If you’ve been living in the city or the suburbs all your life, deciding to live off-grid is going to be MAJOR change in your life. Discard all romantic notions of walking by the farm or sitting by a brook and relaxing.
Nothing could be further from the truth. If you thought life was hard in the city, it’s a lot harder out in the sticks. The types of stresses you’ll face are different and you’ll need to overcome them.
The good news is that once you’re used to off-grid living, your stress levels will go down considerably, and you’ll be an oasis of peace in a world where everyone is running a rat race. The secret to making the switch is to do it gradually and get used to the life before you immerse yourself in it.
Let’s look at how you can get ready to become an off-grid survivalist.
- Get used to living without conveniences
For starters, you won’t have the usual electronic devices. No internet, no TV, no mobile phones, etc. Whether you choose to use a refrigerator is up to you. Whatever the case may be, you’ll need to stop relying on these devices.
So many people are addicted to social media and the internet is a way to entertain themselves. Without it, they’re lost. If you’re one of them, you’ll need to wean yourself off these addictions.
You’ll also need to socialize less because you’ll mostly be alone or with your immediate family members when living the rural life. If you constantly need to go out with friends and socialize, living off-grid will seem very lonely.
- Learn the important skills
You should learn cooking, gardening, hunting, treating water, growing vegetables, etc. You can try indoor gardening and purchase a few water purification tablets, etc. to get a feel of things.
Learn how to fire a gun. Practice at the range. You may need to go hunting when you live off-grid.
- Declutter and live like a minimalist
Get rid of most of your possessions and try to live with as little as possible. While you can have more clothes, items, etc. in you home out in the rural area, it’s good training to be a minimalist when living in an urban area.
- Try living outdoors
Go camping often. Try hunting for your own food. Camping for a week or two without the usual amenities like electricity, the internet, etc. will give you an idea of what it’s like to live off-grid.
The prepper who can live outdoors for a month or two, will find that living off-grid is a cake walk. Nothing beats surviving in the wilderness. It’s more difficult than off-grid living because your shelter is flimsy, and you don’t even have a proper toilet. Camping is one of the best ways to train yourself.
- Find a good location and house
You’ll need to find a good location to build a house that can be powered by alternative energy. You’ll have to fork out money upfront to get solar panels, etc. installed to power the house.
If you’re harnessing wind power or water power, turbines may have to be set up, etc. There will be a lot of things to consider when doing this.
Speak to a qualified engineer or professional when building a house that suitable for off-grid living – or you might try to convert an existing house into one that’s powered without electricity from the grid.
It may take a while to get it done, but once it’s done, you’ll not be subject to power failures during natural disasters, etc.
- Start informing your family and friends
Once all is done and you’re ready to go, start informing your friends and relatives about your plans so that they don’t panic if you suddenly disappear. Let a few people know where you’re staying so that they can find you if there’s an emergency.
- Have a backup plan
To conclude, even if you live off-grid, ensure that you have a backup plan should you face a crisis. If there’s a hurricane approaching your home or if there’s a wildfire coming your way, you’ll need to evacuate and get somewhere safe.
You must have contingency plans in place so that you can take immediate action. While off-grid living keeps you relatively safe from health disasters, terrorist attacks, etc. there are still natural disasters like tornadoes, earthquakes, blizzards and other events that can affect you. It’s always wise to plan ahead of time.