The TRUTH about OFF GRID LIVING that NO ONE WILL TELL YOU.

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

🔥 WATCH OUR GARAGE BUILD FROM THE BEGINNING kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXq0lHeDoKllhJo

[@jobertpage-et1349]

Cool living nature...

[@JourneyOnLife]

The main fun thing for me is how self-sufficient can I be. I'm thinking about self-sufficiency. Off-grid is. Seems like a definition people like to use but more importantly I think the self-sufficiency part part is pretty cool. And sometimes for example when someone needs some electricity in a spot even on your own land that is hard to get to using something like solar panels and batteries is just a good all-in-all way of doing it. It don't really matter if it's off grid or whatever. It's kind of funny to me that some people concentrate on the fact that they don't have a utility bill that that is the main reason for having an alternative like solar panels. To me it's convenience and self-sufficiency having its advantages too. I definitely like having a well though because after all the horror stories of poisonous pipes and things like chlorine and fluoride being in the water whether you like it or not is not appealing to me. I'd rather have a little bit more control. Like we also have chickens and those eggs definitely are more healthier then store-bought because after about 10 years now my cholesterol has been going down and down and down is completely normal now and I've been eating on average about 4 to 6 eggs a day.

[@stevensaxon8888]

Do a video on your internet service and equipment please.

[@Chris_at_Home]

Nice place. I love that propane range. We have a remote recreational cabin and our pilot lights on our range use more propane than the fridge. We mostly use our place in the summer now. We collect rain water as we have a six mile ATV trail to get to our place. We tend to like the modern remote off grid.

[@achouchemhamed1454]

How i can get in contact with you?????? My ig: sstrangerr_person

[@NedKLee]

Just loving your videos. 8 years off grid, Solar powered, rain water tanks for the house and the animals (dogs, cats, chooks) vegie gardens and fruit trees. 10 acres with enough dead fall to harvest fire wood for winter. Off grid does not mean living like a caveman, the kids all live and work in town (Adelaide) but they come home to decompress, the tranquillity is priceless.

[@Jezzzzz818]

I wana learn how to live like this...I will not be following the masses with that vaccine...so my only choice left soon is to live the way u do🙏🏼

[@kukieputa3920]

@@Jezzzzz818 light and blessings on your journey, you are doing the right thing.

[@aussiegrows8096]

@@Jezzzzz818 I hear you. Bad thing is in Australia the house prices out In rural areas have gotten almost impossible to buy unless you have close to 1 million for land then put up a small house. I have 500k and don’t think I can do it

[@lwedel3361]

@Aussie Grows Tassie has some cheap properties

[@aussiegrows8096]

@@lwedel3361 as of right now their are 13 properties under 500 k…

[@Mackienze-R-Matuasilva]

I think we can all try to live this way, it's more relaxing and it gives meaning to our lives, many people will not battle with mental illness

[@whofarted2903]

That's for sure the mental illness bit Wow Thankyou Beautifully said ❤️

[@johncarapinha5600]

Indeed.

[@sariahlace5944]

💯💯💯💯👍👍👍👍✊✊👊👊🤝🤝

[@justinschexnayder8485]

Soulless job + high bills = mental illness

[@panzervpl9406]

I'd say it's a good way of living but also idealistic most people just can't afford (the initial cost) to live like that or can't move out of the city because they work there I mean investing in solar panels is a good way of saving money and reducing pollution but it's also expensive and requires space

[@charlesleblanc6638]

We've been off the grid now for our tenth year, and its a good feeling in these uncertain times not to have to be dependent on everything.

[@mariagaluppo6171]

Godbless you guys your foresight and hardwork has paid off in security that I and lots more people can say no longer have the great reset is upon us and with that god only no’s

[@michaeltodd5806]

Yeah, i love not needing gas, food, electrical from the grid, or driving to the store. We even make our dog food. Its the best feeling when the world is crazy outside.

[@Zaidi_227]

How do you get food when off grid? also do you need to have alot of money to start living off grid Is 20k enough?

[@Zaidi_227]

@tall paul no I didn't 😐

[@rayofsunshan]

@@Zaidi_227 We should create a GroupMe or some kind of chat to research this stuff together.

[@CelticStone]

12 years into our offgrid trip, never been happier

[@slowandwilder]

That's so wonderful to hear..congratulations

[@indy191]

What is the cheapest method for living off grid and do u know how long u have to plan for it

[@CelticStone]

@@indy191 way too many variables for an answer. we planed for 15 years or so, had a family, flipped a couple of houses. in the end, it comes down to 'faith' that you are doing the right thing, for the right reason. I could right a book about our journey but in short, Co-Create it :)

[@bryannajordan7814]

Where do I even start?

[@capncook2006]

Yeah youre def off grid using that phone and wifi

[@medogguard]

I've been off grid for a year . I've taken it slow . First with a generator then battery bank and now solar. I had the well drilled last year so I needed 220v for that u bought a 6000 split inverter and it's working out nicely so far . I sometimes wish I had the money to have everything done at one time but I don't regret being off grid. I paid for everything in cash so it give me motivation to keep it that way

[@yinyin1763]

you are awesome

[@Tambrose0405]

What kind of generator do you recommend? I was looking at jackery maybe?

