Common Living Off The Grid Mistakes To Avoid

Living off the grid in a land in the middle of nowhere, living by what you sow from that land, is a dream for many. It might be a good idea, but it isn’t easy. You might have to live off scavenging, or worse, you’ll end up if you don’t do it right. Here are the common mistakes to avoid when living off the grid.

Not Considering the Weather Conditions

Natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and droughts are things to look out for. Always pay heed to the weather patterns changes and not be complacent with what the media says. Do your own research and pick the safest location. After choosing a location, don’t forget to study its weather patterns and how to handle them.

mobile home, grass, logs, bush, rock formations, clouds, blue sky

Aside from natural occurring disasters, look out for possible nuclear contamination. If doable, avoid staying within 100 miles of a nuclear waste facility or a nuclear power plant. Also, avoid major waterways like rivers connecting a nuclear facility to within 100 miles of your chosen location. It’s best to avoid areas that have the possibility of being contaminated.

Not Having a Means of Income

You might think that living off the grid will cost you nothing; there are still taxes to pay, emergencies to prepare for, and an off-grid life to adapt to. Even if you can get your basic needs from your location without having to open your wallet, it never hurts to have a means of income.

Lack of Knowledge and Ability on Sanitation Issues

Poor sanitation can lead to harmful disease outbreaks. You must put into consideration what to do with your composting toilet, the disposal of chemicals and old paint, kitchen garbage, bathwater, and your septic system.

You should choose a system that can recycle as much waste as possible without using harmful or toxic chemicals. Always keep in mind that the land you live on is all that you have. Ruining it will cause you great loss as it’s very likely that you won’t be able to replace it or fix the problem.

You can try investing in a compost generator for kitchen waste, composting toilets, and converting waste into fuel.

Lack of Medical Knowledge and Skills

Knowing how to take care of yourself is an essential skill given your living situation. As someone living off the grid, you will need to learn and understand emergency medicine and herbal remedies. Also, you are responsible for your own well-being, so you must live a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food, getting enough exercise, and avoiding recreational drugs that might endanger your health.

Lack of Self and Property Defense Equipment and Skills

Living in a land far away from a human settlement without worrying about all the crime and other potential hazards that come with it is quite ideal, but sadly, that is not the case. It’s a grave mistake to believe that living in isolation automatically means safety.

You may still have to deal with criminals passing through, looking for somewhere to hide, or with others ready to commit any crime, which is why knowing how to defend yourself and your property at all times is the best way to survive living off the grid.

Inability to Store and Prepare Foods

Although storing and preparing food is a basic human skill, many people are still planning to live off-grid that don’t know how to do them. For example, many people think it’s easy to do when it comes to canning food because there are many recipes online, and the basic supplies are readily available. What they don’t know is that canning actually needs a lot of skill and practice to perfect.

It is also essential to have an efficient and effective food inventory system to avoid eating spoiled or contaminated food because of improper storage.

Inability to Obtain and Purify Water

Obtaining and purifying water have well-founded methods for both, but you can’t deny the fact that some modern, drinkable water supplies are hazardous.

When it comes to obtaining and purifying water, common problems are heavy metal contamination, fluoride, medications, and nuclear waste. The truth is, you won’t always have access to clean, safe water.

While distilling the water you use to drink and cook with is a common practice; doing it will only eliminate most of the chemicals and pathogens but not tritium. Additionally, drinking distilled water for a long time increases the risk of you depleting your electrolytes and minerals, which is why you need to know how to make up for this loss by using foods and other beverages.

Nowadays, numerous people don’t put much thought into their bath and wash water’s safety and cleanliness. You should note that the skin can absorb many chemicals, and some might end up being absorbed through your mucus membranes.

Purifying the water you’ll use for washing and bathing may take a lot of effort to do, but it will ultimately be worth the hard work.