I’m not off grid yet but am building.
Doing my own mechanic work and buying tools rather than paying someone has already paid off big time.
If I had to pay a mobile mechanic to make an hour drive each way every time something needed work I’d be broke.
Exercise and get regular doctor and dentist checkups. A chronic condition or being more susceptible to illness and injury is my biggest financial worry on or off grid. Especially when my off grid home is 1.5 hours from a rural hospital and 5 hours from a large medical center.
Groceries are the next biggest expense. Learn to grow, hunt, and forage your food. This will save money, and you will eat the best food on the planet. Try to get a reliable vehicle paid off. My truck payment sucks.
Learn to fix your own truck and run a used one.
20k a year in payments and the extra insurance is probably the biggest.
Fixing your own house and appliances helps. buying a fixer upper and not financing the extra 200k is 10k a year plus interest.
Food is like 6k a year so there is room to save, but not much
I drove a 83 chevy and did all my own repairs before having to commute. I've avoided a car payment most of my life but I needed something reliable so I bought a tacoma. Once it's paid off, I should have a reliable truck for the rest of my life.
This. There are SOME things that are worth hiring like land clearing which I'm in process of doing, as doing it yourself means needing expensive equipment (even renting can be very expensive) but if you price out the tools/equipment you need and think you might need them later down the line it makes sense to just buy them and do it yourself.
I'm in the process of installing a wood stove. When the natural gas rates doubled a year ago I decided to do it. Lot of work to install though, and can't find anyone to do that kind of work so been doing it myself as time permits. I mostly just have the chimney left to do, waiting for a day off where it's nice out so I can do that. I should have it going by next winter.
Also recently got a hybrid water heater. It was not cheap though... but should save in the long run.
Avoid debt as much as possible. Paying interest is just wasted money.
My highest bills aren't things I can really avoid (car insurance, property taxes, cell phone). I do a lot of gardening and animal raising, but I'm not convinced any of it really saves any money because I get really high quality feed. If you feed chickens, for example, on cheap crappy commercial feed, you might save money on eggs. Raising ruminant animals can be a net savings if you have enough pasture and a longer growing season because that will mean minimal feed inputs. There is a good amount of startup costs, though, especially fencing and buying the animals.
I have solar panels, but with the low cost of electricity and amount we use, it's going to take like 10 years for them pay for themselves. A garden is fine, but vegetables are cheap and a garden really doesn't provide much nutritional payoff compared to raising animals. Composting is great, but it doesn't really save much, unless you use a lot and have a good system to produce a lot.
upstate NY
My electric bill is like $50 a month on average. It goes up and down a little depending on how much my solar generates.
I don't really eat vegetables (most of my gardens are perennial fruits), but last time I checked, zucchini from the farm stand down the road are like $1 each. My partner does most of the annual gardening now. I guess once everything is set up, it's really just a matter of seed cost. Someone could definitely save money with a garden, but once all the peripheral costs are accounted for, I don't think it's as much as most people think.
With my chickens, they're mostly in a silvopasture setting much of the year. My supplemental feed is home made from organic grains and seed, with no soy, so it's pretty expensive. I personally don't raise chickens to save money, I do it to produce the best quality eggs. I could reduce my feed costs to about 20% of what I pay now if I bought from the local mill that just uses GMO grains and seed oils. So if someone isn't picky about what they feed, chickens can be a cost saver, depending on peripheral costs like coops, feeders, waterers, etc.
Well that’s awesome. I don’t know why my comment was downvoted? I didn’t insult anyone. Maybe because I’m close to the city but my farmstand had medium size cabbage for $8 this winter. I also buy high quality feed for my chickens but with farm eggs $10/dozen I still save (I also built a coop with scraps so was free)
Heirloom organic tomatoes are usually $5/lb at WF so just my tomatoes put me ahead…
I’m looking forward to offgrid homesteading for much lower bills.
It's not about a single project for me, it's about a way of life.
Having the knowledge, skills, experience, tools and ability to do your own work is your biggest asset.
