So,  I recently let everyone know what I’ve been up to in the last year. Now I’m going to give you an overview of my goals for this year.  Everyone makes New Years resolutions,  typically unrealistic ones,  typically ones that never stick. This year I am committed to learning at least 12 skills that will further my independence or the resiliency of my way of life, and I will go over them here with you briefly.

January
Composting:
technically I started in November,  but it was mostly research and I only really used horse manure from my local stable and shredded paper from work. Good, high quality compost has many varieties in its materials. Plus this year I’ve started recruiting minions to help me with the compost, so I consider my Composting lesson to start in earnest this month.

February
Automation:
Everyone likes their lives to be a little easier. Everywhere you turn,  there are things being automated.  There are “smart” thermostats like the Nest, companies like Verizon allow you to turn off your lights or lock your doors from your phone around the globe. That’s great,  but it’s expensive! I’m going to learn some easy,  affordable DIY automation with products like arduino and raspberry pi.

March
Gardening:
Technically this one could be considered a cheat, as I have tried gardening before, but this will be the first time with my own true garden, where I will be planning far in advance and can implement all the natural solutions/strategies without following any one else’s restrictions for a conventional garden. I’ll also be able to utilize what I learned about automation to keep my garden alive while I’m gone in April.

April
Jerky (bonus yogurt and cheese):
I will be away for half the month getting married, so this month needs to be an easy one. Everywhere I read Jerky is supposed to be easy, and it enhances your options to store food,  so I’m  going to give it a try. In the theme with preserving perishable foods,  I’ll also give cheese/yogurt making a try if I have the time. This is a bonus, just to see if I can.

May
Quail:
Fresh eggs!  I live on ~1/8 acre just outside a major city, so the department of making you sad says it’s illegal to raise a chicken unless you have 5 acres (i.e. its illegal period). Well,  quail are much smaller, quieter,  and are more efficient at converting feed into eggs and meat, so that’s what I’m gonna do (shhh).

June
Bread making (bonus root cellar):
Lady Tinker has celiac, so we are a GF household (I think it’s a healthier option anyway). Gluten free products,  while available, are expensive! So I’m determined to cut our costs by experimenting with baking until we can make our own gf foods.
I’m also determined to convert the old coal chute/room in the basement into a root cellar to prepare for all the extra food come fall. This one is also a bonus.

July
Home health products:
A sort-of cheat, as I already make some of my own products.  However my goal here is to make them a normal part of the Tinker household and to expand into natural cleaning products and other hygiene/healthcare related stuff.

August
Fermenting:
All of the produce from the garden will start coming in, so there will be to much to eat. There’s only so much that can fit in the freezer, and I don’t particularly enjoy canning, so the next option is fermenting (aka pickling). This increases the shelf life of most foods by several months at least,  while maintaining its crispness and providing a level of probiotics to your diet for gut health.

September
Knife sharpening:
This is one skill that will save some money and reduce the time spent in the kitchen. To know how to truly sharpen a knife instead of just buying a “knife sharpener” will allow you to make razor sharp knives last until there isn’t enough blade left to cut with, instead of getting a new knife every time one becomes too dull or nicked to cut well.

October
Sewing:
Laugh if you want,  but I think it’s silly to throw something away because it had a hole in it. I already have rudimentary hand stitching knowledge,  but I intend to learn how to use a sewing machine and fix nearly anything by the end of oct.

November
Plant propagation/grafting:
Plants aren’t cheap,  and propagation is an easy way to get free plants.  On a small property, it’s an opportunity to make some money on the side, while on a large property it’s the difference between a few hundred dollars cost and tens of thousands of dollars. Early winter is typically the ideal time for hardwood cuttings,  but I fully expect I’ll start playing with this earlier in the year.

December
Woodworking:
Another one I’ll likely start early in the year,  as this isn’t something you can truly learn in a month, but I’d like to learn a lot more about wood working by the end of the year.

It goes without saying that I’m ambitious enough to try to get this list done early,  or add other skills to my tool belt,  but this is more of my hard-line minimum.
What are your plans for the year?