Hello everyone! Rob Raskin here again, and today I want to talk about going off the grid. As the saying goes, if you free your mind, the rest will follow, unless, that is, you are dependent on the government for basic necessities like water and electricity. We hear so much about going off-grid these days, but do you understand exactly what it means? Living off the grid is simply having a self-sufficient lifestyle in which you are not dependent on or connected to any utility companies or services. This is typically associated with survivalists or preppers, but this is changing and today environmentally conscious people are choosing to live off the grid with the ultimate goal of living a healthier lifestyle and leaving a smaller environmental footprint.
Do You Have What it Takes?
Living off the beaten path means giving up many comforts and conveniences that you may take for granted, and some that you may not realize are conveniences at all. Not being able to flip on a light when you need one without generating the power yourself is a huge lifestyle change, and if you are like many of us then you take for granted the fact that you always have clean, fresh water to drink, trash service, and a phone line. For those who plan to go deep off the grid, you will also most likely need to get used to living without plumbing, and that includes a toilet.
Where to Begin
The first thing you’ll need to do is determine your location. There are approximately 180,000 people supplying their own power in the US today, and the government does not necessarily like this. More urban areas are cracking down on off-grid living every day, so you’ll want to make sure it is legal for you to live without utilities on a property before you commit to buying it. You may want to consider factors such as how close you will be to emergency services, whether or not you will have access to the internet, and the local zoning laws before you settle on a particular piece of land.
Some Things to Consider
There are many reasons people just like you choose to live off-grid every day, and if you’re considering doing the same, then you’ll want to make sure you have all of your basics covered. If you are going to grow crops or keep livestock, you’ll need to make sure you have access to fresh water and the soil is suitable for the type of plants you’ll need. The weather is also another important factor. Will it be too cold, or too hot, for you to survive off-grid? You will also need to decide how close—or how far away from—civilization you want to be if there were to be a major catastrophe.
How Far Will You Go?
Whether you plan to go partially off-grid by ditching one or two of your utilities while still retaining others to stay as closely as possible to your usual lifestyle, or you plan to go completely off-grid and move far away from civilization so you can create an entirely new way of living for yourself, it will take a good amount of planning and preparation, but it can be done. This can be a tough life, but the rewards can be tremendous. If you get everything in place and do your research then you’ll have nothing to lose, except your electric bill.
Do you have any tips for going off the grid? Share them with me, Rob Raskin, in the comments!