Sagebrush & Solar

This post is a slightly different vibe than our build updates — and provides a little more insight into our thought process, beliefs and future plans.

From the time we were dating, my husband and I talked about homesteading. For me, it meant several acres, livestock, and self sufficiency. For him, it meant pigs, a forge and stocking a freezer with wild game. Our common thread: having acreage and raising kids in a unique way.

After we got married, we bought a large house in the suburbs. We were surrounded by farm land — and jealous of it. We had a few raised beds and some chickens, but it wasn’t enough to scratch our itch. After a few months of living there, we ventured to northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana in search of potential places to put down roots with some acreage. That trip turned up dry, and when we found out I was pregnant, we put the pause on the search.

Enter my parents, who had purchased a 40 acre parcel adjacent to theirs and offered to sell it to us. For Keith, it was a no brainer. It took me a lot longer to say yes. After our son was born, it was obvious that moving out of state wasn’t an option. So, we took the leap, sold our house, and here we are a year later.

Why did we do it, and what keeps us going?

1. Self sufficiency

The primary allure to an off grid lifestyle is the ability to be self sufficient. While we have a quite a way to go before we can be truly self sufficient, we can start with the little things and progress every year.

What can this look like? Relying on solar and a generator for power, growing and preserving our own food, building our own projects, etc.

We won’t be completely self sufficient until we figure out our well water situation, but we will be leaps and bounds ahead of our subdivision life.

2. Growing our own food

This is a huge one for me — my long term goal is to only rely on the grocery store for 20% of our food needs. The products in stores are heavily processed, sprayed with glyphosate and laden with vegetable oils. I already make most of our food from scratch, but I have a lot of room for improvement.

I am a horrible gardener. This is a skill I look forward to honing and growing (ha!). Growing our own vegetables and fruits and learning how to preserve them (canning, freezing, dehydration, fermenting) is an important step toward self sufficiency and our overall wellbeing.

Over the next few years, we will be incorporating livestock. Our plan is to start small — chickens (eggs and meat), goats (meat and milk), rabbits (meat) — and work our way up to pigs and cows.

3. Raising free range kids

Raising our kid(s) in a rural environment is a huge appeal to us. I grew up on 40 acres and have many fond memories of sledding down hills, playing Oregon Trail and spending hours outside. Keith grew up in a small town on parcel of land and spent his free time roaming around the hills. We want to give our kids ample space to be wild and free without the modern conveniences and distractions.

We also plan to homeschool our child(ren). As a former homeschooled kid, I can attest that not all homeschoolers are complete weirdos. We aren’t comfortable with the current state of the public school system and want to educate our kids ourselves. Not to mention, it’s a 20 minute drive to the nearest school.

4. Debt free (or close to it)

I’ve had the massive debt of a mortgage hanging over my head for close to ten years. Keith has had debts of his own. After selling our rental and primary residence, we’re using our profits to pay off debt and to build our house out of pocket as much as possible by doing the work ourselves.

The reality is: we won’t be debt free at the end of this. Things cost a lot more these days, and we will need to take out a small loan to finish the build. However, we plan to be debt free in ten years.

5. Delayed gratification

We live in a society that demands instant gratification. I’m guilty of this — if I want to know something, I Google it. If I need something from Amazon, I expect it within 48 hours. If I don’t feel like making dinner, Uber Eats.

That’s not an option in the boonies.

Our house is taking forever to build. It’s going to feel so good when we finally move in. Every project we work on feels like another step, and the hard work is worth it.

When you plant your garden, you wait for it to grow before you can harvest. Even sourdough bread requires 24-48 hours of waiting while it ferments.

Delaying that gratification makes the end product feel so much more worth it.

6. Slow living

Living slowly and simply is one of our biggest reasons for moving out to the middle of nowhere.

Simply by the nature of it, it’s quieter and peaceful. The solitude makes it easier to stop and look around, to live in the moment, whereas the hustle and bustle of the city has the opposite effect.