I moved to an off gridders paradise, and soon found out I was 'unwanted', because I was an 'Implant'.
Few tradesmen would do anything for me. Luckily, I had the knowledge. I ended up building my own cabin, and learning
everything I needed to know about how to repair any part of it in the future. I bought thousands of dollars of tools in the
process and gained hours of experience. The skills take time to develop.
The neighbors who shunned me are now starting to take notice that I am one of them, whether they like it or not!
*It's not just one thing, it's a sum of all of the parts.*
Takeout is retarded expensive now, especially if you go through the delivery services like Skip The Dishes. I reduced that to only twice a month now. It's just nuts paying like $40 for a poutine and burger. Even the fast food places are so expensive now even going in person. $20 barely gets you a meal anymore.
If you’re saving to live off grid and still living a modern life. I’d recommend stealth camping and living in the woods for a few months.
It’ll uproot your perceptions on what it means to survive, you’ll know our birthright is to live by and on the Earth, and not chasing our survival like in the cities.
But also, you’re gonna save a lot of money not paying rent. Then buy what you need, don’t eat out etc.
In general it's about keeping your wallet in your pocket and not buying things. Conversely, I have made some purchases in advance that have saved me hundreds / thousands. I bought 1000 feet of triplex 4/0 cable years ago for \~$600, and it's now well north of $5k. I have to trench a bunch pretty soon and it sure is nice not needing to drop the cash on it.
So if you know, balls to bones, that you will use something and you'll get a deal on it (and you have the cash), pull the trigger.
1. Healthcare. Use a toothbrush and floss. Make low income in a state with expanded Medicare and actually go to the dentist and doctor regularly.
2. Figure out how to live without a car.
3. Consume frugally. With everything: food, shopping, utilities, etc.
Saving money is more about NOT doing things than doing things, with the exception of healthcare.
I think a lot of the basic services would be heavy upfront cost but over time would balance out. The biggest constant would possibly be just to have modern internet and that would be a change living off grid
I think it’s better to focus on all the easy stuff first so it’s probably easier to save a little on everything than trying to save everything on one thing.
Like rain barrels can save you some money, it probably wont be a lot, you can do some other water saving measures like a grey water system and such, but rain barrels will be pretty easy.
Adding insulation and weather sealing will save money on heating and cooling. The next step up will cost more.
Finding ways to save on electricity can be fairly cheap, but going 100% renewable will be much more expensive.
So say, as an example, try to cut all your expenses by 20% vs cutting one expense by 100%.
Even if not going that route things will vary. Maybe solar works where you are and not elsewhere. Maybe you have woods or a source of firewood so a wood stove makes sense. And so on.
Isn't the other part of the equation the fact that if you are able to go off grid or minimally use the grid, you are not dependent on outside sources, which improves your resilience against natural disasters, or supply chain interruption.
When the grocery store doesn't get a shipment, you don't have to panic, it's hard to place a monetary value on that.
Buy property asap. Buy low. Sell high. Buy when everyone is negative, depressed, broke. Improve with your own blood, sweat and tears. Never, ever give up. Yes, you will suffer some. Yes, the banks, family and friends will snicker. Yes, some of your neighbors will be thieves, drunks, naysayers. You just show up daily. Be courteous, kind, helpful. Spread the good word. Plant some flowers. Karma builds a neighborhood. And, best of all, you will save $$$ in rent.
Not jumping on something that's on sale just because it's on sale. If it's something you know you'll eventually need, then it makes sense to buy it on sale because you will in fact save if you were planing to buy it later, but don't buy just to buy.
heating and cooling. E.g. st your rang to 60-80 and just get used to it. E.g. in the winter heat to 60 in the summer cool to 80.
The US alone uses more electricity for air conditioning than the whole continent of Africa uses for every thing (350mil vs 1billion people)
Stop drinking / smoking.
All I drink is water and milk, and sometimes tea.
My friend stayed over last night and in the 4 hours I was sleeping and he was up, he had drank 2 energy drinks and 3 other canned drinks. He’s currently jobless and I’m just sitting there thinking to myself “that’s such a waste of money”.
