Paraphrasing Rocky Balboa, Off Grid Living Ain’t All ‘Sunshine And Rainbows’. It’s hard work. It’ll knock you down and keep you there if you let it. But on the other side of that hardship is a better life, more freedom and independence.
Being self reliant means you must rely on your knowledge and survival skills, your creativity and ability to solve problems on the fly. Off grid living isn’t all about the wonderous joys of nature. Though that’s a large part of it, the most important part is self reliance and the pure freedom that comes from that.
Your off grid journey isn’t going to be “easy”, but it is the “simple” life. And by simple I mean it’s a more simplistic way of living. It’s a more simple life in that you’re not dealing with all the modern complexities of city life, the traffic, multi-hour-long roundtrip commute to and from work, the restrictive laws of city life that don’t allow you to own or raise chickens or other livestock for food and supplies.
Off grid living isn’t “easy”. It’s going to take dedication, planning and sheer willpower to make it. The trolls and naysayers will tell you that you can’t do it, or you’ll never make it. Never listen to those people, they are miserable and will drag you down if you let them. Ignore them. Don’t engage. It’s a waste of your valuable time.
Focus on learning as much as you can about living off the grid. Hone your off grid skills. Go camping in the wilderness for a week or two. That’ll give you a taste of the outdoor life and help you focus more on the skills you’re going to need when you finally make the move to go off grid permanently.
You need practice. You need knowledge. And you need to have enough money saved up to do it right. This isn’t playtime. That comes much later. Right now is the time for you to do your research and your due diligence. Learn everything you can about real estate before you buy vacant land to live on. And know that if you do decide to buy vacant land, that you will need a septic system or composting toilet and a clean water source. Those are required by federal law and EPA regulations. You skip that part and you’re asking for trouble in the form of fines and perhaps condemning of your cabin. You may even be forced to tear down your cabin if you do not get a permit or have it inspected.
I’m not saying you should break the law…but some of the laws and local ordinances are extremely restrictive. You should do your due diligence BEFORE YOU PURCHASE LAND! Read the restrictions and covenants as they can and do prevent you from building certain types and sizes of structures and dwellings. There are minimum lot sizes, minimum square footage, hookup fees, permitting, inspections, occupancy permits, title searches, surveying, title insurance, and make sure the property doesn’t have any liens.
Legal and physical access is another BIG issue that too many people overlook. Never by a property sight unseen. Ever! Unless you’re an EXPERT in real estate, which you are most likely not, don’t ever by land without physically walking the property first. This is part of due diligence.
The more research you do on potential properties the faster things move as you search through hundreds of thousands of properties online and the less likely you will make a mistake. Regardless, mistakes happen, but doing you due diligence helps minimize and mitigate that risk. There’s really too much to list here.
Not trying to scare you, just trying to make you aware, and if you’re already aware, then you’re a ahead of the game. And a game it is…going off grid is a long game. It takes careful planning and money and hard work.
It can be dangerous to go off grid if you’re unprepared. If you don’t know what you’re doing you or someone you love could die. Again, I’m not trying to scare you or discourage you from pursuing your off grid dreams, I’m just letting you know that you should be prepared and learn and practice the skills you need to survive in the wild. You may never have to use those skills, but it’s better to have and not need, than need and not have.
Your will and your skill and planning will make you or break you. The more you know going into it the more likely you will have a pleasant experience. Life has it’s ups and downs, we all experience it. We all have horror stories about when things go wrong. But what matters in the end is when things go right.
Off grid living is a rewarding experience. Sometimes it’s a battle to get things done and to survive, but you must pick yourself up, dust yourself up and keep moving forward if you hope to achieve your off grid dream.
Live free! Live better!
Live off the grid!
HAPPY OFF GRIDDING!
May all your off grid dreams come true.
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