Have you ever looked out your window and said, “What are we doing in this pile of concrete?” You are bored with your daily routine, you throw yourself outside, the smell of the city’s asphalt dust hits you in the face… You pay half of your salary in rent every month and think about what you could do with that money… Have you ever dreamed of doing something you love that really gives you pleasure, while making someone else rich by selling your time in that job where you are made to work unnecessary extra hours? Maybe you could be a dancer, a pianist, a poet, you could realize that innovative idea you never had time for, you could spend more time with your dog? You probably thought that somewhere, in some far away impossible parallel universe, a version of you is living that life and you continued.
You are not alone. Research shows that the vast majority of Millennials and Gen Z want to get out of debt and achieve financial freedom. Boomers have the highest homeownership rates, while Millennials and Gen Z have the lowest. They are much more affected by volatile markets and increases in rents. They feel future anxiety, pressure and stress much more heavily than other generations. (Cruz-Martinez, 2023)
There is a way out and it is not impossible. You can decide for yourself how to make a living. Will you continue your current job online, start your own business, or switch to agriculture as your main source of income? You can choose. Off-Grid living is directly linked to the concepts of self-sufficiency and financial freedom. This lifestyle allows individuals to meet their basic needs through their own means, making them less dependent on external factors. In this way, off-grid dwellers spend less money and save more (Seymour & Sutherland, 2019).
Living off-grid is more than leaving electricity bills behind. It’s more than avoiding rush hour traffic or long queues, it’s about self-reliance and making peace with nature and life. Learning to harness nature itself, solar energy and rainwater harvesting techniques. It is about living consciously. Not being accountable to anyone, not being dependent on society for your basic needs and living a truly sustainable lifestyle that you can be proud of.
The term “off-grid” technically refers to energy that is not connected to the electricity grid, but most people use the term in a broader sense to describe a lifestyle that is as self-sufficient as possible and meets water, shelter and energy needs without the need for mainstream society or urban areas.
There are many variables that shape living off-grid. This blog series will help you understand how this lifestyle can work for you, covering all the factors you need to consider.
4 steps to living off-grid:
The right location and a home that is as smart and minimal as possible
Passive heating and cooling design
Building off-grid energy and water systems
Waste management
We will talk about all of them.
References
Cruz-Martinez, G. (2023) Millennials are struggling with credit card debt, NY Fed Study finds, Yahoo! Finance. Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/millennials-are-struggling-with-credit-card-debt-ny-fed-study-finds-181804977.html (Accessed: 08 May 2024).
Seymour, J. and Sutherland, W. (2019) The New Complete Book of Self-sufficiency: The classic guide for realists and dreamers. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited.