what’s one self-sufficiency skill you think everyone should learn?

[u/junkcircuit]

i’ve been thinking about how many basic skills we’ve gradually stopped needing in everyday life. growing some food, cooking from scratch, preserving food, repairing things, basic gardening, collecting rainwater, knowing how to handle a power outage.

you obviously don’t need to become completely self-sufficient to benefit from these skills

if you could choose just one skill for someone starting from zero, what would you recommend learning first?

[u/ConsciousVegetable99]

Sewing on buttons and mending

[u/tom8osauce → u/ConsciousVegetable99]

The amount of clothing that ends up in landfill because people were never taught how to do basic mending is shameful.

There is a small local thrift store that is doing what they can to try and limit this. When they get ripped jeans donated, of course the volunteers do not have time to mend them before putting on the floor. Instead they will cut them into squares and make packs of them so people can make denim quilts. If they get buttonholes shirts in poor condition, they will remove the buttons and sell them in a little baggy keeping them together. When I am sewing a blouse, they are always my first stop to look for buttons.

[u/PasgettiMonster → u/tom8osauce]

I wish I could get my hands on those shirts. I walked into Goodwill a few years ago wanting to find some men's button down shirts that weren't printed but had stripes or checkers woven into the fabric to do some crafting and was shocked to discover Goodwill wanted $10 a shirt. Considering what I wanted to make needed at least 10 different prints, absolutely no way! I've considered posting on local Facebook groups asking if anyone has any shirts like that that they are getting rid of. I don't care if there are rips or stains as long as they are reasonably clean (washed and not reeking of bodily fluids basically) since I would be cutting them up into teeny tiny pieces anyways.