Captains Log: City to Gritty
Remember when I wasn’t sure if I was living or camping? It’s official: it’s camping. 100%.
No power, no water, no food, nothing without massive human intervention and hauling everything needed to the area = camping.
We only have 3 water hauls left until it will be illegal for us to buy fresh water. Anyone know why the government says it’s illegal to buy more than 2,000 gallons of fresh water? I’ve asked in Colorado homesteading groups were exactly people get their fresh water for their homesteads and no one is responding. Todd has researched for months and we can’t find any place to legally buy fresh water in bulk (220-440 gallons at a time). So unless anyone here has a lead, we will be forced to collect rainwater and melt snow, filter it and store that to survive.
Our generator also blew last night. So, relying exclusively on our battery bank. Thank God it’s not snowing and we have a forecast of good weather! It will take 3 days to get the right parts mailed to repair it.
We also ran some numbers and it is 3x more expensive to live off grid than it is to live in the city. 3x!! So, we’ve been asking the difficult questions with finding a solution to mountain living before our house is built. Do we push forward for the lessons, personal growth and challenges? Or swap back to the city for the convenience, easy way of life, and to save money?
Off-grid mountain living with a well, solar, Tesla battery, septic and more is one thing (when the cabin is done). But off-grid living with none of that and hauling our own sewage in tanks down the mountain and hauling up our own (rapidly depleting) fresh water is another.
Todd is determined to fix and get everything running efficiently. But I’m wondering about our WHY at this point. If we are spending 3x more to do this, are the lessons worth it? I haven’t showered in a month and the routine to survive is setting in. If we are not saving money living in 120 sq/ft camping, should we stick it out (with a record breaking winter around the corner) or should we watch our new cabin get built from afar?
COMMENTS:
- York Bryan Hang in there guys! Praying for your big decisions. My place is still available if you need to come take showers etc.
- Charles Regina McCash Jr. Can you dig a well?
- Rachel McCash Cronin Yes we will have a well when our cabin is built! To drill one takes a specific well rig to drill and blast through rock. It is covered in our construction loan! ?
- Charles Regina McCash Jr. Rachel McCash Cronin make sure when they do have them dig 100 feet more than what they recommend because that will give you that much more storage in the well
- Courtney Marie Jones I don’t know what decision is right for you, but simply from looking at the pros verses the cons as an outsider…..save yourself the anxiety, stress, money, time and more…..and just enjoy everything you can about living in the city, before moving out to your land once you’ve got your cabin.
- Lisa Mckown I would do whatever was cheapest.
- Active NowSusan Carlson Well, I realize the greater purpose to your mission here but I see no point in living in misery through the next winter. I think I would rent an inexpensive place that has running water and a heater for the winter.
- Rachel McCash Cronin Definitely no misery here! Just a life adjustment we thought we were embracing to save money. So it’s been a realization learning that off-grid living is not saving us money. So that’s rocked our “why” out here. We do love our environment. But making it compatible for family living is costly in energy, man hours and money.
- Susan Carlson I cannot understand the water purchasing limitations. That’s really weird.
- Rachel McCash Cronin Omg I KNOW! Honestly the conspiracy theorist in me thinks it’s a limit utilities companies are behind…. but you are right about getting an inexpensive place for winter. Our stuff is in military storage which ends in Nov. So we are thinking instead of…See More
- Susan Carlson That sounds like an excellent plan all the way around. Just get through the winter and you can refine all of your house building plans based on your recent experience living off the grid. I don’t care how well you plan, there’s always something you miss or that you can improve on that you will not know until you’ve had the actual experience.
- Susan Carlson When you talk about the water, it reminded me of several stories I’ve heard where people get sued for collecting rainwater on their own properties.
- Susan Carlson I resist conspiracy theories for the most part, but honestly? What is behind preventing people on large rural properties from collecting water?
- Susan Carlson https://m.accuweather.com/…/is-rainwater…/61586739Delete or hide thisACCUWEATHER.COMIs collecting rainwater legal in your state?Is collecting rainwater legal in your state?1
- Mario J McCash Well, for what it’s worth, your camper looks pretty cool and it’s bigger than I imagined.
As the finances are a crucial aspect of all these transitions, it may well be good advice to just go the most affordable route.
There’s little point in maintaining status quo if doing so means greater financial stress.
If it’s cheaper to mothball the camper and reroute to a temp city situation until you can move into your new house, then that’s probably the most sensical thing to do.
You are most qualified to make an informed decision being in the middle of it, so proceed where it feels right.
