October 22, 2008
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What do you think about...
...living "off the grid"?? Some sites I read imply that people are preparing for "something"...do they know something I don't?!
Are some people so obsessed with living off the grid, that they might be a little unstable?Some aspects appeal to me~not washing laundry by hand, but we do hang some of our laundry to dry (mostly sheets), as we enjoy the feel and scent--I would not enjoy towels dried outdoors, but I could adapt to it... I think I would prefer my electric iron to an iron heated in the fire (well, that might be a moot point, as ironed clothing might not matter in an off-the-grid lifestyle, depending...).
What I would like:
- the "quiet"--no steady hum of refrigerator or other electrical appliances
- the simplicity (although, some tasks actually might be more complicated)
- the feeling of self-dependence
- *imagining* a feeling of slowing down life; not feeling rushed
- the family working as a team
What I would not like:
- the risk of fire (lanterns, candles, fires, cooking, etc.)
- the heat! (we would somewhat adapt, but it would not compare to a/c, LOL!)
- the cold! (again, we would somewhat adapt, but cold is cold!)
- not really having a day of rest--*imagining* labor-intensive tasks that must remain consistent for every-day living
- outhouses!
And then, of course, so many questions:
What about the risks of injury? There are so many more opportunities for injury in this lifestyle--would I recover from the "what if's", if something happened to my family?
What about illness? Running back and forth to the outhouse, or a projectile-vomiting child--could I deal with the logistics of it?!
What about cleanliness? Bathing and laundry (again, depending upon the set-up) could be large tasks, and I could feel pressured to compromise--but, on which one? Bathing nightly and the labor that might entail, or bathing every other night, but having to wash sheets more often because they get dirty faster?
These are my first thoughts, LOL!
**I realize that there could be many variations of living off-the-grid...
Comments (4)
lol This made me laugh out loud. I like to think about planning to live off the grid, so if I ever had to I'd know how to do it. But I don't want to do it unless I have to!
I think about this a lot too. And I do wonder how much of it is based on my perception that life will be more "slowed down" than the reality that I'll have 10x more to do!
I love this topic. My husband & I plan to go off grid. There's a misconception though .... going off grid doesn't mean going with out any power source & having to use candles. It just means not paying utility companies to supply you. You can generate your own power by going solar or harvesting wind or water. Those sources are just as stable, better for the environment and are free (once equipment has been bought & set up). I have lists & lists about living off grid. If you're interested let me know. I can message you the information as I dig it out of my favs file.
@momsink - I'd love to read more about it! I am very intrigued with it--I have been reading a blog of a lady whose family bought an Amish farm, and it is so interesting to read about how they are living!