Why we chose NOT to live off-grid

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Күн бұрын

Rebecca talks about why we chose not to live off grid. She also discusses the pros and cons of off-grid living and why, despite having enjoyed off-grid life in the past, choosing a house on mains electricity and water was the right decision for us when we were looking for a house.
#offgrid #offgridprosandcons #slowliving
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Welcome to Living in the Loire, we are a young family in rural France, renovating previously poorly converted barns. We aim to do most of the work ourselves, being as frugal and as eco as possible!
We are learning on the job and we hope to share the skills we pick up along the way. When possible we will take you on a tour of the region (the garden of France) sharing with you the numerous chateaux, towns and markets.
As well as the house we will be transforming the garden, bringing part of it back to its previous use as a potager. This is our dream and one of the main reasons of leaving the city to move to the countryside in France.
Join us on our journey!

Пікірлер: 56

@davidwilson1043 Жыл бұрын

Nicely explained

@kathyweiner6392 Жыл бұрын

Love your channel, you keep it real! I am with you, self-sufficient is the way to be but still connected. (sparingly) Country living and far from the madding crowd.

@Someonesaidthis Жыл бұрын

I just love your rural french home and farm. :) Wish I could move there..

@MGBranco Жыл бұрын

Very informative! Thank you! Looking forward to do the same in Portugal!

@hanshaus2672 Жыл бұрын

This is quite like how we feel as well. I think even without kids we'd want some community around us!

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Thanks Hans.

@JDAfrica Жыл бұрын

Love the SLOW LIVING phrase - that’s exactly what we all strive for. I’m in Africa, we have a grid intergrated solar and battery system for when there are blackouts ( scheduled 3 times a day), and 10 000L rain harvest tanks for the chickens, dogs, fruit trees and veg gardens. We have also raised chickens and turkeys for meat (for a few years, just so we had the knowledge of how to process and cull). We are considering drilling a borehole / aquifer this year ...it can be around 100m deep to bedrock - my understanding is it’s then a natural spring, so super clear and sweet. Love the channel!

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Sounds amazing. Whereabouts in Africa? Your own water source would be great.

@ludovica8221 Жыл бұрын

Makes perfect sense. I lived off grid and under canvas in Wales thru 1983/5 and it was a hard slog for the people with kids. I don't remember any injuries or accidents but I'm sure it must have been a constant worry with naked flames and open fires all around, fast flowing streams and rivers, and wells. Mind you the little kids seemed very resilient and savvy even at a pre-verbal stage. We adapt very quickly in infancy to whatever our circumstances are. But that life is a hard grind for parents for sure

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Yes that's very true. Children are very resilient and adaptable - they probably thought it was great fun! It's certainly more from our perspective that we'd find it hard with them. It's nice to not have to worry about power for cooking, lights, heating, washing etc.

@ludovica8221 Жыл бұрын

@@LivingintheLoire Amen. Anyway, living off grid does (as you said) make you more aware of resources, and I have taken the awareness that an extra sweater is a lot better value than a radiator on through my life (to the benefit of my meagre bank balance )

@denisemurphy3915 Жыл бұрын

Very sensible. The other aspect for me was being not too distant to access health care in an emergency. Your wood and any small solar power banks may smoothe your way through any power interruptions. Fridges are a problem in summer, but perhaps not in Loire in winter. Adore, adore your new wood fire heater. Best wishes.

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Thanks Denise. Yes, easy access to health care is also a consideration.

@seamusfahey6165 Жыл бұрын

yes! A good common sense approach. Thank you.

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Thanks Seamus

@johngrober6244 Жыл бұрын

Thx for sharing you guys ❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹🤝✌️👍🙋

@jlmfoy365 Жыл бұрын

Extremely sensible way to look at things, do what you can when you can. Regards Jim.

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Thanks Jim

@monalingan9523 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the info. 😊

@sgrvtl7183 Жыл бұрын

Very good, I respect your honesty! Your little boys are ADORABLE!! I love your channel and your place in France.....

@elainemcgran8828 Жыл бұрын

Loved this video. Exactly what I dream off

@originaltwyla4991 Жыл бұрын

Having children changes all sorts of ideas and assumptions you may have had pre spawn. My children brought me to my knees on more than one occasion, it was humbling to say the least.

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

So true!

@YoureNowOnTV Жыл бұрын

Nice one 😀👍

@kathyweiner6392 Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Thanks Kathy

@arnicepernice8656 Жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed this. It is so good to see good use of the land. And yes please save rain water, it is so much better for the crops too….. Might you make your own soaps etc . Not unnecessary items like candles…. Do you have something like the ‘ Let’s ‘ system at all?

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Thank you. Just had to look up what the lets system is...I don't think there's anything like that here. Although Brook has talked about how good it would be to have something similar where.you can share tools/resources/skills etc. Would love to try making soap

@antonybrilland7058 Жыл бұрын

Great philosophy, we share the same goals. But our roof is too complicated for solar panels. Working on the rain water harvesting. And finally trying to escape the natural gas heating...

