Off-Grid Homestead Update

OFF-GRID HOMESTEADING IN TEXAS IS AN ADVENTURE

Eight months ago, Jeff and I set out on an adventure to build our off-grid homestead. This isn't the first time we've done something like this. But it IS the first time we 'up and relocated' to an entirely new state to do it! Those of you who follow me might remember these photos I posted right after we arrived. The 3-day road trip and over a year on a low-fat plant-based diet took a serious toll on my skin. Wow. That aged me!

MEMORIES OF OUR FIRST OFF-GRID HOMESTEAD EXPERIENCE

Back in 1998, we bought a 20-acre piece of land in Central Oregon. It was mostly sand and sage, lol! And ANTS! We lived on the land, with our combined six children ages 4-15, for the better part of a year. We were fully off-grid. There were no utilities to the land. So, we set up our own electrical system with marine batteries and inverters. We hauled water from town, 35 miles away. And we built our own cabins. It was an interesting and valuable experience.

We ended up heading back to the city for business, but we retained our love of the self-sufficient, off-grid homestead lifestyle.

The older I get, the more in love I become with old-school traditions. And more than age, after seeing all the changes that happened in the world recently, including the current rate of inflation and the resulting increase in food prices, I more and more value the ability to provide for our own needs.

WE NEVER NEEDED TO CLEAR TREES BEFORE

Our current land is a significant improvement to the parcel we had in Central Oregon. Out there, we had no trees at all. Here, our land is covered with pines, oaks, some aspen, and probably a few others I don't know about. So, before we can build, we need to have professionals come out with their big mulchers and take down some trees. This is actually a really great benefit to the land because the resulting mulch will decompose and enrich the soil over time, which is great!

NEXT, WE'LL GET ELECTRICITY INSTALLED

Before we can really get started building our off-grid homestead we have to get electricity to the site. I know I said off-grid. And having electricity 'installed' means hooking up to the electric company. Ok, we caved. Ultimately we want to have solar panels and our own electric system set up. But it was so inexpensive to have power hooked up. And 'all we can eat' electricity, out the gate, will really accelerate our ability to build. And also saves on up-front costs that we can now divert into other tools and materials. So, initially, we will have grid power. But knowing we are progressing toward becoming fully self-sufficient is so gratifying.

I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED

Let me know if you like this off-grid homesteading stuff. I'd love to hear from you if you've done some building of your own. We are so thankful for amazing YouTubers and bloggers who have done this before us. We are learning SO MUCH from channels like Off-Grid With Doug and Stacy and so many other great channels! It's incredible how educational YouTube can be