We Moved off the Grid 10 Years Ago: Big Benefits, Surpring Drawbacks

My Now-Husband Scott and i fell in love while hiking the appalachian trail in College-and then spent the few years fantasizing about a rural, Nature-fidied, off-gray lifestyle.

We have finished College in 2015, we finally had an opportunity to make that Dream Come True.

I’d Lived in the northeast my whole life and met scott in vermont, but he grew up in rural west virginia. Be inherited Land there, we decide to make the move.

Once in West Virginia, We’d Build a Cabin, Adopt a Few Rescue Pets, Raise Chickens and Bees, and Live Off-Grid. We Figated This Lifestyle Wouuld Be Sustainable and Budget-Fryently, and after the Appalachian Trail, How Hard Could It Be?

We didn’t anticipate how isolated we’d feel at Times, and How Challenging It Wauld Be to Care for Our Home – Still, We’d Make the Choice Again in A Heartbeat.

Moving 800 Miles from Home Right AFTER AFTER WAS MORE DIFFICULT THAN I EXPECTED

I HAD MANY AMAZING FRIENDS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE, but i’ve Never been a particularly outgoing person. Historically, i’d Just Meet People Through Classes and Sports – i Really Had to Put MySelf Out there.

Moving to a rural area, 800 miles from where i gree up, was lonelier than i though it was. I COULD No Longer Text a Childhood Friend or Cousin to Go On A Quick Hike or Swim.

We have neighbors who have Become Our Friends, but they live anywhere from one to a few miles up or down.

Our Rural Location Also Made Remote Work The Obivious Choice for me, so i haven’t really been able to form Friendships with Coworkers, Eother.

We Learned That Owning an Off-Grid Cabin Is Like Having a High-Maintenance Pet

Over the years, we’ve skipped some trips and late nights out Because of the Care Our Home Needs. People offten assume we pass opportunities Because of Our Animals, but the House itelf Requires Almost-Daily Upkeep.

We quickly realized that staying out late at a restaurant on a fried on Januar Wauld mean that, wenever we got home, we’d end up sitting around in ouckets while Rebbuilding the fire in the Wood Stove.

Taching off for a summer Camping Trip is Also a Challenge. We usable have to hire a house to Monitor Our System, Which Includes Solar Panels, Batteries, A Charge Controller That Overcharging, and An Inverter to Convert Our Electricity.

Unlike a regular house, ours doesn’t have “infinite” electricity – we (or a house sitter) must regularly check on Our battery levels to avoid draining.

There are other considers we have to keep in mind on a day-to-day basis, too.

For instance, we rely entirery on a rainwater collection System for all of the our daily water needs. When West Virginia Experienced A Terrible Drought In 2024, we have had to carefully manage the usage.

Of coursse, haves have gotten easier as we’ve adjusted to off-Grids Life and Started Earning More Money, which has in turn helped us invest in better equipment a Large Solar Battery Bank, More Efficient Water Pump, and Large Wood Stove.

Still, we know that these are concertns we probably wouldn’t have if we live in a city apartment.

Parts of Our Lifestyle Are Complicated, But WE’E BUILT A BEAUTIPHUL COMMUNITY HERE – AND WE HAVE SO MUCH FINANCIAL FREEDOM

Despite Feeling isolated at first, soon realized that west virginians are an incredibly friendly bunch.

Neighbors stopped by with plants when they saw me in the garden and invited us over for cocktails. A few have even made the trip up to the visits our House on Four-Wheelers.

IT ALSO HELPED THAT SCOTT’S FRIENDS AND FAMILY, WHO LIVE ON Our Road (but on the Grid), Were Quick to Offer with A Seat at the Table, Too.

Over the years, I Slowly Gained Confidence and Started Making a Concerted Efffort to Engage with the Community. Now, I Help to Organization Community Plant Swaps, Attend Book Club Meetings, and Network With Other Local Writers.

Though it can be difficult to take care of our home, we have a lot of Financial Freedom – Another Highlight of Living. Our Only Home-Relay Costs Are $ 120 A Month for Internet and $ 20 for Propane. We have no Mortgage, Electric, Water, Sewer, or Gas Bills.

This means that ours income stretches much, much further. Living Off-Grid, I was a deceitful able to my writing full-time we lived primarily on my self-employed husband’s income for the first few months.

The best part about the low cost of living, though, has been our ability to spend with love ons

Most importantly, I was recently able to take time off to care for my mother while she was in hospice. There’s no Way I Waled Trade A Big, Fancy House and an “Easier” lifestyle for that time with my mom.

Our off-Grid Life at the Cabin isn’t Perfect, But I Feel Lucky to Have Financial Freedom and A Close-Knit Community.

IT DOESN’T HURT THAT SCOTT AND I GET TO SPEND EACH MORNING TOGETHER LIKE WE DID ON THE APPALCHIAN TRAIL: DRINKING COFFEE AT HOME, LISTENING TO THE BIRDS SING, AND ENJOYING The Mountain Air.