Just how do you get off the grid?!

I'm with you on this. I'm in the first steps of the process and sometimes feel overwhelmed by how much of my daily life I need to change. The question is simply how? We've been conditioned to live this way, and it took time. So I've accepted that it will take time to change. Baby steps I guess? Financially it is a bit of a struggle, but I'm confident that if we all take it one step at a time, the process will speed up and eventually all will be well. I sure could use some advice though at times. My best wishes to those trying to get off the grid! Together we will prevail.

You're married, so my first question is, does your husband share your feelings about evolution and sustainability? Also, what are your friends interests? Do you know of others who share your thoughts and intentions. To do what you are asking doesn't necessarily take alot of difficult knowledge just common sense and an incredible commitment. We are so addicted to our spoiled and selfish lifestyles. An intentional community of like minded people helps, a tribe. There are groups forming all over the world. That is what I am trying to do and it is not a easy task. I think, though, as time passes and the world we share more and more falls apart, perhaps we will find eachother. One more thing. To me, the most crucial inner quality to develop if we truly wish to become self sufficient is to bring our personal psychology to a more permanent state of awareness (become more conscious). Then we can begin to eliminate alot of our unnecessary suffering and concentrate on what is truly important.

greetings friend. you answered your own question in the first part of your post.

"For most of us waking up and becoming aware are only the first steps in the process. It is a long process for many."

from what i can gather in your post you are speaking of an environmental awakening. going off grid, for me, is not about solar panels and vegetables but rather giving up everything i thought had meaning and gaining life.

you begin by starting

i live in the city
i have:
1 solar panel over my garage that charges 1 battery
a 600 square foot garden (3 years ago i did not garden)
4 chickens
a compost pile
5 rain barrels for water harvesting
reduced my waste from 5 bags of garbage per week to 1/2 a bag of garbage per week.
i ride my bike most places
eliminated all of my debt except mortgage.
reduced my energy consumption by 1/3.

i thought i did this to save the planet but i now realize i am doing this because i care about the soul on the other side of the planet that is not free. i do this because you are not free. i do this out of love.

discover why you want to do this.....then let go.

peace

In my humble opinion, a way to begin to get "off the grid", can perhaps be found in these small steps.

1. watch as little or no mainstream tv as possible (use this time to educate yourself via research ,reading and travel) be open to pthers opinions and apply what resonates with your core beliefs
2. if you have a child try to homeschool as much as possible they will be smarter than state educated children.
3. stop consenting to being governed by a spiritually bankrupt corrupt government. Read the declaration of Independence, the constitution, bill of rights, Magna Carta, resist tyranny in all its forms, assert your natural god given rights.
4. be pro-active on a local community level, get to know your neighbors and what each person's talent is,,,in case of emergency work together as FEMA can only make things worse
5. boycott companies that profit from war, torture and military pollution
6. withhold the payment of taxes at whatever level as a last resort until your petition of grievances are heard and acted upon, in other words no taxation without honest representation. If you are not supportive in how your government spends your tax dollars (endless wars/police state/corruption/banker bailouts/human rights violations/foreign policy/shredding of the constitution, etc... ) then we as a people have every GOD given right not to support an un-accountable government that no longer represents the best interest of We the People... Never give up your right to free speech!
7. demand government transparency at all levels and that all representatives honestly elected are sworn to uphold their oathes of office to protect the constitution for We the People. All political figures should be assessed annually to verify how they voted on key laws/legislation. If they are found to be lining their pockets with public funds then they sould be forced to immediately repay what they've taken and held legally accountable for their actions.
8. don't place trust in organized religion, remove the middle man from your daily communication with our divine creator, in other words connect with the divine within as often as possible, through meditation, acts of compassion or any other way that spreads positive energies to the world around you.
9. be open minded enough to understand that we are each light beings experiencing the human condition, focus on what your mission on this earth realm is while you are here and try to leave a better world behind because of your personal actions.
10. help spread positive knowledge and awareness to others that are not "awakened" through conversation, books, discussion groups, film, art and music. even if you awaken 1 person this year, then you are taking positive steps in spreading the truth and you never know how many others that newly awakened person will wake up through their actions.
11. stay away from processed foods and junk foods as much as possible, avoid aspertame and flouridated tap water, excercise your body and mind as much as possible. If you enjoy alcohol or experimenting with entheogens then make sure that you understand your personal level of moderation and act accordingly without trespassing upon others.
12. a government that governs less governs best, hold public officials accountable to do their work in an honest an compassionate manner for the common good of the people and not for corporate short term interests. Ask important questions of these officials at public meetings, radio/tv shows to expose their agendas to the public. If you feel you can do a better job than your local officials then by all means run for office so you can make a difference from within the system.
13. the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness within a free society is crucial for the evolution of humanity, without this we become cattle fodder slaves to a totalitarian fascist system controlled by a handful of insecure egomaniacs. Take that power back, expose police brutality and injustices by insisting that mainstream media covers these incidents, blogging, twittering, emailing, postering, leaflets etc...any means available at your disposal can go a long way. If the mainstream media does not cover the "real news" that matters then we each must become the alternative news media to expose deceptions and present the truth in an unbiased manner by any means necessary.
14. think for yourself, don't believe everything you may read or what the government tells you to believe, do your own research, come to your own conclusions, always question authority as they rarely have your best interests at heart, you maybe surprised at what you may uncover, knowledge adds to your spiritual evolution.
15. respect the earth and its many creatures, don't litter pick up after yourself and do whatever you can to honour the spirit of gaia in its many forms.

