When you think of being self-sufficient, what images come to mind?

Is it sitting by the fire while you read a good book on a nice winter evening?

Or maybe it’s the sound of a running brook a stone’s throw away from your homestead that has some of the clearest and freshest water known to mankind?

Or maybe…just maybe…it’s the sly grin you see on your face for leaving the hustle and bustle of the ‘city life’ behind?

While all of these are attainable with an off-grid lifestyle, they can be a little ‘fabricated’ by some aspiring ‘off griders’.

See, the issue is for most people, they’ve been born into a world with everything done a certain way inside of a certain system.

Most haven’t been brought up to grow their own food.  Heck, most don’t even know how.

And this is just the beginning.  There are so many things that go into making an off-grid lifestyle work that you MUST plan accordingly before taking it on.

With that being said, let me give you 3 of the most costly mistakes you must avoid as you attempt your off-grid journey:

1.  Failing To Learn About Generating Power

Most humans today don’t even think twice about power production.  They only know if they turn a switch on, the light should come on with it.  And if it doesn’t?  They figure they just need to swap out a lightbulb.

But if you’re considering self-sufficiency, then generating power is one of your top concerns.

For example, how will you power your home?  Your appliances?  Solar?  Hydro?  How will you heat the home?  Geothermal?  Firewood? (more on that in a moment…)

These are things not to be taken lightly.  Let’s say if you were going to go the route of solar energy.  That means you’ll minimally need knowledge on:

* Solar panels
* Battery banks
* Electrical wiring skills

And that’s just the start.  What happens if a battery corrodes?  Or if a panel gets busted?  How will you repair it?  Do you even have the tools to do so?

Now what happens if you don’t have power in an emergency?  That’s why one of the first things you should get familiar with is power generation before you get into your off-grid lifestyle.

2. Failing To Count The TRUE Cost of Going Off Grid

While there are some people who prefer the simple life and have shelved their electronics, they still accrue costs in other places.

One off-grid person that I researched showed that they saved money on electricity because they generate their own power, but their home insurance was 5X the amount than their previous suburban home!

Also since they live in an area that gets really cold during the winter, they have to purchase firewood.  They needed 9 cords of firewood to help keep the home warm-ish.

Each cord of firewood costs them $300 each.  That’s $2700!

It’s items like these that can make the off-grid lifestyle more costly than you would have imagined.  So count the cost before going all in.

3.  Not Being Realistic and Preparing Your Body BEFORE You Go Off Grid

Unless you’re going to have an off-grid smart home (I know that’s backwards lol), then you have to keep in mind that you’ll need to do chores to maintain the lifestyle.

That means a lot of lifting, bending, and other things that current lifestyles aren’t used to.

It’s one thing to occasionally pick up a table, but to jump into hardcore chores after sitting at your desk for years eating Reese’s cups all day is going to put a serious shock on your body.

And, not to mention, make it primed for injuries…which can take a while to recover from…which makes the off-grid lifestyle harder.

So get an idea of what your daily chores will be and start preparing your body with exercise.  A good core and flexibility exercise program will do wonders. 

Should You Avoid Going Off-Grid?

Absolutely not.  If you want to live that lifestyle then by all means go for it!

Just be aware of all the potential obstacles before you do.  Plus, with YouTube and the internet, there’s no reason why you can’t learn all the things you need to know beforehand to minimize any potential mistakes down the road.

My advice?  Just be patient, take your time, and ease into it if you can.

It’s still a good lifestyle to learn…even if you won’t live it in the future.