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Since my post yesterday, I did a google search and was surprised to see how many are attracted and actually doing this life style...its roughly estimated about 180,000. There are quite a few websites devoted to this.......I was thinking what attracts people to going back in time? Partially it is probably to save a lot of money, and partially to be "green". Both of which are attractive to me. Of course, as with everything else, there are extreme people (survivalist types) but we won't go there.
We do recycle quite a bit but could do more, lots more. We have improved quite a bit, we used to use two large trash cans every week and now we are down to 1/2 of one trash can...everything else goes in the recycling bin.
But how does one go "off the grid", when you live in a tract house in a small town or city? You are already hooked up to the grid big time, how does one ween oneself away from the dependence?
We are an average family...lots of electrical gadgets, 2 computers, 4 TVs, microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer, etc. fairly average, I think. We have a large yard, over 10,000 sq. ft. that could provide more food for us, but the land itself is poor . We did start with some shelving (previous post) to put in some square foot gardening boxes but that got put on hold as we ran out of funds.
I think right now we just need to get our income up more, trust the Lord and continue to do what we can that we can afford. No solar panels right now, or wood furnace, although those are both great...we can turn off lights, turn off computer when not in use, pull the plug on the other appliances when not in use, like the microwave...do more cooking outside so as not to use the stove. Continue to recycle...not use the plastic grocery bags anymore, use fabric ones.....
I would like to eventually go the solar route and Alan's looked into a windmill, not that we would do that. We can have chickens here also but sadly no roosters.
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Good News is, Alan may be getting a second job doing contract work for his old company...he had an interview yesterday......wow...this would sure help us out. He would work at home, designing orthodontic parts for orthodontist colleges and doctors. He would still do the locksmithing too. We are praying the door will open wide.
Though I've never spent much time considering 'going off the grid', I do have a desire to become more self-sufficient.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to move to the country, have a windmill, and put in a complete solar system, but short of us winning a lottery, that is simply cost prohibitive!
I love Rhonda Jean's blog, "down to earth". She offers many suggestions for those wishing to get back to a more basic way of living, even for those who are in a house in town. Plus, she's an entertaining writer, as well.
http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/
My household is a lot like yours with all the electrical gadgets. I tell you though, I could get rid of them all right now and move into a little farm house out in the country and live off the land and our own hands, IF i could sell my current house with enough profit to buy another. BUT that is very unlikely to happen so I'm stuck here in modern civilization...for now.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to your hubby on the job!
That would be great - I'm having to consider getting a job of some sort. Glad Alan could still work from home and bring in some additional income - woo hoo. Yes I'd like to live off the grid as I posted yesterday - not primitively but with reasonable conveniences.
ReplyDeleteI pray the door opens wide for you too, Dani.
ReplyDeleteHubby and I have been doing wothout things we thought we really neede... and you know what? We've hardly missed them!! Stuff like cell phones, cable or satellite, and blowing money on clothes... we don't even think about stuff like that anymore. It's really amazing how we have been "programmed" into thinking we need these things to survive!!