MetroStyles
Stylish Dinosaur
- Joined
- May 4, 2006
- Messages
- 14,586
- Reaction score
- 29
Yes, this topic has been breached before.
Notably here, by me, though that was a short-term vacation thing and irrelevant to the current threak.
And here, in discussing a crappy MTV show.
ITT, I would like to discuss the concept of living off the grid self-sufficiently. There are plenty of sites out there that provide guidance and blogumentaries on how to do this. Looking to get people's opinions on this, and whether they have ever tried it or have known people that have.
Here is my mini-summary as I was listing pros and cons:
Pros
- No more office job
- Minimal living expenses (exception: initial investment is high)
- Organic food and free-range chickens without the high price; healthier living
- In most locales, farming season is only a few months a year. This leaves much of the year for doing whatever you want (with occasional handiwork to be expected)...
-...which means you can basically do whatever you want with your time
- Always have option of farming for 6-7 months of food and then living abroad for another 5 months a year and just taking on jobs to pay the bills as you explore the world (cannot own livestock with this method)
Cons
- Significant initial investment (land, energy system, waste system, setting up garden, purchasing livestock if applicable)
- Fewer creature comforts (e.g. 30-minute showers)
- Almost impossible to find a wife/chicks to boan unless you live in a commune or unless this is a part-time gig (much better to do this once already married, but good luck convincing your wife)
- Socially shunned by many
- Difficult to socialize with the friends I already have as "going out to eat" will become impossible. It is hard to let everyone go, especially without a wife/family of my own to ease the transition/loneliness factor. Again much easier if you already have your own family.
- Cost of health insurance, etc. not covered by job anymore
- Takes several years to ramp up the farm/livestock to where they produce enough food
- Difficult to re-sell as market for self-sustainable houses/land is very small compared to rest of housing market
- Hard to do this in Northeast area due to harsh winter weather. Moving south would mean leaving friends/family behind.
- Have a much harder time saving for retirement without a big fat corporate paycheck
Just food for thought.
Notably here, by me, though that was a short-term vacation thing and irrelevant to the current threak.
And here, in discussing a crappy MTV show.
ITT, I would like to discuss the concept of living off the grid self-sufficiently. There are plenty of sites out there that provide guidance and blogumentaries on how to do this. Looking to get people's opinions on this, and whether they have ever tried it or have known people that have.
Here is my mini-summary as I was listing pros and cons:
Pros
- No more office job
- Minimal living expenses (exception: initial investment is high)
- Organic food and free-range chickens without the high price; healthier living
- In most locales, farming season is only a few months a year. This leaves much of the year for doing whatever you want (with occasional handiwork to be expected)...
-...which means you can basically do whatever you want with your time
- Always have option of farming for 6-7 months of food and then living abroad for another 5 months a year and just taking on jobs to pay the bills as you explore the world (cannot own livestock with this method)
Cons
- Significant initial investment (land, energy system, waste system, setting up garden, purchasing livestock if applicable)
- Fewer creature comforts (e.g. 30-minute showers)
- Almost impossible to find a wife/chicks to boan unless you live in a commune or unless this is a part-time gig (much better to do this once already married, but good luck convincing your wife)
- Socially shunned by many
- Difficult to socialize with the friends I already have as "going out to eat" will become impossible. It is hard to let everyone go, especially without a wife/family of my own to ease the transition/loneliness factor. Again much easier if you already have your own family.
- Cost of health insurance, etc. not covered by job anymore
- Takes several years to ramp up the farm/livestock to where they produce enough food
- Difficult to re-sell as market for self-sustainable houses/land is very small compared to rest of housing market
- Hard to do this in Northeast area due to harsh winter weather. Moving south would mean leaving friends/family behind.
- Have a much harder time saving for retirement without a big fat corporate paycheck
Just food for thought.
