Lets talk about off grid simple living

[grandma12703]

Notice I said simple not easy. Anything worth doing takes work. We moved out here to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle and a healthier life altogether. We have our 3 solar panel and small wind generator system set up and our propane stove and fridge. We use water catchment and a 500 gallon water tank which slips in and out of the back of our pickup. We raise goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. We grow a garden and do alot of canning. We wanted to learn as we worked towards this goal. We started with a 12 X 16 cabin with a 8 X 16 deck which we enclosed and made a kitchen out of and then also added another 10 X 16 addition which became a breakfast nook and a bedroom. We both work jobs so we have done quite a little with not a lot of time. I am hoping by the end of June I am able to stay on the homestead fulltime to speed the process up a bit.

Now my intent of this topic was just an observation that I would like to know how others feel. We try to live frugally because frankly I think it is kind of fun and interesting. As I research things about homesteading including animals and alternative energy I see all of these things about needing in excess of $25,000.00 to even think about setting up off grid living......poppykosh! We did it on less than $3,500.00 to begin and we had lights, tv, computer, propane fridge. Frankly, we had everything we had before just on a smaller scale. We also had to be aware and prepared for low energy days.

I guess if you want to live exactly like you do on grid then yes you would need that much invested but then I can't really understand why you are doing it. This is not a bash just a curiousity.

I am a farm kid at heart and always will be so I guess this wasn't much of a stretch for me. I love nature and I love livestock. Maybe I am warped. I dunno just interests me to see how others feel.

[Cindy in PA]

Sounds great, but you have a spouse that believes in it also! We are trying to decide about building a small cabin as just a getaway & hunting place for our sons, but when I suggest "roughing it" to save money DH says no & the better cabin shell option is too much for him, so we are in the 12th year of owning a beautiful property that I never get to see. I am guessing you have no basement. I am all for a run in cabin shell, but DH wants plumbing eventually & he says there is no way to put pipes in a cabin that is on grade. This is not on piers or a crawl space just on a gravel pad. It would give us a place to go & later our two sons could sell it or use it as a guest cabin and build something better. The ready built is 1/3 the price of a site built cabin shell on a full basement. Didn't mean to hijack your thread! Kudos to you for enjoying your lifestyle & making it happen!

[jwal10]

We did the same. Built the cabin small, 16'x20' with almost all re-use materials. Built to use the sun to help heat by using passive solar gain. Wood heat and cooking. Small 12 volt solar power system. Tiny $99.00 gas powered generator for backup from harbor freight. We paid about $75.00 with coupon and on sale. VERY simple. We have a tiny solar powered refrigerator. Health and change in work brought us to the cottage in town for the last 2 years. 2 more days and we will be back out there for most of the summer. DS lives on the property now also, so he does the heavy work now. We just live the life of EASY. We only have/had small animals, pygora goats for milk, meat and fiber, rabbits, chickens and pigeons. We hunt and gleann from the woods and meadows that surround us there. Plant a garden and live mostly off the land....James

[grandma12703]

Glad you posted because I think it is important for people to understand it is not for everyone and both of you have to find a common mindset for it to work. If not it would probably lead to a lot of resentment from one or the other. Maybe you all will find something that works for both.

I had to laugh a bit though because "roughing it" really doesn't come into play with us. Our exchange student said while she was here it was like camping for rich people. Well we aren't rich but we definately have all of our necessities as we live this adventure. I have to admit the one thing I truly miss is a bathtub. We only have a shower. When I get to my kids homes for visits I stay in the tub for hours. They laugh at me.

One snag this week was our new chicks (150 of them) came and then this danged weather got really cold. We have solar lights in the barn but not enough power to run heat lamps. We did have a small generator $99.00 at harbor freight and started it up and it ran the heat lamp perfectly. Thank goodness.

[grandma12703]

Originally Posted by jwal10

We did the same. Built the cabin small, 16'x20' with almost all re-use materials. Built to use the sun to help heat by using passive solar gain. Wood heat and cooking. Small 12 volt solar power system. Tiny $99.00 gas powered generator for backup from harbor freight. We paid about $75.00 with coupon and on sale. VERY simple. We have a tiny solar powered refrigerator. Health and change in work brought us to the cottage in town for the last 2 years. 2 more days and we will be back out there for most of the summer. DS lives on the property now also, so he does the heavy work now. We just live the life of EASY. We only have/had small animals, pygora goats for milk, meat and fiber, rabbits, chickens and pigeons. We hunt and gleann from the woods and meadows that surround us there. Plant a garden and live mostly off the land....James

Funny, you posted as I was posting. Those little harbor freight generators come in handy.

