"Off the Grid"/Self-Sufficient living question

[Claudiu]

I've been searching and interested in "off the grid"/a more self-sufficient living for a couple years. What I mean by this is using solar/wind power to generate my own power, having a well to get my own water, planting my own garden, taking care of my own animals, a simple and more practical living - a more self sufficient lifestyle.

Now, I was wondering if there are any on the PB that do some of the things I mentioned (use solar panels or wind-turbine to generate your own power and/or have a well for your own water (I'm thinking there might be a couple here) and/or plant your own vegetable garden and/or take care of any livestock for meat)? If so, I was interested in what it is exactly you do/did. Did you buy solar panels? Im sure more people have gardens. How is that going? What did you plant? How much? Is it producing good results, enough to make it worthwhile?

On the other hand, are there any rural people that have a different lifestyle compared to the average suburban? (any other things I didn't mention)

Any comments would be appreciated (even if you don't do any of these things, if you have neighbors/know people who do and can chime in it would be appreciated).

 

[Lincolnshire Paul]

One great way I've heard of is to collect rainwater from your roof into a water butt and use it to water the garden -once you've paid off the cost of the butt, you've got expensive water for free!

 

[jwithnell]

These folks are pretty far out, but they've been preaching the sustainable, self-sufficient, local lifestyle for years.
http://www.wholeearth.com/category.php?rec=1
If all this is new to you, I'd start a little at a time. Veggie gardening is a relatively easy way to start. I have found that what you put into it really affects what you get out. I like the principles of the Square Foot Gardening approach, but I do find the amount of plants per square foot to be rather optimistic, especially in a humid climate where all those plants need more air circulation to keep disease at bay. It's worth starting your own plants -- you get exactly what you want and it's less expensive.

 

[Pergamum]

You could say that I live mostly off the grid, 75% of my time in a tribal setting (the other 25% is spent perusing the PB on the coast).

We have solar panels. Bought from the Alternative Energy Store in Arizona or New Mexico I think. Living off the grid DOES take a little bit of cash to set up right.

We have gravity fed water, from two water towers we built ourselves. The water is caught by rain, runs down into tanks. Into our home and we filter it before drinking.

With enough solar panels you can run everything you need. With enough rainfall, barrels to store, or ways to efficiently gather all the rainwater needed (like troughts off your roof) you have all the water you need, even without a well (though well is better).

We don't have hot water, but that would be easy enough to make. We have an lpg run stove, but kerosene or electric stove could work with enough slar panels.

We mainly grow corn and peanuts and green beans and swamp grass and make planting a family affair. We use nets to catch fish. We have chickens and had rabbits but they died. The rabbit poo helps the gardens very much. If we crush up shells from the river and mix it with chicken's food, it helps harden the egg shells


If you do all of this, make it fun, plan some initial set-up costs (it WILL save money, but not at first....it is an investment) and include your kids in the process. How many kids nowadays have ever even gutted a chicken or milked a cow after all?

For gardening we try to do stuff that doesn't require constant weeding...just plant and let is grow. That way your fun garden doesn't enslave you.

 

[bouletheou]

It's a whole lot of work to grow a garden that will make even a modest contribution to feeding your family. I found that out the hard way.

 

[Idelette]

Well, I know several families in our church that are more self-sufficient. They raise their own animals, have their own chickens, grow vegetable gardens, etc. Self-sufficiency can be a wonderful thing, but it is an incredible amount of hard work, and requires a lot of time and energy. You have to be patient and persistent until things start to bear fruit, so it takes a huge level of commitment to undertake such a project. I think it works well for families that are larger, so that you have the help necessary to take care of things. If you have a small family then I would see what things would be worthwhile to do. Some things may not be as practical for a smaller family as opposed to a larger one, so I would keep that in mind.

 

[JBaldwin]

Self-sufficiency is hard work. We are partially off the grid. We use solar panals on our chicken houses and are getting ready to install some on our home. We added a wood stove this winter which saved us several hundred dollars in electric bills, and we do some of our own gardening. We collect water in rain barrels for watering the plants. It is time-consuming, especially if you live far from town and have to drive long distances to get anywhere. I would recommend starting a little at a time and learning as you go. Try the things you know how to do first. I have a friend who grows almost all the veggies and fruit they need (family of 4) in their 1/8 acre back yard in raised gardens.

 

[Kevin]

I used to be very into the entire lifestyle. However we gave it up since it takes a lot of time. Now I do have the blessing of family thet provide us with eggs, beef, chicken, maple syrup, honey, etc so I still get most of the what I would like from the lifestyle with out the work.

And it is work. Probably the equivalent of a full time job if you go all the way off-grid. For us other priorities such as homeschooling 5 kids & ministry made this an unrealistic choice.

In our society we are blessed to have a wide variety of good food available year-round, at a reasonable price. We do not have to work 40+ hours a week just to have enough to eat. The question that I had to answer is this; does it honour God for me to ignore these blessings, and reject the gift of time that they provide? Am I doing my best for the Kingdom of God id I trade my time, to enjoy a lifestyle choice that limits my engagement in my primary calling?

 

[Pergamum]

I find that this sort of lifestyle can be useful in teaching kids good traits. But, so can sports and other ventures.

