What is living off the grid: A Summation

I’m sure your here to get a better handle on what is living off the grid. I know if you haven’t done a lot of background research it is quite a wild concept to wrap your head around that leaves more questions then answers.

You may be asking yourself, What is the grid? Am i on it? Are there Rules? How can I get off? Do I want to? I will help you with some of those questions today

What is the Grid?

I won’t go into all of the various details on the history behind the term, how it was formed and it’s evolution but if that information does interest you feel free to read my article Living off the grid definition: Beyond the dictionary.

We will focus on the most pertinent aspects of living off the grid and that starts with at least knowing what the grid is in it’s simplest form.

The grid is a term referencing the electrical grid. This is at it’s core a collection of multiple different transmitters and power stations that allow electricity to be generated and transported to the consumer… The consumer bring anyone who uses that electricity. The name was applied due to the grid like pattern of these many connections through densely and/or sparsely populated locations. In a lot of cases the electrical grid even goes through the most desolate locations to connect a more populated region on the other side.

The grid also refers to the treated city water that supplies almost every populated area when you pay for the service. Linking the consumer to the supplier and providing them with clean potable water for their daily needs. With the city water also comes the sewage/septic systems that spirit away the waste water the consumer propagates over time. You also have the gas company that provides that necessary gas for your water heater, home heating system, stove, oven etc. You also have the trash people who come and pick up the refuse once a week allowing you to have a clean living area free from many dangerous organisms and bacteria.

These things along with the many other services provided by the city, state and government are the elements that make up the modern grid.

Am I on it?

Me personally no i am not. I’ve been off the grid for sometime now. Since a few months before everyone found out about the pandemic. But that is not what we are here to discuss.

If I had to guess I would assume if you came across this article in one of your searches you are on the grid. If you have door dash dropping meals off to your house, and your using wifi provided by your fiber optic internet watching Netflix with electricity supplied by the city power station in a house heated by the local gas company and water treated and delivered by a municipality then it is a guarantee.

Of course there is nothing wrong with that. It’s merely evolution and progress at it’s peak. Technology has made alot of things incredibly simple and being on the grid is one those items.

Are there rules?

There is no blue print to being off the grid. In almost all cases people live in way that suites them. I know some people think you have to move in to the middle of no where and grow all your own food and compost your feces to be off the grid and that just is not the case.

In your local downtown area right now there are people living off the grid. Most people call them vagabonds or homeless people and although this obviously isn’t the best example it’s still true. I obviously wouldn’t encourage anyone to go this route, i’m just saying you can be off the grid anywhere.

I know a few people in hollywood hills living in their trailer on someones property untethered from the grid. I know people that do nothing but travel to big cities and explore the worlds most populated areas in their van. Always right next to all the on grid amenities while remaining squarely off the grid. Then there are others so far from a well populated city they have pack a lunch to go grocery shopping.

Me personally, i’m a hybrid. I have an RV, i have a trailer, unfinished but coming soon and multiple off the grid properties so I do as I please. The key is that everyone does off the grid different. Keep that in mind

How can I get off?

Getting of is isn’t straight forward but Tips for living off the Grid can get you started. It is simple as knowing what you want and doing it. You can buy an RV and build it how you want if you’re handy or buy something that is done especially for you. You can get a van and some solar panels and just take a trip to get a feel for it. You can also buy a plot of land and start building your dream house harnessing the energy from the wind or sun. digging a well and planting crops. These are just a few of the countless ways to make the transition.

You can start with little things, a roof top garden, and and old trailer from offer up. The possibilities are limitless and it all starts with you and the way you want to live moving forward. It may take some planning and some saving, but we all start somewhere but we all deserve to be fulfilled and if getting off the grid is what you want you can make it happen.