269_A Twelve Month Plan for Sovereign Living Part Two

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 269

A 12 Month Plan for Sovereign Living Part Two

Most certainly we have all at one point in time come to the realization that we were tired of someone else telling us what to do. We become weary of someone making decisions that affect our well-being when we have no say in the matter. No where does this come more to the forefront of our lives as when we are teenagers.

We reach that point where we long to be adults, make our own decisions, go where we want, when we want and do what we want. We want to have ultimate power and responsibility over our lives. We celebrate the day it finally happens when we are adults. We are finally sovereign individuals. But, is this really what happens. So join me for part two of a 12 month plan for sovereign living.

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E269, which is part two the the 12 month plan for sovereign living.

In my last episode we discussed the first 6 months of a step-by-step plan for building a sovereign lifestyle. In this episode we are going to covered the next 6 months to complete the one year plan. But, before we do that, let’s talk about the good news story of the week.

Environmental Restoration in England

In case you have not noticed, one of my favorite good news stories is to talk about various environmental restoration projects. And this week is not different. I enjoy talking about his because it is truly amazing the see the transformation that occurs when groups of volunteers come together to accomplish an amazing feat or restoration. This weeks good news story comes out of England.

There was a group of volunteers that planted 15 miles of hedges, traditionally called a hedge row, in order to connect two national park systems. The reason this is important is that it produces a vital wildlife corridor. Hedgerows are one of the most commonly encountered wildlife habitats in England. The line road, railways and footpaths, bordering fields, gardens, and the coast.

A hedgerow can be almost anything, from hawthorn bushes to dog rose, bramble and honeysuckles and then overtopped with trees. Traditionally they were used as property boundaries and shelter for livestock.

This particular hedge, called the Hampshire Hedge, was three years in the making and runs for 15 miles. The reason this is important is that studies have shown that hedges are vital habitat corridors offering sanctuary to over 2,000 species during the course of a year.

So, this week’s round of applause goes to the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) “Hedgerows Heroes” program, and was supported by various conservation nonprofits and the UK’s National Lottery Heritage Fund.

12 Month Plan for Sovereign Living Part Two.

When I was a teenager I distinctly remember having those feelings that I could not wait until I was an adult. I had a strong urge to be out on my own, making my own decisions, making my own money and directing my life toward anything I wanted. Most of us recall being in a similar situation. But I also think that most of us remember that once we were on our own for a period of time we started to realize that being an adult was not as easy as it looked. That is when we also begin to realize that perhaps our parents knew more than we thought.

I remember not so long ago when Annette’s son and I were constantly in conflict over one thing or another. It was when he was between the age of 16 and 18. One day I talked to him and told him that this sort of thing was a normal part of growing up. I also said to him that I realized he was getting to the point of always being told what to do and when and that he just wanted to make his own decisions. Then I told him that would happen soon enough. Once he turned 18 he could do whatever he wanted.

Then told him that he had to realize that for the most part someone was always going to be telling him what to do. Your employer is going to have something to say about what you do. So will your landlord, your mortgage company and the government and most certainly the IRS. If you do not pay your property taxes to the county where you live they will also have something to say about what you do and where you live. You may think you are in control of your life but for most people, that is never really the case.

Then of course he finally gets out on his own and was immediately having some personal struggles. But much like me, he refused to ask for any help. He was living with the consequences of his choices and I was proud of him for that. He was figuring out what it was like to be a sovereign adult. It takes a lot more than you think.

One of the biggest problems in our culture is that far too many people resign themselves to a life that always allows someone else to have significant control over their lives. For example, most of us could easily take control of a good portion of our food supply or of our water supply. But we don’t. The devastating result of Hurricane Katrina is a perfect example. And it does not even have to be that extreme. Whenever a major storm results in infrastructure damage and delays in the supply chain, people rush to the supermarket and clean out the shelves.

All of this could easily be prevented if we simply took full responsibility for our lives and truly focused on living as sovereign individuals. And of course, that is the focus of these two episode. I want to lay out a 12 month plan to make that happen.

So, just for a quick review, in part one we discussed first doing a personal audit to determine where you were vulnerable. Then we briefly discussed reducing your dependence on consumer culture. That was followed by two layers of developing your food independence. And finally we talked about financial and digital independence. Now, in part two we are going to level ups a bit more. Let’s start with month 7.

