Five things you should do right now if you are living off the grid

1. A daily and constant draw is as simple as a light switch. If you switched out the light bulbs in your house with fluorescent bulbs you will see an overall savings in your energy bill
2. In addition to changing the type of bulb, people leave lights on all of the time when they don’t need to be. Living off the grid means to only use what you need to and not waste anything. Install occupancy sensors so when you leave the room for a period of time the lights go out. When you return they come on.
3. Everyone loves bottled water as they know it is clean and filtered however this gets expensive and adds to the garbage output for your household. Install a water filter and stop buying any more water bottles. This will help on many fronts when you live off the grid.
4. Water bills are another expense that you need to control when you live self sufficiently. Be sure to add low flow versions of your faucet and shower head this will help cut your monthly expenses almost in half. That is the type of savings anyone trying to live self sufficient should strive for.
5. Ensure your home is buttoned up properly for winter and summer. You are spending money in summer to cool down the house and in winter to heat it up. Thirty percent of your heat or air conditioning escapes through windows. Ensure you have well caulked windows and seals to limit your loses.

If you have found yourself up to your neck in debt and you hate your job, you are probably looking for a way to escape this stressful lifestyle in favour of something simpler. By living a simple life, you can eliminate your headaches and relax.

In order to live a simple life, it is important to free yourself of debt. This is no easy task and may take you a while to accomplish. Set yourself reasonable goals that will allow you to pay down your debts quickly. Once you have paid off your debts, start saving a bit of a nest egg to make your simple life easier.

If you hate your job, start thinking about alternatives that will allow you to earn a reasonable income. Think about different businesses you can start so that you no longer have to report to an employer that is driving you nuts on a daily basis. You can start formulating your business plan while you are in the process of paying off your debts. By the time you are ready to put your plan into action, you will feel confident about your well researched business.

The trick to eliminating your headaches is to focus on a simple lifestyle. While the thought of starting your own business may sound stressful, the object is to pick an option that you will enjoy. The goal is not to make a fortune, it is earn an income that will allow you to relax and enjoy your life. This may mean that you need to move into a simpler home in order to live on the income you earn.

If you really want to live off the grid, you need to invest in some land. Find yourself a nice little parcel of land where you can build a self sufficient home off the grid.

There are a few things you need to take into consideration when building your home off the grid. You want to produce a home that does not require outside utilities, including water and electricity.

There are several options that you can include in your home that will allow you to produce your own electricity. Solar panels are starting to become very popular and much more affordable than they once were. Putting a windmill in your yard is also a great way to create electricity off the grid.

What about water? There aren’t public sewer lines off the grid so you will be left to manage this on your own. Many people dig a well for their off grid home and rely on septic systems.

Depending on the climate where your off the grid home is located, heating will likely be an issue for you. Consider adding wood stoves to your home if you have plenty of access to firewood.

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.

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?