[@TriCityConnections]

Wow I can really relate to wanting everything at once! We've paid cash as well....one chunk at a time. Verry satisfying though to have everything paid off!

[@daieast6305]

paying the government money is transition toward making your own stuff using natural products and processes

[@gwebocelestron9194]

I've been off grid for 3 years. I hear you. Can't get everything at once, unless you have endless money and can get an army to come in and install everything for you. I finally got running water to the house last summer. Hauled water for 2 years prior. I couldn't get a well drilling company to come out to drill the well. So, I did it myself. I welded up my own well drilling rig. Fortunately hit water at 8' and was able to drill to 20'. Worst part of it was hitting large river rock and trying to get those up out of the hole. Once I got to sand it was easier, but then hit hardpan I couldn't get through at 20' where I stopped. Water tested - no toxins and tastes great. Using a 110v shallow pump that can be run off solar or generator. Also installed a hand pitcher pump in the same hole.

[@sunseekermama]

Going on 21 year's off grid and still love it! (Especially no power bill!)

[@boromirofmiddleearth557]

wow awesome!

[@noahriding5780]

How do you find places you can build on without interference and pressure from modern society to make your place go through their money mill for fees, getting their take, milking you for permit fees and so on?

[@atlas1595]

Your dog cracks me up I love him :D I am graduating high school and I'm interested in living sustainably when I'm older, both for environmental and $$$ reasons. I'm also anticipating a greater appreciation for life when you work hard for what you have, and aren't distracted by materialistic things. Excited to see how things go-- videos like this are super helpful!

[@Sky-Child]

Good point, well made. I realised recently that I don't need to wait for a farm to start growing my own food/making bread/jam etc. That's part 1 of the journey to my off grid smallholding dream!

[@wheat2714]

hey, I have just been searching for off-grid ideas and came across your channel, what a great education I got. as a disabled vet I am sick n tired of depending on the GOVT that Consistently fails people that served and are getting road blocked by red type paper work so BIG THANK YOU BOTH

[@Kat-I-am3333]

Sincerely, may i ask HOW you 'served' 🙏

[@timbarnett3898]

I've lived off grid for 16 years now, with no power, water so we'll see how I perform! I'm also using solar an back up generator! But I don't have enough panels to completely charge in winter, bummer!

[@yourdedcat-qr7ln]

How you doing man?

[@thermowet13]

How do you pay for internet

[@SeattlePioneer]

Ahhh. Utilities have the same limitations trying to make solar work for them. Their solution is similar to yours, typically using a gas turbine to provide power when the sun doesn't shine. In my view, people who have solar and are tied to the grid are racketeers, using the services of the utility and not paying for them. By contrast, those like you who are not tied to the grid, have to look for ways to be their own utility. It sounds to me like you are doing the right thing by not buying more solar panels. Probably just not a good solution during the long winter nights and months. You need to burn some gasoline to charge things up in the winter? Big deal. Sounds to me like you are doing splendidly.

[@adidteacha6970]

The Amish have been living off grid for hundreds of years and the’er having no problems

[@viktortrax]

That's because they have Jesus.

[@randykrus9562]

I've heard they have a lot of inbreeding issues. Small gene pool or something like that......

[@josephatnip2398]

They don't truly live off grid they all use propane and internal combustion engines to make compressed air they use compressed air to run ceiling fans and tools and other equipment they use propane refrigerators propane lights propane heat they're not really off grid they just don't use electricity

[@jakejennings5152]

The Amish round my parts make a killing selling stuff at their Country Stores

[@deeplyrootedmusik3324]

@@josephatnip2398 off grid means "off grid" not on the utility grid. It doesn't mean without electric. It means off the electrical grid. As in outside of city limits and power line limits.

[@Cyborg1170]

This is amazing. Sold my 500 sq foot house in LA for 4 million dollars. Currently building a giant mansion in Utah. Very excited. So cheap here.

[@MrKenhaigh]

I have been watching several families forge new lives with "off grid" being a large part of their growing existance. I come to the conclusion that its all a state of relevance. Even now, in my mid 60's, if it wasnt for the fact i'm slowly dying of cancer i would probably be out there trying to forge a better lifestyle myself. This off grid question has got to be an individual choice. All that you are saying is perfectly correct. Do you go old school and completely remove yourdelf from all pupblic utilities or would it be more sensible to chose your level? Looking at things from the very start, safety and emergency. You want and from your point of view need a contact method up and running from day one. So there we have "off grid" being tossed to one side as we are going to use some form of communication device which will be linked via internet or cell phone system. Now lets carry on looking at other things and the questions we will ask. What is available? Do i want it? Do i need it? Is it within budget? How dependable is it? These are some of the end user questions which make the level of being off grid such a personal thing, no two answers must be alike, what you prioritise builds your path. Animal feed, are you going to grow and harvest enough food for your livestock or are you going to pop over the local feed store and buy.....from the grid? Very little solar coming in so will need the back up generator, what does that run on and where do we get it? Again it comes down to a personal choice, use fuel which came from a supply grid or struggle till the solar catches up. The way i see you Matrin, Jules is that you understand fully that being "off grid" is all about levels. there are no hard and fast rules to stick to. Do whatever you need to do for the safety and well being of your family, if that means encroaching onto the grid then so be it.

