Off Grid and Poor

[Open_Wire]

Living Off The Grid When You Are Poor - Prepper.org

A brief bit of philosophizing based on my personal experiences. Going off the grid when you are broke can really suck. Being on the grid and poor also sucks, but in different, and often less sucky ways.

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[surevaliance]

Adult assisted living, at least $180/day - just for the bed and roof over your head.
Days Inn, $59/day

Brand name blood thinner, prescription only in the USA, $400/month
Same one, over the counter in Mexico, $2.50/month

 

[bbbass]

Living Off The Grid When You Are Poor - Prepper.org

A brief bit of philosophizing based on my personal experiences. Going off the grid when you are broke can really suck. Being on the grid and poor also sucks, but in different, and often less sucky ways.

That's me on both counts. We lived off grid when snowbirding in Quartzsite AZ. Big triple slide 5th wheel trailer with a bunch of solar panels and two generators. Had a washing machine inside and used a clothes line because the laundramats (sp) are so expensive. We had to travel to obtain water and dump waste. And food was soooo expensive. No gardens out on the desert.

Here in our house we are just poor. Limited income. Can't go anywhere or afford to do much. Living is quiet and I stay sane by being here at NWFA and in the warm months shooting once a month. Reloading is a must except for 5.56, 9mm, and of course .22lr.

 

[DB is Here]

When I was young & poor and getting my life started I concur being poor sucked.

 

[11Charlie]

I have to say that I would never live off the grid on a boat. If I chose to do it or had to do it for financial reasons I would choose a place away from people and in the mtns close to a small town where I can hunt and fish. Digging a hole for an outhouse would be a must.

I will not pack my waste in and out on a dingy!

 

[Open_Wire]

I have to say that I would never live off the grid on a boat. If I chose to do it or had to do it for financial reasons I would choose a place away from people and in the mtns close to a small town where I can hunt and fish. Digging a hole for an outhouse would be a must.

I will not pack my waste in and out on a dingy!

I learned to poop ashore as much as possible, and well, liquid waste...

 

[Joe13]

I have to say that I would never live off the grid on a boat. If I chose to do it or had to do it for financial reasons I would choose a place away from people and in the mtns close to a small town where I can hunt and fish. Digging a hole for an outhouse would be a must.

I will not pack my waste in and out on a dingy!

Dude...

Downtown Seattle!!!

You can eat luxury food out of high end dumpsters, crap on the side walks and probably make enough hanging out on street corners to get a warm bed every night

 

[DB is Here]

Dude...

Downtown Seattle!!!

You can eat luxury food out of high end dumpsters, crap on the side walks and probably make enough hanging out on street corners to get a warm bed every night

BOOM!!!

 

[11Charlie]

Dude...

Downtown Seattle!!!

You can eat luxury food out of high end dumpsters, crap on the side walks and probably make enough hanging out on street corners to get a warm bed every night

Ya I'll pass thanks. Won't happen in my life time. Shoot you can't even get me to visit the putred city!!

 

[Open_Wire]

Ya I'll pass thanks. Won't happen in my life time. Shoot you can't even get me to visit the putred city!!

Funny story about Seattle. I hate going there, and I needed to do some research that involved century old Seattle police department records. Very good chance those materials have been sent off to archives in Bellevue (state regional archives) although there is some indication that the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum might hold some old records too.

Then I considered the time it takes me to digitize those old records, the hassle of chasing them down, the disagreeable nature of Seattle, and the time it would take me to find those documents.

So I just filed a public records request for them instead, and even if I pay the city to digitize them for me, it will be cheaper than my time and effort. Now I think this is a dick move for historical records, and I would normally just pull up my big boy pants and do the work myself. But since it's Seattle, and I hate Seattle and how they are screwing over the whole state...

 

[NW Backpacker]

Living Off The Grid When You Are Poor - Prepper.org

A brief bit of philosophizing based on my personal experiences. Going off the grid when you are broke can really suck. Being on the grid and poor also sucks, but in different, and often less sucky ways.

If you have a well, run a generator to power a well pump when you need to fill up your water storage tank. I'd use a 12 volt on-demand RV water pump to pump water from your storage tank to your house fixtures. Ask your local RV parts supplier which ones are best. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Shurflo-2088-554-144-Fresh-Gallons-Minute/dp/B00C1M6B1C/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=VQSHZG71SO5Z&keywords=12+volt+rv+water+pump+shurflo&qid=1551215847&s=gateway&sprefix=12+volt+RV+water+pump,aps,290&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A2T4X6GU3B0ZWT

For light, I'd go LED or fluorescent. An RV parts supplier could make recommendations.

