From City to Off Grid

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We downsized from 1000sq ft to about 200sq ft and I honestly have no complaints. We obviously had to change our ways of life. Here are some ways we had to adjust.

1. No dishwasher. You now must wash dishes by hand. The key is to have less dishes, that way you are forced to wash them before the next meal. It also creates more of a disciplined life.
2. Burning wood for heat. You can’t push a button and warm up your house. It takes work. You need to prepare in the summer. And sometimes it meant getting up multiple times a night when we had a smaller stove now that we have a bigger stove it’s easier. There is something meaningful when you are a tad cold, then work for your heat unlike in the city, you never felt cold. Also the warmth of heat from a wood stove is much more satisfying and very different than electrical heat.
3. No more instant pot! We had to get rid of a lot of our kitchen appliances, due to providing our own electricity. We had only a single solar panel for a 12 v set up with the trailer. In the next few weeks we will be installing a bigger system for ourselves in our tiny house. 
4. No fridge? On the same note we didn’t have a fridge in the beginning due to not having power. Our friends let us borrow a 12 V fridge that helped us tremendously during the summer days. That was the most amazing fridge/freezer. I will link it HERE.
5. No showers. At first we had no shower set up here so we were going to town to take showers. Then we quickly set up an outdoor tent shower with a shower pump (it was summer). After we dug our shallow well we used our wood stove to heat water and take really nice showers.
6. Stock up on food. Since we are about 50 mins away from a nearby town we have to be wise and stock up in food for the week. Instead of having the conveniency of doing a target run every day! Also always remember to grab a few extra cans to stash away. Even if something doesn’t look so yummy in the moment, time will come when it will be the best thing you ever tasted. 
7. Doing laundry at the laundry mat. For now this is what we must do. In the near future we should be able to run a washing machine of our solars with our well water.
8. No garage.  We had two car garage in the city, now we have no garage. It’s a bit hard to not have a flat surface to work on, or having to work outside vs garage. We also can’t store anything like we used to in the garage. Right now we have the harbor freight tents for a temporary fix to use as a storage. 

We are CHOOSING to live more simpler. Yes at moments it’s harder. The moment always passes. But perseverance and patients pays off. Living simpler means to live more intentional. With every step it only becomes easier. We were so happy when we found and worked on our shallow well. When we set up a wood stove and we are so warm and comfortable. Small achievements keep you going. We are choosing this to be DEBT FREE. We are on a journey. Everyday is full of some new adventure. All of the time and energy you put into something. It will always pay off. For us we choose to live FREE. We are using our free time to read more books, take the day off and spend it with our children sledding, or have more time self reflecting. 

We no longer have a mortgage, electric, water or sewage bills.

Less bills, and more time = LESS STRESS!