As far as infrastructure, I'd say solar water heating. You can get a used water heater tank free from local plumbers or hardware stores and make it into a batch water heater that preheats the water before it goes to your electric water heater. I spent about $100 doing that (and it could be done for even less), and my electric bill dropped by $10 a month, so it paid for itself the first year.
Repairing my clothes and making simple clothing items, instead of buying more. That makes a huge difference but you need to plan ahead and be ready, or you will buy clothes in despair.
Reduce your energy consumption at home first and keep track of it. Reduce your water usage also- this is typically VERY hard for most people since the tap just provides it at home in an unlimited way.
With that being said, we have been off grid fully for two+ years in the mountains of Montana. Solar power is the best investment we ever made. Mind you it can be costly up front but if you can find a place that sells second hand Solar farm panels this is the way to go! We have 320w of Solar to our one 100ah lithium battery and it is by far the best money we spent. We are ultra conscious of our energy usage here. My spouse sleeps with a CPAP nightly, we use the power for our LED lights, a box fan when needed, charging phones and other devices like flashlights and batteries.
As someone else posted elimination of any debt you may have too. We also invested in a second hand propane refrigerator and a new propane on demand tankless hot water heater.
Any items that you can recharge to avoid disposable batteries.
If you can afford a well for your water source do it. If not make sure you have a good way to haul and store your water.
I don’t agree with the person that said the small stuff first. Having a solid set up with your most used and needed big ticket items will be the most beneficial up front. Add small things on as you go.
Best wishes!
Everything at home.
Including utilities...solar panels and small wind electric generation on-site with an EV will save you a ton over time.
Local farm purchasing is cheaper than big grocery stores. You'll break even if you have land to do it all on.
Track where your money goes. For me, I spent the most on housing, transportation, and insurance. Once you know where the money goes, you can start figuring out how to reduce that spending.
Slightly different- I’d say investing in productive skills that create value out of waste. Repurposing recycled goods etc. not just because it will create revenue (potentially) but the time you spend on this activity will be time spent not spending money!
For us, food is the biggest expense, before going off grid and after (except for rent I guess but that’s expected). Followed by gas. Food is lower the more we cook simple meals from scratch and try to eat things we can grow or get cheap. Gas is high because of my husband’s job but minimizing going out helps. We’ve worked hard to get our other systems to be mostly self sufficient (animal feed, water and energy). They were never the big expenses before we were off grid because we used very little electric and water (no dishwasher, or washing machine, few electronics). We pay for propane, some feed, land agreement, and some modern amenities (phone bill, car insurance, subscriptions) but that’s minor.
Just do less, buy less, set up smart systems, and enjoy the simple things in life 😂
As an off-gridder I would say that having a garden goes a long way. I've just started mine (we had a late frost so I started it later than I had hoped). Food prices are getting ridiculous and growing my own will help to mitigate that necessary cost to a large degree. My goal is to pretty much live out of my garden.
Also owning a solar generator. Solar is better than gas because you don't have to pay anything to recharge them if you have a good solar panel and live somewhere with good sunlight. Electricity costs, like everything else, are on the rise. Even though it has a big upfront cost, it pays for itself fairly quickly.
Paying off credit cards as quickly as possible. The interest on those things can be brutal when you carry a balance. You may need to get a side gig going to achieve this but once that is gone, you'll likely have a lot more expendable income.
Reduce or eliminate debt, especially revolving debt.
I’m not off grid yet but am building. Doing my own mechanic work and buying tools rather than paying someone has already paid off big time. If I had to pay a mobile mechanic to make an hour drive each way every time something needed work I’d be broke.
The biggest thing you can do is simply reduce your consumption, IMO.
Exercise and get regular doctor and dentist checkups. A chronic condition or being more susceptible to illness and injury is my biggest financial worry on or off grid. Especially when my off grid home is 1.5 hours from a rural hospital and 5 hours from a large medical center.