[@steveheas7954]

Answer: wood burning engine and steam power. Look up how to convert your gas engine into wood burning. This tech has been around for at least 120 years

[@boromirofmiddleearth557]

great comments and insight. sorry about your cancer. How are you doing?

[@notayoutubechannel3635]

Bless you and all the families who are engaging into off grid options and showing other people the way forward for sustainable future. More power to you!!!🙏🙌

[@Covert_Arrangements]

I live in central TN, I am a travel nurse and have a small family with children. I’m divided between buying a smallish Amish style cabin and live off grid on some inexpensive land with a stream. Or going full “on the road” and do the RV life thing. Not sure yet. But I’m greatly appreciative of the information provided in your videos. Thank you. 🤠

[@bitkrusher5948]

MODOC COUNTY CAhas 1 acre lots for under 5 grand tou can live in your trailer on your land while building.Our new hospital is totally hiring....

[@4cClubT]

How bout get the land so u hav a place to "park" an RV or whatever-

[@ellenlefavour628]

I’m loving living off grid in my 33’ rv on a small piece of rural land in Florida. I use solar to charge my batteries which power lights and water pump; dual fuel champion generator for a/c, fans, charging phone, power banks, and main batteries when sunlight is in short supply (which isn’t often in the sunshine state), normally no more than 4 hours per day and some days not at all. I use my cellphone for communications and internet. I use propane for cooking, heating water and the trailer when it gets cold enough in winter to require heat, and running the propane refrigerator. I have a 120’ hand pumped well, as well as rain catchment and water hauling when needed. I have enjoyed the challenge of shifting from on grid to off grid and the great increase in my faith in and dependence on God that continues to be a major part of the process. I much prefer putting my trust in Him than the systems of fallen mankind. Also, when those systems of man go down, I won’t even be aware, as far as how it will personally effect me.

[@dbarcan11]

Hi Ellen .I live in Florida as well. I am interested on solar energy arrangement you have. My FPL bill came $525 and I want to get oof them and use some sort of solar energy. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you !

[@dwaynehoward1878]

​@dbarcan11 I'm in Florida as well living off grid. Any info on solar energy from any source would be greatly appreciated.

[@MrSupercar55]

With the cost of living so high it could knock the moon out of orbit at the moment, I’d say you guys are very inspiring. I’d say that setup is giving me many a good idea for if and when I move into my own place.

[@PropheticCoachTheresa]

This was one of the most informative videos for how to survive off grid that I've ever seen. Thank you so much!!

[@jonsmith1271]

I live in a conventional uk city house , while minimising my reliance on services and demand on the environment. Finding a plot of land, building a custom build etc isn't necessary to reduce your reliance on others or the environment. Indeed it can often increase you environmental demand. Great video, more people should show alternatives to the conventional 'off gridders'

[@brucea4608]

We ditched suburban living for large open spaces and off grid living (as much as we can at the moment). The only bill we have if land rates and satellite internet. We have 10.3kW solar and 40kWh of battery storage, we can go 5 days without the sun charging the batteries. Since moving out of the maddening suburbs, we've been more relaxed, the dogs are more settled and love the open space to run around...it's all good, except when it rains and the road floods and cuts us off...but hey, no big deal - we're off grid and can survive for quite a while without needing to go into town for supplies we can't grow ourselves; to fix this problem, we are going to build geodesic domes and use them as greenhouses, so we can grow crops all year round!

[@Off-Grid]

Man, our Off-Grid home is not small! Things just kept getting bigger and it all still works just fine. Glad we choose this life and happy to see others doing it too.

[@willwipf7030]

Off grid to me , whatever makes you happy,I love watching you folks doing your thing you look really happy,to me that is living the best way

[@roscoepatternworks3471]

Your setup is about the same as mine. I live in eastern washington, offgrid with all amenities, except dishwasher and garbage disposal. Its amazing how many people thought we lived in a tent or tiny house. Carried our water in buckets and cooked over a fire. I noticed you live in Sandpoint, beautiful area, we've been there a couple of times. That was our first choice if we didn't already have this property.

[@mch979]

My RV allows me to live off grid when I travel. Very liberating to slip the surly bonds.

[@HaroldReece]

I think you guys have done a good job. I am sure the addition of the well has helped a lot. I hope your solar setup will continue to make you happy, hopefully without any more major upgrades.

[@JourneyOnLife]

I was wondering how well they were able to clean the soot or dirt out of the water as they pumped it into their holding tank. Things like that are pretty interesting.

[@shrujanamsyama9940]

@@JourneyOnLife What soot? Most people in rural areas live off water from well or borewells. This is a very common thing and has been done for millenia

[@ErniePantuso]

Bless you guys. Ultimately what matters is to find your inner peace, find what makes you and your family happy. And that's it. No more, no less.

