Hi 👋

Like many people here, one day I’d love to be as self sufficient and off grid as possible.

So grow all my own food, produce as much of my own energy as I can, etc etc.

What would be the recommended reading list? (If there is one).

Or failing that, what online resources (besides this one) would you recommend nerding out on?

I appreciate that list could be quite long given the vastness of the internet but anything that could be a starting point would be helpful!

FYI I live in the U.K. so if there’s any guidance that’s particularly relevant to growing/living in such a climate, would be great to hear that too.

Cheers!

I’m located in upper Michigan. ❄️☃️ New to Reddit so this is my first post ever

Just a student trying to learn and enjoy life, but fell into a political rabbit hole by my friends and I just spent the last 2 days wasting my time reading and occupying my mind on stuff like Global North/South, markets, west vs east, China and Russia etc.. Usual media sensation shit. Won't mention specifics because this isn't meant to be political but just a general gyst of what rabbit hole I fell into.

It's gotten so bad to the point where I find no interest in reading a book I liked and generally just in a shitty mood whenever I think about it, and it also erased a lot of the genuine passion and mind-free thoughts I had.

How do I return to an "ignore is bliss" phase? I've tried telling myself that "I'm just a dumbass kid and can't influence or change politics in anyway so what's the point" but it isn't quite cutting it.

Any sage men can shed some light into this? I'm so desperate for any help right now, I really want to return to a few weeks ago when I had genuine affection without doomerism or constant arguments in my head.

Hello Reddit,

I've been obsessing over methods of survival and finding food. I've found that perhaps one of the most consistent and efficient ways to have a steady supply of food is to consume slugs and rats.

Snails/slugs are literally everywhere and they are edible. You can purge them with greens (alternatively just gut them on the spot) and boil them. But, I was wondering if consuming raw slugs via shiokara fermentation is possible.

I am not aiming for alcohol here, I am aiming for preservation of meat.In ancient Japan, animal meat and seafood was fermented together to preserve food during times of hardship. In this case, fermenting snails/slugs should work:

• Salt will kill rat lungworms present in slugs, assuming you've already purged and gutted them

But, the question ultimately lies on how much salt is required. Snails/slugs inherently require more salt than squid due to holding a higher water content in their body. An even bigger question is what salt concentration will kill the parasite. The only known methods to kill the rat lungworms I know of are boiling for a while, flash freezing for 2 days, and bleach.

If this method works, this will be a gift that keeps on giving! For snails, you can keep their shells and dissolve them with some vinegar for easy calcium. It's self-sufficient, requires no trips to a grocery store, and is perfect for long-term survival situations. :)

I have neither experience nor knowledge about how i could repurpose my washing machine grey water, or even the water used for dishes, but i would like to learn.
I see things about phosphates and soaps being bad for plants. Since watering plants is the easiest to think of and implement way of repurposing water... how can you clean water from soaps and detergent, so that you can use it for plants, which are meant for human consumption?

How can i go about starting to learn about such stuff and how to actually build a filtering system?

Hey guys! I would really appreciate it if you were to fill out my survey for my MBA Thesis that I am conducting! It'll only take a few minutes and it's completely confidential. Thank you!

https://forms.gle/6yrvn3bPLvoBdCbd9

I've (31f) been avoiding work my whole life, both professionally and privately. This has created 3 significant problems.

1st, I have no idea what job to do. I'm currently juggling 3 jobs while looking for full-time work. What work am I doing? Working in a hotel cleaning (mainly I make beds). I like the work, the supportive team and positive atmosphere, as well as the regular staff events and festivities, but even though I like the work it's just not mentally stimulating anymore. The work is fun but too easy. I work as a community support worker. The work is rewarding, but the management is terrible and I can't stand the company. I also dislike driving. I work as a carer in a rest home. I hate the work, I hate the atmosphere, but the hours are consistent and I'll learn new skills (which I need). With full-time work, things that come to mind that I think I would like are working with animals or working in a factory with machines. I like repetition and doing things with my hands and I like being on my own. And I'm passionate about animals. But the job of my dreams changes every few days. I don't know whether to continue with a job I have or take on a new job. I don't know where to begin. I've never held a full-time job before and desperately need one.

