Other Books by Gary Collins
Going Off The Grid:The How-To Book of
Simple Living and Happiness
The Simple Life Guide To RV Living:The Road to Freedom
and The Mobile Lifestyle Revolution
The Simple Life Guide To Optimal Health:How to
Get Healthy, Lose Weight, Reverse Disease and
Feel Better Than Ever
Living Off The Grid: What to Expect While Living the Life of Ultimate Freedom and Tranquility
First Edition
Printed in the United States of America
Copyright 2019
Published by Second Nature Publishing, Albuquerque, NM 87109
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recordings, or in any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the publisher.
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Cover and interior design by Laurie Griffin | www.LaurieGriffin.com
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
The intent of this material is to further educate you in the area of living off the grid.
The text and other related materials are for informational purposes only. The data, authors opinions, and information contained herein are based upon information from various published and unpublished sources that represent the mobile living lifestyle and practice summarized by the author and publisher. Even though the author has been as thorough as possible in his research, the publisher of this text makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the currency, completeness, or scientific accuracy of this information, nor does it warrant the fitness of the information for any particular purpose. Any claims or presentations regarding any specific products or brand names are strictly the responsibility of the product owners or manufacturers. This summary of information from unpublished sources, books, research journals, articles, and the authors opinions are not intended to replace the advice or recommendations by professionals.
Due to the great variability of people living off the grid, and so forth, the author and Second Nature Publishing assume no responsibility for personal injury, property damage, or loss from actions inspired by information in this book. Always consult professionals first. When in doubt, ask for advice. Recommendations in this book are no substitute for the directives of professionals, manufacturers, or federal, state, and local regulatory officials.
ISBN 978-1-57067-373-3
eISBN 978-1-5439568-9-4
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What Is This Book About?
M y first book, Going Off The Grid, outlined the beginning of my off-grid adventure, mostly discussing how I found my property, the steps involved in putting together the infrastructure, and the eventual building of my house. This adventure started several years ago (heck, its hard to believe my original plan of living a more remote lifestyle started over ten years ago as I write this today!), and it just made sense to write a follow-up book discussing what Ive learned while living off the grid.
As Ive said in the past, everyone who pursues an off-grid life does it a little bit differently. Theres no master template that everyone follows. There are so many factors that go into this type of life that theres no way to simply copy, step-by-step, what someone else has done. That doesnt mean you cant learn from others living this lifestyle, though, as most of us take pieces of what others have done and combine it with a lot of trial and error. And trust me, theres a lot of trial and error.
Its also important for me to define what living off the grid means to me, as there are many different definitions floating around out there today. For me, its simply living on a piece of land thats not attached to any public utilities. Now that doesnt mean youll have to forego having a working toilet, internet access, TV, or reliable power. Technology has come a long way since the hippies of the 1960s, who I consider to be the pioneers when talking about living the off-grid life. Today you can live remotely, not tied to public utilities, and have a very comfortable lifestyle with most of the creature comforts found in the typical residential tract home. As some of you know, Ive been running a successful business remotely for several years now, which includes shipping products, running a website, being interviewed for podcasts, radio and TV, and, of course, writing and publishing books.
Thats not to say that all of the above is easy; far from it. It takes a lot of work, but I wouldnt trade it for anything. The point I want to drive home is anyone can do it. This is not just a lifestyle for single people, the rich, or people with mobile businessesIve met so many diverse people with completely different lives that I know for a fact, if you want it you can have it too!
For those looking to explore living off the grid or a more remote lifestyle, Ill share with you the things Ive learned during my adventure. As always, I dont just share the good stuff, but my missteps and mistakes made along the way too. As nothing is learned when things come easy, the lessons are in the true struggles in life and how you react to them. Trust me, there were many times when I wanted to throw in the towel, but something inside me knew the reward at the end was just too good to give up.
With that being said, even if youre already living off the grid, I think youll learn something new in this book that could possibly make your adventure a little more enjoyable, or give you an idea to make your life a bit easier. Thats why I do what I doshare my experiences so others can learn from, and hopefully avoid, some of the mistakes Ive made. I know Ive learned a great deal from people sharing their experiences living off-grid, so its truly a pay-it-forward type of community.
One last point I want to leave you with: Even though living off the grid sounds like a life of pure solitude away from people, in most cases this couldnt be further from the truth. We off-grid folks consider ourselves part of a unique and special community. And I must emphasize the word community, as I have an entire list of people I can call and they would show up to help me in any way they could, while never expecting anything in return. Thats how we are: Treat others as we would like to be treated.
