# Want to start a off grid lifestyle. how do i start?



## danz409

ok. as the title states. i'm looking to start a new lifestyle. iv always had interest in being green. not only for the fact its good for the environment. but i also will be self supported. all hell can break loose and my lifestyle will be unchanged (mostly... i would suffer from no internet withdraws. but other than that...) 

however. i have a couple problems.

1. location:
i live in SW ohio (cincinnati). and would like to remain in the area to be close to work.
there isn't very much property around here that doesn't have some restrictive connivance to allow a free lifestyle. 
is there a way to find a property that allows the owner to do whatever they wish to it?

2. Cost: i'm not exactly doing so great money wise. i'm younger with a nasty credit history. (working on cleaning that up)
however that will take a great deal of my lifetime to do... and i'm not a fan of being rated my entire life off of one mistake iv made several years ago.
a mistake i already payed off (grant it was extremely late) 
my current funds is only around $5,000 i get around $1000 a month. but after bills and the unexpected that doesn't leave much. i should be
getting better pay soon however.


my plans was, i could start with just a blank slate. a property with a REAL fixer uper. and continue living in my apartment as i fix it up. once its in a livable condition
i can move in and spend my "rent" towards improving the homestead. IE fixing the house more or buying solar panels etc. and put my investments twards something that's mine... rather than some other lazy landlord that just sits around and collects cash.


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## joec

The only true way to live off the grid is get a sail boat large enough to live on with it setup to change salt water to fresh as no piece of land any where in any nation will allow it otherwise. I know people living on sale boats right off the beach in Florida that you can't find at all as ever existed.


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## Fuzzee

Move off the grid and start your life. Easy as that. Not comfortable, but easy. Comfortable would be buying a place well stocked and off grid, and moving there.


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## inceptor

Fuzzee said:


> Move off the grid and start your life. Easy as that. Not comfortable, but easy. Comfortable would be buying a place well stocked and off grid, and moving there.
> 
> View attachment 775


Now that would be awesome.


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## danz409

Fuzzee said:


> Move off the grid and start your life. Easy as that. Not comfortable, but easy. Comfortable would be buying a place well stocked and off grid, and moving there.
> 
> View attachment 775


so just find a peace of land that's vacant and live there? that doesn't sound like a very good idea. exp after you invest a few thousand into building a home, only to get some surprised property owner chasing you with a shotty


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## inceptor

danz409 said:


> so just find a peace of land that's vacant and live there? that doesn't sound like a very good idea. exp after you invest a few thousand into building a home, only to get some surprised property owner chasing you with a shotty


I do believe he said buy a place, not just take up residence.


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## Fuzzee

danz409 said:


> so just find a peace of land that's vacant and live there? that doesn't sound like a very good idea. exp after you invest a few thousand into building a home, only to get some surprised property owner chasing you with a shotty


If a vacant piece of land without anything on it is comfortable to you it is. People have different ideas of what is and what isn't. I did say buy didn't I? Nobody should be chasing you off with a shotgun from your own land. If you let them, than it's your bad.


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## Fuzzee

inceptor said:


> Now that would be awesome.


Yeh it does look pretty good. Excellent natural wildlife, running water, hand pump well, good growing land, timber for fire and building and the mountains close. I'd like it and am working on getting a place like it. Of course one match to some timber on the outside wall and that place will go up like the fourth of July.


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## inceptor

Not if you keep sealer on it. I spent 3 yrs in central co and had friends who had log homes. that's where I learned that one. 

We just couldn't afford to stay there. I had my own business but I wasn't making money hand over fist and the wife couldn't find a job so I came back to Texas.


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## MountainMan

Well if you're interested in going off grid at home, contact me. I run a nonprofit that is planning and funding and ecovillage/prepper community. If you think you might be interested in joining a great group of preppers planning to live this way permanently you should also contact us. We're a group of very intelligent people with an eclectic skill set. We're looking for like minded preppers and or environmentalists who are ready to stop being a part of the rat race and start living a healthier, safer life while preparing for the dangers ahead.


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## danz409

MountainMan said:


> Well if you're interested in going off grid at home, contact me. I run a nonprofit that is planning and funding and ecovillage/prepper community. If you think you might be interested in joining a great group of preppers planning to live this way permanently you should also contact us. We're a group of very intelligent people with an eclectic skill set. We're looking for like minded preppers and or environmentalists who are ready to stop being a part of the rat race and start living a healthier, safer life while preparing for the dangers ahead.


this going to be in the cincinnati area?


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## joec

I guess what you call off the grid and I do are different. Buying land will put you very much on the grid as at that point there is a deed of record, taxes etc. By off the grid I thought you meant get in a position where governments loose you through the cracks completely. The only way you could do that on land is join the ever growing homeless population.


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## Piratesailor

joec said:


> The only true way to live off the grid is get a sail boat large enough to live on with it setup to change salt water to fresh as no piece of land any where in any nation will allow it otherwise. I know people living on sale boats right off the beach in Florida that you can't find at all as ever existed.


^^^^ me..

I did that for 5 years. Really enjoyed it too. Back on land with a family but the boat is still our bug out plan.


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## joec

Piratesailor said:


> ^^^^ me..
> 
> I did that for 5 years. Really enjoyed it too. Back on land with a family but the boat is still our bug out plan.


I did also back in the early 80's myself with a 56' (water line) catch rigged Endeavor. Wife and 4 kids lived very comfortably on that boat.


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## RaigenB

MountainMan said:


> Well if you're interested in going off grid at home, contact me. I run a nonprofit that is planning and funding and ecovillage/prepper community. If you think you might be interested in joining a great group of preppers planning to live this way permanently you should also contact us. We're a group of very intelligent people with an eclectic skill set. We're looking for like minded preppers and or environmentalists who are ready to stop being a part of the rat race and start living a healthier, safer life while preparing for the dangers ahead.


Where would this community be?


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## ohioguy

Get off te compute and buy a tent and go live in the woods


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## nadja

I would think that the min piece of ground you would be looking for would be about 5 acres. Un improved with no utilities and none close by. First, put the min. down payment you can on it. Second, buy an older mobil home, single wide, which you can find a trashed one usually about 1 -2 thousand frn's. Next, level it, and gut the entire thing. After gutting, lay down a 1/2" OSB flooring right over the stripped down original floor. Glue and screw it down with sub floor adheisive. Next, decide how you want the layout to be. Then using all 2x4's build your new interior walls. For instance, I made my living room larger, took out the rear bathroom, and made it a nice super sized pantry with a single bed to support an overnight guest. Then redesigned an entirly new kitchen, bathroom and master bedroom. Changed all the wiring from the crappy old alum. wire to 12-2 copper wire. Now, I added an office in the front, 12x20 and built an entirely new gable roof over the entire mobil, using new coragated metal to surface that with and "painted" that with white elestrometric coating. Insulates pretty well. I also insulated on top of the original roof with r-30 , covering all of the mobil with that. 
Insulated the bar walls, and then sheet rocked the entire inside area. Tiled the kitchen floor and carpeted the rest. Other then the carpet, I did all the work myself, and it is quite cozy inside. Oh, jerked out all the old appliances including the forced air heat, and installed all new propane units. My heating is a cozy heater in the bedrooom (vented through the wall) and one small blue flame heater here in the office, and a larger one mounted on the wall in the living room. They all work with thermostats and are quite safe and cozy. And here in N. E. Az, we get down to -22 below. 

I also changed out and reframed for all new double pane windows. Total cost, less then $20,000.00 and paid cash for everything as we went. 

Over the years , I have installed my solar system, wind gennies, and 3 back up generators.


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