So you’ve decided that the nomad lifestyle is for you. You want to ditch your cubicle, leave the city, and live a simpler life. No more commuting, office stress, and a house full of stuff. You want to start living off-grid and convert to the nomad lifestyle.
But how do you make that happen? The first step is to assess your current situation and determine if living off-grid is feasible for you right now. That might sound scary at first, but it doesn’t have to be that way! It might even feel liberating once you understand what it means to go off-grid.
Living off-grid is about disconnecting from public utilities like gas, electricity, and water so that you can live in an independent state without relying on them for survival.
Read on as we explore tips on how to make the transition with ease.
Plan Your Off-Grid Strategy & Set Goals
Before you start converting to the nomad lifestyle, it’s important to create a strategy and set goals for yourself. This will help you stay focused and on track throughout the process and will give you a sense of accomplishment when you reach your goals.
It will also help you figure out which appliances you really need to keep and which ones can be replaced with off-grid options.
First, you’ll need to decide which utilities you want to go off-grid with. This will depend on your living environment and what type of lifestyle you want to lead.
If you’re living in an RV or a small home, it’s very feasible to go off-grid with water, electricity, and/or natural gas. If you live in a larger home, it might not be possible, or it might be prohibitively expensive to go off-grid with all of those utilities.
Assessing Your Living Environment
If you want to go off-grid and live a simpler life, you’ll need to determine the extent of your current reliance on public utilities. This will help you understand how much work and how much money it will take to go off-grid with each utility.
You’ll need to figure out how far away from the nearest water source are? How far away from the nearest natural gas source are you? How far away from the nearest electrical substation are you? What type of terrain do you live in? What kind of climate do you live in? What type of home do you live in? What appliances do you currently own? What appliances do you use on a daily basis?
The answers to these questions will determine your living environment and help you figure out where you stand with each utility.
Live In The Moment
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of going off-grid, try taking a step back and living in the moment. Try living off-grid in small ways and see how it feels.
Start small by converting one electrical appliance to an off-grid alternative such as a solar-powered lantern. Take some time to explore other alternative energy sources such as wind power and micro-hydro.
You can also try growing your own food in containers and building your own shed. These things will help you figure out which appliances can be converted to off-grid options and help you understand how much work it will take to go off-grid with each utility.
You’ll feel accomplished when you reach your goals, and you’ll have a better sense of the magnitude of the transition.
Grow Your Own Food
If you’re going off-grid with your water supply, it might be a good idea to start growing your own food.
Growing your own food can be a great way to reduce your reliance on public utilities and can be a fun activity for the whole family. You can grow almost anything in your backyard or on your rooftop, including vegetables, fruits, herbs, and legumes.
Not only will growing your own food saves you money, but it will also reduce your carbon footprint and make you more self-sufficient.
Install Solar Panels
Solar panels are a great way to go off-grid with your electricity supply. They’re clean, renewable, and produce more energy than they consume. They might seem like a long-term investment and require an upfront cost, but solar panels can save you money in the long run.
Before you install solar panels, make sure you have enough room for them.
Go Solid-State: Dump The Gas & Electric
If you want to go off-grid with your gas and electricity supply, you’ll have to go all-in and switch to a solid-state lifestyle. This means you’ll have to get rid of all your appliances that run on gas or electricity and replace them with appliances that run on alternative energy sources such as solar power, micro-hydro, wind power, and biomass.
You can also get rid of your gas and electric bill by installing a micro-hydro generator, which is a great way to go off-grid with your electricity supply. A micro hydro generator uses water flow to create electricity, so it’s a great alternative to solar and wind power.
Determining Which Appliances Are Worth Keeping
Once you’ve gone off-grid with your water and electricity supply, you’ll have to figure out which appliances are worth keeping and which ones can be replaced with off-grid alternatives. This will help you determine which utilities to keep and which ones to go off-grid.
In Conclusion
Living off-grid usually involves making numerous changes at once and figuring out how to operate everyday devices in a more challenging way. However, making the transition is not as scary as it sounds. All it means is disconnecting from public utilities such as natural gas, electricity, and water so that you can live in an independent state without relying on them for survival.
Going off the grid is not for the hesitant or ill-prepared, but if you’re willing to put in the effort, you can reap the rewards like lower utility bills and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
