Being away from all of the modern elements that make life far simpler is an invigorating albeit difficult choice. Can you life off the grid? The answer to that depends on multiple different aspects of your life. In almost all cases a good deal of changes need to occur in order to transition from the life you are in currently
Are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to learn? Can you live off Grid? Is this permanent or temporary? Do you need to make a change or just want to?
Learn more about yourself here, and find out. Only you know the answer to the main question.
1. Are You Willing To Sacrifice?
This is a large element of going off the grid. It may not seem like it when you are scanning through Instagram and see pictures and videos of people enjoying their care free lives in the middle of no where. Typically in beautifully built house with camera staff shooting from every angle. You have to realize this is not reality in most scenarios. These people are typically the few. In some cases they are just at an air bnb, enjoying the benefits of being off the grid without having to labor at living their life in the same fashion.
The big question is what are you willing to sacrifice. Quick runs to the grocery store? Modern Indoor Plumbing, Static (constant) electricity, Water on demand, Lighting speed internet, Safety and Security? This list can go on as long as you want it to.
Types of Sacrifices
I can assure you of one thing unless you are overwhelming wealthy a great deal of sacrifices will have to be made. You may wake up one evening with headlights streaming through your window. Your not expecting visitors, and there are no immediate neighbors within a few miles. The closest police station is an hour away and you’re off the beaten path. Most people don’t give these scenarios any thought until they occur. They don’t realize that safety and security from a public servant is very likely within society. You have Police, Fire Fighters, Emts etc on demand. When you go off the grid you lose that. These are things that must be sacrificed,.
Imagine running your faucet to get a fresh drink of water only to find you have no water left. The city doesn’t have pipes that lead to you. Now you have to find a way to get more, preferably before immense thirst becomes a factor. Or think of trying to turn on the lights or heat on a cold winter night, only to find that you used all your electricity earlier in the day. Now you are left to deal with the elements until the sun comes out again.
These are things that are practically impossible in society if you follow the rules so you have to sacrifice that peace of mind.
2. Are You Willing to Learn?
This is another large aspect of successfully integrating off the grid. As mentioned above public resources will not be available to you. This shouldn’t necessarily scare you but you will have to learn how to produce your own energy, and acquire and filter your own water. You will need to learn how to grow food and tend to livestock if you plan on staying away from society full scale.
If you get a hole in your roof during a rain storm if you don’t want to have a flooded house by the morning you will need to know how to patch that roof. You need to learn what supplies need to be kept on hand for daily activities and emergency situations. You will need to learn how to make money in your new state of affairs. How to protect yourself and the things you own etc.
There will be a lot of time spent reading, watching and absorbing information. To benefit from being off the grid one must be a jack of all trades. There will be no emergency service to call to figure out why your wood stove won’t light during the coldest night of the year or how to put on a new tire so you can drive back into town.
3. Are You Prepared?
This is key to whether you can live off the grid. One must be ready for any contingency. Think about this: You get a nice plot of land out in the mountains. A secluded place with a beautiful view. You get there during the spring and have a beautiful summer as well. You have a fully functioning tiny house, solar energy, wood all around you for heat etc. Autumn comes and with it torrential rain. The road you have been using to get to and from the closet city is seasonal, it is now a river. You have no way to live your properly until it freezes over 3 months from now. Even then, it will be a treacherous journey if not done on foot.
Are you prepared to last that long without a link to easy food and water at the local town. No link to your p.o. box to pick up packages, no way to reach the home improvement store for tools or to make repairs. This is what not being prepared looks like. Of course you can get a helicopter evacuation but that will run you roughly $50,000 for a 10-15 minute trip depending on the location, more if you are in a incredibly remote area.
Being prepared is your survival. You have to think as if you are in a disaster scenario but with more tact. It’s not just about surviving but also quality of life. Preparation is key to success.
4. Money, Money, Money
Living off the grid doesn’t take a lot of money if you own everything. Your car and/or house and land like I do. But getting off the grid will take a bit of folding money to get it done. Land must be bought, leased or rented, you need a car to get you and your items off the grid, a house must be bought or built and that takes fund as well. You will need food, water and depending on how you want to live, electricity and heat. If you go the van/skoolie/rv route you will need to purchase your vehicle, pay for tags and possibly safety inspections. You will need a steady supply of cash for gas, supplies and maintenance.
If you are serious about things and aren’t independently wealthy, you will need a way to make money while you are off the grid. Specifically from your new home. The amount varies and you don’t have to be rich but you will need something to get yourself out the door and off the grid, it’s just the nature of the beast.
5. Dedication
This is the final element and just as paramount as the others. If I were to ask your closest friends in family if you were someone who was quick to give up, would the answer be yes or no? Going off the grid comes with a lot of blind corners. You have to understand, that isn’t because it is hard, but rather because you have lived so long living quite differently. From your birth you have only known one way to live and that is all you know. This means the first few years of a complete change to your habits, values and lifestyle it’s going to be easy to give up.
Those who want to live off the grid have to be dedicated to the new course for the long haul.
You have to be:
- Willing to Sacrifice
- Willing to Learn
- Prepared
- Have Money
- Stay the course (Be dedicated)
Can you live off the Grid? Let me know in the comments below
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