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I am looking to go off grid with my son. He is 11 and as a single mom I want to do this right and smart. It is are dream to do this however I think at first we may want to join a community or b close to someone or people that are off grid to learn everything and get more experience before I take my son off in the woods and something happen. If any one can give me advice or some info I would really appreciate it. I was thinking at least a yr with a community or close to off griders we can exchange work or pay. Not sure were to start. Thanks in advance
The Amish really know how to live off the grid. Come visit Ohio or Pennsylvania where there are many Amish farms and see how they do it.
Actually most Amish are half off the grid. The majority have real jobs. Many ride in cars and trucks. I have stood in line behind several shopping at small chain stores.
'Living off the Grid' was part of the environmental hipster fad propaganda pushed in the 00s that a few individuals made a lot of money on. I can't remember the last time I ran into someone that said they lived off the grid that was truly surviving independently and didn't have a large bank roll.
Yes, most Amish are not as off grid as people think. They are starting to have phones & cell phones, even if they keep them in the barn. Many also have a solar panel or two off the house . And of course they have very huge families to help support the lifestyle.
Can't grow your own food, take care of animals, take care of the interior & exterior of the house, make everything yourself, etc. with out an unbelievable amount of work.
OP- get on the internet and look up " off grid intentional communities". These are groups of people with the same idea as you but who have banded together to do it as a group, sharing the effort. This may be a place for you to start.
Have you looked into the Earthships in Taos, NM? I don't know enough about them to know if they are really as completely self-sufficient as they're supposed to be, but if so, they may be just what you're looking for.
I don't know about communities, but there are a ton of resources for people who want to and do live off-grid. Mother Earth News, for one.
I've known people who lived off-grid. They bought property that was far from power lines, etc., and it was too expensive to have utilities brought in. They had generators, propane, wood and solar options. They had simple septic systems and/or composting toilets. That was in WA state.
You can haul water or put in a well - but the pump will need electricity. In Mexico, where I lived for a year, they put a water tank on top of the house in some places, pump water into it, and use gravity feed to the house, etc. They usually also have an in-ground tank with an electric pump as back-up.
You can also use gravity flow from a spring, if the spring is above the house. The person I knew who had this system, though, had to regularly go up and deal with the spring - including the middle of winter in the snow.
At any rate, of course it can be done. It was done for centuries. It's boils down to more physical labor, bottom line. And you need to be sure wherever you do it, you're in compliance with local laws. Some places are much more easy-going regarding doing what you want on your own land, than other places.
Thank you lots of good info. The more the better thanks everyone.
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