 

[Claudiu]

Alright guys, thanks for all the comments.

You could say that I live mostly off the grid, 75% of my time in a tribal setting (the other 25% is spent perusing the PB on the coast).

We have solar panels. Bought from the Alternative Energy Store in Arizona or New Mexico I think. Living off the grid DOES take a little bit of cash to set up right.

We have gravity fed water, from two water towers we built ourselves. The water is caught by rain, runs down into tanks. Into our home and we filter it before drinking.

With enough solar panels you can run everything you need. With enough rainfall, barrels to store, or ways to efficiently gather all the rainwater needed (like troughts off your roof) you have all the water you need, even without a well (though well is better).

We don't have hot water, but that would be easy enough to make. We have an lpg run stove, but kerosene or electric stove could work with enough slar panels.

We mainly grow corn and peanuts and green beans and swamp grass and make planting a family affair. We use nets to catch fish. We have chickens and had rabbits but they died. The rabbit poo helps the gardens very much. If we crush up shells from the river and mix it with chicken's food, it helps harden the egg shells


If you do all of this, make it fun, plan some initial set-up costs (it WILL save money, but not at first....it is an investment) and include your kids in the process. How many kids nowadays have ever even gutted a chicken or milked a cow after all?

For gardening we try to do stuff that doesn't require constant weeding...just plant and let is grow. That way your fun garden doesn't enslave you.

How many solar panels do you have/how much are they producing?

The gravity fed water is interesting. I've seen that setup before, alongside a well. What does yours look like?

Involving the family is good. I remember this summer at my families place we gutted a chicken and a lamb...it was good food. (and Isaiah 53:7 ["He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."] had a new meaning for me.

---------- Post added at 12:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 PM ----------

Well, I know several families in our church that are more self-sufficient. They raise their own animals, have their own chickens, grow vegetable gardens, etc. Self-sufficiency can be a wonderful thing, but it is an incredible amount of hard work, and requires a lot of time and energy. You have to be patient and persistent until things start to bear fruit, so it takes a huge level of commitment to undertake such a project. I think it works well for families that are larger, so that you have the help necessary to take care of things. If you have a small family then I would see what things would be worthwhile to do. Some things may not be as practical for a smaller family as opposed to a larger one, so I would keep that in mind.

I have some experience and knowledge from family about self-sufficient living. And as you said, it is wonderful yet hard work at the same time. I'm used to it I guess and I'm up for it. Its wonderful in the summer and fall (and even all year-round with some veggies and fruits) to be eat the "fruit of your own labor."

---------- Post added at 12:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 PM ----------

Self-sufficiency is hard work. We are partially off the grid. We use solar panals on our chicken houses and are getting ready to install some on our home. We added a wood stove this winter which saved us several hundred dollars in electric bills, and we do some of our own gardening.

A wood stove is a must.

I would recommend starting a little at a time and learning as you go. Try the things you know how to do first. I have a friend who grows almost all the veggies and fruit they need (family of 4) in their 1/8 acre back yard in raised gardens.

Good advice.

 

[Curt]

There are several families in our congregation who are moving in the direction of self-sufficiency. They are almost giddy about it. They share books and animals and all kinds of stuff. Among the things I've been hearing this week is that none of them want ever to purchase meat at a store again.

This has been a positive movement within our congregation, leading to more time getting to know one another, more sharing, and more caring for one another. When one family lost a beloved milk cow a few weeks ago, there were many tears shed. BTW, I am NOT one of the group.

 

[Claudiu]

I used to be very into the entire lifestyle. However we gave it up since it takes a lot of time. Now I do have the blessing of family thet provide us with eggs, beef, chicken, maple syrup, honey, etc so I still get most of the what I would like from the lifestyle with out the work.

And it is work. Probably the equivalent of a full time job if you go all the way off-grid. For us other priorities such as homeschooling 5 kids & ministry made this an unrealistic choice.

It would technically be a full time job. That's what I'm looking for though.

In our society we are blessed to have a wide variety of good food available year-round, at a reasonable price. We do not have to work 40+ hours a week just to have enough to eat. The question that I had to answer is this; does it honour God for me to ignore these blessings, and reject the gift of time that they provide? Am I doing my best for the Kingdom of God id I trade my time, to enjoy a lifestyle choice that limits my engagement in my primary calling?

Good point. We can't ignore our blessings.

In my case, living off the grid, I wouldn't be ignoring any blessings. The way of living would be my full-time job. I would be able to live a self-sufficient life and be blessed with having, in my opinion, an easier lifestyle in producing only what I need (and more for making some green if I needed to).

---------- Post added at 01:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:58 PM ----------

At the same time, while it may seem like it takes a lot of time out of ones life, I have found that living self-sufficiently creates more time in ones day and year overall.

---------- Post added at 01:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:01 PM ----------

There are several families in our congregation who are moving in the direction of self-sufficiency. They are almost giddy about it. They share books and animals and all kinds of stuff. Among the things I've been hearing this week is that none of them want ever to purchase meat at a store again.

This has been a positive movement within our congregation, leading to more time getting to know one another, more sharing, and more caring for one another. When one family lost a beloved milk cow a few weeks ago, there were many tears shed. BTW, I am NOT one of the group.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.