you are young and ready for anything, you may think that my advice is a bit overcautious and parental (and I agree, it is), but I feel that it is vital for you to be able to move back home if your venture fails. Just be aware that today’s dream place in the sun can be tomorrow’s nightmare. Of course, you cannot and should not plan for every grim “what-if,” but you should try to maintain a foothold in your native country, whether an apartment, a piece of land, or a cache of money in the bank. Manage your move abroad in careful stages, making sure that you complete one step before moving on to the next.
ADVANTAGES
• The food can be wonderful: lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, local wines, locally caught fish, and more.
• Some parts of the world are blessed with a wonderful climate and a more relaxed lifestyle.
• Rural areas in other countries can be very affordable.
• If you want to move from one country to another within the European Union, and you want to take over a vineyard or grow food or pursue similar goals, you may qualify for a resettlement grant.
• Your child may initially experience a setback in school, but his or her overall experience will be enriched by learning a second language.
If You Want to Move Abroad
1.Dream about your move abroad.
2.Have a yearlong trial run in the country of your choice.
3.Plan your escape route so that you can go home if things don’t work out.
4.Set up your mother-country home base and rent it.
5.Employ an experienced legal adviser to guide you every step of the way. Make sure you know about your legal rights in your chosen country.
6.Move to the country of your choice.
DISADVANTAGES
• The weather might be milder overall, but summers may be too hot, or it may rain for half the year.
• There are earthquake zones in New Zealand, Greece, India, and some parts of Italy, to name a few. Do your research.
• You may not be able to speak more than a few words of the language.
• Moving abroad can be a culture shock. This may not be so bad if, say, you are English-speaking and moving to England, Canada, or Australia, or even a country that has long associations with America or England, but moving to a place like Vietnam, Goa, or Bolivia is very different.
• Laws and rights can be very different from one country to another and very complex, so don’t take for granted that you can do whatever you want. For example, can you can sell a property in Ecuador and then take all the proceeds from the sale out of the country? Again, do your research before you go.
• You may not have access to the same standards of healthcare you are used to. Be aware of this if you have ongoing special needs.
• Building standards can range from good to terrible, so find out as much as you can about a prospective property before you buy.
• Schools can be very different from country to country, and the quality of education may not meet your expectations.
• You may meet local resistance to being a foreigner and trying to buy land.
Part 2: The Self-Sufficient House
The Perfect House: An Overview
The self-sufficient house is just that: a house that is self-contained and independent, a house that generates its own power and recycles its own waste. But there is more to it than that.
In the perfect self-sufficient scheme of things, the people living in the house would not be going out to work to earn money and then spending the money on food; rather, they would stay at home and spend all their time growing their own food. Of course, most people now agree