We all have our own impressions of what it means to live off grid. For some, solar panels seems to be enough. For others, it takes much more. But what does it really take to live off grid? I put together a test that you can go through to evaluate your 'off grid' proficiency.
Grab a pencil and a piece of paper and lets see how you do. I've done the test too and will share my score at the bottom for comparisons. Score each point from a scale between 0 and 9. Score a zero if you don't do that activity at all as you are completely dependent, 9 being you are all in and got it all covered yourself, you are an off grid guru.
- I grow my own food, whether that be plant or animal based.
- I collect my own water or secured a drinking water source and know how to clean and filter it properly.
- I built my own off grid home.
- I generate my own electricity, whether it be solar, wind, water or other sources
- I compost my humanure
- I collect my gray water and use it for growing plants or food
- I know how to forage for food or medicines in the forest
- I know how to make my own clothing and have a source of material to make it
- I collect my kitchen scraps and compost it or use it to feed animals
- I found a way to heat my house that I can provide for myself (wood, solar, etc)
- I recycle, re-purpose or have completely eliminated garbage / waste
- I grow my own food for the animals that I keep.
- I have no need for gas, diesel, propane, natural gas or other fuels generated by the system
- I process and store my own food (freeze, smoke, can, dehydrate, butcher, slaughter, etc)
- I or somebody in my family / community can treat illness or disease
- I don't work a job
- I don't have government issued id (drivers license, social insurance number, passport, birth certificate, etc).
- I receive no benefits from the state, whether that be employment insurance, pension, child tax credit,etc.
- I home school our sons and daughters
- I have not registered our off spring, modes of transportation or other property with the state.
- I don't have a bank account
- I have no debt
- I have no credit cards or bank cards
- I have no customer loyalty cards
- I don't own a corporation or run a business
- I don't have a cell phone, internet or other modes of communication
- I made a declaration to the state that I would no longer provide service and be a feudal serf
- I don't file returns, pay income taxes or sign other documents to the state each year
- I don't vote or participate in any government programs
- I make my own stuff that I need.
- I don't have any insurance (home, auto, health)
- I have a clan / community that I can ask for help when ever I need it
- My mode of transportation I can fuel myself
- I have the skills and tools to fix mechanical or other equipment
- I have no bills to pay each month
- The land I'm on owes no rent, I live free
- I have no need for stores to source hardware or other goods / services. If I do, I shop local and avoid big chains or multi=national corporations.
- I have established my own law form and I declared peace with myself and my fellow man
- I refuse to resort to violence, whether covert or overt, physical, emotional, mental or spiritual.
- I have dedicated my life to being a steward of the Earth and I own nothing
- I do not watch cable / satellite / internet TV
- I do not read, watch or listen to main stream news or government propaganda
- I know how to stand in my own spiritual jurisdiction and how to deal with state thugs or those who like to wear masks.
- I don't use any chemicals produced by industry that would jeopardize the land, water, air, plants or animals and I know how to tell the difference.
- I don't grow or eat genetically modified organisms.
- I have contingency plans with my loved ones in the event that my vessel dies or becomes seriously injured.
- I have accepted 100% responsibility and accountability for my life. I will blame nobody and forgive anybody who trespass against me.
Total up your score and lets see how you did:
0 - 99 - You are a slave and you have a lot of work to do if you want to make changes in your life OR you like all the benefits and privileges of living within the system and you most likely have no interest in this test.
100 - 199 - You are starting out and making those first steps towards making a difference in the world. You may have thought that doing a few things would mean you are living off grid, but are now realizing that it is way more than you thought it would be. Hang in there, you will get your bearings and get it all sorted out. Lots of learning ahead!
200 - 299 - You are most likely living off grid for a few years and well on your way to working it all out. As it takes time, you will cover the rest of the points over the coming years. You may not realize until now just how big and pervasive the 'grid' actually is and you most likely already realized the full scope of what is involved. There is a lot more work to do. Keep up the great work.
300 - 399 - You are an off grid power house and most likely been off grid for over a decade. You are well on your way to being a Steward of Mother Earth and making a difference in this world.
Above 400 - You are most likely living out in the bush and nobody has seen you in years. Chances are you did not even see this test to even fill it out.
So how did you do?
I scored a 363.
