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CherrySix
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 11:23
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Hi there I am new to the forum and just wanted to share my thoughts about off grid living and run them by the fellow members.
I've just begun living "off grid" on 5 acres of wooded land in a 24' cabin. No loans or mortgage, just own the land and property taxes at 450 a year.
Instead of finding peace and happiness, I am finding myself filled with anger and resentment at how much I still have to pay out cash-wise. I'm a person who enjoys writing songs on an acoustic guitar, so in my brain cash is equal to time.
So I was looking out the window at my truck the other day and I decided to get rid of it. Once I'm completely moved into here, I could sell it or give it to a family member. The reasons:
-Ripoff gas prices
-Despite gas tax I still feel our roads and road systems suck, so I don't want to pay
-Tolls, it's 16 bucks round trip from NY state to Connecticut.
-Toll fees, god forbid you miss a payment or don't have EZ pass.
-Having to get EZ pass; means having to create a login account, sign up, put in banking info... again crap I don't want to do with my life.
-Tickets. I've paid out $450 in two speeding tickets in the last 3 months. NY state is apparently dicks about speeding. Had to do a driver diversion program to not affect my insurance. On the second ticket I drove 65MPH the whole 3.5 hour drive from CT to NY, but for a moment of lost focus I climbed to 81 and was instantly pulled over.
-The cost of insurance
-The cost of never ending upkeep on the car.
-Lack of physical exercise because I just get in my car like a pud.
-Yearly car tax
-Regular emissions testing. Regular enough that it has bothered my life.
-Non-stop car rust
I hate my cell phone too. Here are some reasons I came up with to get rid of it too:
-Even free obamaphone service requires some contact with service providers, which means being on hold for 2 hours staring at a dumb little phone.
-I don't care anymore if people can't talk to me, or I can't have a social life because of getting rid of the phone. I'll be just fine.
-I'm not worried about emergencies and being able to call 911. If I die I die. So what.
-I'm not worried about needing a phone to get employment. If they won't hire me because I don't have a phone I don't care.
Internet would have to go as well.
-Internet and data plans are all rip-offs in the US.
-I currently pay 90 per month for a hot-spot to get rural internet, that's $1080 per month.
-As I type that very internet is struggling to work.
-If I want to share my song recordings online I can bike to the library and use their net.
I guess that about covers it. I won't have a car, but I'll use a bike to get around. I don't have a plan, and I'm not sure what's going to happen. I might go hungry, but I could use the weight loss. I'm overweight by at least 30 pounds. I just know I'm sick of being a part of culture in any capacity. I have a generator and some batteries. If you have any other tips about how I can bow-out from bills further please chime in. Thanks.
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 11:49
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I personally find I save money when I don't pay the bills that I do not like.
Enjoy off-grid.
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pabear89
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 15:34
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Quoting: frankpaige # Posted: 1 Apr 2021 11:49 Reply Quote I personally find I save money when I don't pay the bills that I do not like. Enjoy off-grid.
That is funny,
But to the OGp, It all depends on what your willing to live with or without. You biking to the laundry mat or beating your clothes on a rock by the stream?
Might figure out a cart attachment for that bike as hauling 5gal gas cans is not easy.
Food storage is something to consider too unless your going all Rambo hunting and gathering mode.
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 15:35
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That's the cost of life. Here in the northeast you can guarantee taxes and rust.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 16:09 - Edited by: gcrank1
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Having btdt in the late '60-early '70s (remember the 'hippies'?) and a subscriber to 'TMEN' (The Mother Earth News) I can attest to the concept.....and that learning to 'live without' can teach a lot about the real stuff of life.
I can also say that none of the folks I chummed with in all that are still doing it. I think my wife and I come the closest in having our second property be Da 9 with the off-grid-dry-rough cabin, but it is an indulgence in itself complete with prop tax and insurance, upkeep, etc.
In many ways we try to live a low-impact lifestyle with respect for others and 'the planet' without being hyperbolic about it.
Having been an angry young man with 'issues' I can understand a bunch of things about 'the system' that could give me an unhappy life If I Continued To Let Them. So I live a life of sensible compromise, choosing my battles wisely (more often than not now) and am a better man for it.
A wise man once told me,"what a man thinks he wants and what he really wants aint necessarily the same thing". I found it to be true.
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NorthRick
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 16:34
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Quoting: CherrySix I don't have a plan, and I'm not sure what's going to happen.
You are going to end up on more public assistance than you already are (free obamaphone). The rest of us who deal with "the man" are going to have to pay for it.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 18:34
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Living off-grid and being as self-sufficient as one can be, requires a plan. We are sometimes our own worst enemy. Planning can help with that.
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CherrySix
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 19:54
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Thanks for all the advice and ideas. I've had fun reading through all the replies. Good luck to everyone in their off-grid adventures.
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redneckpaul
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 20:56
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First mistake you made is buying land in the shithole overtaxed communist state of ny. Run buy liberals with a a-hole pervert governor. Sell and move to a state where there is still freedom like MT, WY, AK maybe a few others. Ya your gonna need a vehicle to go to town and get supplies no matter where your at.
Anyway good luck with your life and I hope everything works out for you
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 21:34
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Quoting: redneckpaul First mistake you made is buying land in the shithole overtaxed communist state of ny. Run buy liberals with a a-hole pervert governor. Sell and move to a state where there is still freedom like MT, WY, AK maybe a few others. Ya your gonna need a vehicle to go to town and get supplies no matter where your at. Anyway good luck with your life and I hope everything works out for you
Don’t hold back now.
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frankpaige
Member
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# Posted: 1 Apr 2021 23:42
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CherrySix,
Your post made me think more afterwards. Many have this idyllic idea of living away from each other. Sounds good? But, it is tough! Self sufficiency is a ball buster. Food, water, heat. What did the unibomber say? It took a $100 a month to survive. That is basic. Just not sure many people are ready for that extreme. It really does come down to what you are ready to give up.
Hey! I wish you well, I do. But, have a plan. Everyone needs a plan. I call it situational awareness. A+B=?
There are helpful people out here. Goodness! How much I have learned. Wishing you well, Stay safe.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2021 12:05 - Edited by: gcrank1
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+1 on a plan
Basically, if ya dont have a plan you have planned to fail.
Many people are reactionary rather than proactive, they respond to whatever so they are always at least one step behind. Ime that makes it harder to catch up.
Those who are truly 'captains of their life' are proactive.
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