[@packy57]

Martin. I know you are just responding to critiques of your use of off grid. But you don't have to explain your way of describing how you and yours live to anyone. I find your site educational and entertaining and obviously so do many others. Getting into definding your words is a fruitless exercise. Just keep doing what you do. Show us YOUR way. We will continue to watch

[@factsmatter1172]

I find that when content creators do that. It's because too many people have opinions about it.🤗

[@emmawaring4968]

We've just began our journey to offgrid living, an inverter and batteries so far, working towards more batteries and q genny fire for heat and trying to get our system together for hot water from the fire.

[@Azmihidayaat]

For the past few days I re-watched all of your video in Indonesia, even now I am watching them, when I saw you upload, click right away!

[@usoda6974]

The most loyal potato in the world

[@DreamweaversHomestead]

We too are off grid. Currently we collect rain water, but are working on a better extensive set up & so our system is not full capacity yet so rural fire dept brings a truck to fill some of our tanks when needed/dry. Our location has an extensive amount of annual rain thankfully. We have solar starting & gas and battery generators as back ups/power banks. Some people thought we basically just lived in the trees shocked when I say we have freezers and fridge etc... We do have propane cooking, but ours is outside. We heated with kerosene all winter and will add wood stove this year. The no utility bills is nice right 😂😂 but I love this life!

[@KRich408]

I had a Pizo electric ignition on a old stove it was true off grid no electricity or batterys required, also for gas you could use a acetylene generator, you would definitely be off grid then.

[@KRich408]

The acetylene Gen may not be suitable for cooking? I know they used them for Lighting since it's many time brighter than NG or LP someone was even working on powering a car off a Acetylene Gen they had in the trunk but never followed though maybe he got some blowback from the Oil companies? Wouldn't be the first time a good idea was burried by greed.

[@kazparzyxzpenualt8111]

Wood gas if you have a lot of brush to clear. Some clever folks are making these gasifyers that can run Generators. Why not propane refrigerators and water heaters too. The vehicle types are well known but are speed limited I understand.

[@gordonquigg9389]

This was a very nice video. Humorous and entertaing. You folks are styling. Everything you need and pretty much nothing you don't. Way to go.

[@LivinLaVidaGypsea]

Love it! Love the channel and the vision! We built our off-grid property in the islands of Panama and had a wonderful time living there for over 5 years

[@CreatedByNoriElan]

Why did you leave?

[@MacaroniKidFolsom]

We saw y’all driving down Hwy 95 the other day and then found your KZbin channel when searching for whole home off grid solutions. We’re getting started in the spring!

[@bingo624]

Like your way of " off grid "!

[@sandysmith9869]

I lived off grid by shopping at thrift stores for pots, pans, propane camping stoves, oil lamps, lamp oil, Waterford crystal glasses to make cheap bear taste better, folding stoves, knife sharpeners, hurricane lanterns, Coleman gasoline heaters, propane heaters, charcoal water filter cartridges, saws, hand tools etc etc... In other words, I'm ready for winter blackouts up here in the sticks..

[@dividendjourney]

Love the video! You guys compliment each other so well!:) I've looked at options of similarity besides needing only a smaller home since it's just me. I grew up on a 66-acre farm in Oregon and loved it! Someday, I look forward to having my own homestead as well! Keep up the insightful videos!

[@jonathantan2469]

1. Gas & propane stoves can be lit with a match or a BBQ lighter (basically a Bic with a long nozzle) if the sparker doesn't work or if the battery's flat. 2. I haven't seen your other videos yet, so I'm not sure if you're harvesting rainwater from your roof. Roof gutters can be directed to a mesh filter + water tank for rainwater collection.

[@t.daniel5003]

Love the video and really LOVE the Boston Terrier! We have 3 BT's and they make great farm dogs.

[@hilo4noff1]

Having done a similar... 6 year journey ourselves, I'd like to thank our success on the reliability and fantastic customer service of champion generators. We cannot recommend them high enough. The guy listened to our generator running over the phone and sent us a new carburator. Running a little 2k Ryobi for only an hour in the evening to recharge devices smoked it in 6 months. Sent it in through home Depot. 4 months to get it back. Ran a couple more months and then the magic smoke escaped. Control board went out. Local repair shops won't touch because they have to wait 6 months to get paid if they jump through all appropriate hoops. Champion all the way

[@wayneg1212]

Thanks for the inspiration! I plan to move out of Dallas Texas and retire to 10 wooded acres in north Louisiana where we are planning a homesite!

[@Burner-nf8ki]

In the world of so much costs , rising expenses, all is going up. It's worth getting options thank you.

[@PaullaWells]

Y'all had me cracking up the whole time! 🤣 Tux too. 🤣 Julie: "Cans and a string." bahahahahaha

[@booterone1]

It’s a toss up between the can/string and the smoke signals. LOL

[@PaullaWells]

@@booterone1 - Right?!? 🤣🤣🤣

[@bonnwilliams]

This is all new to me, and I am learning something new. That has been around for a minute. I like what I see. Thank you for showing this video.

[@lcook0825]

Thanks for this video. It explains a lot of things about “off grid”.

