The Everything Guide to Living Off the Grid

306 Pages·2011·6.25 MB·English

by  Terri Reid

THE
Live the self-sustaining, self-suffcient, The
GUIDE
TO
and self-fulflling life
Do you want to have electricity and hot water at any time, no matter
what’s going on outside your property?
Do you want to have more control over the things you eat and how they are processed?
Do you want your family safe from the worries of a bad economy and crime?
®
Guide to
If you answered “yes” to these questions, then living off the grid may be for you. Although
living off the grid takes some hard work, the benefts make it all worthwhile. This practical
guide gives you all the information you’ll need to move off the grid, including how to:
• Grow your own produce
• Raise, hunt, and process your meat
Living Off
• Eliminate existing debt to cut off fnancial ties
• Build a sustainable home from scratch
• Harvest and reuse water
• Create your own sources of energy
Whether you want to live an eco-friendly life or just want to incorporate a few key aspects into
the Grid
your existing day-to-day, The Everything® Guide to Living Off the Grid is your comprehensive
introduction to homestead sustainability.
A bAck-tO-bAsics mAnuAL fOr independent LivinG
terri reid is a writer with twenty years of off-grid living experience. She has written about self-
reliance, sustainable living, and the post-consumer lifestyle in a monthly newspaper column
and has appeared in BackWoods Home Magazine, Scouting Magazine, the Washington
Post, and the Chicago Tribune. She lives off the grid in Lena, IL. Build and relocate to a Maintain your
new energy-efficient home own food supply
The
C
Moigvhetry iImslagndes, :© is Etoscrak pBhAoKtoIR ©, n©u Draannv eTcetrorgirl, Guide to ® Make an easy transition Create your own power
$15.95 (CAN $17.99) Home & Garden sources and reduce your
ISBN-13: 978-1-4405-1275-9 for you and your family
ISBN-10: 1-4405-1275-2 Living Off reliance on public utilities
the Grid www.everything.com REID terri reid
Includes
techniques for
an easy off-grid
transition!
LIVING OFF THE GRID
THE
guidE To
living off THE grid
Dear Reader,
Twenty years ago, my family and I left the hustle and bustle of living in
Chicago and moved to a small farm in northwest Illinois. I remember
the very frst night in our hundred-year-old farmhouse, resting in my
bed and being kept awake by the sounds of frogs and crickets—instead
of the usual noises of the trucks and cars on the highway and the air-
planes from O’Hare. We couldn’t sleep because it was too quiet. A lot has
changed since then.
During these years much of what we learned about a self-suffcient
lifestyle was by trial and error. From chasing our escaped cattle down
the road when I was eight months pregnant to trying to herd sheep in on
a rainy day, I know we gave our more experienced neighbors good rea-
son to shake their heads and laugh.
With this book, I’d like to take your hand and guide you through
some of the things we learned, so you’re not out there on your own.
Instead, you’ll have a friend to lean on. This book will send you in the
right direction and give you the tools to learn more. Enjoy your journey
to being self-suffcient. It’s well worth the trip!
Terri Reid
Welcome to the Series!
®
These handy, accessible books give you all We give you everything you need to know
you need to tackle a diffcult project, gain a on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff
new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, along the way, too.
prepare for an exam, or even brush up on
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something you learned back in school but We now have more than 400 Everything
have since forgotten. books in print, spanning such wide-ranging
categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking,
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You can choose to read an Everything book music instruction, foreign language, crafts,
from cover to cover or just pick out the infor- pets, New Age, and so much more. When
mation you want from our four useful boxes: you’re done reading them all, you can fnally
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e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials. say you know Everything !
Answers to Important snippets Urgent Quick
common questions of information warnings handy tips
publisher  Karen Cooper
director of acquisitions and innovation  Paula Munier
managing editor, everything® series  Lisa Laing
copy chief  Casey Ebert
assistant production editor  Jacob Erickson
acquisitions editor  Kate Powers
senior development editor  Brett Palana-Shanahan
editorial assistant  Ross Weisman
everything® series cover designer  Erin Alexander
layout designers  Colleen Cunningham, Elisabeth Lariviere, Ashley Vierra, Denise Wallace
®
Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com
THE
guidE To
living off
THE grid
A back-to-basics manual for independent living
Terri Reid
Avon, Massachusetts
Dedicated to all of those who are willing
not only to dream big, but also have the
courage to make their dreams come true.
Copyright © 2011 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
®
An Everything Series Book.
® ®
Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.
Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefeld Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-4405-1275-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-1275-9
