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About the Author

Danielle McCoy is a simple living, aspiring
homesteader living in Indiana. When she isn’t
writing content for her blog at The Rustic Elk,
she is spending time with her family.

She is a wife of over 15 years, a mom of three

beautiful farm girls, two dogs, one rabbit, and over a dozen
chickens, ducks, and guinea fowl.

You can learn more about her at www.therusticelk.com/about and

visit her blog www.therusticelk.com where she writes about
gardening, self-sufficiency, from scratch cooking, minimalism, and
homesteading/simple living.

Danielle can be contacted by emailing her at

danielle@therusticelk.com


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 INTRODUCTION
When I first started considering life against the grain and ditching
the consumer mindset, I thought it was impossible.

At the time, we lived in the suburbs, big mistake (we had always
lived in rural areas before), in one of the crummiest towns in
Indiana. We had two daughters at the time and weren’t allowed
to have chickens and didn’t have much outdoor space to work
with.

But, we were determined. There was no way I wanted to raise my

daughters never understanding what hard work, dedication, and
integrity were. I wanted them to understand what it takes to
produce the things they need and want. I wanted them to know
where their food comes from, not go around thinking that Doritos
grow on a tree somewhere or only ever see meat already
butchered in a package.

I wanted them to be able to connect with nature, with their roots.

To live life closer to God, closer to their true selves, and closer to
the food on their plates.

I didn’t want to have to worry that we could never figure out how
to fend for ourselves. To blindly go along and not know how to
do even the simplest of tasks. I wanted us all to have those old-
fashioned skills that are almost all but forgotten.

In this modern world, I wanted us all to be able to reconnect with

our roots, with our purpose, and with our food. To live a more

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simple way of life, to inspire cultivation of the land, and to
ground us.

We didn’t begin this journey toward self-sufficiency out of fear,

but more out of passion. Out of the yearning for more… to find
the something that was missing from the depths of our souls and
raise our girls up to know the true meaning of life. Our true
calling… to cultivate the land.

As you go through this book, keep in mind that we started with

less than a quarter of an acre most of which was covered by a
very large home and massive old maple trees that kept the
majority of that smallish lot in shade all day, every day.

We started with nothing but the desire to find what we were

missing and learn to do it ourselves so we could pass it on to the
next generation.

We still only have an acre and life has thrown numerous curve-
balls at us. Sometimes it feels like we take a couple of steps
forward and move 100 steps back. But, we keep soldiering on,
finding our place and our meaning of self-sufficiency.

So, while you may live in an apartment, or on a small lot, or you

may have 2,000 acres you can still become more self-sufficient.

There is no reason to bow down, give in and buy absolutely

everything. It’s not necessary to buy into the consumerism
mindset that is practically ingrained in us from birth. You can do

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something, even a small something, to work toward your goals of
self-sufficiency right now.

The smallest of steps all make a difference in the grand-scheme

of things.

The only thing holding you back… is you.

Let’s get started.

GROW YOUR OWN FOOD

Not only is gardening a very therapeutic activity, it makes you
feel good, too!

There’s something to be said about getting your hands in the dirt

and it helps us to appreciate the life and beauty that is all around
us. It’s… amazing.

Growing some of your own food also means you’re depending

less on someone else to provide you with the simple provisions
you need just to survive.

Gardening does not require a lot of yard, in fact, you can garden
without any yard at all. Community gardens are sprouting up all
over the place. You can join your local community garden, or get
one started of your own.

You can also grow almost anything in a container, from herbs to

tomatoes, to strawberries and potatoes. From your kitchen

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window to your outdoor balcony. You can absolutely make this
happen, so no excuses.

BAKE YOUR OWN BREAD

I’ll admit, the first time I even considered tackling bread, I talked
myself out of it. I was lacking the confidence I needed to even
attempt it. No one likes failure.

However, once I got over myself and just tried it, I never looked
back, not once. There is nothing better than the aroma of freshly
baked bread filling your home. And the flavor of it hitting your
taste buds.