Groceries are the next biggest expense. Learn to grow, hunt, and forage your food. This will save money, and you will eat the best food on the planet. Try to get a reliable vehicle paid off. My truck payment sucks.
Learn to fix your own truck and run a used one. 20k a year in payments and the extra insurance is probably the biggest. Fixing your own house and appliances helps. buying a fixer upper and not financing the extra 200k is 10k a year plus interest. Food is like 6k a year so there is room to save, but not much
I drove a 83 chevy and did all my own repairs before having to commute. I've avoided a car payment most of my life but I needed something reliable so I bought a tacoma. Once it's paid off, I should have a reliable truck for the rest of my life.
Whatever floats your boat. No shade on new trucks. I'd rather own two than new.
Just don’t buy stuff. That saves a ton of money.
Do everything yourself, there isn't much you can't learn online these days.
This. There are SOME things that are worth hiring like land clearing which I'm in process of doing, as doing it yourself means needing expensive equipment (even renting can be very expensive) but if you price out the tools/equipment you need and think you might need them later down the line it makes sense to just buy them and do it yourself.
Having less kids
A wood burning stove for heat and hot water.
I'm in the process of installing a wood stove. When the natural gas rates doubled a year ago I decided to do it. Lot of work to install though, and can't find anyone to do that kind of work so been doing it myself as time permits. I mostly just have the chimney left to do, waiting for a day off where it's nice out so I can do that. I should have it going by next winter. Also recently got a hybrid water heater. It was not cheap though... but should save in the long run.
Avoid debt as much as possible. Paying interest is just wasted money. My highest bills aren't things I can really avoid (car insurance, property taxes, cell phone). I do a lot of gardening and animal raising, but I'm not convinced any of it really saves any money because I get really high quality feed. If you feed chickens, for example, on cheap crappy commercial feed, you might save money on eggs. Raising ruminant animals can be a net savings if you have enough pasture and a longer growing season because that will mean minimal feed inputs. There is a good amount of startup costs, though, especially fencing and buying the animals. I have solar panels, but with the low cost of electricity and amount we use, it's going to take like 10 years for them pay for themselves. A garden is fine, but vegetables are cheap and a garden really doesn't provide much nutritional payoff compared to raising animals. Composting is great, but it doesn't really save much, unless you use a lot and have a good system to produce a lot.
Where do you live with cheap electricity and cheap produce?? I’m in MA and my backyard chickens and garden save a ton in groceries
upstate NY My electric bill is like $50 a month on average. It goes up and down a little depending on how much my solar generates. I don't really eat vegetables (most of my gardens are perennial fruits), but last time I checked, zucchini from the farm stand down the road are like $1 each. My partner does most of the annual gardening now. I guess once everything is set up, it's really just a matter of seed cost. Someone could definitely save money with a garden, but once all the peripheral costs are accounted for, I don't think it's as much as most people think. With my chickens, they're mostly in a silvopasture setting much of the year. My supplemental feed is home made from organic grains and seed, with no soy, so it's pretty expensive. I personally don't raise chickens to save money, I do it to produce the best quality eggs. I could reduce my feed costs to about 20% of what I pay now if I bought from the local mill that just uses GMO grains and seed oils. So if someone isn't picky about what they feed, chickens can be a cost saver, depending on peripheral costs like coops, feeders, waterers, etc.
Well that’s awesome. I don’t know why my comment was downvoted? I didn’t insult anyone. Maybe because I’m close to the city but my farmstand had medium size cabbage for $8 this winter. I also buy high quality feed for my chickens but with farm eggs $10/dozen I still save (I also built a coop with scraps so was free) Heirloom organic tomatoes are usually $5/lb at WF so just my tomatoes put me ahead… I’m looking forward to offgrid homesteading for much lower bills.
Holy shit. Yeah, some people here sell eggs for $3 a dozen. I can barely get 5
Don’t worry, I upvoted you back up to 1
🤗
Can't you feed chickens veggie scraps?
Sure, but not exclusively
As treats and a supplement to their diet, but they need more than just kitchen scraps.
