We Moved Off the Grid 10 Years Ago: Big Benefits, Surprising Drawbacks

My now-husband Scott and I fell in love while hiking the Appalachian Trail in college — and then spent the next few years fantasizing about a rural, nature-filled, off-grid lifestyle.

When we finished college in 2015, we finally had an opportunity to make that dream come true.

I’d lived in the Northeast my whole life and met Scott in Vermont, but he grew up in rural West Virginia. When he inherited land there, we decided to make the move.

Once in West Virginia, we’d build a cabin, adopt a few rescue pets, raise chickens and bees, and live off-grid. We figured this lifestyle would be sustainable and budget-friendly, and after the Appalachian Trail, how hard could it be?

We didn’t anticipate how isolated we’d feel at times, and how challenging it would be to care for our home — still, we’d make the choice again in a heartbeat.

Moving 800 miles from home right after college was more difficult than I expected

I had many amazing friends in high school and college, but I’ve never been a particularly outgoing person. Historically, I’d just meet people through classes and sports — I never really had to put myself out there.

Moving to a rural area, 800 miles from where I grew up, was lonelier than I thought it would be. I could no longer text a childhood friend or cousin to go on a quick hike or swim.

We have neighbors who have become our friends, but they live anywhere from one to a few miles up or down our road.

Our rural location also made remote work the obvious choice for me, so I haven’t really been able to form friendships with coworkers, either.

We learned that owning an off-grid cabin is like having a high-maintenance pet

Over the years, we’ve skipped some trips and late nights out because of the care our home needs. People often assume we pass up opportunities because of our animals, but the house itself requires almost-daily upkeep.

We quickly realized that staying out late at a restaurant on a Friday night in January would mean that, whenever we got home, we’d end up sitting around in our jackets while rebuilding the fire in the wood stove.

Taking off for a summer camping trip is also a challenge. We usually have to hire a house sitter to monitor our system, which includes solar panels, batteries, a charge controller that prevents overcharging, and an inverter to convert our electricity.

Unlike a regular house, ours doesn’t have “infinite” electricity — we (or a house sitter) must regularly check on our battery levels to avoid draining them.

There are other considerations we have to keep in mind on a day-to-day basis, too.

For instance, we rely entirely on a rainwater collection system for all of our daily water needs. When West Virginia experienced a terrible drought in 2024, we had to carefully manage our water usage.

Of course, things have gotten easier as we’ve adjusted to off-grid life and started earning more money, which has in turn helped us invest in better equipment like a larger solar battery bank, more efficient water pump, and larger wood stove.

Still, we know that these are concerns we probably wouldn’t have if we lived in a city apartment.

Parts of our lifestyle are complicated, but we’ve built a beautiful community here — and we have so much financial freedom

Despite feeling isolated at first, I soon realized that West Virginians are an incredibly friendly bunch.

Neighbors stopped by with plants when they saw me in the garden and invited us over for cocktails. A few have even made the trip up to visit our house on four-wheelers.

It also helped that Scott’s friends and family, who live on our road (but on the grid), were quick to offer me a seat at the table, too.

Over the years, I slowly gained confidence and started making a concerted effort to engage with the community. Now, I help to organize community plant swaps, attend book club meetings, and network with other local writers.

Though it can be difficult to take care of our home, we have a lot of financial freedom — another highlight of living here. Our only home-related costs are $120 a month for internet and $20 for propane. We have no mortgage, electric, water, sewer, or gas bills.

This means that our income stretches much, much further. Living off-grid, I was even able to pursue my writing full-time while we lived primarily on my self-employed husband’s income for the first few months.

The best part about our low cost of living, though, has been our ability to spend time with loved ones

Most importantly, I was recently able to take time off to care for my mother while she was in hospice. There’s no way I would trade a big, fancy house and an “easier” lifestyle for that time with my mom.

Our off-grid life at the cabin isn’t perfect, but I feel lucky to have financial freedom and a close-knit community.

It doesn’t hurt that Scott and I get to spend each morning together just like we did on the Appalachian Trail: drinking coffee at home, listening to the birds sing, and enjoying the mountain air.