eISBN 10: 1-4405-2491-2
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-2491-2
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reid, Terri.
The everything guide to living off the grid / Terri Reid.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4405-1275-9
1. Self-reliant living. 2. Sustainable living. I. Title.
GF78.R45 2011
640—dc22
2011010219
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the
subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in ren-
dering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is
required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are
claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was
aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.
This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.
Contents
The Top 10 Reasons to Live Off the Grid x
Introduction xi
The Reality of Living Off Generating Income Off
01 03
the Grid / 1 the Grid / 23
Why Should You Move Off the Grid? 2 How Much Does It Cost to Go
Can You Survive Off the Grid? 4 Off-Grid? 24
The Different Levels of “Off-Grid” Generating Income 25
Living 4 Bartering and Dealing 26
How Far Off the Grid Are You Able Farmers’ Markets and Other
to Go? 5 Local Produce 28
Keeping and Maintaining Relationships 6 Craft Sales 29
Taking the First Steps 7 Online Store 31
Getting Out of Debt / 11 There’s No Place
02 04
What Is Debt? 12 Like Home / 33
How Interest Works Against You or The Perfect Piece of Land 34
for You 13 Geographical Perks 35
Good Debt versus Bad Debt 14 Geographical Warning Signs 36
Creating a Budget 15 Paying for Your Property 37
Sticking to a Budget 18 Temporary Housing 39
Refocusing Your Priorities 18 Building Your Own Shelter 41
Off-Grid Living as an Escape Hatch 20
v
Family Needs / 43 Fruit Trees 77
05
Socialization for Kids and Adults 44 Berry Bushes 79
The ABCs of Off-Grid Schooling 45 Wild Fruit 82
Support Groups and Assistance 46
Do You Still Need Health Insurance? 47 Canning and Preserving
09
Food / 85
Building a Strong Community 48
Canning Your Harvest 86
Where to Find Legal Advice 49
Water-Bath Canning 87
Power Supplies / 51 Pressure-Cooker Canning 87
06
Geothermal Power 52 Drying Food 89
Solar Power 53 Pickling 90
Wood Burning 54 Freezing 91
Wind Power 56
Building a Root Cellar / 93
Hydro Power 57 10
Choosing Crops for Fall Storage 94
Alternative Energies 58
Harvesting and Preparing for Storage 94
Developing Your Root Cellar Options 95
07
Green Thumb / 61 Ideal Root Cellar Conditions 97
Planning Your Garden 62 Spoilage 98
A Solar Greenhouse 63
Preparing the Land 65 Saving Seeds / 99
11
Planting Your Garden 67 Why Save Seeds 100
Composting 68 The Difference Between Hybrid and
Heirloom Seeds 100
Harvesting 69
Collecting Seeds 101
Extracting and Drying Seeds 102
Starting an Orchard / 73
08 Storing Seeds 103
Best Location for an Orchard 74
Testing Seeds 103
What Size Trees Do You Use? 74
Pruning Basics 76
vi
Contents
The Buzz about Processing Your Own
12 15
Beekeeping / 105 Meat / 151
Is Your Location Right for Bees? 106 Skinning Large Game 152
Basic Equipment 107 Quartering and Cutting Large Game
How to Purchase Bees 108 153
Managing Your Hive 110 Small Game 156
Common Problems 111 Processing Poultry 158
Gathering Honey 112 Butchering Large Domestic Animals 165
Legal Requirements 113
Your Pantry / 169
16
Raising Your Own / 115 Grains 170
13
Can You Afford It? 116 Legumes 176
Raising Poultry 120 Cooking Supplies 180
Raising Rabbits 123 Helpful Equipment 181
Raising Pigs 124 Survival Essentials 182
Raising Goats 126
The Importance of Herbs / 187
Raising Cows 126 17
Your Herb Garden 188
Raising Sheep 127
Herbs in Food 189
Hunting / 129 How to Use Herbs for Health 192
14
Know Your Quarry 130 Herbs for Beauty and Home Care 193
Preparation 130 Herbs for Medicinal Purposes 195
Equipment 132 Wild Herbs 196
Obtaining a License 140
Water, Water,
During the Hunt 141 18
Everywhere / 199
Taking the Shot 144
Harvesting Water 200
After the Hunt 147
Wells and Pumps 203
vii
Irrigation 205 Emergency Cooking 242
Graywater Use 206 Food 244
Septic Systems 207 Water 245
Water Storage 209 Medicines 247
Light 248
Dealing with Rodents, Critters, Storing Important Documents 251
19
and Pests of All Kinds / 213
Man’s Best Friend 214 Starting Today / 253
21
How to Identify Rodents 216 Urban Homesteading 254
Rodent Control 218 Container Gardening 259
Killing Rodents 219 Local Foods 265
Barn Cats 220 Preparing Physically 270
Learning the Habits of Your New A Trial Run 274
“Neighbors” 222
Creating a Plan 275
Natural Insecticides 227
Flying Pests 230
Appendix A: Recommended
Reading 279
20 Emergency Preparedness / 235 Appendix B: Government
72-Hour Kit 236 Resources 283
Heat 240
Index 285
viii
Acknowledgments
To my husband, Richard, and to my wonderful children, who make every
day in this journey called life a delightful adventure. Thank you for your
willingness to not only put up with, but go along with some of my “interest-
ing” ideas. And thank you for believing in me.
Thanks to my parents and siblings for their encouragement and support.
Thanks to my writing “sisters,” who sent encouragement, support, choco-
late, and good vibes my way.
Thanks to my editor, Kate, for her swift responses and encouragement.
And, fnally, thanks to my Heavenly Father for creating this magnifcent
world we get to live in, with all of the astonishing animals, plants, and
natural wonders we have stewardship over. May we all remember to be
grateful and wise stewards.