Developing a More Self-Sufficient Mentality

Coming fresh out of the IT industry, I had developed an "I'll do this, but I don't do that" mentality. Not to say I was lazy -- I just wanted to be as efficient as possible by focusing on my specific field (software development) and outsourcing everything else.  So I didn't really question the cost of plumbers, mechanics, landscapers, etc., even to do very simple jobs that I have easily done myself.  

But that doesn't really work when you're trying to work toward self a more self-sufficient, homesteading lifestyle.

Not to say homesteaders should do everything themselves either. Maintaining a supportive family and community is vitally important. But I need to transition away from the outsourcing mentality and start re-imagining what I could figure out on my own.  

Broken Garden Hoses

We use garden hoses all over our homestead -- for filling water dishes, feeding sprinkler systems, washing things, etc.  Unfortunately, these hoses get damaged for various reasons -- dogs chew them, cars and tractors run over them, etc.

Up until recently, I had resigned myself to re-purchasing broken garden hoses for $60-70 a pop for the rest of my homesteading life. Then my new, budding self-sufficient spirit kicked in and I wondered if maybe a bit of water proof tape might do the trick? The answer was "not really." But that question was a good starting point.

Then a lovely fellow down at Ace (the best hardware store) guided me to a more viable long-term solution: a brass male-to-male splice with two tighteners.  The kits there cost about eight dollars, so I opted instead to buy a bulk pack of them from Amazon (don't worry I still spend a lot of money at Ace), so each connector "kit" came down to about $2.  That's a huge improvement over buying new a new hose or two every month for $60+.

To install the splicer, simply cut out the damaged part of the hose, put the tighteners over each freshly cut end, insert the brass ends into the gap, then tighten the hose around each end, as you can see below:

It helps to have an opportunistic mentality.  

Everything that breaks presents a new opportunity to learn something new myself, then go on to share that with my kids, potentially help someone else in my community.

The YouTube video below shows what this looks like in action:

Have a great week,

- Patrick