How To Live "Off The Grid" A Step-By step Guide
Going Off Grid
Living "off the grid" is very appealing to some. The ability to leave behind the city or town, punching a clock, even everyday things like cars and just live off the land can be very fulfilling. Perhaps you are tired of living life like a number instead of a person with an identity. Whatever your motivation this guide will give you the basics of what you need to accomplish this and be truly one with nature. But as with many things your ability to live completely "off the grid" is dependent on your dedication.
For someone who is rich this isn't a difficult thing. All you need to do is choose a location, purchase some land and build your homestead. After you become self sufficient you should get rid of anything that identifies you, bank accounts, credit cards, erase every mention of your name anywhere. It can be a daunting task but it can be done. especially for those with the money to do so, for those not monetarily well endowed the next section is for you.
For those of us not rich enough to just leave everything and pay for a new middle of no where place to go there are states where free land is available. In the US the federal government no longer gives away free land but many very rural communities give away free land. Often these communities are very far away from cities and any major populations. Below is a list of states and communities from these states that offer free land.
US Communities Giving Away Free Land
State
| Community
|
|---|---|
Kansas
| Atwood, Plainville, Osbourne, Lincoln, Tescott, Wilson, Ellsworth, Kanopolis, Holyrood, Marquette, Chetopa
|
Minnesota
| New Richland
|
Nebraska
| Elwood, Roll'n Hills, Arrowhead Meadows
|
Iowa
| Marne
|
Alaska
| Anderson
|
You may see other communities in the above states periodically giving away land for free as well. The forerunner of this movement appears to be Kansas but states like Alaska could have more unclaimed land to offer in the future.
Skills You'll Need
- Hunting - You need to own a gun and know how to use it.
- Fishing - If your lucky you will have a river or other water body on your land. This can be a great source of food.
- Trapping - You may want pelts to sell or use, again also for food.
- Building - If you plan to live off the grid you may not be able to purchase materials for many things, home, utensils, tools, etc. You need to learn to make these things from what is available to you.
What You Should Bring
If you are interested in being self sufficient but still can't leave all civilization behind consider bringing the following to your new found homestead:
- Mosquito Netting - If you live in the forest you will encounter a massive amount of bugs. You may want to drape some areas where you frequent outdoors with this netting.
- Solar Panels - Power generation can be something you want and this method just needs sun so it is simple.
- Wind Turbine - If you have enough wind on your land this turbine (even though most for home use are not very large) will usually generate more power than many solar panels can.
- Water Turbine - If you have a moving river or waterfall on your property this may also be a good idea. The power generated by the water turbine will exceed that generated by either previous method above.
