Living off grid doesn't necessarily mean that you have to live like a caveman. It's about being creative and yet sometimes logical in order to find a way to make things work - using your mind and living a better, richer lifestyle.
This is often easier said than done, however, and it would be foolish to dive into an off-grid endeavour or way of life without a specific financial plan. Today we look at some of the best ways to make money whilst living off grid.
Off Grid Community
One of the best things about living off grid is being part of the friendly community; sharing ideas and tips. Being part of the community can also help people make a living. For example, members of the community will learn off each other and also trade skills and items. This is how the economy used to work, thousands of years ago - before money as we know it was 'created'. For example, a member of the off grid community could trade firewood with someone who has a supply of food, gas or something else desirable!
In the UK, check out offgridcommunity.co.uk, in the U.S. check out off-grid.net
Getting an Internet Connection
There are several ways to get the internet when you are off grid. This is one of the main concerns that people have when they move off grid and for good reason. The employment opportunities become substantially larger if you can get a good internet connection.
The easiest way to get an internet connection off grid is to use your mobile phone. When you use the internet for daily tasks, most people can get by by using their phone. You can do blogs, social media, you can even do online banking with your phone. You should consider checking the coverage maps of all the major mobile phone network providers before you buy land or a property that is off grid.
You can also use a signal booster, in America, you can use weboost and amazon stock lots of different hardware that will boost your signal off grid. Once you have a good connection, you can tether your phone with a cable to your computer. You effectively use your mobile phone as a wifi provider.
Fixed wireless broadband is another option. In many rural areas, local companies have built a small tower and add antennas that point towards different properties. If you sign up to their service, they will provide you with a corresponding antenna that will pick up the signal.
Finally, consider using a satellite internet provider such as Hughesnet. Unfortunately, this is often slower than conventional wifi.
Sell Your Off Grid Skills
Chances are if you have moved off grid, you've become pretty handy with an axe and other tools that the general public is becoming more interested in.
Interest in bushcraft has grown dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. With panic buying overwhelming the grocery stores, people are now looking to grow their own food, forage and hunt their own food and become more self-sufficient. Many companies now exist doing workshops related to these skills - often with a dozen or more participants paying $100 or more per day.
Other common day-jobs for those living off grid include selling art, such as paintings, carvings and sculptures. Others travel to festivals several times per year to teach either bushcraft or entertain & educate with another specialised skill such as yoga, meditation or music. Finally, if you have surplus food such as eggs or organic vegetables, you can look to sell these too.
Outsource
If you are running a small business whilst living off-grid consider outsourcing to enable you to grow your business without having to employ full-time staff. with outsourcing you can pay per project and not have to provide full-time permanent contracts. You can also grow the business without having to invest in office space - something you definitely don't want to do if you are off grid! If you have a poor mobile signal, you may wish to consider outsourcing to a telephone answering service with a company such as Moneypenny. With a virtual receptionist you will not miss any calls or important sales leads and you will also so I appear ear professional and provide better customer service.
For other services, such as digital marketing and graphic design, peopleperhour, upwork and fiverr all have experts who provide services at varying prices.
Keep Your Day Job
Although there is something special about running your own business; there's no reason why you couldn't live off grid and commute to a normal day job. Of course, this depends on how far away from your place of work you live! It's certainly not unusual to do this however and it can bring a lot of meaning to your life once you have established yourself as off-grid.
The downside with this is that it can limit where you live. If you want to live within an hour of a town or city, this can mean that you are not necessarily escaping civilisation and that the price of land may be higher. Living off grid, yet within an hour of a town has many benefits, however. The sense of community can be vital and is something that people desperately miss when living off grid.
If the COVID-19 pandemic is anything to go by however if you can get a strong internet connection, there may be a real possibility of living off grid and remote-working your day job.
Your day-job of course - might be one of the stresses of modern life that you are looking to escape from, however!