So my wife wants an homestead off-grid lifestyle

[Demon-hunter]

My wife wants to live a homestead lifestyle with in 5 years. Like living with our own crops, animals, somewhat off the grid, and home school our future kids, and almost Amish like. Idk if I want to do that though. Financially it's wise to have your own resources, but idk....

[babykeiff]

Off grid is one thing, but would that be without internet coonnections?

Also, there are certain complications with animals - and unless you plan to be vegetarian or similar, it would also include slaughter of animals and preparing same for self consumption / sale etc. Otherwise, the animals you would keep would be chicken / duck only for the eggs.

A lot of people, when they catch fish, do not know how / have the stomach to correctly prepare the fish for consumption. When it comes to larger animals, not only do they not know how to prepare for consumpotion, they grow attached to their animals and treat them as pets... so for them or another eating their pet is not usually what they can do.

Second, living off grid and on the lands bounty is a lot more work than the normal 9-5 one is usually used to. Running a farm so same can feed you / your family is a dawn to dusk 7 day a week event, and still you are at the mercy of the weather etc.

You might have too switch to cloth diapers etc. There are a lot of things to consider when moving out of the 'burbs' and into a homestead 'amish like' existance. There is a 1975 BBC sitcom 'The Good Life' where a husband/wife team decide to live 'off grid' that is worth reviewing.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

Tell her fine, on condition that she does all the extra work to maintain the same level of confort and enjoyment that you have on the grid. That means no cable, phone,plumbing or any kind or internet. After 7 months, watch that tune change. It's like a   continous power outtage

[Cute_Kitten]

5 hours ago, mirrored said:

Recently read an article about a family of 3 whose remains were found in the colorado mountains after trying to live "off the grid". Be very careful and do your research completely before making a choice like that. Its completely understandable and reasonable to say no too! 

I heard about that too. The loss of their life is tragic, but they apparently were also extremely unprepared.  They apparently sheltered in a tent and lived off canned food.  "Michael Barnes, the Gunnison County coroner, said on Tuesday that the family members were all from Colorado Springs and had lived “off the grid,” survived on canned food and sheltered in a tent before a harsh winter or malnourishment most likely led to their deaths."

Colorado Family Died in Rocky Mountains After Trying to Live ‘Off the Grid’ - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

There are plenty of people who live "off grid"- but for that you (general you here, no one specific) definitely need the knowledge and know-how. But it doesn't have to be an either-or situation. A person can "un-plug" their lives while still living at home. One can limit TV/ computer time etc. Spend time focused more on cultivating relationships around you. Garden or join a garden club or society, etc. Learn survival skills. Take up hunting/fishing/fowling etc and learn how to harvest the meat and other animal products yourself. Learn about the native flora and fauna and how to live off the land. Learn survival skills. You can still live at home whilst doing these things. But they do make you prepared in case of a zombie apocalypse or the world ending etc. 

Maybe move out into the country (again though I recommend doing research and knowing what one is in for). Or live in a small country town? One could also move to an area with a large Amish or Mennonite population so there will be more "unplugged" or "off the grid" type of community around them. If one really wants to live an off the grid life, one could consider joining the Amish. (Hard but not impossible). That way there will be an already established community. 

For the OP, it sounds like a sit-down and a heart to heart with his wife could help. Discuss WHY she wants to live off the grid and how she's preparing for it. Is there any way they can compromise?

[Crinklz Kat]

The amount of land you would require for 100% self-sustainment is rather staggering.   Don't ever believe that you could do it with only a few acres.   90% of any acreage would be required just to sustain livestock. Then there's long-term storage considerations.  You can't grow your produce year round.  And you simply can't just store fruits and veggies as they will spoil. 

 

Does she do gardening at all now?   Tomatoes, cucumbers, berries?   Anything?   

[diaperguy85]

A wonderful dream, being 100% self-reliant! To an extent I admire, and am a little envious of those that achieve it, and the Amish. 

I've done a bit of looking into and research on how to live off the land (living in suburbia, it's a bit more challenging), and a modern comfortable lifestyle while being more or less self-reliant is possible. A lot goes into it, and many people that have blogs and/or vlogs/YouTube channels are self admittedly not 100% off grid or self-sufficient, and don't want to be. However some are 100%. But it sounds your wife wants a partial off grid lifestyle, and in these uncertain and crazy times, I can totally understand why.

But perhaps for your wife it's simply a fantasy seen through rose-colored glasses. I suggest doing copious amounts of research on the topic. Research until you're sick of it and then do more research! There are methods and techniques to lengthen the growing season, store the harvest with little wasted, which and how many animals to have, meat preservation, canning, natural medicine remedies, etc etc. Blended with modern tech (solar panels, small hydroelectric generators, batteries, methane collection, etc etc) I feel it's much easier now to get off the grid than ever, relatively speaking, of course. But (and a rather big one), there is a LOT of work to do! And nearly constant work. All depends how independent you wish to go. 

Good luck! 🙂