If it were possible to be truly 100 percent self-sufficient, we could all sail through life without spending a penny. That’s not possible. But what if we
could be, say, 10 percent self-sufficient? Could we get by with only 90 percent of what we spend now? And if that would work, why not go for 20 or
30 percent self-sufficiency?
It’s an interesting concept, sneaking up on the impossible. But there are so many ways to save money when you’re embedded in a consumer
society like ours that frugality is hardly a constraint on gracious living. A spendthrift couldn’t even consider becoming self-sufficient; it’s a
contradiction in terms.
You can probably see what I’m getting at: it shouldn’t make much difference to your comfort level if you produce what you want and need, or reduce
your wants and needs so neither you nor anyone else has to produce them at all.
If you smoke cigarettes, you could become more self-sufficient by rolling your own or even growing your own tobacco. But what would be the point
of producing your own cigarettes if you don’t smoke cigarettes?
If you have any bad habits that cost money, you’ve probably already considered quitting. If you don’t have any bad habits you can think of at the
moment, keep track of your spending for a month or so, and look for purchases you could defer or delete. It’s surprising how often a difficult
deferment later becomes an easy deletion.