[@Marcellolin22]

Your family are awesome. I've been watching your journey since 2017 when living in Indonesia. Never misses a single videos ever since.

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

+Cello wow! You are amazing. Thanks for letting me know. You brightened my day!

[@cleversolarpower]

Great video. How do you handle freezing temperatures with lithium batteries? Do you have an automatic heater heating them up?

[@richardwilliams7264]

We are not quite off grid, but are outside of the area for most public utilities. We now have Starlink internet, best satellite service and cheaper for us than cell service internet.

[@lindalbrown4093]

WOW!!! Outstanding overview of what it takes -- beautifully presented -- realistic and compelling. Thank you so much! Now, on to SUBSCRIBE!!

[@bobwallace9753]

Suggest you don't set up a separate solar system for your well. Put all your panels in the same system. Pump water on sunny days after your batteries are charged. Use electricity you would otherwise discard. Pumping water is a 'dispatchable load'. It's a demand that doesn't need to run all the time and can be turned on/off at will. My routines is to pump water from my well to my storage tanks, do laundry, use my larger shop tools and any other similar tasks on sunny afternoons. (I now have enough panels so that 'afternoon' can happen as early as 10 AM. ;o) Grundfos makes high quality deep well pumps that run on 120 AC and have a 'soft start' so there's not big surge when it kicks on. My pump has been operating for almost 20 years with zero problems. I trenched in my electric line using a walk behind 'ditch witch' and put the wire in PVC conduit. If you've got elevation consider putting your water storage tanks up high. On sunny days you can pump up to them and then have gravity flow back to your house 24/365.

[@JahmericanQueen]

Me and my husband is working hard to go off grid in a few months . So excited 😁.

[@AstonJay]

My main concern is mainly to disconnect from water and power utilities and switch my main power guzzlers like a water heater, stove/oven, freezers, etc. to their own power source/s. Since our grid is not stable at all, we have constant, scheduled rolling blackouts for certain areas to prevent the national grid from collapsing, or so they say... Great video! You have some good alternatives for me to look into.

[@DirectorCM]

Been living off grid for about a year. What does it take to live off grid? 1. Money. None of these KZbin channels ever tell you this but Solar is not cheap. Panels, batteries, and such are expensive. 2. Hard, Monotonous Work. The daily chores never stop. If you are lazy, this isn't for you. 3. Constraint and Moderation. If you are a person used to living lavishly; again, this isn't for you.

[@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305]

Thank you I said the same thing... my house.. barn and other building use about 1300 kw a month in power.. Solar panels would cost tens and tens and tens of thousands to power this 14 acres... LOl id rather pay 200$ a month and live off the nuclear power station 35 miles away.. than spend the rest of my life paying off those solar panels. 14 acres... you need a tractor.. tractors cost 20k or more for 30hp or so.. Its a TON of work fixing building.. repairing things on 14 acres..

[@EnergiA854]

@@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305 why tractor??

[@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305]

@@EnergiA854 8 acres is wooded.. how else am I gonna cut and move the trees ? By hand ?

[@annettezak2554]

off grid to me means not being attached or dependent on anything traded publicly or leaving a bad footprint and here are some of those companies such as Cell companies, propane companies, and batteries don't last forever but your life of slowing down and being in tranquility, nature and doing your own is awesome. And does have an insight in different off the grid options so thank you.

[@kiesha104]

I applaud you all for disconnecting from the " norm" and living what you feel is your best life. I feel bad for the people who never leave the cities and breath the clean Air or ever spend a nite under the stars.... You are truly blessed. Thank you for sharing. My wife and I left the tyrannical state of NY for country living in SC. 2 acres of land. Well already on property. Looking into solar just for lighting and TV. We are hooked up to gas but I believe they may have been propane at one point.... Star Link is pretty intesting, kind of like the white dishes we had in Iraq but way smaller..

[@boromirofmiddleearth557]

hows it going down there? I have heard many are leaving NY for the south.

[@KyZhoül]

Why not just go to the mountains of NY? You can go off grid right there

[@tripler3724]

In my area, a lot of people live off-grid, but just don't know it. We have our own well and have used propane since the 60s after switching from heating oil. We use public electricity, but have a whole house unit and 1000 gallons of propane. Too many don't realize you can live quite comfortably off-grid.

[@martinoneill1726]

Great job you guys, I'm actually trying to buy a house with a little land, love that life style, but was always afraid of losing the mod cons, maybe you can have both

[@vk3dgn]

My home is somewhat remote (in south east Australia) the only available grid connection is electricity which is very expensive to try to live without. We have big rainwater tanks, septic tanks, gas in a big bottle, wood fire, cell phones, wireless internet. It's not at all uncomfortable, esp. with grid electricity (240VAC only).

[@Speedm96]

Great video! Fell more in love with the idea of living off grid. My only question and concern is. Income. How much should you save to start it? How does one keep from going back to living in a city renting apartment and going to back to how it use to be?