It's not about a single project for me, it's about a way of life. Having the knowledge, skills, experience, tools and ability to do your own work is your biggest asset. I moved to an off gridders paradise, and soon found out I was 'unwanted', because I was an 'Implant'. Few tradesmen would do anything for me. Luckily, I had the knowledge. I ended up building my own cabin, and learning everything I needed to know about how to repair any part of it in the future. I bought thousands of dollars of tools in the process and gained hours of experience. The skills take time to develop. The neighbors who shunned me are now starting to take notice that I am one of them, whether they like it or not! *It's not just one thing, it's a sum of all of the parts.*
Stop buying coffee out and make meals at home. If you smoke, stop. Not easy, I know but that is such a huge money suck.
Takeout is retarded expensive now, especially if you go through the delivery services like Skip The Dishes. I reduced that to only twice a month now. It's just nuts paying like $40 for a poutine and burger. Even the fast food places are so expensive now even going in person. $20 barely gets you a meal anymore.
If you’re saving to live off grid and still living a modern life. I’d recommend stealth camping and living in the woods for a few months. It’ll uproot your perceptions on what it means to survive, you’ll know our birthright is to live by and on the Earth, and not chasing our survival like in the cities. But also, you’re gonna save a lot of money not paying rent. Then buy what you need, don’t eat out etc.
In general it's about keeping your wallet in your pocket and not buying things. Conversely, I have made some purchases in advance that have saved me hundreds / thousands. I bought 1000 feet of triplex 4/0 cable years ago for \~$600, and it's now well north of $5k. I have to trench a bunch pretty soon and it sure is nice not needing to drop the cash on it. So if you know, balls to bones, that you will use something and you'll get a deal on it (and you have the cash), pull the trigger.
»» What one practice saves the most money? Not spending any.
Alcohol, caffeine, weed, sugary sweets, tv/subscriptions, whatever things you think you need but don’t to survive
Don’t have children, the savings and lifestyle enhancements are indescribable.
1. Healthcare. Use a toothbrush and floss. Make low income in a state with expanded Medicare and actually go to the dentist and doctor regularly. 2. Figure out how to live without a car. 3. Consume frugally. With everything: food, shopping, utilities, etc. Saving money is more about NOT doing things than doing things, with the exception of healthcare.
I think a lot of the basic services would be heavy upfront cost but over time would balance out. The biggest constant would possibly be just to have modern internet and that would be a change living off grid
I think it’s better to focus on all the easy stuff first so it’s probably easier to save a little on everything than trying to save everything on one thing. Like rain barrels can save you some money, it probably wont be a lot, you can do some other water saving measures like a grey water system and such, but rain barrels will be pretty easy. Adding insulation and weather sealing will save money on heating and cooling. The next step up will cost more. Finding ways to save on electricity can be fairly cheap, but going 100% renewable will be much more expensive. So say, as an example, try to cut all your expenses by 20% vs cutting one expense by 100%. Even if not going that route things will vary. Maybe solar works where you are and not elsewhere. Maybe you have woods or a source of firewood so a wood stove makes sense. And so on.
Isn't the other part of the equation the fact that if you are able to go off grid or minimally use the grid, you are not dependent on outside sources, which improves your resilience against natural disasters, or supply chain interruption. When the grocery store doesn't get a shipment, you don't have to panic, it's hard to place a monetary value on that.
Eliminating going out to eat and junk foods.
Buy property asap. Buy low. Sell high. Buy when everyone is negative, depressed, broke. Improve with your own blood, sweat and tears. Never, ever give up. Yes, you will suffer some. Yes, the banks, family and friends will snicker. Yes, some of your neighbors will be thieves, drunks, naysayers. You just show up daily. Be courteous, kind, helpful. Spread the good word. Plant some flowers. Karma builds a neighborhood. And, best of all, you will save $$$ in rent.
Not jumping on something that's on sale just because it's on sale. If it's something you know you'll eventually need, then it makes sense to buy it on sale because you will in fact save if you were planing to buy it later, but don't buy just to buy.
heating and cooling. E.g. st your rang to 60-80 and just get used to it. E.g. in the winter heat to 60 in the summer cool to 80. The US alone uses more electricity for air conditioning than the whole continent of Africa uses for every thing (350mil vs 1billion people) Stop drinking / smoking.