[LisaInN.Idaho]

Originally Posted by grandma12703

Notice I said simple not easy. Anything worth doing takes work. We moved out here to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle and a healthier life altogether. We have our 3 solar panel and small wind generator system set up and our propane stove and fridge. We use water catchment and a 500 gallon water tank which slips in and out of the back of our pickup. We raise goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. We grow a garden and do alot of canning. We wanted to learn as we worked towards this goal. We started with a 12 X 16 cabin with a 8 X 16 deck which we enclosed and made a kitchen out of and then also added another 10 X 16 addition which became a breakfast nook and a bedroom. We both work jobs so we have done quite a little with not a lot of time. I am hoping by the end of June I am able to stay on the homestead fulltime to speed the process up a bit.

Now my intent of this topic was just an observation that I would like to know how others feel. We try to live frugally because frankly I think it is kind of fun and interesting. As I research things about homesteading including animals and alternative energy I see all of these things about needing in excess of $25,000.00 to even think about setting up off grid living......poppykosh! We did it on less than $3,500.00 to begin and we had lights, tv, computer, propane fridge. Frankly, we had everything we had before just on a smaller scale. We also had to be aware and prepared for low energy days.

I guess if you want to live exactly like you do on grid then yes you would need that much invested but then I can't really understand why you are doing it. This is not a bash just a curiousity.

I am a farm kid at heart and always will be so I guess this wasn't much of a stretch for me. I love nature and I love livestock. Maybe I am warped. I dunno just interests me to see how others feel.

We did basically the same thing...started small and increased the cabin size and alternative energy system. Used an outhouse till we added a bathroom. Gardened, canned, raised animals, etc. Eventually (after about 8 years) we grid tied because it became available and now feel like we have the best of both worlds. Extremely low power bill because of net metering, don't have to live by the battery bank panel and life is easier in our long, dark winters.

[salmonslayer]

We are only now slowly looking to implement solar on our small farm. Do you have any pictures of your place?

[grandma12703]

Originally Posted by salmonslayer

We are only now slowly looking to implement solar on our small farm. Do you have any pictures of your place?

I will get some soon. My camera broke awhile ago and I just haven't had the time to get it fixed. I think I am gonna just breakdown and get another. I will post pics soon.

[jwal10]

We have gravity fed spring water so we put in a bathroom from the start. We have a coil in the wood cookstove that heats the water for the sinks and shower plus hot water coil in the floor for heat (seasonal/needed). Very easy setup. 6'x8' greenhouse built on the south side of small shop (block wall) to gain heat for aquaponics. It is all very small systems for ease of maint and care of property. We let the hens set for chicks for replacements and meat. We try to be sustainable but also enjoy some goodies....James

[Cindy in PA]

So can you have plumbing on a cabin that's one grade (not piers)? How would you drain it etc.

[grandma12703]

Ours is on piers and our sink and shower water run out to a tank to water the garden. (we are very careful with our dishsoap, soaps, and shampoo's, nothing toxic goes down those drains). We use a composting toilet. We have natures head composting toilet so no plumbing for that.

[emdeengee]

I am not sure if this is what you are looking for but we simplified our eating.

When you are working with a wood stove it takes work to get it going (winters it was always on the go but summers WE were always on the go) so I learned to prepare a lot of things at once - big pots of stew and soup and roasts and ovens full of bread and cakes and cookies. Fortunately everyone in my family loves fruit cake and that is such an easy thing to make and keep and it sure sticks to the ribs.

We ate a hearty breakfast but lunch was simple - bread, cold meat, hard boiled eggs, cheese, fruit, cke. Dinners were often the same or heating up a couple of jars of stew and bread. We often used the camp stove when we were too tired or it was too hot to get the wood stove going.

I also always made big thermoses of coffee and jars of cold tea so that we could drink without having to heat up the stoves.

We used oil lamps in the beginning because that seemed a good way to go but they do take a lot of work. We switched to candles but really did not need a lot since in the summer we were going to bed when it got dark. Today we would have used solar powered lanterns.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by jwal10

We only have/had small animals, pygora goats for milk, meat and fiber, rabbits, chickens and pigeons.

Just a question.... what is the pygora mix temperament like? Are they as ornery as pygmy or much calmer? I would love to have a couple, but pygmy tend to be kind of ornery escape artists that are tough to milk due to the small udder down there.

[grandma12703]

That is one area I hope to get better at when I am able to stay at home.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by emdeengee

I learned to prepare a lot of things at once - big pots of stew and soup and roasts and ovens full of bread and cakes and cookies.

We ate a hearty breakfast but lunch was simple - bread, cold meat, hard boiled eggs, cheese, fruit, cke. Dinners were often the same or heating up a couple of jars of stew and bread. We often used the camp stove when we were too tired or it was too hot to get the wood stove going.

