General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOff the Grid, But Still Online
The people Ive met have abandoned the chase of the American Dream; they are not battling traffic to work a nine-to-five job in order to live in a big house or buy a fancy car. Instead, their values are centered around new life experiences, connecting with nature, building their own homes, growing their own food, and having a full sense of control over their livesincluding managing the amount of time they spend on the internet.
The average American feels lost going a day without logging onto their social media accounts via smartphone, tablet, or computer. By contrast, these people know exactly how much power their solar panels need to generate to charge their phones or watch a DVD on their laptops, and they moderate their usage in the same way they would measure out exactly how much water they need to cook dinner and take a shower.
Over the last two months, Ive slept in a 220-foot tree, kayaked to floating wooden homes on the ocean, helped mix cement for a cob house (made from mud and straw), watched late night movies in a desert yurt, showered in creeks and waterfalls, but above all I learned theres numerous ways to live off the grid and still plug into society.
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Shandris
(3,447 posts)I mean...you can really do that? What are the hiddens of getting started on this kind of thing? SIGN ME UP!
But seriously...if you can just do that, I want to know how much money I need to discover.
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)Shandris
(3,447 posts)...take a roll of twenty dollar bills and peel them off one at a time to flush down the toilet.
I figured it was probably something more like that. People acting like they have no money but can hang out on boats 24/7 is...specious, I'd think. At best. But I'd love to be proven wrong, because I'd be out of here and onto there in no time flat. I'd be gone by Friday lol.
djean111
(14,255 posts)I know that people live in houseboats in Seattle and probably all over the world.
There are some awesome houseboats; sometimes on House Hunters someone is looking for one to buy.
Shandris
(3,447 posts)I'll have to look into it. At this point I'm afraid its probably wayyyyy past my budget, but with enough co-habitants anything is possible. Thanks for the link!
appalachiablue
(41,171 posts)his son and meets Meg Ryan. Cute movie. People in FL live on boats, in DC, Annapolis, MD and other places. Thom Hartmann, the progressive commenter on my sig line lives on a boat in DC.
My Dad lived on a boat a few weeks a year with his brothers in the Bahamas later in life. It was great, based in Chub Key, Berry Islands, Bahamas. They loved nature, the water and fishing.
Matariki
(18,775 posts)Or cheap.
MindfulOne
(227 posts)BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)...keep this person from living off the grid but it's my choice.
central scrutinizer
(11,661 posts)No electricity, no running water, no phone, an old truck cab on railroad ties over a pit for a toilet. Chickens, goats, hives, wood burning cook stove, garden. Great experience.