Considering taking family off grid

Originally posted by MindSpin
reply to post by amazing

 

No 9-5 job

You do realize that you will now have a 24 hour job of trying to provide food, shelter, and safety for you family, right?

And that there are no vacations or sick days...no holidays or weekends off...and that if you fail at your job, you don't get fired, your family dies....right?

The way things are going, you better get ready to do the same.

I'm pretty sure there was an old series of books that told you how to do all of this. I think they were called 'Black Powder and Buckskin'. I don't know where you could ever find them but maybe?

You can be "off the grid" without having to intentionally go "off the grid". If you honour your primitive instincts, then you would not decide to move away, you would do your best to have plenty of food and aim to have plenty of children. Most of all the I-pods/phones/television etc are just like toys, and most of the manufactured/processed food we eat is akin to candy. In other words, we are really just becoming overgrown children, we have so much of everything because we spend the money on entertainments, money that we could spend to raise more children and expand our families.

how far does one go to get off the "grid", do you leave behind every concievable device or impliment of usage, back to only what nature provides or what you sow is what you reap ideal, do you make your own shelter, tools, medicines, grow or eat only your own wild foods from what you find and plant by what is found, make your own clothes, train and convert wild animals for use in hunting and farming, live only in one area using available resources or continually keep on the move away from society and ever encroaching lifestyles in looking to find something as pristine in wildliife or nature as a whole to keep in line with such isolated example of living truely off the "grid". not a very easy thing to do anymore in this day and age.

reply to post by MindSpin

You do realize that you will now have a 24 hour job of trying to provide food, shelter, and safety for you family, right? And that there are no vacations or sick days...no holidays or weekends off...and that if you fail at your job, you don't get fired, your family dies....right?

untrue, primitive societies have more free time available to them

what's the point of busting you're ass [and making your boss richer with less work on his/her part] 9-5/, 5-6days/week for 30-40 yrs so you can retire and "enjoy life"
a member of a primitive society would tell you "i'm enjoying life now"

wasn't gonna write out that whole story/fable.

Has anyone here, maybe not gone of grid, but simplified their lives? Is it really better in some less devoloped contries or can you do it right here in USA? How is AUS better than USA? Thanks for all the replies all

reply to post by amazing


Yes, you can simplify your life in the US in any state that you're in, if you wish. Move to the sticks, live in a cabin learn to hunt and fish, don't give up your means of making a living -or- transfer that means to your new location. If you wish to be near a community, pick a small town or look into communal living options. Simplifying is as easy as just setting your mind to it and acting upon it. Off the grid is what you want it to be whether that is 100% or some fraction lower, that is solely up to you and your abilities.

ETA: the advantage I see to moving out of the US for something like this is the universal health care system other nations have, that may be a comforting factor, but I really don't have any idea if that would need to be factored and how that would work. Medical care and retirement issues are something to seriously factor into the equation, though.

Originally posted by Time2Think
Cool topic, but there's one little problem - if anyone has actually done it (and I'm sure at least one person has sometime in the history of mankind.. :lol

then I seriously doubt they're going to come online to read the ATS forums and respond to this thread. But, I wish you all the luck in the world.

quite a few folks are doing it

Comrade Simba

there's that old guy that lives in a cave and doesn't use money a true American Sadhu,
even has his own website:
sites.google.com...

I know a guy who did this and he still doesn't regret it. He was an engineer, quit his job, bought some really cheap land in northern Maine, built a little cottage etc. etc.

He wrote a sort of manifesto, guidelines for how he would live. He only rides in a car twice a year to visit his family. He will not make or spend more than $2000 a year (he hand carves spoons to make enough to buy the few things he needs to buy). He will not spend money on a product made more than 500 miles away etc. etc. He grows most of his own food.

He has a pretty neat set-up I've been to his house. He has lots of free time, reads a lot.

He does not have kids though... if I didn't have kids I'd probably be living in a similar way, just can't see doing it with kids.

reply to post by amazing


Les Stroud (Survivorman) has taken his family off the grid and is doing quite well. He has one dvd on this experience for sale, and another called Snowshoes and Solitude where before he had his two children, his wife and himself lived in the bush for a year.

This is right near the area that I live in and it can be done with little problems, but I would recommend watching his "Off the Grid" dvd for the challenges that he went through. The more you learn about others trials, the easier it will be for you.

source

I am in no way associated with Les here and am just providing this info as I have seen the films and highly recommend them both...

Luck to you....

the grid isnt all bad.we need to keep track of who is qualified to teach our kids,who is competent to be a doctor.You cant let any fool get in a car and drive on a main road so we need licenses. to an extent its fine

theres no need to completely go into the wild unless you know about that life.


I dont use facebook and never give personal info out ,not for fear of some government agent tracking my thoughts,but mainly because I dont feel the need to put all the personal info up online.Even signing up for ps 3 network yesterday I had to give name address age, I made it all up.Im not giving those bastards marketing info. I dont sign up for shopping club cards that try to manipulate the info they gather,by selling it or using it to their own benifit.

But as far as throwing out your tv,go for it.PLug out from technology but some of it still improves your life.Teenagers spend way too much time gaming and clutching their phones like its their oxygen. the tech is putting a barrier between relationships,changing human interaction.

Having said that I dont like where the future is heading.I can see teens in the next 2 generations quing up for a tracking chip that is implanted and can sych their iphones to their facebook page carries their "work credits" and position in society all on the same grid being manipulated by big business.They wont need the terror theory to chip everyone,future generations will be seduced by the ease of life the tech brings.

For now unless you have stolen some top secret government secrets and their going to track you down and pull out your nails till you confess then theres no need to go into the wilderness.

