Living Off The Grid

Those first old-timers – like the wise, hardened and completely lovable Aunt Arie and the cantankerous, ornery moonshiner Simmie Free – were already on the verge of extinction back then and can only be listened to and learned from in the pages of those first Foxfire books.

We’re not expecting this to happen any time soon, but the knowledge that we have a great property in a beautiful location makes my workday in the office that much more enjoyable.

But if you think Denver is expensive, try buying a home in California. Even in this economy, when real estate prices falling more every day, a friend emailed me about a home for sale in Piedmont, CA that she’s looking at. The price? Ahem…

If you are a self-reliance blogger and would like another venue on which to publish your content, please consider the following opportunity…

Your ten minute credit card sales pitch couldn’t wait until descent? It had to happen two hours into the flight and two hours from landing? How considerate of your flight crew to wake me up from a MUCH needed sleep to talk about credit cards and frequent flyer miles.

If there is one thing every (sane) gardener can agree on, it is the importance of compost. But where we all differ is on the details. Gardeners have different composting philosophies on things like…

We purchased a 15 acre mini-farm in Hillsville, Virginia. We are not ready to move there yet, as both of us like our jobs and wish to remain in Denver working for the time being so we’re looking for a caretaker who wants to get out of the rat race for awhile and live in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains.

Below is a video of me checking out the Global Sun Oven solar cooker first hand. This product honestly deserves to be singled out for it’s overall quality because it really is a great solar oven.

The geography and Blue Ridge Mountain culture had a visceral effect on me that I can’t quite explain, except to say that it just felt like… home.

Nevermind the graffiti, half-sunken shopping carts, floating plastic bottles and the occasional crazy bum jumping out at you – catching large, dinner-table-sized fish in the middle of the city is apparently something worth trying.

Top Bars have been used in developing countries for many years because of their ease of design, low maintenance and low cost. They can be made from salvaged materials, and even hollowed out logs.

When you’re ready to begin living off the grid, the smaller your home is, the easier it is to make it energy self-sufficient. Some people have taken this to an extreme, spawning the tiny home movement. And when they say tiny, they mean it – most tiny homes are somewhere between 65 and 800 square feet, with varying levels of comfort.

I sent this to the following people last night in regard to NAIS: National Animal Identification System. Please consider contacting your own State representatives regarding this bureaucratic threat to the small farm and self-sufficient way of life lived and dreamed-of by many Americans.

A+ for The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City. I really do like the book that much. If you want to live a simpler life but happen to live in the city/suburbs, you will too.

There are definitely some easy, stylish options available but they just cost too much right now. Like anything new they will drop in price in the coming years as the process of making them becomes more efficient and the competition more fierce. But just a taste of what we may be able to do in the future…

A pressure canning chart with foods, processing times, PSI settings and adjustments for elevation.

A chart providing water bath canning processing times for different foods, including guidelines for altitude adjustments.

If you’re on a budget like me, consider making your compost bins out of readily-available, free wooden pallets. They’re all the same size, square, and come prefabricated with ventilated slats that help your compost stay aerated!

Whether your plan is to live on the road full-time in an RV, or to have an RV on a property that is off the grid, some of the resources here will help you in your quest for how-to guidance and practical information.

But there is yet another definition to living off the grid: Being a ghost to the government. Living under the radar. Staying on the move. Being as free as free can get in today’s society.