It’s absolutely delicious. There’s no bread better than homemade.

Plus, my kids eat it. Which, is a feat in and of itself sometimes.

The only real trick to bread baking is temperature and time. Make
sure when you add your liquid to your yeast it’s 90-100 degrees
Fahrenheit and you’ll be all set.

Then, you just cover it up, keep it warm and let it rise. Punch
down, repeat, shape, bake and enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s
worth all the time it takes, I promise, and most of the time isn’t
active anyway. It’s just waiting.

COOK FROM SCRATCH

I have a confession to make, despite the fact that my father was a
chef when I was a child and both of my parents prepared meals

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frequently from scratch, when I became an adult… I didn’t know
how to cook hardly anything.

I used to be a home health aid and I could never cook for

anyone, because I didn’t know how! Embarrassing fact….

But, I found that I could teach myself the basics and go from
there. And now? Throw me random ingredients and I’ll probably
be able to come up with something delicious.

We have three kids and my husband works long hours, so I prefer

simple meals. Cooking from scratch does not have to be time
consuming and elaborate. If it did, I wouldn’t be able to do it.

Something as simple as throwing together a salad with the fresh

veggies from your garden and grilling some free-range chicken is
still cooking from scratch.

Once you start preparing your own food not only will you reduce
your dependence on the grocery store but that prepackaged
stuff just won’t taste as good anymore.

PRESERVE YOUR FOOD

Our first garden on our tiny lot in the burbs was incredibly
successful, despite the fact I had no idea what I was doing.

So successful, in fact, that there was no way we could eat it all

before it went bad. What was I going to do with all of these
delicious, garden-fresh tomatoes???

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So, I taught myself to preserve it. Some things we froze at first,
then I took on water bath canning, and next pressure canning
and now I dehydrate and I’m learning (slowly) how to ferment.

You do not have to get overwhelmed with this. Just take baby
steps and know that you’re increasing your self-sufficiency with
every single jar or bag of food. It’s pretty easy and incredibly
rewarding to open your freezer or cupboard and see the produce
you canning with your own two hands.

Also, you can always take advantage of farmers markets and even
bulk buying produce from places like Costco. We like to go to
Costco and get several pounds of carrots to freeze for stews for
quicker use later.

Nothing better than being able to grab a jar out of the pantry or
a bag out of the freezer or cupboard and have a home-cooked
meal on the table in no time with farm fresh ingredients, even in
the dead of winter.

MAKE YOUR OWN CLEANING SUPPLIES

The power of baking soda and vinegar never cease to amaze me.
Why more people don’t utilize the power of these two incredibly
inexpensive, readily available items is beyond me.

Not only are they non-toxic in comparison to their synthetic

cleaning counterparts, they actually clean better! There is very

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little you can’t make to clean your home with these two simple
items. Plus, you can actually make them yourself!

You can even learn to make your own soap, shampoo, laundry
detergent, and dishwashing liquid if you so desire. It’s not terribly
hard, it lasts forever, it’s cheaper, and you know exactly what is in
it. Which are all winners, if you ask me. Plus, you’re learning
another skill to add to your self-sufficiency repertoire.

TAKE ON CROCHETING, KNITTING, OR SEWING

Or, try your hand at all three! These are becoming lost arts, sadly.
It used to be that everyone knew how to do at least the basics of
all of these things. Now, there are not many who do.

Crocheting and knitting can afford you handmade gloves, hats,

sweaters, blankets, socks, scarves, boots, and more! Learning
how to use these fun skills can help you keep warm all winter
long.

Sewing can help you repair a tear, or replace a button, patch a

hole, or even make an entire outfit.

I didn’t know how to do much of anything with sewing, and had

no idea how to crochet or knit. Now? I can sew and crochet and
plan to eventually take on knitting. Am I an expert? No. But, I can
repair a button, fix a rip, and even make a simple shirt or skirt,
and crochet a blanket, rag, or hat. And I can continue to build on
those skills.