Please for the sake of your family make the decision that you trully feel is right for them. Its hard to understand whats in the mist and even harder to prepare for it. Heck their may be things already sleeping in wooden areas just incase so please make best decision you can. Me I gotta just watch and wait for GOD signs as to know when its time to begin adjusting for whatever.

reply to post by amazing


I think that before you actually take your family off the grid you should watch a movie starring Harrison Ford - "The Mosquito Coast". You mention can you live with out your I-pod, I-phone etc, I don't think that will be the hard part. The hard part will be killing, gutting and skinning a baby dear.So before you make a decision for your whole family why don't you go out bush and eat bambi.

Originally posted by Osiris811

Originally posted by FlyingJadeDragon
Also keep in mind that Americans overseas,while usually tolerated,aren't always necessarily welcome in a lot places these days. You would need to grow a thick skin and be willing to face a lot of bigotry,racism and nationalism in another country.

Or if you move to Australia, all we seem to think about Americans these days is "OMG LISTEN TO THAT ACCENT ITS SO COOL KEEP TALKING OMGOMGOMG"

But yeah, to the OP.

I live in Australia.

More and more each day for the past 2 years ive been wanting to just go "yeah, see yas" And packup the esentials then buy some land way out bush, use solar panels for power, dig realy deep holes and just plant a tree when full for the outhouse.

Its just like - you see the world around you - and you see all the changes coming in, restrictions to freedom, senseless bills and levy's imposed on everyone, then you have to be on the constant lookout for Police and Council trying to give you tickets for farting in public because the budget just isnt enoguh - they try to suppliment with fines.


When the world gets liek that to you - You sit back and have a think. Do i want to be a part of this? Do i still want to be living in this house, in teh middle of the city, when this happens?

If you're answer is no.. then youget to this stage..

The only problem that i can see - is Long term medications. Hell, as a woman im unable to go to the doctor and grab a years perscription of the contraceptive pill. I have to go back each 2 months and get another. My partner has Chrons disease, same thing, good luck in getting or being able to stock up on any medications - even if the medication contains nothing which can be broken down and re-used to create illicit drugs - tehre's no way in hell you'll be able to get more than a months perscription.

Which raises another important thing - Snake and Spider bites. I'm going to assume its going to be just like perscriptions, if not harder because its an Antivenom. I definately would like to Redback , and the most common venomous snake antivenom's on hand.


They like making it hard to live without them, dont they?

As for killing and Eating Bambi... I still feel guilty over letting a mouse get stuck in a mousetrap and die. I'd do my best to eat veggies, chicken eggs and milk. If an animal breaks a leg and looks like it's not going to recover or live without pain.... Then i would rethink my stance on killing that animal for food as a means to end its suffering. But to be honest, i dont think i could or would do it unless i was starving.

In the US, finding land is the hardest part. Not the finding, but having land where you are left alone--by everyone, including government. One cannot live "off the grid" simply because the government will not allow it; it wants some type of (property) taxes for the land your own/possess/use, and if you do not own it they will force you off, said taxes which are only paid in standard modern currency (they won't take barter, i doubt, not to mention hunting laws and the like). One could, theoretically "move to the hills," but that would only last so long.

Under the jurisdiction of the US government, you are subject to its laws, property laws and taxes, etc. You either own property or you are squatting, and they will get you both ways. You might be better off in Canada, but even then it would be hard to be left alone. You're always infringing on someone or his or her property.

If you find a way, good luck (and let me know!).

Better off finding and claiming a piece of land (island) no one has claim to. But then you better have a means to secure it....

Sad, isn't it....

I truly believe "off the grid" is a myth (at least in the US)...

~

To add:

You also have to think about your family. If you have children, you can't selfishly take them away from all they have known and into the *bush* (that might also be against the law, forcing them to live under *primitive* conditions without thought for their *welfare* (legalese), even if you have in mind what you think are their best interests; the state might disagree. Not i agree with the state in certain instances, but there might be legal repercussions, which would also be difficult to deal with if you are off the grid (no $) or taken away (arrested, child endangerment) , etc ). I mean, is this something that you all want to do and have agreed upon, or something that you want to do, and pack up the fam. to fulfill your desires? Seriously, think about these things.

Just a thought....

~

Another addition:

Do you know how much work it is to live OTG? Growing food, food preservation, enough through winter, to satisfy dietary requirements, quantity, time, means and places to store. I started gardening a couple of years ago, doing something similar, and it's difficult, time consuming. Long term storage is the key. Drying (depending on climate/bugs/spoilage and the time it takes), canning (safely), freezing (difficult), enough hands to plant/harvest/prepare and preserve the amount needed to adequately survive...and where and how to store it long term without having to think daily what you are going to eat (like animals).

reply to post by the2people


Yeah...I did see that. That's a concern. Is there a place where there is community and like minded individuals who aren't consumed by the "Rat Race" of getting ahead, working meaningless jobs and consuming too much and getting more out of touch with nature and each other. No not a hippie. I'm just not feeling it in the US right now. In Baltimore, or Las Vegas or Portland or Seattle or Southern California. There has to be somewhere better--I realize that the grass always looks greener somewhere else...I just need to get out though. We need to get out. Better may be Australia or down south or Canada...I'm not sure. Does anyone have experience? A great place--not a big city--I know I need education and healthcare and resources and community--maybe going all the way off grid isn't what I mean or need. I am of course worried about when the SHTF. I do have some survival skills but I'm looking for a place thats a little off the beaten path and close to nature ..easy to bug out to if needed but close enough to civilization and community to live a good life. man am I rambling. lol sorry.

Hehe, you may want to prepare anyway....we all just might be heading that way.
(It's better to preapare than be sorry).