Aladdin lamps also make a nice light. Lots of YouTube videos about them.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Far easier to live on a limited budget if one goes for a total "minimalist" lifestyle... as in having very little earthly belongings as humanly possible... for me, this is very difficult.. because
1) its expensive to do laundry every other day
2) its expensive to buy food every week to last the next week
3) paying for streaming services may be cool and all but when the power goes out or when the internet goes down?

Otherwise.. it could be a very simple lifestyle if one decides to get rid of many things...
Me.. I collect things as a hobby along with drawing and such, which takes up a lot of space but the majority of the things have at least some utility and use and they keep my mind busy, avoiding going melancholic and dark...

Often I daydream about just building a cabin out in the woods.. my wife would prefer that we be pretty close to civilization

 

[308]

Here in our house we are just poor. Limited income. Can't go anywhere or afford to do much. Living is quiet and I stay sane by being here at NWFA and in the warm months shooting once a month. Reloading is a must except for 5.56, 9mm, and of course .22lr.

Even so, you seem to be one of the nicest guys here at NWFA, and proof money does not make the man.

 

[Member 34319]

I've learned, mostly from YouTube, you need a fairly attractive to attractive women to live off grid or in a boat or vehicle year round with zero actual income.

Just post enough, but not too much, of her butt or whatnot in the vlog uploads, enough to get a good income via YouTube or Patreon viewers.

Just kidding!

Good read, I'm not brave enough for that top of off the grid living.

 

[bbbass]

Even so, you seem to be one of the nicest guys here at NWFA, and proof money does not make the man.

Oh man, so kind of you to say!

Do it again!!! LOL Nah, somebody would think I'm paying you and that would put the lie on me being poor.

 

[bbbass]

Well, there IS a certain freedom to living off grid. But in my experience it brings tons of extra work.

BTW, my wife and I went to the big boat shows for years... it was my dream/fantasy to live on a 40-50' sailboat near a South Pacific Island. Preferably one without cannibals. Or warriors that shoot trespassers with bows or thrust spears.

For a look at real off the grid living/survival, check out "Alone" on the history channel or better yet you can binge it on Hulu. Beware, some towards the end of each season it gets pretty intense and hard to take if you are much empathetic.

 

[P7M13]

Once I saw "boat", I dismissed the premise of your article. Sure, you can do it. It definitely sounds romantic. There was a time when I had $700/month to live on even though I made $85K salary. I had the opportunity to buy a San Juan 32 for $5K and live on it.
I did the math (ridiculous), I've lived on boats for weeks at a time and sailed a lot as a kid.
While ideals and romanticism beckoned, reality hammered its cruel gavel.
I wanted to make my life easier, not harder.

 

[bbbass]

Living Off The Grid When You Are Poor - Prepper.org

A brief bit of philosophizing based on my personal experiences. Going off the grid when you are broke can really suck. Being on the grid and poor also sucks, but in different, and often less sucky ways.

I was stationed at Coast Guard Air Station San Diego from 1978-1980... the city was large even then, but nothing like today.

Curious about your anchorage fees. Probably most people are not aware that even tho not tied to a dock, there are few "free" anchorages.

You didn't mention mold/mildew... no problems?

Your life aboard sounds miserable to me. I read lots of books about living aboard a boat. Nobody had it as bad as you. When I lived in the desert, I was surrounded by beauty, could go for walks, had my wife to talk to and loads of people to visit just a few hundred yards away. We had saved for a big 5th wheel and paid a few thousand for solar panels, two Yamaha generators (the new Hondas are quieter), and a bank of six Trojan 6V batteries, with a 30A solar controller. Life was pretty good. We added a few things as we went because we needed them because we had savings/investment accounts. We hadn't spent ALL our money to obtain the living quarters. (LED lighting upgrades, a 12V wastewater pump, etc). I enjoyed doing all the wattage research and figuring out how to stretch the batteries thru those overcast/rainy periods.

We were able to use Straight Talk cellphone service, and had a hotspot for internet. I was on unemployment for just awhile (then no income for 8 months) and the wife had/has small Social Security income. But It was something I had always wanted to try. I'm not sorry I did. But it's not for everybody.

 

[Kruel J]

Oh man, so kind of you to say!

Do it again!!! LOL Nah, somebody would think I'm paying you and that would put the lie on me being poor.

If it makes you feel any better I don't think you're all that nice.

 

[bbbass]

If it makes you feel any better I don't think you're all that nice.

That's not what you said last night!