It certainly seems you are arriving at a writing on the wall that getting a regular home to rent until your home is ready is your best bet. (“Home” being an apartment, or townhouse, or condo, or mobile home (in a mobile home park that’s fully connected to all utilities) – not necessarily just another single family house).
Sorry this has proven to be so challenging. But with the off-grid life costing three times more than traditional “city” (modern) living, a move back to more normalcy might be the wisest choice you have.
Whatever you decide, you’ll have our support.- Anna Koclanes Rachel, it’s real. Everything you are saying is REAL! My husband and I did it for about a year and a half. The second I got pregnant I said “no more.” We are still building on our land BUT living in a small nearby MTN town while we do it. Comforts are real and honestly when you start “living to survive.” Abundance thinking is harder to keep going. We found it more expensive too. Have to haul water, propane, buy fresh food everyday. Time and money wise it just takes more. It’s such a beautiful vision and IT IS POSSIBLE, you’ll have your cabin in no time, but why not be comfy while your doing it!? What’s the nearest town? Could u temp rent something there to be near by, but not there yet. That’s what we ended up doing and that’s the stage we are in now while still building on our 75 acres. It’s been sooo much happier since we made that choice. If you ever want to talk or need advice pm me. I know EXACTLY what you all are dealing with! Keep up the dream!
- Rachel McCash Cronin Omg yes!!! ?? So much wisdom!! That is exactly our life right now, plus having a 5 year old and a 1.5 year old and a cat. Resources, unexpected tolls on energy and money—and YES! If I wasn’t working with a life coach, I don’t think I could do this with…See More
- Anna Koclanes Where are you located because we have two sources of water collection sites near us, on Breckenridge direction, I also know of one near Estes but I honestly have no idea where u guys are located?
- Rachel McCash Cronin Broadmoor area-we are right behind the Broadmoor hotel, 4 miles up Old Stage in Colorado Springs. Yes, we’d love any leads on fresh water fill ups. Our current source was $13 for 2,000 gallons! Such a great deal!
- Kiley Buresh I have absolutely loved reading your posts and think you are pretty amazing for doing so. But if you aren’t saving any money and its about to get a whole lot harder with winter on its way and bringing in supplies and taking it out I would go for saving…See More
- Candace Marie Dahne Just remember that sometimes there is great learning in what we perceive as “failure.” So maybe the great idea of the trailer “failed” according to what you originally pictured. You’ve still had valuable experiences in the process and nothing you can do will negate those experiences.
It sounds to me like attempting to winter in your situation could prove dangerous, particularly for your little ones. And, since it’s no longer cost efficient, the idea to move to a small (even studio!) apartment might be worth exploring.
Besides, with the work you put into that trailer, I bet you could sell it for a profit and maybe recoup some money! - Chelsea Guetz Hixson Wow, I had no idea. I’m learning so much through your posts. I don’t feel qualified to give an opinion but will be thinking about you guys and hoping for what’s best for your family!
- Michael T Hoover I think it’s wise to set up a modern secure situation renting somewhere for the winter and if you want to do the trailer thing again, do it in late spring early summer… What you have done so far is great, and I think it is more of a three season set …See More
- Brook Nuttall My 2 cents:
I lived in a 5th wheel camper trailer that was 35 feet long for 2 years in the mountains near SLC.
So very similar to your situation. Challenges that we faced:
1. We had to skirt all around the trailer with bales of straw in order to keep the pipes from freezing, and we had to make sure that there was no air flow at all under the trailer, or freezing would take place.
2. Winter makes everything much harder.
3. We would get condensation inside the trailer on the walls and in the mornings, that condensation would freeze. So we had ice all over our walls inside the trailer.
4. By afternoon, the ice would melt and soak our clothing in the closets and the carpets along the wall.
5 The small furnace installed in these trailers are not built to withstand constant use, and every winter the furnace fan, or some other part would break.
6. It will surprise you how much the sub-zero temperatures of the mountains will creep into your home and into your attitude and life will become a daily dreaded event. At least this is what happened to us.
And we owned a fresh water well piped to the trailer, that we could use as much water as we wanted, and we had a 550 gallon propane tank piped to the trailer’s furnace and stove, and we were connected to a large underground septic tank, so we didn’t have to haul any water in or out, nor sewage either.
So in conclusion, I wish you luck, and hopefully, you fare better than we did.
7. So my advice would be to find a cheap apartment in the nearest town, and make that your home base for now (at least for the winter). - Mickell Rose You know my vote! #Timeismoney – Abundance vs survival every time if you have the choice! — Hats off to both of you for doing this, being SOOOO FREAKING AWARE! And dreaming so big!!! I can not wait for this place to be A REAL HOME soon! What a magical land you will have to play on and raise you boys <3