No...this is NOT a post exploring spirituality. Instead...it is about having some of the comforts of life whilst living off grid.
When John and I first embraced this lifestyle, one of our first considerations was how primitive did we wish to go. We rapidly figured out that we both appreciated the little things in life...like cold drinks, lights, and, in the heat and humidity of the Ozark, the occasional fan. One of our first purchases was a 4000 watt generator. With John's age, I wanted one strong enough to run an AC on the off chance it was needed. As it turns out...we never did need that and it became obvious that running the beast for small stuff was going to get expensive....fast. Fast forward through a hellish six months and with John gone along with 2/3's of my income I knew I was in trouble. I started researching alternatives and finally settled on Solar power
I ended up purchasing two 125 watt panels, two batteries, a charge controller and a pure sine inverter.
This is the core of my system, I will eventually add another panel, battery and maybe a wind turbine.
I have to admit there is a part of me that LOVES the term...free! Yes, the system set me back quite a bit. But it runs my lights and small fridge without any problem.
It also allows me to run this nifty little portable washing machine.
This is a HUGE improvement from washing clothes in a bucket!
Of course, the only way to dry them is wind and solar power in a different form!
Did I mention I LOVE the term...free!
I figure in what this little system is saving me in gas, ice, and laundry Matt costs, it will have paid for itself in just under four months.
I can live with that!