Off-grid living is not only about spending less: many people earn an income too, and planning that income early takes pressure off everything else.
Income reduces the money you need
The book says off-grid living is not just about minimising expenses. Many off-gridders earn money, which reduces the funds needed to keep the lifestyle going. It suggests listing the ways you can make a living before you move, and listing the skills you already have.
Options the books describe
- Market gardening: selling produce at farmers' markets and to local restaurants. The book is clear that this is not quick: building customers and production takes two to three seasons.
- Selling from your own land: produce, or meat and dairy products from livestock, at local markets.
- Remote work: any job that can be done from a laptop with a reliable internet connection. The book even suggests negotiating remote work with your current employer.
- Staying connected online as a way to earn while living remotely.
Check the practicalities
- Connectivity. Remote work depends on a reliable connection, so test signal and broadband at the actual property before buying.
- Regulations. Selling food, meat or dairy is regulated in most places, with hygiene, labelling and registration rules. Check them first.
- Time. Gardening, livestock and systems maintenance all take hours; leave room for paid work.
- Cash flow. Income from land takes seasons to build. Keep a buffer (emergency fund planning).
Non-cash income too
The books also describe barter in off-grid communities: eggs, produce or preserved food for mechanical help or carpentry, or surplus firewood for help with a fencing job. It works best when both sides feel the exchange is fair. Reputation counts in a small community.
Take advice on tax
The book suggests consulting a financial adviser experienced with rural property before buying land, because tax rules and incentives vary between countries and regions. Build income plans around your own tax position.
Start before you move
Write down your skills, test an income idea while you are still settled, and pair it with a modest budget (budgeting for an off-grid project).
The Off-Grid Financial Planning guide sets out funding and income ideas in full. For the wider plan of leaving an on-grid life, see The Off-Grid Survival Manual.