I also always made big thermoses of coffee and jars of cold tea so that we could drink without having to heat up the stoves.

That is such good advice. And it sounds so quaint. I would love to try living in a cabin like that, but dh wouldn't go for it.

[Becka03]

Sounds great- I can not wait to soon live like this- your thread is very positive and I am enjoying reading the responses!
you should check out the SEP board here at HT- it has lots of off grid info

[haypoint]

You haul in water from someone else's well, run your stove and fridge off manufactured propane. I'll take a wild guess that you are also buying hay and grains for your livestock. Right? Are you using propane lights or kerosene?

You have a good idea that being off grid means some serious lifestyle changes, but I think you need to examine the connection you have to purchased inputs and dependency on hauled water and hauled propane.

Perhaps if you had to produce the feed for your animals, you might adopt Helen and Scott Nearing's philosophy against animals.

Perhaps a huge investment in solar panels and a chainsaw would allow you to cut the bond you have to propane.

You are ahead of the herd just understanding that the simple life isn't easy. Most folks don't plan their meals a week in advance. When you grow your own, you need to plan 18 months in advance, with a cushion in the event of a crop failure.

[jwal10]

Originally Posted by mekasmom

Just a question.... what is the pygora mix temperament like? Are they as ornery as pygmy or much calmer? I would love to have a couple, but pygmy tend to be kind of ornery escape artists that are tough to milk due to the small udder down there.

I agree some (many) pygmies can be ornery. Not so much in the cross but we have had this line for 30 years and bred out any that were trouble. Angoras are not as people oriented, more standofish. We like them, a little taller than pygmy but thinner, about the same weight. They milk good enough for the 2 of us. Sweetie does not eat as much milk product as I do. Usually always have to in milk at a time, we rotate 3....James

[grandma12703]

Originally Posted by haypoint

You haul in water from someone else's well, run your stove and fridge off manufactured propane. I'll take a wild guess that you are also buying hay and grains for your livestock. Right? Are you using propane lights or kerosene?

You have a good idea that being off grid means some serious lifestyle changes, but I think you need to examine the connection you have to purchased inputs and dependency on hauled water and hauled propane.

Perhaps if you had to produce the feed for your animals, you might adopt Helen and Scott Nearing's philosophy against animals.

Perhaps a huge investment in solar panels and a chainsaw would allow you to cut the bond you have to propane.

You are ahead of the herd just understanding that the simple life isn't easy. Most folks don't plan their meals a week in advance. When you grow your own, you need to plan 18 months in advance, with a cushion in the event of a crop failure.

Ummm...no you are incorrect in many aspects. We do haul in water from town for household use until we can afford to dig a well, but we are very conservative with it. The animals have a small pond in which they drink from. We also have 4 catchment containers which catch runnoff from the roof of the house and barn which takes care of our garden, fruit trees, etc. The sheep and goats eat from the land spring-Fall at which time they begin eating the hay which we help put up from our family. During lambing and kidding season we add a little grain.

Our lights and other electricals run off of our solar and wind system (which we have had since moving here and many times over have paid for themselves). BTW I do have candles for emergencies. We heat with only wood and heat our shower water with wood as well or in solar shower bags when the weather permits. The first year we had no refrigerator and were careful to fix what we would eat and feed the rest to the pigs. We did have an old freezer that we kept cool with ice that yes I got from my office by freezing 2 liter bottles and exchanging daily. Our pigs have a little grain but also eat eggs, goat milk, and leftover scraps.

We have also been through 2 chainsaws since arriving.

I have always been a prepper of food. I garden, can, and purchase sale items as possible. We have always butchered a pig, lamb, and lots of chickens for our meat. (although we just came here 2 years ago I did grow up on a ranch and so store bought meat was never really in menu much).

Just saying...Oh and I never said we had to live off grid I said we wanted to live off grid and enjoy it very much. We could go completely offgrid if we needed to and are prepared to but we both work full time jobs so some things are harder now than they will be once I can stay on the farm.

Not trying to be defensive just wanted to clear up a few things. Seriously we know we can still do more but are sure enjoying the journey to get there.

[SugarMag]

Well, it cost me more than that to purchase land, improve the lane and have built a small (18x24) shel cabin. But it was " lucky weird un-earned money", and I wanted to use it wisely. I am early days yet, also have a 500 gal cistern, wood stove, and that's it for utilities. I plan to add gardens and livestock, but need fencing and housing for the critters. Predators are an issue. There are a lot of off grid homesteading folk around here. They are friendly and helpful. I go to sleep when it gets dark and charge my laptop in the truck when I go to town. Ice and propane nd stuff that you might use camping is too expensive for daily life.