[@gwebocelestron9194]

I started with raw land that had a very old well point, once I located it after clearing trees and brush. Put a pitcher pump on that well point for water to start. I started collecting what I would need long before going off grid (tools, solar panels, generator, etc...). Sold my house in the suburbs and lived in an appartment while I built. After spending one summer clearing the land, I spend the next summer building the tiny house. Stayed in the tiny house that winter heating with a Mr. Heater Buddy and propane. Used candles and LED puck lights for lighting. And used a single burner camp stove for cooking and heating water. Next summer was installing solar, a shed to store my tools (they were just in my utility trailer covered by tarps), and dug my garden to start growing food. Also rigged up a water tank, with an RV pump to get running water in the house. After I got solar I could get internet. The next summer I drilled my well. And also built another shed with interior finished as my she-shed/workshop/office. I probably have $25,000 to $30,000 into my place. Just to do the exterior of my tiny house it cost around $6000, plus another $2500 or more to finish the inside. This was before Covid/supply chain prices when 2x4's were under $4. Now they're close to $8.

[@SeattlePioneer]

> Personally I worked as a blue collar for a utility company and worked my way into a skilled position. I am single, never married, and live frugally and invest excess income in stocks or rental real estate. I retired in 2007 at age 57, and have earned zero "earned income" from working since then. After ten years, I compared my net worth in 2007 with what it was in 2007 to see how much of that net worth had been consumed in that ten year period. The answer was that it hadn't been consumed ---it had DOUBLED in that time. Now at age 72 I still have only taken income from retirement accounts required by rule 72T ---and I've reinvested that outside retirement accounts or given it away as gifts/charity. Living frugally and saving/investing has worked for me.

[@havensabaini7334]

We live mostly off grid. We have a well and also haul water. We use propane and have cell service. We are only paying for electricity.

[@pollydavis6078]

This is my first video I have gotten to watch!! This is so interesting ...I learned a lot just watching this video. I love it!! You guys really have it going on. Thank you for sharing your journey .. can't wait to watch more of you videos!! This is the way life was meant to live!!! ❤️

[@ytep469]

Exactly!!

[@trisheastman3898]

We just want to say hello to a future neighbor. We own 20 acres about 8 miles north of Sandpoint in the Colburn Colvert area. We are currently in West Glacier, MT for another month or so and then we hope to be heading over there to start work on our property which has already been put off a couple years longer than we wanted. With as little snow as you have had this year we probably could have been working on it this winter unlike 2 years ago when we were there and couldn’t get to the property because of snow. We were staying in Clark Fork then because we couldn’t find anything to rent in Sandpoint. We have had continuous snow on the ground here ever since before we moved into this cabin at the end of October. We’ve watched 3 of your videos so far and will be watching more.

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

So cool that you will be here. If you are looking for a church home come visit us. Link is in the description.

[@Mooshnick]

Subscribed! Martin---I like how you explained that ---all depending on the lifestyle you choose---one can choose accordingly but judge not how someone else lives on planet earth. There are too many options in this modern world. Thank you for this insight!

[@Elementaldomain]

Like you said, pick a level. I am on grid. Small cabin in the high desert, grow my own food. But I also have generators, solar power, solar water, solar ovens, rocket stoves, oil lamps, etc. It works for me. I am completely self sustained, but also can use electric if I want to. We do get a fair amount of rain and snow and I made rain catchment systems out of 8x12 kiddie pools that have angled polycarbonate panels that catch the rain and drain into the pools. Then I pump the water into 55gal barrels sunk up to their rims in the ground. I also have indoor mini wood stove but rarely use it because The whole cabin front is all windows. Compost toilets complete the scenario.

[@royrobinson4636]

I'm a New Subscriber... 😊 Great video and it always helps to have the family share your enthusiasm! I believe using the term "Living-Off-the-Grid" can be intimidating and overwhelming for most people. Living a comfortable life without any outside dependence is some people's dream and other people's ultimate goal, nice work! I understand this doesn't happen overnight, it takes a lot of planning, work, time, and money. I think of it as becoming more "Self-Sufficient" in preplanned stages until you reach that goal. For example... You could modify that wood stove to cook meals when your Propane Company supply gets cut off, or the prices get unreachably high, the same concern for your gas-powered generator when Gasoline is not available or prices double/triple/quadruple? I admire your setup and have implemented much of the same ideas on my property like dual-fuel generators, wood-stoves, cords of wood, a solar system, etc, however, in reality, you cannot always depend 100% on Propane or Gasoline availability, although great for backup power until you run out of fuel. A well-engineered solar system with plenty of battery storage (for those cloudy days) would certainly be more "Self-Sufficient" and reliable, even expanding your solar generation to the point of considering an efficient running electric stove, heaters, etc. My current goal is to expand my battery storage capacity because the sun can't hide forever, right? 🌄

[@royrobinson4636]

@@driverman9528 That depends on your specific needs. How many people/animals do you need to provide for? How large of an area can you keep livable, warm, and safe (one/two rooms or the entire home)? My immediate survival priorities are - *Water - *Food - *Shelter - *Food preparation - *Heating - *Sanitary accommodations - *Energy, heating and lighting (Generator, Oil lamps, Portable solar power, Wood Stove/Fireplace, Firewood, etc.) - *Defensive protection - Trash and waste disposal, etc. My secondary priorities are - *Renewable food and water resources (gardening, hunting, or bartering for supplies) - *Additional solar power, with back-up battery storage - *Lighting, Communications (radios and 2-way radios, etc), Make a realistic plan of action, start with the basic necessities and keep going. Good luck, Sir! 😊

[@AnElectricHorseSocorro]

Recommend Grundflos Danish SS 3 1/2 inch Diameter pump. Mine from a depth of 381 ft is powered by a 36 volt array. Produces 800 gallons a day. Flawless for 18 years. Soft start multi stage impellers Have the same stove as you. Very mellow lifestyle.