Month 7 — Reduce Institutional Dependence

Objective: Simplify the infrastructure of your entire life.

Actions

Review dependence on:

• insurance systems
• subscription services
• cloud services
• digital platforms

Replace with:

📦 local storage
📁 self-hosted services
📖 physical books

-Insurance systems

This might be a tough question for a lot of people but it is worth evaluating carefully. At one point in time, about 55% of my monthly budget was for insurance. Once I realized that, I change my health insurance providers, combined some services under only one company in order to take advantage of discounts. Additionally, I reevaluated the coverage that I carried based on the value of my property. All in all, I was able to reduce my expenses by 40%.

-Subscriptions services

Audit your subscriptions regularly by reviewing bank and credit card statements, emails, and app activity to identify all recurring charges. 

Many people unknowingly pay for services they no longer use—average U.S. consumers have 12 paid subscriptions, and 40% still pay for services they no longer use. 

Categorize each subscription into three groups:

•  Essential: Services used weekly or more, worth resubscribing to immediately. Keep only 3–5 of these. 
•  Rotating: Value but don’t need year-round. Switch between services monthly (e.g., Netflix one month, Disney+ the next) to avoid paying for multiple platforms. 
•  Cut: Cancel anything unused in the past 30 days (unless seasonal). You can always resubscribe later. 

Use smart strategies to reduce costs:

•  Share accounts with trusted family or friends (if allowed by terms). 
•  Pay annually for services like cloud storage or software to save money. 
•  Negotiate rates—call providers and ask for better pricing, especially when threatening to cancel. 
•  Use free alternatives like Pluto TV, YouTube, or library services (eBooks, movies, music). 
•  Set up alerts every 3–6 months to reassess subscriptions.

-Cloud services and digital platforms

Again, these are services that can and often do sneak up on us. It is so easy to click that button in order to upgrade your cloud services which of courses increase your monthly budget, albeit a small amount.

Just recently, I was faced with that same choice. Instead of upgrading in order to store more of my photos, I downloaded all of my photos on my laptop. Over a couple of weeks I organized them into various folders and backed them up on an external device. 

Outcome

More resilient personal infrastructure where you have some control. Reduced monthly expenses and increased control over you own digital resources.

Month 8 — Build Practical Survival Skills

Objective: Increase self-sufficiency.

Now, I will have to admit that there is a tremendous amount to learn here. Most of these skills will be learned a little at a time. However, basic survival skills may some day save your life.

Skills to learn

🔥 Fire building; There are far too many people these days that simply do not know how to build a basic fire. Yet this is one of these most important survival skills. Watch some YouTube videos if you truly know nothing. Again, this simple skill may one day save your life.
🛠️Basic carpentry: This is also a skill that will take some time to develop. Start with basic home improvement projects. Go to a big box hardware store and take a workshop. Watch YouTube videos. Work with a neighbor on one of their projects in order to learn some basic skills.
🌿 wild plant identification. Believe it or not, most of us walk right past numerous edible plants everyday. These are basically free groceries. Purchase an identification guide and spend some time outside.
🚰 Water purification; This part is easy. There are multiple ways to provide yourself with an endless supply of purified water. The easiest way to to purchase a high quality filter. We have been purifying water at the cabin for 25 years.
🏕 Basic wilderness survival: These skills are best learned first hand from someone with experience. Learn a new skill then practice it under control circumstances. This is a great way to build some confidence.

Basic First Aid

The value of this cannot be over emphasized. This is truly something that could save your life. I would strongly urge you to take a class, learn CPR, maybe even become certified as a first responder. These skills are invaluable and you would do yourself, and your family and friends, a huge favor by learning basic first aid.

Skill practice

Spend time outdoors weekly. Learn new skills on a regular basis. You would be surprised how much more confident you will become over the course of 6 months to a years.

Outcome

Confidence in independent living. Not to mention the fact that you will save yourself a significant amount of money.

Month 9 — Energy Independence

Objective: Reduce your total reliance on the grid.

Options

☀️ Solar power
🔋 battery backup
🔥 wood heating
🌬 small wind turbine for supplemental energy.

