Simple Living: Off the grid
Guest post by Amanda Rootsey.
Today I want to talk to you about getting off the grid. My boyfriend, Dave and I have gotten rid of most of our possessions and now live in a solar-powered caravan on top of a mountain. We are not connected to town electricity, water, sewage or phone lines. We need a 4WD just to get home, we grow our own vegetables, collect our own water, shower under the stars, have camp fires, dig a hole for our poop (I leave that job to Dave) and our closest neighbours are about a kilometre away. And we love it!
I’m not suggesting you do the same, because it’s certainly not for everyone, but with this lifestyle change, I have learnt a thing or two about conserving. Conserving water and conserving power. And there are quite a few things you could be doing in your own home to reduce your consumption and hopefully save a buck on your next electricity bill.
The first thing we did when we moved to this beautiful, secluded place, was to get rid of some appliances. Because we actually live in our caravan, we have a pretty big one and it came with all of the luxuries of home, such as a microwave, washing machine and full size fridge and freezer. These are great when you are plugged in to power in a caravan park but they suck the energy out of our solar panels pretty quickly. So we dumped the microwave and washing machine and we turned off the fridge. We have a much smaller fridge outside that we run on gas instead and we swapped the TV for a super low voltage one so that we can watch re-runs of Glee all day long and not run out of power.
The blender, iron and hair dryer had to go because they use up a huge amount of power. The juicer, however, could stay because it is one of those fancy ones that slowly crushes the fruit and vegetables.
In the kitchen, I’ve found that it’s not a bad thing if you have to chop your vegetables by hand or mash something up in a mortar and pestle rather than putting it in to a food processor. Or to heat something on the stove rather than using a microwave, which we all know is bad for our health anyway. It actually feels good to be doing things from scratch and the way women have always done things prior.
Amanda and her manual washing machine
We have lots of solar lights around the place, including a sensor one outside. We even have a solar charger for our phones.
Of course making some of these changes might seem a little extreme to most people. But there are plenty of things you can be doing too. In your own home, take note of how many appliances, lights, gadgets and other electrical devices you have plugged in and turned on. You will probably be surprised. By making a conscious effort to unplug them when you are not using them and even getting rid of some things, such as your microwave, you will definitely save some money. You could also have a candle lit dinner once in a while and switch to solar lights in your garden.
Next time you are shopping, rather than being captivated by all of the advertisements, try to take a moment to think about what you really need. Downgrading and simplifying is not a bad thing, it’s actually very liberating. When you start to realize that these things don’t make you happy or define you, you make way for other experiences that nurture your spirit rather than bankrupt you. A fantastic thing to do that I’ve been trying to do lately, is take a day each week or each month to be completely ‘off the grid’. Turn everything off, including your computer and your phone and just hang at home all day or go for a walk or to the beach – something that will get you back in touch with nature. We have become so dependent on our little devices that it can seem quite challenging to spend a day without them. Which is all the more reason to do it!
Author bio: Amanda Rootsey is Australia’s first Eco-Model and co-founder of Vegan Era. After going through cancer, her perspective on life changed a lot and she now lives in a solar-powered caravan on top of a mountain with her boyfriend and little staffy girl, Trudi. She blogs about living simply, natural health, eco-fashion and vegan food at A Modern Girl’s Life.
Positive affirmation for the day: I make a conscious effort to live simply where possible.
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POSTED IN: A Modern Girl's Life, Amanda Rootsey, eco living, eco mode, environment, Mother Nature, natural, nature, off the grid, simple living, solar power, Vegan Era
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Love it love it love it. SO much food for thought. Thanks for sharing Amanda and Jess!
xLouise
What is a “staffy girl”? I live in USA and don’t know what that means!
Hi Barbara,
This means that they have a beautiful little girl dog and that her breed is called a staffy. It’s quite a popular breed of dog in Aust 
Amazing article! This is my life in a couple of years time when i have finally settled down. It’s so amazing to read about people actually doing it and picking up ideas and tips. Love your blog Amanda!
Oh sorry Barbara, Debbie is right, our ‘staffy girl’ is our puppy.
Thank you for such a beautiful and inspiring blog !
I am so moved by this story and life-style.
I think you just planted a seed !
sandra
The obvious question is what did you type your blog on, and how did it magically appear on everyone’s PC?
haha very good question! I’ve got a Macbook and it doesn’t pull too much power so I can actually charge it with 12v power from the solar panels (Dave however, has a Macbok Pro and it is too powerful!). And surprisingly, we have excellent reception for the internet with a USB dongle because we are on top of a mountain. So, while we are not connected to town power or phone lines, we can still work from home quite a bit. Though we do need to go down to the library if we need to work for more than a couple of hours.
Thank you, that is very interesting to know. I really didn’t mean to sound sarcastic.
