Caitlin Sahm

To me self-reliance is about adventure. You need it to get anything worth having, but it’s also an adventure in and of itself. I might not be the live-off-the-grid type I read about (and admire!) on this site and others but I’ve always been self-reliant in that I have worked hard in order to gain access to some amazing opportunities. I firmly believe that no matter what lifestyle you want to lead- from suburbanite to homesteader- self-reliance can enrich it.

I grew up in upstate New York the child of a social worker and video producer. Neither of my parents made a fortune but I never lacked for anything and I owe them a lot for teaching me to make my own opportunities rather than to have a sense of entitlement.

My mother always says that the ability to be “self-entertaining” is one of the best traits anyone can have and I agree. Finding creative ways to entertain myself as a child outside of plopping down in front of the television is definitely where, looking back, I see self-reliance as beginning in my own life.

My interest in frugal travel began when, as a teenager, I decided I wanted to go out and see the world. My family wasn’t in the best financial shape at the time so I found a program that gave assistance to high school students willing to travel Normandy with World War II veterans and record their oral histories. It remains one of my favorite memories of being a teenager and meant so much more to me than a simple tourist trip ever could have. When I returned to Europe and the U.K. in 2010 to live and study in St. Andrews, Scotland for a semester under a grant I learned the art of frugal travel on the go, using my own savings to cover my groceries and clothing over the course of my four month stay and travel to Paris, Rome, Florence, London, Cardiff, and around Scotland.

My parents also instilled in me a belief in financial independence and from the moment my working papers were in my hand at fourteen I’ve tried never to be unemployed. I’ve worked as a barn hand, a video store clerk, a cashier at various retail chains, an intern for the New York State Comptroller, an intern at the New York State Library, a flag-waver for a construction crew, a door to door on-commission canvasser for an environmental group, a secretary, and, most recently, a copy editor and freelance writer.

Still, all I’ve ever really wanted to do, as far as a vocation goes, is to work with words. I’m currently a senior Creative Writing major at a Midwestern liberal arts college. After graduation I’m hoping to find work in publishing while maintaining a freelance writing and editing career. Of course if I’m required to work some odd jobs to make ends meet I won’t mind, it’s made life interesting so far. In the meantime I’m grateful to be part of the Self-Reliance Works team and to learn from all of their and all of your comments. I hope that some of the tips and advice I can share from my own experiences will help someone get where they want to go and have fun doing it.