The first time I really became aware of living off grid was when I saw Costco advertise appliances that were meant for off grid living. Most recently, Chris and I watched a docuseries called America Unplugged on Netflix that really got us talking about whether we could ever disconnect like that. I’ll admit, the idea of off grid living appeals to my introverted self, who can spend days in quiet or silence without communicating with the outside world.
What Does Living Off Grid Mean
I think that really depends on the individual or family. For some it might just be as simple as living isolated, others it might mean living strictly off their own land and manufacturing their own sources of energy, and yet for others it might mean forgoing all modern conveniences.
For us, we became enamored with the idea of using the land that’s being lived on to provide all of our needs, from food to shelter to power. But, then we actually thought about how that would look realistically, and that’s when things got complicated.
Generating Your Own Power Source
When we watched the series a lot of these families were able to use their land to provide electricity and heat to their homes. The catch? They also had backgrounds in engineering, something neither Chris and I know anything about. The cost to having someone else set up the infrastructure to be self sufficient would likely be costly.
Generating Your Own Food
I love the idea of being able to have a garden big enough to supply our family with food. Throw in learning how to preserve and can, and I think I would be in heaven. It’d also be a hoot to have a chicken coop and collect fresh eggs daily. Then reality set in. What about eating meat? Would we be able to kill our own food? Probably not!
What About The Kids
I think if it was just the two of us, it would be much easier to live off grid or at least more isolated. Having kids and wanting them to be close to schools and activities is really important to us, it’s the main reason we bought our new home within city limits.
Could We Live Off Grid?
Heck No! I think maybe as we get older and the kids move away, the idea of living on land that is more sustainable and can provide many of the things we need appeals to us. In the meantime, we can check out every so often and disconnect through weekend camping trips. That’s about as close to off grid living as I think we, as a family, can handle.
What about you? Do you think you could live off the grid? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and let me know.