There are a tremendous amount of plug and play solar and battery backup systems available on the market these days. The cost of such equipment has gone down by over 60% in the last 15 years. The best part is that most companies that sell this equipment have online videos and even tech support if you need help setting it us.

Start small. This is key. It will reduce your startup costs and your learning curve. As you learn more and more expand your system.

Examples:

• solar generator
• portable panels
• backup lighting

These types of things are plug and play, very basic equipment that anyone can afford. There is no excuse not too.

Outcome

Energy resilience. The next time grid power goes down you will be happy that you were prepared.

Month 10 — Water Independence

Objective: Secure water access that is independent from the grid and mainstream infrastructure.

Actions

Implement:

💧 rainwater harvesting
💧 water filtration systems
💧 emergency water storage

Backup systems

• gravity filters
• ceramic filters
• boiling methods
• Water purification tablets

Again, with a little forethought and planning, you can have an endless supply of pure water despite what is going on with the grid.

Outcome

Reliable water access.

Month 11 — Community & Mutual Aid

Objective: Replace centralized systems with human networks.

This is something that truly cannot be overemphasized. While most people have the impression that we live isolated and in the middle of nowhere, the truth is that we have a small group of very close friends. This provides a fantastic support network for mutual aid. We all have a different skill set and this truly makes a difference. This is even more important if you are trying to live off the grid or in a somewhat isolated area.

Build relationships with:

👨‍🌾 farmers
🔧 tradespeople
🩺 health practitioners
🧑‍🏫 educators

🔨Carpenters

🔌Electricians

Community initiatives

• skill-sharing groups
• food co-ops
• neighborhood preparedness

Outcome

Human networks replace institutional dependence. Far too many people these days never even know their neighbors. Meet some new people, make some new friends, share some skills, and develop a strong mutual support system. Your life will be all the better for it.

Month 12 — Lifestyle Integration

Objective: Turn independence into a lifestyle. After 12 months a lot of what you have been learning should be well integrated into your daily life. By this time, you should be feeling a lot more confident in your skills and abilities.

Build routines for:

🌱 growing food
🔧 maintaining equipment
📚 learning skills
🤝 community participation

I would strongly suggest that you make learning something new as routine as cooking a meal. It is truly empowering.

Annual resilience review

Ask:

• Can I feed myself?
• Can I generate income independently?
• Can I live without major tech and financial platforms?
• Do I have local support networks if there is an emergency and I need help?

Outcome

Building the basic foundation for an independent lifestyle.

The 5 Pillars of True Independence

🌱 Food

Grow, store, and source locally.

☀️ Energy

Solar, wood, and efficiency.

💰 Finance

Multiple income streams and savings.

📡 Digital

Privacy and platform independence.

🤝 Community

Local relationships replace institutions.

Over the last two episodes I have covered all the basic areas that you need to focus on if you are truly going to live a sovereign lifestyle. The good news is that accomplishing this is entirely possible. However, you need to know that this is a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix. You are going to be learning things for many years.

What Independence Really Means

Also, it is important to keep in mind what independence rally means. It is not isolation. Although you can choose to live like that if that is what you really want.

But the underlying theme here is that independence means:

• Choosing your dependencies. For example, would you rather depend on your local network of friends or depend on the government to rescue you in an emergency.
• Building resilience. This means the ability to deal with the unexpected regardless of what that may be.
• Reducing systemic vulnerability. Far too many of us depend on our system of society to take care of us if somethings big ever happens. That is just not reality.
• Strengthening local community. Once again, having a strong local community of true friends will always be a tremendous resource in a time of need.

💡 Important insight:

Total independence is unrealistic. The fact of modern living is that we depend on so many tools and resources that we can no longer make ourselves. Now there is a way to mitigate a lot of that. But, the goal is strategic independence — choosing systems that align with your values rather than being trapped by by a system that you cannot control.

Having a sovereign lifestyle is truly a lot of responsibility. I’ve been doing it for 30 years. However, it takes extra time and work to manage a great deal of your own personal resources. But in my opinion it is worth the effort.

In my opinion it is a mistake to depend on someone else to take care of your basic needs. Far too many people have the misguided belief that the government is going to swoop in and help you. Nothing could be further from the truth. The best way for your to provide some level of personal security is for you to develop and sovereign lifestyle. I hope these last two episode will get you on track.