Living off the Grid

Are there ever times when you feel completely overwhelmed by all of your expenses? Do you ever feel like just getting away from it all or that you could escape and get away from the tedious cycle of day to day living in this modern world? Sometimes I feel that way. And now, more than ever, I feel compelled to leave my present life and begin that new chapter that calls to me. That of "living off the grid."

When you Google the term "living off the grid," it brings you to this website where they discuss the meaning of the term. To most people, this term means to make your own energy and live off of the electric grid that provides power to the majority of people living around you if not to yourself as well. To others, it means to make your own clothing, shelter, heating your house with wood and lighting it with oil. The author goes on to state:

But there is yet another definition to living off the grid:
Being a ghost to the government. Living under the radar. Staying on the move. Being as free as free can get in today’s society. Dropping out of society. No taxes. No Job. Minding your own business and expecting the rest of the world to do the same.

After reading many of the replies posted in response, I realized I was one of the few people to consider this close to my own definition of living off the grid. I do need a job, I'd rather not pay as many taxes as I do, sometimes I like society and sometimes I don't, and I'd prefer to not be tracked by certain means. More often as I'm caught up in how much it requires to live in our society, I find myself wishing I lived in a chalet in the middle of a huge forest, maybe somewhere in Wyoming or Canada.

Just look at that picture! Imagine cozying up inside on a winters day, completely unbothered by the rest of the world. But I've digressed, because this post isn't about escapism.

What I want to do to live off the grid is to pay off all of my debt, which includes school, credit card, and personal debt, and start paying cash only for things I buy at the store. In this modern age many of us pay for everything by electronic means and you start to lose your concept of what money really is. It's so much easier now to think of money as something that comes out of thin air, just a number that magically comes out of a piece of plastic or by the click of your mouse. I think that if I have paper money in my hand, I'll probably be able to curb my bad habits better.

I'm really tired of spending money almost every day. It feels like I constantly have to go to the grocery store, gas up, buy supplies for classes, gifts, etc. I've done the math and my phone bill alone amounts to around 720 dollars a year! Speaking of cell phones, sometimes I really want to go back to having a landline, mostly because they are cheaper and much clearer. But alas, I wouldn’t have the ability to text which is now a major form of communication between me and friends/acquaintances. I refused to get a cell phone until around 2007 when I moved to nyc. I was pretty happy without one but now that I'm on my own then it's probably best to keep it for emergency situations alone. But it's SO expensive!

Anyway I'm not sure how to end this post....I guess I should just say that I'm a little tired of money!