My Winter Hobby Rule: How I Accidentally Built a Self-Sufficient Life, One Cold Season at a Time

Let me ask you something. What if, instead of just enduring winter every year, you used those cold months to learn something that would actually benefit you for the rest of your life?

I started doing this almost by accident five years ago, and honestly, it's changed everything. I'm talking about having a shelf full of preserved meals, a stockpile of household essentials that cost me pennies on the dollar, and the skills to make or fix almost anything I need. All because I got tired of feeling like winter was just something to survive.

How It All Started

My grandma always made everything from scratch, growing her own food when possible, and somehow making a little bit stretch to feed everyone. I watched her do this my whole life, but honestly, as a young adult, I thought those skills were old school. Why would I learn to preserve food when you could just buy it at the store and throw it in the cabinet or freezer?

I was wrong.

During our long Michigan winters, I found myself getting restless and honestly a little depressed. The days were short, it was too cold to do much outside, and I'd end up curled on my couch with my dogs, binge watching shows. I needed something more productive, something that would give me a sense of accomplishment during the months that felt like they dragged on forever.

That's when I made myself a rule that every winter, I was going to learn one new skill that would benefit me long-term. Not just a hobby to pass time, but something I could use for years to come.

The Skills That Changed Everything

Here's what I've tackled over the past five winters, and how each one built on the others:

Winters 1 & 2: Extreme Couponing. I learned the apps, the strategies, the timing of sales cycles. In my first season, I spent $3,600 on products but only paid $354 out of pocket after rebates and rewards. Chris is still using soap I bought three and a half years ago for $1.50 for a pack of six.

Winter 3: Garden Planning & Food Growing. I spent the cold months researching, planning my garden layout, and starting seeds. My first year was chaotic, but I learned what we actually eat versus what sounds good to grow.

Winter 4: Crochet & Fiber Arts. After meeting wonderful Mindy Meyers, who opened my eyes to what's possible with creativity, I learned to crochet. It became my stress relief and gave me skills to make anything from plushies to blankets and towels if I ever needed to.

Winter 5: Pressure Canning. This past winter was a game changer. Learning to preserve turkey, venison, taco meat, and hearty soups means I don't worry about power outages or having enough food stored safely outside the freezer. And the meals are so quick to make!

Why This Approach Works

The beauty of the winter hobby rule isn't just about learning random skills. It's about building layers of self-sufficiency that work together.

My couponing skills taught me discipline and tracking systems that I now use for garden planning and canning inventory. The patience I developed with crochet helped me feel calm when I had stressful days. Growing my own food gave me a plethora of ingredients to preserve, and learning to preserve food means I can buy meat and other foods in bulk when it's on sale…or when I have a coupon.

It all connects.

But here's the real reason I do this: I firmly believe that if we didn't have technology tomorrow, these are still things I'd want to know how to do. Call it old school, but there's something powerful about knowing you can take care of yourself and your family no matter what.

The Unexpected Benefits

What I didn't expect was how much this would change our entire lifestyle. Because I'm not spending money on things we don't need, and because I can make or preserve so many essentials myself, Chris and I can afford to spend our money on experiences instead.

We don't buy each other gifts. (Read my last blog about Buckle to hear the whole story.) Instead, we take trips. The money we save from these skills funds the life we actually want to live.

Could you imagine having that kind of freedom? It is possible when you stick to it.

What's Coming Next

As I post on this blog, I'm going to dive into each of these winter hobbies. I'll share the real numbers from my couponing years, the mistakes I made in my first garden, why crochet became my sanity saver, and how pressure canning gave me peace of mind I didn't know I was missing.

But more than that, I hope to inspire you to start your own winter hobby tradition. Because the thing is, you don't have to learn the same skills I did. Maybe you want to learn breadmaking, or woodworking, or how to repair your own car, change a tire. The skill doesn't matter as much as the commitment to using those cold months productively.

Winter doesn't have to be something you just get through. It can be something that builds the life you want, one skill at a time.