My wife would score 306 as she still has a foot in the system while I was testing everything. How did you do?
i sat down with the the wife @minismallholding and we went through the test together - which was fun - she was quite strict, lots of zeros to work on, but we scored a few 10/10 - a score of 248 - for now, that will drop to around 200 as i need to find work [bills to pay] . It's a great list to keep handy as a guide to know what to expect and what we need to work towards for when we make the jump off grid - Thank you brother @WWF
248 is spectacular. Well done. Did you realize the test was a score between 0 and 9? ;) No 10's. hehehe. Either way, you are doing great. I was faced with the choice of going back to work and I resisted with every ounce of strength. I help people here and there, but I refused to get a j.o.b.
I am glad I resisted! But I fully comprehend the desire to go back. It is tough to work out the economics of no longer being dependent on their economics.
oops - score of 230 then - i will be looking at building a full solar system soon and pull out the electricity meter for another +9 . Going to be a struggle with n"8,13,21,26,32,33,36... Everyone must fail 26 otherwise we are not on this forum :) your score of 363, wow... And regards n"8 making my own clothes - i would look like a shaved ape with a fluffy rabbit fur nappy... that would be way too scary, the family would disown me. LOL.
Yup, there were a number of items that I was not able to claim, clothing being one of them. I look forward to the day where I can make my own cloths, but I struggle with the time to get it all done. I feel I've reached the maximum of what I can do and now need the community to manifest so that we can do things for each other. I just don't have the skills to do EVERYTHING. My learning curve has been like a rocket over the past 15 years. If I grew up with all this experience it may be easier. But to go from zero to hero in 15 years, I'm just not sure anybody could do that. It would require completely walking away from everything and focusing 100% of my energy and efforts towards the basics and letting go of everything else. My interactions with people are too important for me to make that level of sacrifice.
So true brother - i believe we shouldn't need to sacrifice our relationships with others in our search for freedom - that would be a loss on both sides - even if we don't see "eye to eye" we are stronger together and we can inspire others to question their servitude - @minismallholding we are happy to support our local community giving freely our excess produce to the neighbours, in return they are happy to bring food waste and scraps which we can feed back to the chooks. its baby steps - but it is growing, we now have 6 neighbours that get eggs and one of the neighbours is happy to pay $5 per doz...
You guys did great! Good to see others out there living this way. :)
I scored 173. I have one foot in both worlds. Still a programmer, but am set up if the system collapses. I live about an hour north of the nearest city (Syracuse) and this is all farmland, Amish country.
My father would probably score above 200 as he does most of the time consuming growing and farming chores while I do the heavy stuff like chopping wood that he's too old to do.
Learning to program blockchain tech doesn't jive well with this and I try to manage the conflict. One last ditch effort to hopefully corner authority by leveraging the borderless properties of the internet and blockchain technology to make their positions either obsolete or impossible to corrupt.
Strangely enough, they are faced with the same scenario to try to keep power to themselves, either shut off the internet and go back to the stone age, or embrace it and lose control eventually.
The problem is with that last word eventually. A digital panopticon is something we might end up with in between and it's impossible to say for sure how long.
I agree. My background is IT and I grew up when computers first went into the high school and worked the industry for over 20 years. I don't make many friends saying this, but technology is only a tool. How we use it will depend on whether we can work through the changes or not. Some see Steem as a saviour, but I see it as a tool. If people used Steem to fund and educate their move off grid and build inter-independent relationships with one another, then we will be fine. But to use Steem to make currency so that they can maintain or increase their current life style, that is a very dangerous path to follow. A 173 score is actually really good as you are well on your way. Keep up the great work!
Sounds like we're about the same age.
It all takes time. At least you are working in some ways.
Running at the slave level but nothing surprising there.
I have a bug out bag, basic water purification knowledge, a small collection of practical skills books and thats about it.
It is a start. Your knowledge is a powerful tool. If I was to put weights on each item in the test, I would weigh knowledge and experience at the very top. Even without the resources, those can be acquired. But even with resources, if one does not know how to use them or what to do, they are dead. Good for you for starting the process.
I don't think I will ever go off grid, personally I would have to call myself a transhumanists I'm the guy that wants a space ship and is excited to see if man can birth a new sentience.
If I had a religious faith it would probably be towards those mythological figures that gave man technology or had a hand in raising us from blissful ignorance Prometheus is a good example although there are more controversial examples I could use.
