Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

I have no experience growing my own food and no experience in preserving it. I will be retiring in a few months and will learn to can. I'm also going to attempt growing some basic vegetables in containers but have no idea if I will have any success. Looking back, I wish that I had invested in a house with at least an acre or two of land. My grandmother raised and preserved all of her own food. She had fruit trees and a huge vegetable garden. The family had chickens, a dairy cow and raised two pigs each year. My mother said they purchased flour, salt, coffee, sugar and shoes. Everything else was produced by their own efforts. At the time I purchased my home for myself and my daughter, I was a divorced, working mom and had neither the time nor the money to maintain that much property. It was difficult to find time to mow my one-third acre and keep up with the landscaping. I now wonder if I made the wisest choice; however, at 72 years of age, I doubt I could manage to be completely sufficient. I certainly admire those who are able to do so. What I have been working on is making connections with people who do have large gardens, chickens, etc and who are willing to sell to me or accept my labor in exchange for food. I think things may get difficult for everyone but the billionaires and communities will need to work together and to help one another. That's why I am so grateful for this discussion post. Hopefully, it will attract people with knowledge and experience to share.