A lot of people have asked me if is it worth living off the grid, generally speaking, I would always say yes, but that also depends on what kind of person you are and what are your short and long term goals. Far too many people jump into living off the grid without having any experience, some people didn’t even spend a couple of days in a cabin to see how would it feel to live off the grid. While others go on vacation to some remote cabin for a couple of days and they think they would manage to live permanently off the grid.
Living off the grid can provide significant financial savings by eliminating utility bills and reducing overall living expenses. With careful planning and an efficient off-grid setup, individuals can grow their wealth and have more control over their finances. It offers an opportunity to prioritize self-sufficiency and achieve long-term financial benefits.
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The truth is that most people who live off the grid in a more permanent fashion and are also fairly successful at it, tend to have one thing in common, which is that most of their lives they have either lived off the grid or they did live off the grid for at least a couple of months. The hardships of living off the grid will hit you after the first couple of months, most people have a lot of trouble during the wintertime, especially if they do not have any experience in living off the grid.
A lot of people go on social media detox for a couple of days or weeks, only to jump right back on the social media bandwagon as soon as they get home. If you are planning to live off the grid the chances of having a good internet connection is fairly slim. If you are used to be always online and connected to other people then you will have to find some other way to entertain yourself while living off the grid, and for a lot of people, this can be extremely difficult.
Jumping to live off the grid can be a massive shock for a lot of people, sooner or later you will start missing the modern technology and you will realize it after a couple of months of living off the grid to how much you actually relied on the internet. If you want to take a look at which states are the best for off grid living then check out my recent article Best states for off grid living ( 1-50 Best to Worst ).
Is Living Off Grid Worth It?
Living off the grid is a lifestyle choice that offers a multitude of benefits, but it also comes with its unique set of challenges and considerations. Whether living off the grid is worth it depends on individual values, priorities, and goals. For those seeking greater self-sufficiency, a closer connection with nature, and reduced reliance on traditional infrastructure, living off the grid can provide a sense of freedom and independence that is unparalleled. It offers the opportunity to generate your own energy, grow your own food, and live a simpler, more sustainable life. However, it requires careful planning, resourcefulness, and the ability to adapt to a different way of life.
Have Realistic Goals For Living Off The Grid
If you want to live off the grid then you have to have realistic goals, otherwise, you will find yourself hitting a brick wall. Living in a self-reliant way is a lot of work, if you mess up something it could set you back for months, and any problem you might face during this time you will have to figure out. The biggest mistake which most people new to living off the grid make is to jump on growing crops, and raising livestock at the same time.
Living off the grid is a step by step process, and you will have to do every step slowly and with a lot of calculations. Most crops will fail in the first year, and if you have to buy animal feed then this will definitely make a hole in your pocket. So my personal recommendation is to take it slow and easy, although slow and easy still needs a lot of work. If you want to know how you can live off the grid in an apartment then check out my recent article How to live off the grid in an apartment? ( In 5 Steps ).
Personal Responsibility
If you are the type of person who likes being in control then living off the grid for you will be a lot easier. If you are the type of person who avoids responsibilities at all costs then you will struggle to live off the grid. Living off the grid means that you are in charge of everything and you are responsible for everything. If you have a family then the pressure of responsibility can be fairly high. You might think that living off the grid is fairly simple, which it is but small mistakes can make massive problems.
If you have slacked off during the summertime and you didn’t plan for the winter then you most likely will go back to civilization after the first month of winter. The winters can be brutal, and without proper insulation and plenty of firewood, you will struggle to say the least.
Lonelyness
If you are the type of person who likes doing everything by yourself then you will most likely love living off the grid. On the other hand, if you have never been alone for long periods of time and in your everyday life, and you constantly find reasons to hang out with other people just not to get bored then living off the grid will not be worth it to you. If you move out to some remote area then the feeling of loneliness will be even higher, and you have to be comfortable with it.
Frugal Lifestyle
Most people who live off the grid tend to live as frugally as possible, you have to change your way of life in order to not waste anything. For a lot of people, frugal living is the ultimate goal of living off the grid. After the first couple of months of living off the grid, you will notice how much you have wasted with your everyday life. There is also a financial incentive for living as frugally as possible, the less you waste the more money you have in your pocket.
Cheap Cost Of Living
Once you have set up your off grid homestead and you are already generating your own power, growing crops, and raising livestock then you will not need a lot of money to live comfortably. Generally speaking, it takes around 2 years until you figure everything out, and from that point, you will even start making some serious money if you are selling at the local farmers’ market. You can live with only a couple of hundred dollars a month, and some people manage with even less.
What I am trying to say is that money isn’t that important for living off the grid, although you should always have around $1000 as emergency funds, just in case something goes wrong. A lot of beginner off gridders tend to find that they have wasted a lot of money on going out or other social activities, and living off the grid will definitely make this harder, so more money in your pockets.
Independence
For a lot of people that feeling of complete independence is well worth living off the grid. There is a certain type of happiness you get while achieving your goals, no matter how large or how small, and the simple idea of you being able to manage without anybody’s help is enough to keep you happy all day long. If you have met or you know some people who live off the grid then you definitely noticed that not one of them is depressed.
Gardening
If you have never tried gardening then my personal recommendation is to try it out, even if it is only a hobby. Gardening has something magical to it, the way you put in a lot of work and care, and when you see your garden grow every day. If you are planning to grow your own crops then you will have to get your hands dirty and trust me the first couple of days of gardening will feel like hell, but after that, you will be extremely proud of your accomplishment.
You Must Be An Outdoorsy Person
If you love staying outside all day long then you will love living off the grid, as most days you will have to stay outside of your homestead. Most days you will work so hard that before the sun will set you will be already sleeping, and you will get up before the sun rises. Besides cooking everything you have to do around your homestead will be outside, and a lot of off gridders also cook outside during the summertime.
Key Takeaways
- Yes, living off the grid is worth it especially if you want to reduce your costs of living and you love the freedom of being self reliant. Most people who live off the grid do it due to the financial benefits, and once they become self reliant they will be saving around $10,000-$25,000 per year. Although living off the grid comes with some upfront investments and a lot of work, but in the long run, it is well worth it.
- Living off the grid offers the opportunity to reduce or eliminate utility bills, lower environmental impact, and potentially achieve financial savings in the long run.
- However, it requires significant lifestyle adjustments, self-reliance, and careful planning to meet basic needs such as energy, water, and food, which may not be suitable for everyone.
