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Millennials Build Off Grid Cabin Debt Free: Self Sufficient Living. No Plumbing. Solar Power. - YouTube
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my girlfriend's here and i built this cabin聽
last spring for around ten thousand dollars
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we live a little bit differently than most聽
millennials do we do not have any plumbing聽聽
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we have no running water we are completely off聽聽
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now a lot of people have their own definitions聽
of what off-grid means but off-grid聽聽
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means you are not connected to the power聽
grid so you'll never have an electric bill聽聽
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now you can see we have a fridge here a tv we聽
have the comforts of a home that is on grid the聽聽
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only difference is is we just produce all of our聽
utilities ourselves instead of paying for them we聽聽
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don't have a water bill we don't have an electric聽
bill we don't have a heat bill none of that
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there's many different ways you can go聽
about living this way and in this video聽聽
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i'm just going to share with you guys how we聽
go about our tasks how we get our water how we聽聽
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heat um how we go to the bathroom how we shower聽
all that stuff all those questions that a lot聽聽
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of people that are looking to go off grid or聽
at least curious about the subject i'm going聽聽
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to go over in this video and just show you how聽
all of our systems work and how we do our tasks
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first things first and the most important part of聽
living off grid and living this way is your water聽聽
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so the way we go about our water is pretty labor聽
intensive but it's free we melt snow during the聽聽
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winter and we collect rain water during the summer聽
for melting snow we just use a 5 gallon stock pot聽聽
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and there is an art to this you want to聽
have a little bit of water at the bottom聽聽
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of your stockpot because the snow that聽
you're about to shovel in there will melt聽聽
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way quicker than if you don't and then聽
you just pack that snow in as tight as聽聽
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you can possibly get it because it takes聽
a lot of snow to make just a little bit聽聽
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of water you really understand the importance聽
of water when you can't just go turn a faucet
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after the stock pots full i always聽
sweep the bottom off head inside
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set it on the wood stove and forget about聽
it and in about 15 minutes is all it takes聽聽
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usually for that snow to melt now i said that we聽
don't have running water but we sort of kind of聽聽
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do this is our kitchen faucet right here now聽
it doesn't look like it right here but when聽聽
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this jug is full you actually get pretty good聽
water pressure out of it you'd be surprised聽聽
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for our showers very simple i have my old car聽
battery here i hook that up to this rv pump聽聽
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the hose on the left goes down to that stock pot聽
the hose on the right goes up to the shower head聽聽
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very simple those 12 volt transfer pumps come聽
with a switch just flick that switch and you聽聽
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can see you get really good water pressure聽
with those little 12 volt transfer pumps
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well we've covered water but聽
what about bathroom needs
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me personally i prefer an outhouse聽聽
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it's pretty nice to start your day off聽
with a little nature walk and being able聽聽
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to look outside and watch all the birds and聽
everything as you do your morning business
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this is sierra's toilet or when we have company聽
you know not everybody wants to use an outhouse聽聽
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underneath that toilet seat you can see i have聽
an access door there's a five gallon bucket under聽聽
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there when you're done you flush with sawdust聽
or pine shavings there's no odor whatsoever聽聽
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so that's how we do our water聽
and bathroom needs very simple聽聽
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well the first batch of snow for the day is聽
done melting so time to go water the chickens聽聽
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having chickens with no electricity is聽
a little bit more challenging you know聽聽
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you don't have a heated water dispenser聽
so i got to change their water pretty聽聽
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frequently usually about two to three times聽
a day depending on the temperature outside聽聽
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now this is our first year having chickens we got聽
these seven isa browns last spring as baby chicks聽聽
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and we grew them up they never had a heat lamp or聽
anything we just kept them close to the wood stove聽聽
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when we were staying in our tiny聽
house while we were building our cabin聽聽
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and all seven of them are still alive and they聽
lay eggs like crazy so we must be doing something聽聽
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right in fact it looks like there's two chickens聽
laying eggs in that nesting box at the same time聽聽
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that's the first time i've seen that not sure聽
why they're doing that but either way works for聽聽
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me it's a pretty good relationship we have with聽
the chickens you know we keep them warm keep them聽聽
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fed keep them watered and they give us food in聽
return so we have a pretty sweet deal worked out聽聽
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between the chickens fishing and hunting聽
most of our meat comes right from the land
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well now let's get into how we heat the聽
place our primary heat source is firewood聽聽
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and it has been a very cold winter here in聽
northern minnesota so we've been using a lot of it
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because we were so busy building the cabin last聽
spring when i would normally be doing firewood聽聽
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i didn't get as much put up as i'd like to i聽
got some put up but not enough i have about聽聽
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two cords of good dry split and stacked ready to聽
go firewood in the woodshed but lately i've just聽聽
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been going out and getting good standing dead dry聽
firewood as i need it that way i can keep that two聽聽
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cords as kind of a safety net and yes i do own聽
a chainsaw but as quiet and as peaceful as it is聽聽