From my perspective it is really about centralization vs decentralization. Boiled down to two plain words. How will one support a family or just one's self? For hundreds of years a corporate domination of all things has been forming and accelerating of late. Before that, empires formed, swelled and crashed. We can expect some repepetion, before humans learn to maintain rational, harmonious and prosperous leadership, (decentralized, perhaps). The Clinton-NAFTA and Bush-NWO have overly favored centralized power structures at the cost of localized economies and ordinary people worldwide. While centralization falls apart, due to natural laws, we should begin to explore alternatives. I'll mention a few things learned over many years.

Nothing is easy though. Alternatives are considerably challenging for ordinary people. No doubt that 'well connected' people have resources or backing to prosper, regardless. What can and does work for the un-connected? Given stamina and courage, bridging over to self-sufficiency can work. Given that rationalized choices are made-- Finding an increasingly independent life style is rational today.I relied on acquiring skills like construction as well as serious, continuous self education to "get the foot in door", for slightly better jobs. I began studies long before the www, which was more difficult than today. Stuff may seem cheaper in those days, but the rural income was barely existent then, with minimum wage set barely at one dollar per hour, (late 1960s). To live near a job was expensive and uninspiring, for creatives. Worse yet, males were drafted for Vietnam, or became disparaged fugitives... (Not counting luckier males who got deferments. I wasn't lucky that way.) Today they draft both genders for centralization, without even informing you, or defining it. Though they never informed people, anyway.

How will a young person navigate the accelerated hard times of today? Will one trust the puppet leaders? To understand hard times, read up on the dust bowl of the 1930s. The boom years which replaced native buffalo with imported cattle. The bust years that followed, with devastation of the grass lands following. People suffered badly. Ten Bulls' prophesy came true, (can't even google his legacy, a worthy legacy nevertheless). Deep well pumps were developed and installed. Limited recovery of the land has followed. Natural resource efforts were born but almost were essentially orphaned since then. Just consider all the scorched earth policies since. Today the deep wells have almost totally drained the Ogallala Aquifer. (It was water collected over several States, since prehistoric times, now gone.) Try to realize that deserts present huge challenges, even for the centralized corporate leaders out there. Corporados will scramble to hike commodity prices, as the drought trends continue. Bread baskets world wide are also stressed with drought trends, much in the same sense. Here is a difference i have with Alex Jones who almost seems to support the old Biblical saying "go forth and multiply". Why not recognize a life-plan-prerequisite first? Plan for each child, don't just expect society to accommodate them. Eugenics indeed may have fraudulent advocates, (partly to agree with Jones) A broader definition includes selective mating rather than mechanically enslaved breeding deprived of family nurturing and structure. Deprivation happens by omission as well as commission. Don't throw the baby out or the bath water.

Prosperity has occasionally occurred historically and there is some hope, beyond the chaos soon to come. If one can develop appropriate life plans, instead of fixating carelessly. Strangely though, the society has too often been squandered by degenerate leadership. In between are many ways to "live off the land". Hunter cultures are hardly easy and tended to promote turf competition. Ag -cultures are hard labor, with competing crop productions. Both are boom & bust systems. Europe had communal farms, where the land owner took two thirds of the produce. Kids were very lucky if by chance, to get into a church school. Instead of immediately working in the fields. Recent times offer some variability, but still pose comprises. My wife and i have always prepped bits and pieces of self sufficiency and currently feel prepared. No kids to pay for though. The boom years (most of the last two decades), kept my wife and i trying for success with creative skills-- We barely managed to invest in good tools, gardening and a home, without debt. We never qualified for a real mortgage, anyway. Yet paying off debt will become a worse killer for people still on the 'grid'. Few people are even hearing the message of the coming economic stresses. Besides run-away food costs, fewer paying jobs, fewer products imported from China... There will also come higher taxes-- How many trillion dollars is that? Distant debt collectors will turn all screws, get ready. Keep self-educating, learn useful skills, plan within means, explore alternate possibilities.. Bridge towards decentralization...

One last point though... I sympathize with low income people here. At least these people should wake up to the outlook of soaring meat prices. Expect this and wake up to meat-production realities-- Study this far and wide. As all food is stressed by drought, meat production bears the brunt, beyond belief. Yet bridging over to a less expensive vegan diet clearly demands self education-- To ensure full nutrition. Offhand, to over simplify the subject-- I would say there are some affordable diets to be found. Also bulk buying is key today. I could go on for hours and hours. You can too, with some web study.