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  • From: Mark Stutzman <mark AT transvantage.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Shaking the grid
  • Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:07:27 -0500

I'm in the same boat as you, Robert. I just joined this list a few days ago (hi, everyone) in order to increase my knowledge of homesteading skills. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to the point where I'm a true, off-the-grid homesteader, but I'm interested in learning as much as possible, as I've little to no faith that our government is going to get it's act together regarding our reliance on unsustainable (read: fossil fuel) energy before it becomes cost-prohibitive for all but the super-rich.

Currently, I'm concentrating on food production and storage, rather than energy, simply due cost. The garden is currently a small, "square foot" garden, which I will expand a little every year. I started canning things last summer. Gathering wild edibles. This winter I hope to build a couple of beehives. The list goes on.

My preparations for if the power goes out have so far been limited to stockpiling a bunch of water, both potable for drinking/cooking, and non-potable in old kitty litter jugs for topping off the toilet tank or heating on the woodstove for bathing. I also installed a fireplace crane, so I can hang a dutch oven over the fire, and picked up a replacement grill grate, so I can grill in the fireplace. Someday I'll weld up a support rack for it, but it works OK now, just resting on a couple of chunks of firewood. So, now we can cook and bathe by candlelight or a propane lantern, and sleep in relative comfort by the woodstove, if the power goes out.

It's easy to get lost as to where to start if all you can see is "off-the-grid homesteading" as a goal. You might try breaking it up into many smaller goals, and then tackling them one by one (make lists, and cross things off as you complete them). The smaller the chunks you are able to break something up into, the easier it becomes to find somewhere to start, and see progress toward the ultimate goal. I consider my power loss prep to be Phase 1. We can be comfortable without power for a few days. Of course, now that I've accomplished Phase 1, we haven't lost power this winter at all (so far).

-mark

Robert Walton wrote:
I'm not an off grid homesteader. Sometimes I wonder if I'd even make
it into the homestead category, if it existed and had a hard
definition. I just do my own thing and like to be self sufficient.
Like not having a wood burner that needs electric power, etc.

Some of my plans for losing power are just to not really need external
power. Just keep it an optional thing.

I'm reconsidering this a bit. I'd like to create some power so that I
could lose external power and still keep some of my basic electrical
things going. Lights for sure. Maybe the well pump.

Is anyone off grid here or partially off grid? I'm really kind of lost
as to where to start.

Rob - Va
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