Living ‘off grid’

Good for him nanna8, sounds wonderful, less stressful!, if he is happy and contented why not.

One of my daughters lived with a guy ,who comes from a weathy family.
He claimed to live an alternative lifestyle.
In fact ,he constantly freeloads off his parents.
He was and is antisocial ,rude and arrogant .
He put enormous strains on my daughter and at times forced real poverty on her .
The situation worsened after they had a baby .
My daughter had recognised that life with him was never going to make her happy when she changed her mind about having a baby -she was already pregnant .
I felt so sorry for her .
It's been a decade of misery with his tempers ,moods and tantrums and finally a lucrative contract enabled her to leave .
He has been unpleasant and difficult ever since they broke up .

Yes - he has a legal driver’s license so I guess that is a form of tax. He does barter and he loves trees, has planted a few ( natives, not much use but look good ). I’m going to see him tomorrow at his sister’s place so will ask how he is going. What a contrast, she is a nurse with husband and kids and a large mortgage, fancy house !

Of course he WILL be paying tax on vehicle tax and VAT/duties on fuel
I'm not sure if rego is payable if the vehicle is not taken on public roads.

He could be living with a system of bartering too.

We knew of someone who made his own fuel from old chip shop oil.

Good for thim, I do admire those who do this. I have a young musician friend who bought a very old canal boat and has done it up all by himself, and moves around as he please.

I could have lived like this when younger. The only thing that would bother me is being cold! Indeed we still very much enjoy our touring caravan at age 78 and 73. We have had just two 'vans in 38 years, the first had no mains electric, no hot water, but we managed well without these things going all over the UK and Europe with two small children - and not always on sites with toilet/shower blocks. Stand up washes after boiling a kettle on one of the two gas rings was sufficient. The fridge, heater and two gas rings and a tiny grill (no oven - the pressure cooker did the major cooking) also worked off gas. Later DH fitted mains electric with a kit which gave us electric lighting and the ability to have a telly! We all loved it.

Our "new" van is now 15 and we think it is all-singing, all-dancing, but it still isn't luxury compared to some.

We will be heartbroken when it comes time to abandon our home-on-wheels and I'm looking into a second-hand campervan!

But then I lived the first 5 years of my life in a one-up-one-down with no toilet (there were two in a ramshackle building down the yard, shared by 14 houses - we had jerries in the house!) and a gas boiler for washing in a tin bath once a week. All was fine for us and I remember being very happy there. When we moved to a 2-up, 2-down with a bathroom and electricity my mum was over the moon!

As others have said, the young man may not earn enough to pay tax (and why should he not? - loads of people don't pay tax due to having low incomes). Of course he WILL be paying tax on vehicle tax and VAT/duties on fuel, and other things he buys to live on, perhaps not basic food but clothing, equipment etc. Good luck to him I say.

Well nanna I visited a relation near Coonabarabran recently and he too lives off grid.
He seems very happy there but IMO he’s welcome to it.

oodles

It's always possible that he doesn't earn enough to pay tax, if he is self employed he will be able to offset costs against any income. So he isn't paying tax because of his low income not because he is fiddling the system

Agreed.

Many people earn below the personal allowance, but it seems easy to be judgemental of people not living a traditional life.

It's always possible that he doesn't earn enough to pay tax, if he is self employed he will be able to offset costs against any income. So he isn't paying tax because of his low income not because he is fiddling the system

nanna8

He actually owns his block of land (a legacy) so he pays land tax on that so not completely tax free. I think he aims, eventually, to save up enough to get it zoned for housing and build on it - at the moment it is farmland and you can’t legally build on it. So his small house is on wheels, moveable. I haven’t been there because I am waiting for there to be decent toilet facilities rather than a nasty drop box. He knows that but keeps asking me anyway. Too far for me.

Could he get permission to build on it if he planted trees, fruit trees, tea trees perhaps? He could get someone to harvest them if he didn't want to do that.

It always amazed me the number of people who lived in what looked like sheds in Australia, it's not all lovely houses in city suburbs like Neighbours!

fancythat

I presume the weather is better there than here?
Which would make it a bit easier and nicer?

I know someone here who lived off grid for about 3 years.
Unfortunately she ended up losing her mind.
I dont know if she is ok now or not.