[@KoalityofLife]

Wow, I had no idea I could be considered off grid because I have propane and have my own well. I always thought of off grid as an electrical thing. :)

[@briansmith8967]

True that the "grid" usually applies to the electrical grid, which transmits power around the U.S., but here "grid" means anything connected to public utilities.

[@Ashitaka255]

go into town every month to buy propane lol

[@kbanghart]

@@Ashitaka255 I hear people complain about that a lot

[@Ocho-Sinko]

Thank you for the video I was very impressed.👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@babynutria8438]

how much does all of this cost?

[@RiversideHomesteadLife]

I see the snow is stacking up

[@deanbarr5740]

Thank you Martin and Jules for sharing your experiences. My wife and I have a cabin in the mountains and we love going there with the grandkids. We bought this about 11 years ago and got hooked up to electric about two years ago. Our only problem is the kids miss their internet. About a 1/4 mile down the road we can get 4 G's on our cellphones. Where our cabin is located at the bottom of the mountain we barely have cell service. Seeing your antenna system I think this will work for my family's needs. Thank you all so much.

[@cherylanon5791]

The kids need to learn there is much, MUCH, more to Life....than the G-D internet!!!! Honestly!!!!! Throw away their phones-- let them CREATE something on their own! They might even enjoy it!

[@kbanghart]

@@cherylanon5791 lol throw away phones? No way I would throw away their phones, much less my phone!!!!

[@kbanghart]

Did you set up the antenna?

[@bhok1971]

Not having an antenna and emf radiation should be the whole point behind getting off grid.

[@kbanghart]

@@bhok1971 depends on what you want I guess

[@2tallnegrito7cmn55]

I am about to live off grid for atleast a year in PR while I build my house on my land. Have zero clue but I'm ready to take it

[@risky230]

Well said sir. You guys rock too highlight of my week watching your videos keep up the fantastic work. Keep smiling

[@jesusisaliveannie3594]

You've done an amazing job! Beautiful place you've got, thank God!

[@jkco4300]

For the love of God, can someone do prep videos for grid down in the summer / extreme heat before it actually happens?

[@jessieshomestead]

Use your generator to run the ac unit. Just need a big generator.

[@theonlineanimal6009]

@@jessieshomestead that requiers fuel to run. Witch is very expensive and can only be stored for a limited amount of time.

[@lindafriesen3559]

@@theonlineanimal6009 and is also not available from pumps at stations during complete grid down👍

[@livingintheforest3963]

Great video I live to some degree this way I live by myself which makes a big difference I don’t have a man doing my stuff for me. I have a well. I use wood to burn fire I chop and stack wood, I don’t have gas but I do depend on the electrical grid for electricity however I use minimal electricity just kitchen and basics. I also hang laundry on the line to dry or on my deck balcony. I wish I did have a garden I don’t really have enough room for a garden we’re not allowed to garden here because I’m in the wilderness part of the forest. But hopefully in the future. I have a generator for emergency back up and a landline phone with a battery and cell phone. Thanks for the video.

[@diana.diamond]

this is amazing!!! now more than ever, we need offgrid living

[@AM-br4ix]

Great Job! Thanks for sharing...LOVE THE DOG!

[@rimcountryoutfitters]

You have inspired me to live off grid. I have always believed that you must live like a cave man without modern conveniences. You have opened my eyes. Its okay to do it our way. My plan is to build myself a nuclear power plant for plenty of long term, clean energy. My family likes to eat a lot of lobster and sea food so I will build a giant saltwater tank. I'm thinking 10 acres should do. I realize it will be a lot of work. Probably 24/7 with no time off. But it will be worth it because I'll be FREE!

[@JustMindgame]

Is it legal to even build your own nuclear plant?

[@rimcountryoutfitters]

@@JustMindgame If you have that much money and the right political connections anything van be legal

[@rogermontee8264]

I like your off grid setup it’s a very nice setup.Keep up the great work and way of life. God bless you all.

[@chuck1011212]

Very cool setup. Making solar run your well pump would be a nice addition, but seems like running the generator and well pump for a few hours to fill up your storage tank once a month or so is a much better solution economically. - Especially since you already invested in the generator to do the job. :)

[@castlerock7423]

There is very little economically about what this guy did. He got top notch batteries which are extremely expensive, and he got very expensive electrical setup as well. This is not cheap, but it's how he did it, because those batteries are so much better, and he had the money to buy them.