2nd problem: I have no hobby. I buy things and occasionally use them but mostly they sit in my room while I don't want to do much of anything, just stare at a screen... I own a guitar I'm trying to sell because I don't use it, crochet equipment, art supplies, books, video games, a Duolingo account and an embroidery kit... but I never finish anything. I haven't ever completed anything. I haven't won many or played any games, read any of my books, made anything or learned any skill within art, etc... I own rollerskates I never use and love that kind of thing; boogeyboarding and surfing (but I can't swim), skateboarding etc but I'm just too lazy to go outside and do things away from my screens. I don't even spend time anywhere apart from in my room.

3rd problem: I just noticed this problem tonight. Without knowing it, I've been using my indecision as a main talking point to make up for the lack of conversation about other topics... It's almost like a subconscious way to get attention. But it's a problem when I have nothing else to talk about and I'm being rewarded for taking the lazy way out.

Does anyone have any solutions or opinions? I just want to have a full-time job I enjoy, have a more active or productive hobby to fill my time with, and have more to talk about and to stop using my indecision as a source of attention and conversation. I just want things to be simple, and to be moving forward and making progress.

TLDR; I (31f) can't motivate myself to commit to a job or any hobbies or to even put in effort to make conversation with people. At this stage in my life I just want to be moving forward and making progress, being active and productive. All I do is stare at screens and quit everything I start. How do I do that when I can't even motivate myself to commit to anything?

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https://preview.redd.it/1ft6jnkqic2c1.png?width=468&format=png&auto=webp&s=412b539fbfc615814530418b2deaaf97a935c2c0

Hi, I'm working on a university design project about creating more sustainable product-consumer relationship habits. The main focus is on reparability and improving the lifespan of hair trimming devices through reparability. If you have more to share then please drop a comment.

Should take around 5 minutes to complete.

https://forms.gle/9jKjhuJmyTLAeo7L7

Thank you!

Do you guys have any other ideas of things we can buy once that reduce further consumption?

My list right now contains:

Reverse osmosis filter: clean water without plastic waste, transportation, and high price of bottled water.

Worm farm: recycle organic waste into fertilizer without transport.

Rain harvesting tank: Save water for sunny days. Rainwater is also great for growing food.

DIY laundry detergent: plastic-free, water-friendly and cheaper.

Growing food: Vertical gardens, balconies, or windowsills can all be planted. Every plant grown is one less supermarket-bought product.

Aquaponics: consume fish without destroying the oceans.

Chickens: feeding food scraps for free eggs. Reducing factory farms full of antibiotics.

Beehive?: produce honey at home with little care and support bees.

Phone case + display protection: Phones are expensive in terms of resources, and accidental falls happen to everybody.

Black Soldier fly farm: Produce essential protein and fat for pets, livestock, and even humans out of all kinds of organic materials.

Bike: Combine training and traveling while also protecting the environment.

Reusable shopping bags and fruit nets: remove plastic and paper waste from your shopping list.

Cast iron and carbon-steel skillets: Bought once can be inherited by subsequent generations. Free from per- and polyfluorinated compounds (PFAS), non-stick pans release during heating.

Chest freezer: Freeze food you can't eat in time, your summer harvest or game and fish can be stored for harder times.

Canning and dehydrating food: Easy and cheap ways to extend the shelf life of food.

Bar rags: Replace paper towels with reusable alternatives.

Oldschool Razor: Replace just the blade every time.

Edible Mushrooms: Easy to grow, require little space, and produce packaging-free food.

Sponges: Growing your own loofah sponges.

Patching: Simple clothing repair.

Buying Bigger Portions: buy flour, rice, and beans in 25/40/50 pound bags.

Vacuum Sealer?: Store food for longer.

I have a question about seed saving! I've calculated the amount of seed I'd like to save for each crop in order to have enough to grow my desired amount in the following year.

But I know I should probably save MORE than that so that I will always have at least some of each seed variety in storage to safeguard in case the next year's crop fails.

Is there a recommended multiplier to account for this? For example, I know I'll need about 21 oz of pumpkin seed saved for next year to yield my desired amount fo pumpkins. Perhaps I should save 50% more so that I'm not planting my entire seed stock in a given year? So I should save 31.5 oz? Or maybe double? So 42 oz?

I know it probably varies depending on a lot of factors. Just curious what other seed savers do.