- If the electricity goes off in town it doesn’t affect us. Often we aren’t even aware of power shortages in local towns because they literally make no impact on our lives.
- We can fix our own problems instead of waiting on the electric company. Growing up, we lived along a river and the power line ran along the edge of it. Every time there was a thunderstorm, trees would fall on the line, and we would wait and wait until the power company would come out to our area and fix the problem. It sure is nice to be able to fix our own problems instead of worrying about the food in our freezer going bad from lack of electricity!
- I enjoy doing things by hand. Back when I used an electric coffee maker, I was so removed from the process that I didn’t even know how coffee was made without one. When moving off grid necessitated learning, I was surprised to realize that making coffee is as simple as steeping tea! I also enjoy making bread and other baked goods by hand. It feels more virtuous somehow. 😄
- An off grid system is cheaper than bringing in the electric lines. The electric lines stop a mile and a half from our place, so the cost of bringing electric to us would be exponential. At $60-$80 per foot, we would be looking at around $100,000 to bring electricity to our cabin. You can buy a lot of solar panels for that kind of money!! Even if we were close to electric lines and could plug into them, being off grid is cheaper than paying an electric bill every month.
- Living off grid is unique and interesting. There’s something that’s just pretty neat about this lifestyle – the off grid homestead, and going back to the basics. It’s fulfilling somehow to live with less, and try to make a living from our own place. And there’s something healthy about raising our children to know how to garden, put up food, and conserve electricity.
Dear Tabitha,
I enjoyed reading your article in the Daughter’s of promise magazine. It especially stood out to me, because we are planning to turn a 13 by 36 shed into a home. We are trying to figure out how to do the layout, to best maximize the space. I would love to be able to see some pictures of your cabin, inside and out if you don’t mind. Thank you very much! I hope to hear from you soon:)
I like how you write on a variety of specific topics. Keep it up🎀