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If I can teach myself how to crochet and sew, trust me, you’ve got
this. There are tons of tutorials online for these skills, and a lot of
them are free. Take advantage of the resources we have available
to us!

MAKE DO OR DO WITHOUT
It wasn’t all that long ago that people had to make do or simply
do without. The depression era was incredibly savvy in this arena
and it was less than 100 years ago. I think we can learn a lot from
our history….

Recently, we needed a larger chicken brooder. We didn’t have

any money to speak of and I was not about to go out and buy
something. So, what did we do? We found some boards and
repurposed some lumber to make what we needed. Is it pretty?
Nope, but it has served its purpose for three flocks of birds.

When something you have wears out, find a way to fix it, or
repurpose other items in order to fulfill the need. If you can’t
figure it out, see if you can do without it. Most of the things we
find essential truly aren’t. And if they are? We can usually find a
way to make do.

DECEREASE DEPENDENCE ON GRID ELECTRICITY

I’ll be the first to admit, I like electricity. I love air conditioning.
Electricity gives me the ability to type this out and send it to all of
you amazing people. It helps me keep food cool and freeze the
deer we harvest every fall. It also warms my water for hot
showers, powers the automatic washing machine, allows my well

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to pump water into my home, and gives me light at the flick of a
switch.

But while I love these things and we are, unfortunately, pretty

grid dependent, it’s a scary thought.

While I wish I could call up the electric company and tell them to
shut it off, mostly because the cost is obscene, we aren’t
anywhere near that point yet. But, I have found several ways to
reduce our dependency, and the cost (which is always a bonus).

You can line dry your clothes, make candles and use them for
light, use oil lamps, heat with wood, cook with gas or wood,
install a backup well pump (be it solar or hand), make a root
cellar and keep cool with shade trees and iced drinks.

There are tons of ways to explore the avenue of decreasing your

dependency on the grid so that you could possibly use little
enough that you could install alternative power and live without
grid electric some day.

LEARN HOW TO FISH AND HUNT

There was a time that if it wasn’t for fishing and hunting, we
probably wouldn’t have had much to eat. Groceries can be
expensive and the cost of sustainably farmed meat is always
increasing. So, we adapted to utilizing the provisions around us.

Now, we live close to a very large body of water and plenty of

wooded areas. So, fish and wildlife are abundant. Not only does

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this help us feed our family, it helps us become more self-
sufficient and gives us something to do as a family.
Our girls absolutely love going fishing and hunting. They’re
learning a skill and making memories that we were never able to
make with our own parents.

We don’t have a lot of room for a ton of livestock on our

property, and while we do shop local meat and buy in bulk, this is
a great skill to have. It increases self-sufficiency and is a great
survival skill to have.

CONCLUSION
There are days when I question this journey. Wonder if it’s all
worthwhile. Days when I’d rather throw in the towel and stop all
of this mess and just live like “normal” people.

Then, I look at these three young souls we’ve been blessed with
and I know that we are making the right choice. Does it mean we
are perfect? No. Never give in to the boxed Mac and cheese?
Nope. Never buy store-bought bread? Nope.

But it does mean that we strive to do our part, steward the land,
and become more self-sufficient even if it’s just gaining the skills
when they are necessary and teaching those skills to our children.
We don’t have to be mindless consumers who just buy, buy, buy.
We don’t have to depend on someone else for every single thing
we need to simply survive. These skills are dying, they’re a lost
art and it’s time we brought them back. Each little step is a step
in the right direction, you never know who’s watching….

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And these simple steps are achievable for anyone, whether
you’re in a tiny eleventh floor studio apartment in the middle of
NYC or on thousands of acres.

It’s amazing the things I’ve learned about myself, about our food,
about… life just from growing some tomatoes and kneading a
loaf of bread in the kitchen with my kids. It’s enlightening, it’s
therapeutic, it’s inspirational, and it’s always, always worthwhile.

Get started, today, take baby steps. The simplest of things, and
move forward little by little to become more self-sufficient. You’ll
never regret it.

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