Leaning about off grid is more of a back up plan because well people are nutty.
Interesting. So how do you define 'transhumanism' and what does it mean to you? I've not met anybody who views life from that point of view before. Care to share or should I leave it for a debate forum topic? :)
It may make for a very interesting debate although I'm not sure that its one that I could win with this crowd.
Its has so many aspects required biology, technology, the delevopment of true AI which shoud properly be call intelligence, true self direction of man free from the tyranny of genetic, its self directed evolution, and the belief that its not a mans flesh that makes him human.
I got to the unmagical '99' being really honest with myself.
I live with the in-laws so I can't make some of the changes I'd like to do. But no excuses, I've got a lot of work to do.
A great exercise and a real eye-opener.
Thanks,
EggMeister
I saw your message on discord. Thanks for doing the test and being honest with yourself. It is so easy to lie to oneself when doing self-evaluation. A 99 score is a good start and I would bet you are ahead of 99.9% of the population, which is a scary thought. Bravo to you. I hope you got value out of the exercise and help you realize the scope of what the grid really is.
I'd agreed with the 99.9% ahead of the population. My pyromaniac side is fairly well clued up on various fire starting skills but my foraging skills are still relatively limited. I do like it when I'm walking around the suburbs of Leeds and I'll point out to myself, "I can eat that!" or "that's a good remedy for so-and-so medical condition!" LOL
Yes, I've not paid much attention to 'the grid' side of things, room for improvement ;)
Thank you for your kind words @wwf
It's greatly appreciated :)
EggMeister.
I find great comfort in knowing what I can eat or use as medicine. We are still learning even with over 10 years into this journey. There is so much to learn. Even if we got displaced, there is food all over the place. People literally starve with food all around them. Their ignorance is the cause, not a lack of food.
I don't think we could ever stop learning but just a fraction of knowledge can mean the difference between a comfortable existence or starvation.
Many a time I've seen the homeless on the streets of Leeds and thought the same thing "People literally starve with food all around them." I've often considered would they benefit from something like Lofty Wiseman's SAS Survival Guide book? (I've got several copies lying around) It's less than £5 for the pocket size book and a wealth of info. Would a homeless person use it if I handed them a copy? I fear probably not........... it's the cash they're after and I doubt they'll change their conditioning.
EggMeister
I agree. I got that book too. Wonderful resource, small and easy to carry around. You may like my post from a few days ago where I talk about feeding a man vs teaching him to fish. :)
I will take a look at the post :)
My score was 311. I still have some work to do, but the end of the grid is near.
Wow. Good for you. That is a very good score!
This was cool! I scored a 291, using 0, 3, 6, 9 as my scale.
I was very surprised about some of the questions. My guy is much more off-grid than I due to the answers of these surprising questions.
Honestly, the term off-grid is not one I use. If it comes up while talking with someone about my lifestyle, I generally say kinda. But then I dislike labels in general...
WOW! 291! Bravo. That is an amazing score. I share your feelings as my view of what 'off-grid' means is nothing compared to what most people think it means. So even though I tell them we live off grid, they have NO idea just how 'off-grid' we really are. Well done. Did I miss anything?
I got 176, higher than what I thought. I went hard on myself too.
That is still a very decent score! Well done. If you were hard on yourself, I suspect you are actually in the 200's then as we often are harder on ourselves and dismiss accomplishments as well. Thank you for participating and sharing too!
Thanks man! And no probs :)
Nice one GP, well jealous LOL
I am at 154. As a community, I think we would have a much higher score. I still am learning and just starting out but its pretty fun so I dont mind haha. I cant wait to see if I will surpass this by the end of the year!
You make a grate point, using it as a benchmark to evaluate progress over time. Nice! 154 score is a huge leap from the main stream. Well done.
I got 342, I didnt count irrelevant ones like with kids etc.. and we dumpsterdive our food but have the knowledge stored for spring!
Resteemed.. A good eye-opener to these dam "hippies" hahaha English humour coming up.. *No personal offense to whom thinks of being a hippy, i just mean , you know, people live in a reality of whoever they believe they are.. These days there are "City Hippies" wow! Great post thanks for the time you used making it!
342 is a very impressive score. Well done! thank you for taking the time to do the exercise and for sharing.
its cool that you made it! thanks!
