Off-grid living can provide plenty of freedoms, but it sure is a lot of work. One couple took the search for an ideal life to the extreme.
Heather and Casey Graesser spent months researching, traveling, and "looking for a space that felt like home," even moving to Costa Rica for a time. It all started with trying to cut chemicals and plastics out of their lives.
They and their two children landed on 16 acres outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In an as-told-to essay by Kelly Burch of Business Insider in February, Heather said it was a "much more luxurious and free lifestyle" than they had lived in the Denver suburbs.
Their house is made of cob and straw bales, they use solar-powered electricity and captured rainwater, and a drop toilet facilitates their human waste compost.
There is a 12-by-12-foot kitchen, the same space for a bedroom, and a connecting greenhouse. They grow some food, buy from the local farmers market, and order a couple of things from Amazon.
They sleep in, homeschool or unschool the kids, read for an hour in bed, and spend a lot of time building things and preparing meals. They also hit up the library for Disney+ and Netflix downloads and go to the grocery store; the kids take music lessons and more.
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The Graessers' off-grid life still features computers, phones, and e-readers, and their close relationships with neighbors include trading, say, yard work for freezer space.
Heather said she's mindful of the social and educational impact on the children but that they all "feel rushed" when they have to head into town.
It's been over a decade since the family left traditional living behind, and their bills are certainly not what they used to be. They've also significantly lessened their impact on the planet and exposure to everyday toxins that are near unavoidable in modern communities.
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The changes have been well worth it.
"I'll live this way forever," the piece concludes. "The labor involved feels like a luxury and a privilege. We're finalizing plans for an 800-square-foot house, which will feel massive to us. We can't wait to have visitors and show them the unique life we've created."
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