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

In what way is your roof too complicated?

@antonybrilland7058 Жыл бұрын

@@LivingintheLoire too many fragmented areas, windows, bad exposure due to shadows of surrounding neighbors...

@affanazeeze873 Жыл бұрын

Hello nice family and vidéo tans

@Susan.I Жыл бұрын

We bought a lake house and to keep our teens happy was nearly impossible. I wish we could have bought a vacation home earlier in their lives. But, we bought the house when we could afford it.

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

I can imagine, but a lake house sounds fabulous nonetheless!

@sari6252 Жыл бұрын

❤

@liesbethvissia8878 Жыл бұрын

👍

@merima333 Жыл бұрын

It is logic, with kids it is another style of living, they do not understand our desire of isolation, they have to live the life in full first in order to get where we are now

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

Very true! I think it's important for children to be able to socialise easily as well as it's how they do so much learning (through playing).

@newtonia-uo4889 11 ай бұрын

@@LivingintheLoire you ought to have 2 more LMAO brothers and sisters socialize each other too in greater ways than friends could.

@moonwitch1 Жыл бұрын

I don't understand why you don't collect the rainwater ? Here in South Africa almsot everyone is doing it and at least using it for the garden.

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

We do. It's something we want to do a lot more of though

@coby6417 Жыл бұрын

🌟👍🍀💐

@jennistevenson796 Жыл бұрын

Those. Boys are gorgeous xxx

@MrPaddy924 7 ай бұрын

Great video, thanks. I understand your thinking, but I wonder whether the logic underpinning your decision might shift over time. There are signs, even now, that the systems that we rely upon to provide us with essential services such as electricity, water and food are under stress as a result of climate change. France has better food self-sufficiency than other EU countries, but its nuclear fleet is struggling because the rivers that they rely upon for cooling are drying up such that each year they are compelled to turn off a number of reactors due to drought - a tend which is likely to worsen over time. Fresh water availability is becoming an issue throughout France with an increasing number of communes relying on drinking water being brought in via trucks during summer months. Christophe Bechu has warned that the time is quickly approaching when interruptions to these essential services are likely. You may find, eventually, that the inconvenience associated with the off-grid lifestyle is outweighed by the inconveniences caused by intermittent grid failure. It was thought that such impacts were likely in the distant future (more a problem for Gen Z than millennials or Gen X), but that is no longer the prediction. I don't have young children, but, due to the somewhat concerning climate predictions in respect of France, decided to keep hold of the aspiration of self sufficiency in water, energy and food with a view to being able to cope in the event of grid failure. Love your channel. Keep up the good work!

@LivingintheLoire 7 ай бұрын

The reason why there isn't an off grid culture in France is quite simply, the government won't allow you to live disconnected from the grid. Now that tells you everything.

@patrickkelly1195 7 ай бұрын

@@LivingintheLoire Many believe that is the case, but thankfully, it isn't. Unfortunately I'm not able to post the link, but there is an interesting web site that goes into great detail regarding the legal and practical obstacles to off-grid living in France. Now, I won't pretend that it's easy at all. This is France after all, and you've guessed it, some degree of bureaucracy is involved (surprise surprise), but it's perfectly possible to live off grid in France, and there are a large (and increasing) number of off grid eco-communities and standalone properties across the country. I'm admin for a Off Grid France Facebook group and many of our members are currently living off grid having successfully navigated the bureaucratic obstacles. Probably doesn't impact your decision at all, but maybe worthwhile knowing that it's not impossible.

@LivingintheLoire 7 ай бұрын

@@patrickkelly1195 they'll find you eventually, they always do.

@patrickkelly1195 7 ай бұрын

@@LivingintheLoire Not sure what you mean. I was describing a perfectly legal (and increasingly common) means of getting off grid in France.

@LivingintheLoire 7 ай бұрын

If you're still using the internet and a smart phone. You'll never be really off the grid. If the government and agencies can track you, then there's no point disconnecting from electricity and water, other than to save one some money. Most of those that can't, want to be connected to mains and good sanitation. Interestingly, it's mainly those that are going to be most affected by rising temperatures, who live close to the equator. Unless you're living like the Unabomber, for those in the west, it's just performative.

@kirbygulbrandsen4507 Жыл бұрын

Are you in the comments of the liberal, where do you stand?

@kirbygulbrandsen4507 Жыл бұрын

Suddenly plastic bags and straws aren’t so important. Suddenly self sufficient is what you’re really moving towards. Just so you know I’m not against you or your objective but you should admit that you cannot live without diversity. This is not a one way road, this is not an objective to see your opinion or your to plant a plantation of slave drivers. The Republicans have you in their sights because they want all people to respect of the Freedom of others, unlike the Democrats, they only want you to have one opinion and that’s a Democratic social opinion otherwise you will be against the party.

@LivingintheLoire Жыл бұрын

@@kirbygulbrandsen4507 we don't really pay attention to Democrat vs Republican debates as we don't live in America. It's good you have concerns about your own country and it's politics.