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out here a chainsaw i don't know that noise just聽
seems like it doesn't belong out here sometimes聽聽
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so i've been doing it by hand instead it's聽
quiet it's peaceful and it's a good workout聽聽
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it's pretty awesome how sometimes just the most聽
simple things can bring you the most joy in life
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heating with firewood is probably my聽
favorite part about living the way we do聽聽
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you can't just set a thermostat with a wood聽
stove it's up to you to keep the fire going聽聽
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it forces you to get up off the couch go聽
outside be active get some fresh air which聽聽
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i think is a really good thing it's definitely聽
true what they say firewood warms you twice聽聽
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once while you're cutting it聽
and once while you're burning it聽聽
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but there is no heat that compares to wood聽
stove heat it warms you right to the bone
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plus you get to sit and watch a campfire right聽
inside your cabin and who doesn't like campfires
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the downside of heating with wood though聽
is if you're not there to keep the fire聽聽
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going then your cabin is going to freeze聽
up so you can see i just have a 100 pound聽聽
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propane tank that i get filled uh when i'm聽
in town i just hook it back up to the line聽聽
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strap it back to the side of the cabin that way聽
you can't tip over and this is our backup propane聽聽
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heater it's really nice because it's vent free聽
so you don't have to put a hole through your wall
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and it has a built-in thermometer聽
so if i just turn this thing to one聽聽
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it'll keep the cabin at about 55-60 degrees聽
while we're gone it's really propane efficient聽聽
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and it's certainly nice not coming back to a聽
totally froze up cabin if we leave overnight聽聽
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we also have a propane stove we do a lot of聽
cooking on the wood stove but the propane聽聽
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stove and oven is really nice during the summer聽
when you don't want to be running the wood stove
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now the propane stove and the propane heater those聽
aren't necessary those are just convenience things聽聽
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and speaking of conveniences we have solar panels聽
for electricity electricity is a convenience you聽聽
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know people lived without electricity聽
far far longer than they lived with it聽聽
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so it is not needed for life but it does make a聽
lot of things much easier like refrigeration um聽聽
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though we are educated on how to refrigerate聽
and freeze our food if we did not have it聽聽
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but being able to plug in a fridge and just not聽
even think about it is is really really easy and聽聽
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and very convenient but this time of year in聽
northern minnesota solar panels are basically聽聽
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worthless unless unless you get a real sunny day聽
but you can see we're only bringing in 16 watts聽聽
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today so practically nothing but it certainly is聽
nice having lights instead of having to use you聽聽
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know candles or lanterns or headlamps being able聽
to flip a switch and have light is pretty sweet聽聽
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and we are also able to watch tv聽
which is really nice during these聽聽
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long cold cold cold dark winter days this time聽
of year since we don't produce a whole lot of聽聽
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power from the sun we do run the generator聽
quite a bit to charge up our batteries聽聽
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we are really lucky that we get to live the way聽
that we do we live a simple debt-free life with聽聽
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little to no bills we're constantly surrounded聽
by nature it truly is the ultimate freedom聽聽
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we work hard and then we play hard at the聽
end of each day we feel accomplished we聽聽
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got a little piece of land we got a house聽
that we built ourselves we got some animals聽聽
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we're living real close to the land i think聽
we truly are living the american dream
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well there you have it my friends i guess the聽
point of this video is just to show people that聽聽
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you know there are other ways you can聽
go through this world that we live in聽聽
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life can be as complicated and stressful聽
or as simple and cheap as you want it to聽聽
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be you know we were able to build our own聽
place here for about ten thousand bucks聽聽
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a few thousand bucks to finish off the inside聽
with the interior work and that's it you聽聽
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know it's pretty pretty tough to afford a home聽
nowadays so i'm just putting out the information聽聽
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on how we were able to do it very cheap do聽
it all out of pocket without going in debt聽聽
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we have no utility bills as i said you know a聽
little bit of propane and gas for the generator聽聽
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might come out to be about 120 bucks a month聽
we spend on that stuff and like i said it's not聽聽
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necessary it's just a convenience thing so it's a聽
justifiable expense one thing people always bring聽聽
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up is well what about property taxes of course we聽
have to pay property taxes but when you live rural聽聽
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and you have an inexpensive house your taxes聽
are pretty cheap we pay less than a thousand聽聽
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bucks a year for property taxes here so pretty聽
affordable so if you've ever thought about聽聽
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doing something like this or rving or tiny聽
housing or maybe you're tired of caring at聽聽
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the office and just want to get out of the rat聽
race and all the drama going on in the world聽聽
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i would say just go for it i mean that's what聽
we did and we have no regrets if you like this聽聽
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sort of thing and you want to see how we built聽
this place i have a full series you can watch聽聽
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this thing get built from beginning to end i also聽
have a couple off-grid log cabin builds same thing聽聽
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you can watch those from beginning to end i'll聽
put the link to those videos in the description聽聽
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but you guys take care i appreciate you聽
watching and we'll see you on the next video you
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