Live Self Sufficient

The idea of living free of restraint and within your own control appeals to many and drives people to the woods to live self sufficient. No neighbors, no nine to five cube to work in, healthier food options and more exercise. There is a great deal to like when you live self sufficient. However, there are some drawbacks that many need to think about before they rush out to homesteading.

There are many things people living in a city take for granted and when they move out to the self sufficient lifestyle they get a sense of culture shock. Always keep in mind these three things when you are considering your move to a more self sufficient lifestyle.

You are an island: The things you hate about the neighborhood like loud neighbors, cars driving by and not having any space because everything is on top of you also provides a blanket of safety. When it snows your roads are cleared. When you lose power the electric company comes and fixes it. If you need help you only need to make a noise and neighbors would come running. When you move out to the middle of nowhere you need to not only create an environment that allows you to live self sufficient but understand the mentality that goes along with it. You are an island and need to be able to do everything on your own.

Power: Energy makes the world go round. When you live self sufficient you need to ensure your power is protected and you have backups if needed. You may use solar to heat your house but ensure you have a fireplace and a stack of wood available. You might use wind to power your household electrical items but ensure you have a few solar panels or a generator available in case something happens. If you are off the grid you want to ensure you have planned for backups and emergencies especially in areas which get heavy snow or harsh weather conditions.

Finances: Money in addition to power lets us get by each day. If you plan to go completely self sufficient you need to ensure you have a source of steady income which is reliable and avoids you going back to the daily grind. Learn to cut all excess from your budget and try to work all debts to nothing before making the leap. You don’t want to go through the motion of creating a dream and then run out of funding to live it.

I think it is a great goal living off the grid but I also recognize that it is a lot of work to get there. So many factors need to be taken into account and planned for in order to be successful in the move. Here are three tips to keep in mind if you are planning on living off the grid.

1. Start Small: Don’t try to unplug from the world overnight. Go slowly and work on one project at a time to move yourself to living off the grid. Pick one need at a time and work to provide it a different way. You will eventually get there, just be patient.

2. Make the most of your natural surroundings: Be sure to measure your house for sunshine before installing any solar panels or that the wind is sufficient to support the installation of wind turbine. Be sure you have woods nearby if you are installing a wood stove to heat your house. Again don’t just jump into the idea of living off the grid but attack each step with proper planning and careful steps to ensure you are successful with your move.

3. Financial responsibilities must be priority: Houses these days are built to live on the grid, not off the grid so trying to change costs money (unless your building a new home, and even then can cost more as they are seen as add-ons). Each project is not cheap even if you are doing most of the work on your own. Figure out a way to cover the expenses of the renovations so that you can pay for them without building up debt.

Do you have any tips of your own to help support a move to living off the grid?