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For the long term -
My opinion - the first step to long term self-sufficiency is financial independence or as close as you can get. It may take some creative thinking to develop ways of generating your own income, but I don’t think you have to be a creative genius either. Being a self-starter and thinking outside the box go a long way.
For now while you depend upon an employer (alluded to in your post), the supplemental income would put you on the fast track to owning your own home/land. You may want your source of income to be portable so that it could aid in sustaining your lifestyle regardless of where you choose to live. At the least, you would have acquired a creative skillset valuable in any case.
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