LIVING OFF GRID

This blog is about our travels in our solar powered "Airstream" and living off grid, in our passive solar home, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada.

If you have any questions send us a comment; we love to hear from our readers.
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Monday, 3 February 2020

ANSWERS #3

Thanks for every question you send. I will continue to reply here as I'm sure others may be looking for similar answers.

1) COSTS ONCE LIVING OFF GRID Our daily living expenses are very similar to what we were paying when we lived in the city. EG: Food, Fuel, Taxes, Phone, Internet, Clothing, etc are the same whether we buy them in Bancroft, Toronto or on the internet. Medicine the same.

2) POSITIVES: Slower pace of life. Quiet, Clean Air, No rush hour traffic, Know your neighbours, Fishing, Hiking, Canoeing, Snowshoeing, Fat Bike Rides all just steps from our back door. Friendly people who have the time to chat, Viewing wildlife out our windows, Enjoying the seasons as they come and go. Connected to the world through the internet, Order on Amazon and it's delivered to our door, Safe and crime free environment, Lots of social opportunities (dances, church suppers, Clubs, Farmers' markets, Craft shows, Studio Tours, etc.) Thriving art community. Live Theater, Friendly mechanic (you can stand and chat while he repairs your car) Four season playground, 40 minutes to Algonquin Park, Car insurance is much lower because of where we live. No water, electric, or sewage bills,  Grocery Store, Hardware Store, Doctor's Office, Drug Store, all just 10 minutes from home.

3) NEGATIVES: To see a medical specialist we usually have to travel 2-4 hours to their office. We do get compensation for the travel, meals, and accomodation. Some supplies we stock up on as they may not be readily available in town, eg 50 lb. bags of flour.  Distance from family. Clearing snow off the solar panels on a cold winter morning. I prefer the chair beside my woodstove. That's about it.

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6 comments:

  1. mililani564 February 2020 at 03:40

    Hello!! Saw the first video of.your place this evening!! So wonderful that you were able to live and create your own shangrila!! Happy for you!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Art and Mary4 February 2020 at 07:08

    Thanks for the kind comment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sonya4 February 2020 at 19:20

    Hi Art and Mary,

    I just watched your video and you mentioned a few of the challenges with your battery bank.

    There's a gentleman I follow on YouTube that recently shared that he's switched over to lithium iron phosphate batteries and has noticed a world of difference.

    https://youtu.be/ytBlvKlC0-s

    He's also a great storyteller and I prefer watching his videos over anything that is found on TV nowadays.

    Oh and another interesting fella is Shawn of self reliance. He's living off grid in the Algonquin area


    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog


    I too used to live in the GTA (MARKHAM) and my husband, myself and our kids escaped the rat race and moved to Monton, New Brunswick. It was the best decision we ever made in our relationship

    Thank you for sharing your inspirational story.

    Sonya :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Art and Mary4 February 2020 at 21:27

      Thanks Sonya. Love the site suggestions you included, very inspirational. Just watched part of one but now have so much to view in the coming days. It's an education. Thanks for taking the time to share.

      Delete
    2. Sonya5 February 2020 at 12:12

      You're very welcome :)

      Delete
  4. Chantal H.13 February 2020 at 02:35

    Hello Art and Mary--
    I live in Calif now but grew up in Northern Iowa. While it wasn't Canada, I'm always surprised how much some Canadians sound like my fam from the Midwest!! You have built yourselves a wonderful home there! It was fun to watch the video of all the activities..reminds me of being on the Iowa farm..
    Take care,

    ReplyDelete

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