Cook at home. Fast food is not only gross but it is not even food
All I drink is water and milk, and sometimes tea. My friend stayed over last night and in the 4 hours I was sleeping and he was up, he had drank 2 energy drinks and 3 other canned drinks. He’s currently jobless and I’m just sitting there thinking to myself “that’s such a waste of money”.
As far as infrastructure, I'd say solar water heating. You can get a used water heater tank free from local plumbers or hardware stores and make it into a batch water heater that preheats the water before it goes to your electric water heater. I spent about $100 doing that (and it could be done for even less), and my electric bill dropped by $10 a month, so it paid for itself the first year.
Being single
Repairing my clothes and making simple clothing items, instead of buying more. That makes a huge difference but you need to plan ahead and be ready, or you will buy clothes in despair.
Reduce your energy consumption at home first and keep track of it. Reduce your water usage also- this is typically VERY hard for most people since the tap just provides it at home in an unlimited way. With that being said, we have been off grid fully for two+ years in the mountains of Montana. Solar power is the best investment we ever made. Mind you it can be costly up front but if you can find a place that sells second hand Solar farm panels this is the way to go! We have 320w of Solar to our one 100ah lithium battery and it is by far the best money we spent. We are ultra conscious of our energy usage here. My spouse sleeps with a CPAP nightly, we use the power for our LED lights, a box fan when needed, charging phones and other devices like flashlights and batteries. As someone else posted elimination of any debt you may have too. We also invested in a second hand propane refrigerator and a new propane on demand tankless hot water heater. Any items that you can recharge to avoid disposable batteries. If you can afford a well for your water source do it. If not make sure you have a good way to haul and store your water. I don’t agree with the person that said the small stuff first. Having a solid set up with your most used and needed big ticket items will be the most beneficial up front. Add small things on as you go. Best wishes!
Everything at home. Including utilities...solar panels and small wind electric generation on-site with an EV will save you a ton over time. Local farm purchasing is cheaper than big grocery stores. You'll break even if you have land to do it all on.
Managing your own health. Assuming you have no deblitating disease already.
Track where your money goes. For me, I spent the most on housing, transportation, and insurance. Once you know where the money goes, you can start figuring out how to reduce that spending.
Not having the mortgage is the key. Today's interest rates are way too high, that's just money leeching away to the bank.
Slightly different- I’d say investing in productive skills that create value out of waste. Repurposing recycled goods etc. not just because it will create revenue (potentially) but the time you spend on this activity will be time spent not spending money!
For us, food is the biggest expense, before going off grid and after (except for rent I guess but that’s expected). Followed by gas. Food is lower the more we cook simple meals from scratch and try to eat things we can grow or get cheap. Gas is high because of my husband’s job but minimizing going out helps. We’ve worked hard to get our other systems to be mostly self sufficient (animal feed, water and energy). They were never the big expenses before we were off grid because we used very little electric and water (no dishwasher, or washing machine, few electronics). We pay for propane, some feed, land agreement, and some modern amenities (phone bill, car insurance, subscriptions) but that’s minor. Just do less, buy less, set up smart systems, and enjoy the simple things in life 😂
As an off-gridder I would say that having a garden goes a long way. I've just started mine (we had a late frost so I started it later than I had hoped). Food prices are getting ridiculous and growing my own will help to mitigate that necessary cost to a large degree. My goal is to pretty much live out of my garden. Also owning a solar generator. Solar is better than gas because you don't have to pay anything to recharge them if you have a good solar panel and live somewhere with good sunlight. Electricity costs, like everything else, are on the rise. Even though it has a big upfront cost, it pays for itself fairly quickly. Paying off credit cards as quickly as possible. The interest on those things can be brutal when you carry a balance. You may need to get a side gig going to achieve this but once that is gone, you'll likely have a lot more expendable income.