Living off the grid

ginder said:

Obviously I misunderstood what you were suggesting. I am still little confused about the benefits this offers you but if it helps you with feeling of freedom, I am sure its worth it!

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The benefits are huge, but it depends on your mindset and outlook on life. Being 21, I cannot say with certainty if I would permanently like to live in a similar style as OP, but from a quick think about it - I think I could handle it.

You will have complete peace. You are able to enjoy nature and everything around you. That's what life is about. While technology and all is entertaining and useful, life is about getting to know yourself, pondering about the universe, meditating and growing yourself spiritually. There is no better way than to move away, use the technology that you need while enjoying a completely peaceful lifestyle.

I am jealous of the, no doubt, absolutely awesome night sky OP is probably looking at every night. Simply incomparable to living in the city. I would be looking in the sky every night and probably doing some good meditation as often as I had some free time if I were OP. I think it's a great move!

yeah we are a little different. I am more than twice your age... LOL Don't need all the material stuff.

If it were not for the dozen wasps that I need to figure out how they got in there it would have been a great day.... LOL

This guy went to Alaska by himself in the 60s, nuff said, watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss


Dude is hardcore

I have seen that before. That guy is a worker. The biggest point that I think most people miss is that he is 51 years old when he starts out. Not that he is that old but being able to do all that alone. A 20' chunk of green spruce 8-12" in diameter is not the easiest thing to move alone.

Great thread. Props to TN. I often think about moving out to the wild, maybe one day.

Well you don't have to move out to the wild to live off the grid. It is not about going green it is about saving green...

Hi this is sooo interesting, I found this site a while back and wonder what you guys think,
They make funny houses and such, you can even move them in your truck lol

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/products/bodega/

Do I live off the grid no but I have (mexico), and whats funny just a few days ago me and my bro was seriously talking about shit about what if shit hits the fan in 2012 this and that. So we decided to get serious just in case because when we lived in mexico we had guns and shit to protect our stuff we had no electric or shit like that but we had a lil farm with pigs and such. And now since we live here in america we have no guns and we decided to buy a few just incase <enter craiglist> so we bought a few guns.


Living of the grid I have when we Lived in mex we had to go outside and shit in a hole in the ground, Hated it fucking million of flies but I learned how to skin animals and shit like that so I guess it a good skill to know incase but in reality useless unless you want to be a butcher.

SilverSultan said:

Hi this is sooo interesting, I found this site a while back and wonder what you guys think,
They make funny houses and such, you can even move them in your truck lol

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/products/bodega/

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You don't need plans for something like that. You can buy and old camper for what they charge for plans. That is not the only site with those though.

sapo said:

Do I live off the grid no but I have (mexico), and whats funny just a few days ago me and my bro was seriously talking about shit about what if shit hits the fan in 2012 this and that. So we decided to get serious just in case because when we lived in mexico we had guns and shit to protect our stuff we had no electric or shit like that but we had a lil farm with pigs and such. And now since we live here in america we have no guns and we decided to buy a few just incase <enter craiglist> so we bought a few guns.

Living of the grid I have when we Lived in mex we had to go outside and shit in a hole in the ground, Hated it fucking million of flies but I learned how to skin animals and shit like that so I guess it a good skill to know incase but in reality useless unless you want to be a butcher.

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Here we put up buildings over the hole with a seat... LOL

Just on the front steps watching deer eating where I am going to till next week for the garden. Figures they like to eat there... LOL

not to get anti-american, but leaving the u.s. was the greatest thing i've ever done - real freedom. i im 3 hours a day and volunteer two days a week. i have a 3 bedroom house and spend a couple nights a week dancing till 5am with beautiful latinas. no need for any kind of insurance, everythings is dirt cheap cause if it wasnt no one would buy it here. climates perfect no need for ac or heat. i've never made more than 2k a month here and live like a king. no bills, no mail, still got cable,hbo and hi-speed wireless. i'd need 6 figures to do this back home.

I think most people who are raised in the city think about this. I know I have. Getting a little bit of land in a breathtaking area and just living "off the grid". While my definition may differ, I think this is really cool. By the way, nice pictures. I'd want to try this sometime.

thetvnun said:

not to get anti-american, but leaving the u.s. was the greatest thing i've ever done - real freedom. i im 3 hours a day and volunteer two days a week. i have a 3 bedroom house and spend a couple nights a week dancing till 5am with beautiful latinas. no need for any kind of insurance, everythings is dirt cheap cause if it wasnt no one would buy it here. climates perfect no need for ac or heat. i've never made more than 2k a month here and live like a king. no bills, no mail, still got cable,hbo and hi-speed wireless. i'd need 6 figures to do this back home.

