Three Unexpected Costs I Wish I Knew About as a First-Time Homesteader

Hey there! My name is Kay, and I'm a novice homesteader.

Will, my partner, and I moved to our mountain property in the Pacific Northwest about six months ago. We’ve taken on all the good (and the bad) of living off the grid.

Big Costs - Check!

We knew living off-grid was going to be a difficult task. Over the last five years, we've studied the major expenses, and scrimped and saved to ensure we could cover the big-ticket items:

• Well - Check! Water was the most important, and we made sure to have that well completed before we stepped foot on our land.
  
  
• Septic system - Check!
  
  
• Barn construction - Check! A place to live when the winter temperatures are too much for our little trailer to handle.
  
  
• Home build kit and foundation - Check! One of the bigger expenses, but this also means no mortgage!
  
  
• Solar panels and batteries - Check! With room to grow over the next several years.

But what we didn't know (and the reason I started this blog) was that living this primitive lifestyle is costly. (Where are the off-grid budgeting folks at?!)

Budgeting for the Unexpected

When I imagined living off-grid, I saw a life without a mortgage, no utility bills, and living debt-free. It wasn't until I actually stepped foot on this glorious mountain property that I discovered the three expenses that we never accounted for:

1. Alternative energy - lots of it! We thought having solar panels would be enough... It wasn't. We didn't anticipate the winter with weeks of cloud cover and no sun. Gasoline to the rescue to run our generators and kerosene to power our barn heater.
   
   
2. Then came propane. We needed that for cooking, of course. But we also needed it for heating. Propane goes quickly when the trailer heater is running continuously to combat below freezing temperatures outside.
   
   
3. Lastly, those unexpected homestead items for the small summer garden, bird suet for the adorable chickadees, and all-natural mosquito control. Even these tiny expenses started to really add up.

Looking at that list above, a budget could have helped me prepare for all those variable costs. 

I decided this is the year I'm going to start budgeting. Only problem.... I've never budgeted before in my life!

So, here we are. 

Welcome to the Off Grid Budget blog 

Each month, I’ll track the good, the bad, and the unique of budgeting this off-grid lifestyle. I'll also put my (limited) graphic design skills to the test and create some fun ways to save more money (saving challenges anyone??).

I felt sharing my experiences with other people who may be in the same boat as me would hold me accountable and keep me motivated to make this work. 

So let's roll up our sleeves, pull up those bootstraps, and tackle budget planning, side hustles, and seasonal work together. Let's do this!

Disclaimer: This blog is for entertainment and education purposes only. I am not a financial professional, and this is not financial or legal advice.