Not always.

Floods, fires, cyclones, tropical storms.

nanna8

He actually owns his block of land (a legacy) so he pays land tax on that so not completely tax free. I think he aims, eventually, to save up enough to get it zoned for housing and build on it - at the moment it is farmland and you can’t legally build on it. So his small house is on wheels, moveable. I haven’t been there because I am waiting for there to be decent toilet facilities rather than a nasty drop box. He knows that but keeps asking me anyway. Too far for me.

Wonderful way to use his legacy. Perhaps he'll change, but for now having gap yearS sounds lovely. Well done him.

Here's one:
youtu.be/OJZ2wRakOh0?si=ylfPu-NVKxtML6Cx

He's in the footsteps of Emerson

Some people have a secure base "off grid"

sazzl yes it can indeed be done but it takes a really determined mindset and helps if parents are supporting with meals clothes and a roof.
A willingness to “survive” on pasta/beans on toast or sometimes just toast after graduating as well as putting in many hours in an unskilled factory job while saving up for a couple of years “ did it” for my daughter, so she has owned her own now for 20 years.
Time don’t ’alf fly!

I am though very conscious of the fact that for some if not many those factory jobs may be the only type of job they will ever do or could do so I personally believe there should be no stigma attached to renting long term and think the way forward for this country is proper purpose built council housing/flats available to all.
Lots of it everywhere build build build.

Many problems would be solved if everyone had a secure base.

A relative lived in his van and a shed for many years, with all sorts of weird and inventive things for washing, lighting, refrigeration etc. He had always worked, paid taxes, NI, into a pension etc. This suited him well until he had a bad stroke and could no longer drive. He’s now 76 with numerous health problems and mild dementia so had to move in with his son.
Living off grid can be wonderful when you’re young, but not great when your health fails and you need help.

nanna8

He actually owns his block of land (a legacy) so he pays land tax on that so not completely tax free. I think he aims, eventually, to save up enough to get it zoned for housing and build on it - at the moment it is farmland and you can’t legally build on it. So his small house is on wheels, moveable. I haven’t been there because I am waiting for there to be decent toilet facilities rather than a nasty drop box. He knows that but keeps asking me anyway. Too far for me.

Thanks for explaining, it sounds like he’s got some good ideas for the future. Has he looked into building a composting toilet?
On the ‘surface’ they look like a conventional WC, but the waste filters through reed beds to purify.

I have a friend who has a son living a similar life in Australia. She was a little concerned that this might have a negative impact on his finding a long term partner.
She is excited ( and relieved) to discover that his new GF has been happy to stay over in his makeshift home, with it's...er..limitations.

Good for him I'm very proud of him.

My son wants to do the same. Unplug.

Our community garden bought a composting toilet. Actually a double one with disabled access. It was clean and smell free as there was a separater.
The only access to water was collected rainwater.

He actually owns his block of land (a legacy) so he pays land tax on that so not completely tax free. I think he aims, eventually, to save up enough to get it zoned for housing and build on it - at the moment it is farmland and you can’t legally build on it. So his small house is on wheels, moveable. I haven’t been there because I am waiting for there to be decent toilet facilities rather than a nasty drop box. He knows that but keeps asking me anyway. Too far for me.

My daughter started saving as soon as she was 16 with a weekend job at Tesco. All through A levels Uni degree she carried on working part time and saving. Finally at 25 she had enough for a deposit on a shared ownership house 50/50 part mortgage and part rent. Her dream was always to have her own home not local authority rented. She would have been eligible as a single parent when we moved away, as it would have made her homeless.
Her rent and mortgage combined is several hundred pounds a month less than renting a house in her area.
It can be done if you are determined. Owning a house was always her aim.

There are people who do live like this, the older woman who lives out bush in N Queensland, Australia was one featured in
New Lives in the Wild by Ben Fogle.

NotSpaghetti

He may not need to drive M0nica

I knew several people living off grid when I was younger.
I can't think of many with cars. There was a couple in America we knew off grid who did have a vehicle but used it infrequently.

Everyone needs to be abe to drive out bush.

He's probably bnot the only one living like that and upyez, I've heard if a few, but things might change when he gets older - or meets a girl.