[@GNARLOUSE]

First video I've viewed from you guys but the wide array of hot sauces and Boston tells me your legit. Thanks! I have some questions if you have a sec?

[@DeanJohnson67]

I admit it after watching the video I came to the comments to find the "know it all's" .... ;)

[@usoda6974]

Let us see your bike vlog videos

[@bullithedjames937]

Same here

[@Zollnation]

@@usoda6974 a masterpiece of IN YA FACE. compliments to the chief. ;)

[@alanjm1234]

Been living off grid on our boat for 12 years. 1500 Watts solar for power, reverse osmosis for water. The house we're house sitting right now is off grid, no water main, no sewer, no landline. Solar, batteries, 5kW inverter, and rainwater tanks. It's almost indistinguishable from living in an ordinary "connected" house. In subtropical Queensland it's actually quite easy. It's pretty unusual to get more than a week of cloudy weather. It's really just a matter of having enough solar panels and batteries to last through.

[@ontogeny6474]

The off-grid stereotypes are pretty amusing. People tend to forget that we're no longer in the stone age.

[@theonlineanimal6009]

Right. It blows people's minds that you can be off grid and still power a TV and AC

[@christhebrickman3796]

One of the things that I thought might be helpful was to pump your water into the 2500 gallon tank like you're doing. But if you elevated the tank as to have gravity flow to the house. It seems like you wouldn't have to pump water daily. Love what you're doing though

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

Our house is at the top of the hill.

[@OFFGRIDwithDOUGSTACY]

yep, we qualify =) you should have inserted my pic lol

[@MartinJohnsonOffGridLiving]

You guys rock. You were a big inspiration for use moving off grid.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

Quite the setup! And cute dog❤️

[@0Hillbilly]

I'm so disappointed, there was no smoke coming out of the locomotive.

[@gymsreviews8155]

Lol, I saw that in another video. I want one

[@macclark4112]

I am not totally off grid but soon will be in the Mountains of Central Montana. Been here on grid for a very long time and soon I will be self sufficient. I have dealt with solar in the past and have A Solar Well now. But gearing up in case we lose grid power. I have a lot of my other stuff done and have maintained debt free status thus far.

[@fluxfaze]

What living off grid means to me: Sitting warm and cozy beside the woodstove enjoying a hot drink while giggling contentedly to myself when grid power goes down across the county after a harsh winter storm and my off grid power system is humming on to keep the lights on and my computer connected to the World Wide Web.

[@zainz7438]

I like the persona of the Johnsons, you all sound cool and chill, it's nice.

[@fbeizz]

when I think about "living off the grid" I think about a badass former marine living off the land. hunting, fishing, etc. 😂

[@martinbirrell57]

I've been off grid since 1999 and it has been a road trip. My place now does not give many hints that it is off grid. I have the same systems that you do Martin except for a generator. I have enough panels to get me through the worst times but yes I do cut back on usage during those times... The house looks like a typical Australian home but out bush.

[@mrbleek2910]

that battery set up looked like a huge fire hazard

[@zachsylvester309]

How so?

[@buzzsah]

Not bad, when we bought our little 1200ft main floor home, I bought a 240watt panel, 400watt turbine, 12 group 31 Deep cycle batteries. 1/3 of our home runs off the batteries with two invertors, plus 50+% of my shop runs on the same system. It has been 12 years now and the batteries are tired, but, I buy the wholesale so not to bad. We have a 10k gen that will run the house and shop without any limitations.

[@dobias28]

I can't wait for the house to be finished. It seems like forever 😭

[@iansmartel5473]

Cover the plastic sheeting 👍

[@dobias28]

Don't know whether I want to see the outside or the inside finished first. Every time I see the inside, I have this itch, to put up the plasterboard although I never done it in my life.

[@scottfilbey7882]

Settle down dude

[@SincerePresence]

I'm 4.00 mins in and fully understand and appreciate the ( I don't know, maybe...) backup plan for off grid/nature living, fulfillment. 👍🏼👍🏼 Joy n release Indeed! 😊

[@sergioresendez3474]

The caveman did not have $ 100,000 dollars in his account. So simple!

[@kbanghart]

Lol exactly

[@offgrid6789]

You don't need 100,000 to do it you can buy a few acres in some places wooded for 10k and just put a shed house down on cinder blocks and put a big tarp out with some sort of barrel or large water container underneath for water they deliver right to the property for 4k the sheds put a wood burning stove In and your pretty well set 100k is if you want to live luxuriously and not frugally if you do have 100k you can definitely do it easily and have a great set up you could put a big old used camper out there for even cheaper if you want to. I just got 11 acres in missouri no building codes or zoning for 28k with a pond and I'm going to stay out there beginning of June

[@offgrid6789]

Really probably depends on how much land you want to on how much it will cost too but with 2-3 acres in some places I think it's definitely possible to get shelter and water set up for under 25k you definitely would want to have a little extra on top though just in case you need it

[@thenativebrookie]

Ok...and how much does a regular home cost long term? About the same and usually 5x more

[@kbanghart]

@@thenativebrookie that can depend on a lot. Also the ability to resell it