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- Sarita Harbour
SAVING MONEY TO MOVE OFF THE GRID
You're ready to purchase that cabin in the woods or off grid homestead you've been dreaming about. And you never know what repairs or investments you'll need to make in your new off grid home. So a healthy savings account is a priority.
Although you may already be couponing or buying things on sale, there are a whole lot of things you can do that not only help you save money.
The truth is, saving money to move off the grid does more than build your savings account. It also gives you a chance to build your self-reliance skills.
Saving money forces you to strategizeplan, , and think creatively.
THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO SAVE MONEY RIGHT NOW
If you've been thrown into an unexpected financial situation and need to save money right now, start with your grocery bill.
With a little planning and preparation, chances are you can lower your costs immediately.
Take the time to organize your pantry.
To start, list all the food you have. Then list all the food in your fridge, freezer, and cupboards.
Use what you have to create a short-term meal plan. I do this every January when we participate in a 60-day pantry challenge.
Next, look for recipes to make meals from leftovers, like this Chicken-Black-Bean-Salsa Bake. This helps you to use up what you have and limits your spending at the grocery store.
One of the cheap and easy meals to make from canned goods is rice and beans.
And one of the easiest ways to use leftovers is in a soup or stew.
Our favorites include Turmeric Lentil Soup, my Vegetable Soup Recipe, and my White Bean Kale and Sausage Soup.
THE BEST WAY TO SAVE MONEY LONG TERM
What can you create or grow on your own? When you do it yourself, you save money, and you can set yourself up for a new income stream.
Learn a new DIY skill such as sewing, knitting, gardening, canning, foraging, or even woodworking. Learn how to freeze vegetables - from your backyard garden or from buying seasonal vegetables from local farmers.
Don't forget to save by buying in when ingredients and items are on sale.
It's true that DIY skills help you save money and become more self-sufficient. Yet they also give you marketable skills to help you make money once you move. For now, here's a great big list to help you get started.
66 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY TO MOVE OFF THE GRID
Stop buying paper towels (and maybe toilet paper - consider these 21 toilet paper alternatives instead)
Use knitted or crocheted dishcloths
Cut down old towels to make more cleaning cloths/dishcloths
Use a menstrual cup instead of paper feminine hygiene products
Replace cleaning products with vinegar and baking soda
Bake homemade bread and muffins from scratch - buy your bulk dry yeast on Amazon (and freeze it in sandwich bags to keep fresh for up to a year)
Save leftover rice, pasta, cooked vegetables, and meats to make homemade soup
Buy seasonal produce when it's cheap and then freeze vegetables, dehydrate or can them
Only give handmade gifts
Use powdered milk instead of regular milk in baking
Plan your meals weekly to shop the specials
Make double batches of dinner and freeze the second batch for fast dinners
Eat leftovers for lunch
Eat rice and beans (many great rice and beans recipes online)
Use just one vehicle - sell the second one
Walk to work and/or school
Combine errands to limit gas consumption
Brown bag your lunch
Turn your thermostat down in the house in the winter
Stop using central air or turn the thermostat up in the house in the summer
Cut your cable or satellite bill
Bundle your Internet and smartphone services
Stop wearing pantyhose and nail polish
Cut and color your own hair
Start saving seeds from fruit and vegetables and try to grow your own
Grow your own vegetables in a garden
Grow your own herbs indoors
Learn to forage for edible greens, berries, and mushrooms
Dry your clothes on an outdoor clothesline or indoor clothes rack
Learn to sew on a button, fix rips, and patch clothes to avoid buying new ones
Use a cold water wash only
Use cloth diapers
Breastfeed your babies!
Make your own baby food
Fish - in the summer or try ice fishing in the winter
Hunt
Barter or trade
Use Amazon prime with free shipping to shop sales
Reduce your family's meat consumption and try beans, legumes, and eggs cheap and nutritious
Stop buying sandwich bags and saran wrap
Use a power bar and shut it off at night to reduce phantom power usage - a good way to get ready for experiencing off grid electricity!
Downsize to a smaller home
Choose free or cheap entertainment
Borrow books and DVDs from the library
Join a toy lending library
Learn to darn your socks!
Cut down little worn adult clothes to fit kids
Use hand-me-downs from older kids, family and friends
Save your soap scraps in a mesh/onion bag to use them up
Don't buy packaged cereal. Eat oatmeal instead - not the instant packets either
Brew your own coffee at home and take it to work in a travel mug
Stop buying lunchmeat (remember the leftovers from tip #13?)
Eat more soups and stews to stretch the meat
Comparison shop for house and car insurance
Take advantage of any alumni/profession group rates/discounts on insurance
Review your bank account charges - look for free online accounts
Consolidate any credit card bills to one low rate account to cut interest costs
Get rid of interest charges by paying off any kind of debt
Call to see if you can renegotiate your internet/cell phone contract charges - especially when your service provider's competitors are advertising promotions
Buy good quality second-hand clothes from a thrift shop, garage sale, or local Facebook swap group.
Install CFLs or LED lightbulbs where possible
Drink tap water instead of bottled water (filter it with a Berkey water filter if needed)
Stop buying juice and pop
Turn down the thermostat indoors in the winter and either avoid using central air in the summer or turn the temperature up two degrees to save on electricity bills
Redeem credit card reward points for grocery gift cards and save the cash you would have spent this week at the supermarket
cancel your gym membership and your yoga studio membership
Saving money to move off the grid can give you a taste of what your future life will be like. It gives you the opportunity to live that old saying - "use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without."