Hi Rob! I will get pen and paper later to do this test. I imagine i am quite low on the list right now. But, i think it is good to know where I'm at. This is a well rounded ans detailed perspective. It's good of you to put this together. 🦋
I look forward to seeing how you do. Thank you for participating! :) <3 I am grateful that you found value in this exercise.
Well, 111 it is. Not as low as i thought but, lots of plans to make and steps to take towards true stewardship and freedom.
It's so good to have a reference point and ideas to work towards. Thanks again Rob! 🌱
111 is a good score! Takes a lot of work to get to that point. Well done! I'm glad you enjoyed the exercise and found value in it! You are very welcome.
Pew... 105. Nice post @wwf. Im barely scratching the surface of making a difference, yet I know I do. Was neevr employed, aslways freelancing commercially as an artist for mostly art related projects in the last year not full time, using the free time to really work out alternative sources for food / water / energy.
Getting 105 still takes a lot of work eh! Well done. I'm sure you scored higher than 95% of the population. Nice! Thanks for participating. I appreciate it.
Yes, you are right. Especially in the society surrounding us being at 105 I fwll like "they" look at me like I am a freak... But don't worry my wive and I will slowly but surely andvance further and further into higher scores! I will come back next year and be passed 200! Haha!. Remember the Compost toilet? ... rainwater is also high up on my list! Thank you for this Checklist!
You are welcome!
This is a great list. I have made progress on many of these but also moved backwards on others. I hope we can all find a balance that works for her life and for the world. Let's move towards Harmony
I'm sure we will find a way through this. I'm just not convinced that it will be all of us. I think we are going to lose a lot in the process and that brings sadness to my heart. But we will prevail!
This was SHOCKING for me to complete because I realize that despite wanting to do all these things for a decade, and breaking free in some ways, I am back to a mere 8/47 items. I didn't rate it the way you wanted, I just wanted to see where I was and I am shocked. Thanks for posting this, its a great reminder. The list I had kept for many years with the first 50 things to disappear first, was destroyed recently. I will find it again right now if I can.
http://www.thepowerhour.com/news/items_disappearfirst.htm
No worries. I'm grateful that you found value in the experience. Peace to you.
I love this - the 'off grid' version of an off the grid test.. No time to do it right now, but I'll get back to you tomo!
Although NB for 42 - I watch mainstream news in order to analyse it - I'm not counting that as 'watching'!
No worries. I do the same. I check in every once in a while to find out what the beast is doing. lol. I look forward to seeing how you did on the test.
Hi - That was was somehow both a lot of fun and punishingly depressing at the same time.
135, assuming my mental maths is right. I didn't use a calculator to keep in the spirit of things. Mainly boosted by my having an allotment A LOT, and my anti-mainstream media views too. I also gave myself a 9 for not having children (for the homeschooling option), which may have given me a boost...?!
Your sore's off the scale (well obviously not literally, but impressive), harder here in the UK, but I ain't making excuses for myself (no. 47!)
135 score is still a very good score my friend. Kudo's for you! I'm glad you did not make excuses, otherwise that would have dropped your score down to 126. lol.
I know it is really tough and I hope people don't get depressed about it. But I did it to show just how dependent we are on the state and what is really required when contemplating moving off the grid. Some people may only want to get to where you are and that may be good enough. Others might want to go all the way. Either way, we each have our own journey and I'm grateful that you found the spirit of the post and had fun with it. Kudo's to you my friend. Well done!
Well, i did 174... and am pleased with it...
Hey, nice score. Well done. Did it help you identify where you want to go next in regards to increasing that score? Or are you happy where you are? Just curious as to where people are at.
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!you are the pioneer to live a proper life........if we all be like you,many problems can be solved easily......all of your post is always so informative,so i regularly follow your blog. love to read it.
Thank you @steemibu. I am glad you enjoy my work.
The happy person will always take the time to read as it is reading the source of the wisdom of providing a laugh time because laughing is the soul muziknya, providing time to think because thinking is the principal of progress, providing time for charity because charity is the base of glory, it will make the youth always and provide the time of worship because worship is the mother of all peace of soul. good steemit .......
Very good
Nice post...
you lost me at 0 - 99 - You are a slave
so very condescending.
way to gain converts...insult them.
in fact convert is the perfect description.
for a religion.