Now some people may be offended by this question, but this is one of the most common questions we receive.
Immediately, I am going to say, “By all means, ABSOLUTELY NOT! No one is ever too old to embrace a dream of any kind let alone a dream of living an off-grid lifestyle which can be enjoyed in many different ways as I break down in my book.
Speaking of which, my book How To Embrace An Off-Grid Lifestyle: Our Journey & A Step By Step Look At The Lifestyle is available for $2.99 in e-book format until June 1st, 2017. You can find both the print book and e-book available on Amazon.
Although the title would cause you to think that this is only for someone looking to live off-grid, it is very deceiving as this book is a wonderful tool for anyone that is interested in living a more self-reliant and self-sustaining lifestyle at any age.
In Chapter 4 – Is Off-Grid Living Right For You, I break down varying scenarios of how you can enjoy off-grid living at different levels and how it is a perfect lifestyle for any age depending on how you embrace it.
As I mention in the book, our decision to embrace a very traditional type lifestyle while living off-grid in a more remote location was fully a choice and one we have dreamt about all our lives. It is not necessary for someone wishing to live an off-grid lifestyle to live as traditionally as we do.
Living off the grid means that you have a desire to power your home with something other than grid power such as solar, hydro, wind, generator or biomass power. It doesn't mean that you need to live traditionally, work extra hard, go without your creature comforts or are dirty and poor, it truly just means that you are powering your home with alternative energy. When living off-grid you will want to consider your power usage or consumption which is heavily covered in Chapter 5 of my book.
Based on your age or your health, your location could matter. If you have health issues and should really be closer to doctors or a hospital that is something to consider. If you are over 50 and are purchasing a piece of property that you wish to retire to or wish to live your remaining days on, it would be wise to consider future health needs and have things in place such as a Life Flight membership or something similar if you intend to live more remotely.
In my book, I cover the soup to nuts of self-reliant living, not just off-grid living and it gives you many things to think about and consider in embracing such lifestyles. It is really important to think about all aspects of the life and how it will affect your well-being and the amount of effort that is required. That is why I felt it was very necessary to debunk a lot of the off-grid and self-reliant myths and cover each area of the life completely!
So, to sum it up your certainly NOT too old to embrace an off-grid or self-reliant lifestyle by any means, but you will want to consider how you intend to live the life and where you choose to do so.
Are you considering such a lifestyle? What questions do you have?
Thanks for the reminder about Life Flight. Such a great idea for a lot of us who live out away from emergency services.
Hello Beautiful Friend… So good to hear from you and abssolutely my pleasure.. I feel it is so important to be prepared for the unexpected. People don’t realize that those extra minutes for those of us that are further out can make for life and death situations. Scary stuff and I prefer to be “Better Safe Than Sorry!” Blessings to you sweet friend….
I presently live off the grid and my husband and I are both in our sixties. As long as you have your place all set up by making things easier for your older years as you build them there should be no problem as you age. It seems to keep us busy and enjoying our life here together.
Awesome Kathleen and EXACTLY!! So glad to hear and so thankful you commented. SO many people fear this lifestyle and planning ahead is all it takes in most situations in life. I think our lifestyle also keeps us healthier and more fit for life with the things we choose to do. Great website by the way… Keep doing what your doing and thanks so much for sharing! Blessings to you both! <3
Life Flight membership is a good and inexpensive investment if you live remotely or spend a lot of time in remote areas. However, no one should consider it a substitute for living close to emergency medical services. Life Flight will only respond to calls from certified paramedics or law enforcement agencies. So, for example if you have a cardiac event or stroke the paramedics are going to have be able to reach you first. If the paramedic have difficulty getting to because of long distance/and or rugged road access conditions, Life Flight is not going to be able to save your life, although it will prevent you from being bankrupted by a $25K helicopter bill. The reality is if you live on the side of a mountain in North Idaho, you odds of surviving a major cardiac event are low, and even lower if it happens in winter or during Spring breakup/mud season.
#truth Dave. Thanks for chiming in. It is really important to weigh things out for yourself and your family. We would much rather live the life and accept the terms of the wild, but that may not be for everyone and we try very hard when educating on things to point this out. Same with living in a canvas wall tent for 8 1/2 months – it might sound exicting and great, but if the person has never camped a day in their life I am pretty certain it will grow old very fast. Blessings my friend..