The Back Bones of Living Off Grid
The webster dictionary definition of self-sufficient: able to maintain oneself without outside aid. This is exactly what we are trying to achieve to be able to survive in a SHTF scenario. Or to live off grid.
What does it mean to live self-sufficient? Put simply it means to be able to live your life without the assistance of public services and utilities. The same thing applies to off grid living.
When SHTF these things will no longer be available in most cases. Living self-sufficiently is also having the ability to produce your own food from vegetable and animals you have on your land. You will need to have a means of producing your own electricity from some renewable source such as solar, wind, or hydro.
In this blog post I will go over the key components on living a self-sufficient life or off grid living with a brief description of each.
I will have detailed blog posts following this one for each component and a plethora of how-to guides and DIY projects that will give you foundational skills to build on. Throughout this blog series I will also give you external resources that will help even the expert build on skills they have now.
First things first to be self-sufficient is not easy there is a long road ahead of you if you are just starting this journey!
To be a gray man, prepper, or survivalist is a lifestyle and something you will need to live and breathe every day. But together we can do this, and we will get you there!
Now for what you came here for! They key components you need to develop skills on producing are as follows.
Without our power we will not be able to keep the lights on, the fridge going, or our communication system functioning. Not knowing how to provide power to your home and essentials could put you in a dangerous position when living off grid or in SHTF scenarios.
Whether it be a natural disaster or an invasion that has rendered the grid useless. You will want to focus your effort on renewable energy as fossil fuels would either cost an enormous amount of money or be impossible to get ahold of. The most attainable sources of renewable energy would be solar, wind, or hydro power.
- Food
When the grocery stores lose power and with overall food prices on the rise being able to provide your own food is more important now than ever. Or at least supplementing what you buy with it is one of the most important components of living self-sufficiently and is needed if you’re going to live off grid.
When SHTF you won’t have to worry so much about food as long as you start to develop and implement the skills needed to produce from a small window garden in your apartment to a full-blown homesteading operation on a 5-acre plot of land.
Having the ability to produce your own food will keep you from relying on the grocery store and will allow you to not go scavenging for food in a grid down situation will help keep you alive.
- Medicine
Just like food, knowing what plants have medicinal properties and being able to grow them is important to living a self-sufficient life.
When SHTF having this will provide an addition advantage as you have the means to stave off a fever or fight an infection right in your garden. There are many different plants that you can grow that have medicinal properties that you will want and need in a societal collapse.
- Water
Water is the most vital thing to know how to obtain when SHTF. When living self-sufficiently its good practice to get your water from the land you live on or a source you have access to that doesn’t rely on the grid. There are ways to achieve this even if public services go down.
From having an onsite well to collecting rainwater. No matter the source the water needs to be purified before use or consumption. Water can be purified multiple ways such as- Reverse osmosis filters, UV Sterilization, Boiling, or bleaching.
- Shelter
Where you live when everything comes to is important to consider. IF you are living in an urban environment, you can still live pretty self-sufficiently but living in a rural environment will set you up better for when SHTF.
You don’t want to be surrounded by apartments or town homes when the power goes out for real, and the water stops flowing. If your goal is to live completely off grid, then you want to find an even more secluded area. With this being said you can live in a urban area and practice these skills so when the grid does go down you can bug out and use the skills learned elsewhere.
Along with having a good shelter you’ll want to have a base knowledge on structure building fundamentals so if something breaks or you need extra facilities, you’ll know how to do it properly.
- Mental
Living self-sufficiently is not easy and taking the first step to going off grid will be challenging, there will be setbacks and hardships but in the end it will worth it, and the rewards can be endless!
It can and will save you money and you’ll have learned the skills to survive in a SHTF situation when all the public services we are used to come to a halt! Just keep your mind focused on the goal and you will endure!
Keep trying new things and learning new skills and you’ll make it work! It may be call “Self-sufficient but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.
Find a community even if it’s your friends and family together you’ll have a better chance. The end result is fulfilling knowing that you have what you’ll need when the world goes dark.
- Finances
Now the part that may be tough especially in the world today is you’ll want to work on getting your debts down to zero. This is important on for many factors.
When you want to disappear and go off grid you don’t want to be tied down by debts as it could mean people will be looking to come collect on those.
You will need some cash flow to get things started as you’ll need equipment for every category mentioned. Having your finances in order will allow you to buy what you need so you can begin this journey.
If you live in a city, it’ll be a good idea to save up to move out of it into a more rural area. You can start to develop the skills in an apartment or town home but eventually you’ll want/ need more land to have a bigger operation. Also, when SHTF you really don’t want to be in the middle of downtown surrounded by other people.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading my blog today! I hope you found it useful on your path to becoming a gray man, prepper, survivalist, or if you just want to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
If you’d like to share anything, please leave a comment below!