So ‘cool’ Amanda (and thanks Jessica for putting up the article) – This is like what I do, but only for a few days, when I feel ‘my’ clinical depression creeping up on me. I had a minor relapse just recently (fortunately it doesn’t happen very often) and just had to ‘go bush’ – only battery power for a light and gas to cook on. Hearing a spring fed gully run and waking up to birds singing in the morning just does something to my state of health. Bless you ladies. Lyall
I know what you mean Lyall, it feels so beautiful and healing being surrounded by nature. Thanks so much for your comment.
Hi ‘student’. You said “The obvious question is what did you type your blog on, and how did it magically appear on everyone’s PC”.
It was obviously a computer. If one lives off the grid in the bush, it doesn’t mean that you have to live in isolation indefinitely, although that is possible if one so chooses. One still needs to visit family & friends (so important), and attend to various matters; and sharing on a blog means caring enough to share your wonderful experiences. Computers aren’t evil, but helpful, but they can distract from many of life’s simple pleasures; just as money is not evil, but the love of money can be a downfall for some people. Lyall
Dude, it was just an innocent question about real practicalities and I never said computers are evil or there is anything wrong with using them.
It’s just that if someone was ‘totally’ off the grid they wouldn’t be blogging (‘totally’ was said in the intro not written by Amanda). I think her post is really interesting and didnt make any outrageous claims. I just wanted to know about this particular practicality that is all, like how is the computer powered, how do they get connectivity. Maybe the answer is somethign boring like an internet cafe).
I know a guy who *has* gone totally off the grid, growing his own produce, solar, etc, refuses to use a computer or the internet, refuses to fly because of its carbon footprint, has no car. He lives in the country. This is quite intense commitment as he is a professional poet, and he makes a living by travelling a lot to do readings and to teach, and he has to travel by train or ship if he’s going overseas. Anyway just an anecdote.
I’m just saying, I don’t know how people can do it and I admire people who can. And I agree how could people share their experiences without the internet.
You are right Student, we often dream of being totally off the grid by getting rid of mobiles, computers, etc but it isn’t really practical for us right now. It sounds like your friend is pumping! Such a cool story.
Well done Amanda & Dave. My husband & I and our 2 little girls lived for 3 years in a house made from recycled freezer panel. We were totally solar powered, composting loo, grew as much as we could and had beautiful rainwater. We too ditched the mircowave but had enough power to run the front loader washing machine, dishwasher, a whopping fridge and coffee machine. (we bought the biggest system we could afford) If power was low we sacrificed the dishwasher and kept enjoying the coffee! What was amazing was how little water we used. Our gravity feed solar hot water was great and the washer was efficient. Because we were not flushing the loo we really used very little water. We really didn’t go with out. We recently moved towns and into a power sucking rental and are horrified at the costs of running an inefficient household. Now looking for land so we can do it all over again! So great to hear of others out there doing it!
Wow that sounds awesome Kristy! What a great idea with the freezer panels – I imagine that was very well insulated!
It’s funny you say that about the coffee machine because Dave loves his coffee and we’ve been recently looking around for a coffee machine that is low wattage enough to run in the caravan but we can’t find one. 
We then decided that it’s such a nice treat to go out for a coffee once in a while that we don’t really want one at home anyway. It’s funny how after you’ve been settled for a little while you start thinking about extra little luxuries that you know you don’t need.
We are equally surprised by how little water we use. We have a gas hot water system but we’ve only turned it on a couple of times. We are happy enough boiling some water on the stove (which uses gas anyway I suppose!) and having a shower outside.
Good luck finding some land and getting yourselves set up again!
Hi Amanda,
Would love to live like that however am worried about my children not experiencing enough social interaction and then there is their schooling….would love to home school but I would make them out to be freaks and because I was different as a child, all I ever wanted was to be like everyone else so then I could choose to be different. I feel I can’t make that choice for my kids.
Plus, what about the costs involved?
Hi Lucky,
Yes I know what you mean, I’m not sure what we would do if we had kids. As for the costs, we are lucky that we came across some land for rent on a website – http://www.gumtree.com.au
The landlord has 200 acres here and stays here a few days a week in a house he built on the other side of the property. We’ve got a little fenced area of about 1 acre and we are renting it for just $200 per month. That was one of the drawcards for us! After going through cancer, we really needed somewhere that wasn’t too stressful and didn’t force us back in to full time work.
We bought the caravan outright after selling lots of stuff, but the cost of caravans or even eco-cabins vary so much.
I hope that helps!
I wish for that lifestyle as well, but my other half holds me back
My hubby and I are currently travelling Oz in a small caravan and its amazing how little you need. I get great pleasure from baking bread and scones (from scratch) in my camp oven. There will be some major changes when we get back home, that is for sure!!
That sounds awesome. We always had plans of traveling with the caravan but if we do decide to do it, we’ll definitely downgrade. The one we have is too big and so much effort to pack down and move! I haven’t tried baking bread or scones in the camp oven – will definitely have to give it a go!