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Not anti at all. You can do this anywhere. As for your income.... I think it is a matter of your standard of living. See I don't NEED a 3 bedroom house. I live here on less than 1k a month and yes it can be done. No AC here either but you would freeze your ass off without heat.... LOL There are cheap places to live in the US as well as many other countries, this is not strictly an American thing to do.

brainstorm1 said:

I think most people who are raised in the city think about this. I know I have. Getting a little bit of land in a breathtaking area and just living "off the grid". While my definition may differ, I think this is really cool. By the way, nice pictures. I'd want to try this sometime.

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Thanks... I was not raised in the city but I did live in some and hated it. When I was in Houston it took me 1.5 hours just to go around the 610 loop, now that is crazy. I have lived in big cities, small cities and small towns and this by far is the best for me. Not everyone can hack it but I love it.

thetvnun said:

not to get anti-american, but leaving the u.s. was the greatest thing i've ever done - real freedom. i im 3 hours a day and volunteer two days a week. i have a 3 bedroom house and spend a couple nights a week dancing till 5am with beautiful latinas.

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Where is this paradise?

Strawbale ... I thought I was the only person that read about that kind of stuff. I helped build an earthship in Florida just SE of Tampa... was pretty cool. On the energy item, I always thought that it'd be cool to grow your own biofuel like these guys (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1579413688/biofuel-for-everyone?ref=category) ... and use that in a muffled lister engine to have as much power as you'd need to satisfy "modern" demands. Btw, that link creates 5 gallons of biofuel a day.. crazy.

lotar said:

Strawbale ... I thought I was the only person that read about that kind of stuff. I helped build an earthship in Florida just SE of Tampa... was pretty cool. On the energy item, I always thought that it'd be cool to grow your own biofuel like these guys (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1579413688/biofuel-for-everyone?ref=category) ... and use that in a muffled lister engine to have as much power as you'd need to satisfy "modern" demands. Btw, that link creates 5 gallons of biofuel a day.. crazy.

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Ha Ha I read about those too. Love the finished look and with the cold here I was seriously considering it. Now however, I have decided to go with logs.... They are free where I would have to buy straw.

I'm starting to hone my prepper skill's and shot my first turkey yesterday! Scared the hell out of everyone in the frozen food section.

TNphoneman said:

Who said anything about small places.... Building a log cabin this summer.

I only have 20 acres at the moment but the ones on either side of me are available that I will pick up later if they are still not sold.

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All ive got to say is im jealous... Hope you get the other sides as well.

aakon7 said:

I'm starting to hone my prepper skill's and shot my first turkey yesterday! Scared the hell out of everyone in the frozen food section.

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That has to be the best reply yet... LOL Thanks for the laugh.

TNphoneman said:

Thanks... I was not raised in the city but I did live in some and hated it. When I was in Houston it took me 1.5 hours just to go around the 610 loop, now that is crazy. I have lived in big cities, small cities and small towns and this by far is the best for me. Not everyone can hack it but I love it.

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Nobody likes Houston, don't worry. Much of Texas (minus Austin) isn't any better...

i moved to arequipa peru. its worth googling. prior to that i had lived in multiple cities in peru and mexico. tn phoneman was right though, i suppose u could do it in the u.s. as well. in the u.s. i had only ever lived in sf and ny. mexico has become to expensive, i had a house there with two pools and a jacuzzi and 2 maids for 700 u.s. (not a joke) but now the same thing costs 2k alone. oh i forgot the point of being an expat. cost of labor: $300 u.s. per month for a full time worker; a very good wage here with quite a few native speakers. over 100 applications every time i have an opening.

having only lived in major u.s. cities all i recall is getting fined for not trimming my tree branches, my neighbors getting fined for over-trimming theirs. cameras at every traffic stop and you pull two feet forward to let the guy behind you make a right and in a few days get a $150.00 ticket in the mail. i remember i couldn't build a home on my own property because of one protected tree that wasn't even native to the area; i eventually had to build the house in the shape of an 8. i remember spending 2 hours commuting per day and $500 a month on gas. this had become my America. i grew up in the 70's and we didnt have any of that shit. i cant even imagine a place where being off the grid is legal, but i have only lived in urban places, although they were country when i was a kid. i suppose my outlook is polarized and i'm happy tnphone has found this way of life that i was certain no longer existed.