So the best way to get someplace is with a plan right? I mean, you could just wing it and let life hit you with your dreams like I did. But then again, dreaming is like a subliminal way of planning. So why not start a conscious plan?
You want to live off the grid? ( This advice could go for planning a camping trip as well but we will be using the terms off grid life) The first thing to plan for, in my opinion, would be to write a list of things you need and another list for things you need to let go. I want you to get creative with this. Look at this as your personal brainstorming guide.
Here’s a list of things to consider and questions to ask yourself. If you’re serious about this, I suggest finding a notebook and writing a list, ideas and maybe even answering some of the questions.
Only bring necessities, let go of things that no longer serve you.
- Clothes: You really need to ponder about your closet. Will your tiny dwelling off grid have a closet? How big will it be? You really should consider going through and weaving out the things you never wear anymore, even if you love it. One thing I do is sell my old clothes online, I chose Poshmark, but you can use any site like eBay, amazon, etsy for vintage, Facebook and I’m sure there are many other platforms that can help you sell clothes. You can donate your clothes to a local charity. Read more about that in my financial guide.
- Things: Do you collect things? Anything? What are your favorite things? Things like nic nacs, home decor. Consider which ones are extra meaningful. Consider the space you will have in your dwelling. You really truly don’t want to feel crammed in your new exciting space. You want to feel at home, at peace. Everything should have a purpose. I’m not against feel good things, I have a crystal and art collection because I like those things. I get new ones and sell or donate the old. Nothing wrong with reselling things, but that’s a whole other topic! Back to things… Yeah, just be mindful of your things. Free yourself of clutter. Living the off grid simple life might mean letting go of things that don’t serve a purpose. Really, think about it when you plan to live off grid.
- Hobbies: you don’t want to ever have to give up your hobbies or future hobbies. So plan to make space for hobbies new and old! You can do that by decluttering the things in the bullets above.
- Food: What kinds of food do you like? Will your tiny home have storage for food? Is there a store nearby where you can access food easily? Are you using a fridge? If you are using a fridge now and plan to live off grid, you now need to consider if you are going to have power. Check out the off grid food post for ideas of eating without a fridge.
- Power: Where will you get your power? If you can plug in, you are not off grid. It you plug into a generator, that is off grid because you, yourself are relying to start that generator and provide gas. When you plug into the grid you are now relying on the electric service to provide you power. Will you use solar? And going back to the food, is there enough power to support a fridge? My boyfriend and I currently use a tiny solar panel, batteries, and a generator. We have no fridge and when we want cold items we use a cooler. If you work in a facility that has a break room, see if you can use that fridge for food you’ll be eating there. I usually keep sandwich meat, cheese and bread at my workplace.
- Location: how far away is town? (To buy things) how much land do you want? Are you homesteading? Are you going to have animals? What town do you want to live off grid? What are the town rules? There is a lot of controversy of the off grid lifestyle. It is a taboo thing and you either need to be sneaky and dishonest or look into the town rules. Always read the fine lines!
- Work: Do have a job? Is it high stress job? You should consider that living off grid will be a lot of extra work. Trust me, you won’t be bored even if you want to be.
- Water: This is a big one to think about. Where are you planning to get your water? Will you have a shower? Will you have a toilet? Is your water choice drinkable? Will you be lugging your water? Do you have the strength and motivation? This also ties into power if you plan to make your own off grid water system.
- Heat: This can also tie into power and location. We live in an area that can be below zero degrees for months at a time. So we think about heating a lot! Are you living in a cold area? Think about this: people usually always have their thermostat set to never go under 72 or 65 degrees. So if you live in an area that goes under 65, you will feel cold! Think about how you will insulate. Are you going to have a wood stove? Are you going to have a furnace? If a furnace, where is your power coming from? Are you going to use solar heat? Is there enough sun all the time to supply your heat?
- Sharing space: Consider if you will be living with anyone or if you’ll be living alone or plan on maybe having someone join you in the future. If you’ll be living with someone, you have to reallllly like them because your alone time and space might be a little different than what you’re used to. I like to think my boyfriend and I are partners and like a team. We enjoy each other’s company. We help each other with projects, share ideas, encourage each other, have understanding with each other. Our dogs also get along great and they are medium to small size. To me it’s perfect. To someone else it might not work. So just think about how you want to share space. Do you want to be in an environment that requires work and may be small and personal?
Living off grid takes a lot of motivation, strength, time and thinking.
When I decided to go off grid I let go of a lot of things. I didn’t really have a plan. I did a lot of trial and error. There’s nothing wrong with learning by trial and error. In fact, I think that’s one of the best ways to learn. But since you found yourself here reading my experiences, you can plan ahead!
To me, letting go is like a practice. I work in a thrift shop that recieves dontated items. I see a lot of people letting things go. Letting go of physical things relieves clogged space. It gives room to breath easier. With letting go it goes deeper than just things as well. It releases negative energy that you were holding onto. Some people use crystals to release negative energy and I support that. Some people use the power of letting go to release negative energy. This means letting go of emotions. This doesn’t mean yell at yourself for having a bad feeling like anger, anxiety, waves of sad, etc… This means really letting yourself feel the feelings. It’s a practice. Just let yourself feel, let yourself go. You’re doing new things, you’ll make mistakes, you’ll also do wonderful amazing things. Make sure to let yourself feel every emotion. Life is a roller coaster. You will probably have ups and downs when you plan to live the off grid life. So now you can plan to mentally prepare yourself for the adventure of your life!
We all have different experiences and stories. Feel free to share your story in the comment section below ask any questions and let me know if I forgot something! You can also go to our contact page to privately send your comments, stories and questions. What are some things you should plan and think about before moving off grid?
