Living Off the Grid for the Masses

It is time for a reality check for those, like me, who wish they could live off the grid. I was just reading an introductory article from a web site about this subject, when I realized that I most likely will never achieve my dream of living without a high tension wire running into the back end of my property.

The site I was on was well organized with tabs to solar, wind, and hydro resources for alternative energy. There were other areas of interest the site owner(s) also tabbed for your perusal. I was impressed with the effort they had contributed to their web site.

The immediate and also crushing realization for me was first brought on by an advertisement they used about property for sale in Virginia.  Well, I for one will never spend the money for such property. I don’t have it! I doubt that I will ever have that kind of money to afford such beauty property as their ad picture had shown. Can you imagine a rural setting in the autumn overlooking rolling wooded hills with a rustic set of farm buildings in the scene? I hope it is a legitimate offer.

As much as I would love to live in such a place, I realize that is not likely to happen. Circumstances being as they are for me, dictates that I have to live in a particular community to satisfy the medical needs that I have. Also my family live reasonably close and I know they appreciate that I live close by them.  

I own a small lot in south west Florida. It isn’t much. But, it is home and I hope to stay here for many more years. I have a municipal source for my water, which is of excellent quality. It is equal to if not better than most bottled water.  I don’t have to condition my water. My electric comes from a very prominent source whose management is very effective in their operation of the company. These utility companies have provided me with good service and a very good product.  Finding these services in another community would be very difficult.

There is room at the back of my property, right along the same area with the electric right of way, for a wind turbine.  I doubt that my local government would give me permission to install a wind turbine due to the clearance issues with the electrical utility and my neighbors. I love my neighbors, but my installing a wind turbine may change all the warm fuzzy feelings we currently share.

 

Solar panels would fit also in my back yard or perhaps along the side yard. The only concern with panels would be to install them high enough to discourage the aluminum scavengers. It’s amazing what is being stolen around here these days.

 

Installing solar panels on the roof is generally the most popular method for residential applications. But, I would prefer not to use the roof, because at my age I don’t need to be climbing onto a ladder. So, I would have to install my solar panels on the ground.

 

Maybe a Rottweiler, a Doberman, or a really mean Chihuahua could be obtained to protect my investment. Or, how about building a twelve foot high wall with barbed wire on the top? Either of these issues might pose to be a problem obtaining permission from the local authorities and the neighbors.

Sorry, for getting silly in my comments. I don’t mean to belittle the green industry. But most of what they propose will not be feasible for most of us.  The majority of us do not own the land on which we live. Getting permission to install an alternative energy resource on your landlord’s property is not going to happen anytime in the near future. 

We most certainly have a problem with the depletion of our resources and the pollution of our environment. Our government says they are working on a goal to lessen our dependency on fossil fuels primarily from foreign resources. My hope is that our efforts are adequate for the achievement of that goal.

Each of us must honestly evaluate how we use our resources every day. Are we being cautious with our water and electrical usage? Do you utilize energy efficient appliances, and do you keep up with the maintenance of your property to minimize water loss as well as loss of heating or cooling?  Do you plan your trips each day to minimize the fuel you consume? If you need to make some changes then you need to follow through on making those changes or else learn how to live without that resource.

Having that wind turbine or an array of solar panels on your property might be the long term answer to reducing your energy consumption and cost. But, you have to look at the initial cost and the availability of space to install such devices on your property. Do you actually own the property on which you live? If you do own your property and you do have the financial ability to take on a project such as this, will your community allow such a project?

Perhaps you may be one of the lucky ones who has the money and can purchase that beautiful property somewhere out in the country. You might even be fortunate enough to install anything you like out there without being under the watchful eye of an envious neighbor or your community building inspector. If this fits your description then congratulations and good luck.

Gee! What about property taxes and insurance? That is two topics that will have to be considered. But, this is not the time, nor the place to accomplish either one. Right now, it is time to find that first cup of coffee and the morning paper. I will be back later to ramble on about some other related topic. Have a good day.      

Keeping Expenses Under Control

As a personal testimony, keeping expenses under control has some real significance for me. Pay close attention to what you read here. It may prove to save you time as well as money.

When, I realized that a major career change was going to be needed for my survival. I decided that my best choice would be to create my own web site and try to promote myself and other people’s products by using affiliate marketing.

I began to read articles about how to get started.  One article suggested purchasing a software program that would be helpful in web site design. The article explained how difficult it would be for someone with little or no experience in web design, to accomplish.

At that time, I did not believe the task could be beyond my abilities. I even bought one of those How to… for Dummies books which covered the exact software program I had originally purchased. I calculated that with time, I could work through the difficult setup for my web site.

The problem was with me. I found it very hard, extremely time consuming and the longer it took for me to get started the more frustrated I became. It was suggested in another article that I read, which, by the way, was written by the same person, that a familiar theme or niche subject should be used for my web site.

I jumped the gun trying to make the niche, that I chose, pay off. It could not, simply because there was not adequate internet traffic interested in anything other than gathering information.  I had purchased a domain name and hosting long before I found a copy of the software that I was going to use to create my web pages. So my new adventure had become too expensive and was frustrating to create.    

Many months have passed since my first thoughts about internet marketing came to mind. It was for the best.  Now days the updated articles are saying to use a Wordpress blog on your own hosting account instead of a full blown web site. I am not sure that is 100% true.  Only time will tell. Being out of money as well as time, I decided to try this method initially. If and when I start to see some income from this then I will decide about setting up my own website.

At any rate the money I spent for my hosting and domain has not been very fruitful. Our stubborn economy does nothing to bolster my confidence in our future. So keeping your expenses under control is even more important now then it was just a few years ago. So how do you go about maintaining a tighter grip on expenses?

·       When you begin to search for a niche, do stay with a subject you have some desire to learn about and already have knowledge about.

·       Do your best to determine that the niche has adequate traffic that is interested in purchasing a product found in your niche.

·       Use search terms, keywords in other words, that will target the type of traffic you desire to attract to your website. 

·       Web site quality should be the best you can afford, and/or create.

·       How you monetize your web site should already have been decided.  But, don’t rely on any one method entirely. Expand your site to incorporate several methods.

A bit of prior planning can go a long way in keeping your expenses under control. Do your best to determine that your niche of choice has the type of traffic and the quantity of paying traffic searching consistently month after month to help your site to be profitable. May I be the first to wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.