Bits and Bob's

[Rustyme]

I started to live self sufficiently from about 20 years old onward . Learning how to do things the old way . Then had the smash at 26 it took about 12 years or so to get over it physically and mentally , after that I was a very different person and have gone more and more off grid ever since . I live off very little money , a max of £40 a week , usually nearer £10 . I don't like this time of year much as it dark very early and I don't have enough money for candles , so early to bed. Life is hard like this but I enjoy what I do and have no bills or worries like most folk . I think I am very lucky to have my 6 acres and my freedom from stress , life is good , happy solstice to all .

[steptoe]

I started to live self sufficiently from about 20 years old onward . Learning how to do things the old way . Then had the smash at 26 it took about 12 years or so to get over it physically and mentally , after that I was a very different person and have gone more and more off grid ever since . I live off very little money , a max of £40 a week , usually nearer £10 . I don't like this time of year much as it dark very early and I don't have enough money for candles , so early to bed. Life is hard like this but I enjoy what I do and have no bills or worries like most folk . I think I am very lucky to have my 6 acres and my freedom from stress , life is good , happy solstice to all .

Wow mate you did well to get over the injuries mine well hey like you i woke this monring and that is my bonus lol .

To the candle part why don't you use paraffin lights or the cheap paraffin canldes , you get the little plastic bottle and a grip top and wick i think they call them emergency canlde i got the 40 hour burn time ones i got 48 for i think 20 quid i also well have a large stocvk of lighting paraffin in stock but you can just buy a litre at a time and it would last a long time in these little lights and they give off a huge amount of light to and we put ours in jam jars to protect from fire but also you can stand a clear glass bottle by the candle and get a lot more focus light to or put a polish metal disc or a mirror behind them and again it throws huge amounts of light .

Good luck mate and make sure most of all you keep warm , we once looked at the off grid life as i was fit and looked to build a log home but well that is a long story but involved planning and well fell through .

[GeeGee]

I. I think I am very lucky to have my 6 acres and my freedom from stress , life is good , happy solstice to all .

Good luck to you
£10 a week to live on ...
I presume you grow your own food ..or hunt perhaps ...
Stress is a major downfall now in all society and in my own opinion can cause illness or worse ...
Having less stress and living as you do must certainly have helped in your recovery
Wish you all the best ...theres a lot who would like to live like you but just couldn't make it work for a lot of reasons

[Rustyme]

Yep , £10 or so . I eat a lot of veg soup , spuds onion , carrot , parsnip , swede , dried peas , beans , pearl barley , split peas , herbs and anything else I have at the time . My main meat is mince and sausages , can't afford steak etc , unless it is discounted . I buy most of my stuff in the reduced section , saves plenty of money . I do grow veg and fruit but don't hunt . This coming year I will most likely get some chickens and some sheep and goats . Eggs , meat , milk, wool and leather covered then . I hope to grow wheat , oats , barley and rye , also linseed , sunflower , hemp (not that one !) And that should cover my food needs and feed the animals . I have done all this before , but now I need to do it all again to survive really , although this time next year I will be getting my pension .

[jennyjj01]

I started to live self sufficiently from about 20 years old onward . Learning how to do things the old way . Then had the smash at 26 it took about 12 years or so to get over it physically and mentally , after that I was a very different person and have gone more and more off grid ever since . I live off very little money , a max of £40 a week , usually nearer £10 . I don't like this time of year much as it dark very early and I don't have enough money for candles , so early to bed. Life is hard like this but I enjoy what I do and have no bills or worries like most folk . I think I am very lucky to have my 6 acres and my freedom from stress , life is good , happy solstice to all .

Just read your recent post about your off gridness. Sound's like you have a fascinating situation.
With Financial off-gridliness, but with land, and at pensionable age, are you not getting state pension[Edit. AH! I just read you don't get pension yet. You may not get much if you haven't made NI contributions, somehow.] and paying council taxes etc? Or have you taken yourself so far off the radar?
I don't question your choices, but i don't understand them. Whereabouts are you located? Mainland England? Way out in the sticks?

[Rustyme]

Hello Jenny , my choices would take way too long to explain , and most likely would leave you even further in the dark mate . For me 'normal life' , doesn't work , so I have gone a very different path , my path , its not for everyone , but it is my path . I have no bills of any sort except the paygo voucher I buy to get online , £10 for 30 gig a month . I get my pension later in the year when I hit 66 . I did pay Nat ins etc and by all accounts I am up to date with contributions so should get the full amount , but I live completely off grid , no leccy , gas , water anything . I don't earn enough to pay council tax , don't use their services anyway . It is a very different way of life , much like it would be after an end of civilization event , apart from a nuke attack . Not for everyone as I say , but it suits me .

[GillyBee]

Hi Rustyme

This has me wondering 2 things. What do you like best about your current ifestyle and what do you like least?

[Rustyme]

Hello GillyBee , what i like most is the freedom . Freedom to do what like when I like . I don't mean silly things or illegal stuff , but just not doing the 'normal' 9-5 lifestyle stuff . What I dislike most is the dark at 4.30 in the winter , I hate it . I always look forward to December 20 when it starts going back to the light , as long as I am not dead , all is well and another year is ahead .

[GillyBee]

I know what you mean about the light. Even with the benefit of electricity I do not enjoy the world of going to work in the dark, sitting in an office all day with no windows and commuting home in the dark. Thankfully the pandemic work from home rules have upended that for me now. Nevertheless, I still just want to hibernate in late December and look forward to every minute extra of daylight come January.

[Rustyme]

Yep , the light at is really having an effect now . Light at 7 still now and everything is bursting into life . Got to get my rear end into gear now and get the old veggie plot cleared , seeds bought and sown and the wheat , oats , barley , rye , linseed and sunflowers all sown , busy busy busy , but extra hours in the day to get it done , life has returned !