Yes, you can really get paid to live off the grid, if that’s something you want to do.
This article explains exactly how it works, the various ways to get paid living off the grid and some companies that help you get paid.
Do you know that you can get paid and live your best life by living off the grid?
Oh yes, it’s possible, and I’ll be letting you in on as many ways as possible to get paid just by living off the grid.
But, before we begin, I think the best way to start is by explaining what living off the grid is all about, just so that we’re all on the same page.
First, this company has paid $25+ million to members:
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Go ahead and grab you a drink because we’re about to get started.
Table of Contents
What does it Mean to Live Off the Grid?
Living off the grid means living a sustainable and comfortable life without using public resources.
People with off-grid homes are always very pleased; they don’t rely on public utilities like electricity, water supply, and other social amenities.
If you have been looking for a way to live an independent life without having to be chained down with the standard public utilities, living off the grid might just be what you’ve been looking for!
Many people get tied down to the “9 to 5” lifestyle, not because they love the job, but simply as a means to make ends meet; this mentality has stolen the freedom of many.
The main attraction of living off the grid is to get rid of the “9 to 5” rat race, but we need money to live off the grid.
It doesn’t have to look like a career because it isn’t.
It essentially means you are working for yourself, and you can enjoy every cent earned without having to be tied down to a full-time job.
Benefits of Living off the grid
Do you want to become self-sufficient and move away from the costs and other hassles that come with living on-grid?
It may interest you to know that there are many advantages of living off-the-grid. Some are listed below:
- Increased knowledge about your environment
- Freedom from being dependent to utility grid
- Reduced energy cost
- Reduced risk of climate-related causes of power loss
15 Best Ways to Make Money and Get Paid to Live Off the Grid
Some of the ways to make money living off the grid include the following:
1. Make Money Off Grid Doing Online Jobs
This is the most favorite choice of many off-gridders and homesteaders. Online jobs give you the flexibility to pick and choose your hours of work.
Some of the top picks of online jobs for off-gridders include the following:
Copywriting
You can get paid to write copies and articles and blogs that you’re passionate about, just like me as explained in this how to get into copywriting and make money article.
Virtual assistant
You can help with the administrative tasks for companies and businesses by processing incoming emails, managing social media, and marketing.
Creating an online course
If you’re good at teaching, you could make an online course to share your knowledge with the world and get paid for it.
eLearning has gained massive popularity in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UDEMY is a great place to start if you want to create an online course.
Computer programming
The demand for programming skills has grown massively over the last decade and still is very high in demand.
You can work from home as a computer programmer by helping people build websites, software, and applications, and get paid well for your services.
2. Make Money Off Grid Doing Freelance Writing
Yes, you can definitely make a lot of money living off the grid if you know how to write.
There are many websites that always need articles written and are ready to pay good money for the articles.
Below are specific ways of making money writing off the grid:
- Making Money Creating Content
- Making Money Doing Writers Work
- Making Money Doing Jingle Writing
- Making Money Writing Short Stories
- Making Money Writing Reviews
- Making Money Writing Poetry
- Making Money Writing Greeting Cards
You can even find those websites or companies that need specific articles that your off-grid experience can help with writing.
3. Host a YouTube Channel or Start a Podcast Series
These are popular with audiences who still live a “normal” lifestyle.
Your video content or podcast series will be a way for people to take a break from the unpleasant reality of a not-so-interesting lifestyle.
A beautiful mess is a fantastic resource that offers excellent courses to start a YouTube channel and podcast series.
Related: How Making Money with Podcasting Works.
4. Get Paid to Post on Social Media
I must confess that making money from social media such as Instagram and Facebook is not the easiest.
Still, they indeed are a great way to establish a robust social media presence for your off-grid life.
This particular approach can be beneficial, especially when you want to go into selling products, skills, or experiences where the importance of reaching out to a broader audience cannot be overemphasized.
Related: How to Make Money Posting on Social Media including on Making Money Sponsored on Instagram and Making Money Sponsored on Youtube.
5. Get Paid Jobs for Off-Gridders
As an off-gridder, there are many jobs available for you, and the fantastic thing about getting a paid position is that you don’t have to shoulder the burden of running your own business.
The downside, however, is that you could be restricted to the number of hours your employer demands, so it’s not entirely flexible.
An off-the-grid lifestyle gives you a distinctive skill set that many employers find attractive.
People who live off the grid tend to be adaptable, resilient, and hardworking; they’ve got hands that can do almost anything.
With that being said, below is a list of great jobs for people who live off the grid, and they include the following:
- Forestry Work
- Campsite support staff
- Firefighter
- Park ranger
- Trekking guide
- Rafting guide
- Farmworker
Related: Do Volunteer Firefighters Get Paid?
Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members:
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6. Get Paid for Sharing your Off-grid Knowledge
It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting as an off-gridder, or you’ve been living off the grid for years; as an off-gridder, you’ve got a skill or knowledge to share.
Most of the off-gridders tend to share their knowledge and skills freely with each other, but if you are thinking raking in some extra cash, teaching your off-grid homesteading skills wouldn’t be so bad an idea, and I’ve got a few tips for us:
- Run workshops on gardening, animal husbandry, or crafting
- Write and self-publish a book about skill.
- Sell your craft, such as knitting, crocheting, or quilting.
- Teach classes on homesteading skills such as making soaps, candles, or preserves.
- Work with other off-gridders and homesteaders to run courses, training days, and a small homesteading festival wouldn’t be a bad idea, too.
7. Trade, Trade, Trade!
Living off the grid provides you with an opportunity to trade, swap, and barter produce.
Nothing brings one better joy than swapping one’s excess produce in exchange for something they need.
People who live off the grid can sell their products in a variety of ways- the most straightforward way I’ve seen off-gridders do is by stalling with an “honesty box” system at the farm gate.
Box schemes are becoming the common trend now; you could take advantage of this and collaborate with other local homesteaders to create a lovely box of locally grown produce.
Local farmer’s markets help sell your produce, and selling through social media is equally as effective.
The easiest option, I think, is to sell your produce all-natural just as they come without any processing or unnecessary packaging.
Some good products to start with are fruits, eggs, honey, and vegetables.
The only shortcoming with selling fresh produce is that you’ll have many homesteaders with a ton of apples, beans, eggs at the same time as you.
It would be best to try growing heirloom varieties to beat or reduce the competition to the barest minimum.
There’s this homesteader that lives close by; he has a great way of selling vegetables rather than the conventional way of pricing items- he charges a flat rate per kilo of vegetables.
He lets his customers fill a cardboard box with farm produce, and he weighs it when they’re done. Simple and fast!
Selling excess seedlings, firewood and plants are good ideas for people who want to diversify; it can also be an easy way to bring in extra cash.
8. Make your Produce More Valuable
If you have the time, you should start processing your produce to create a more valuable product for sellers.
The little efforts make all the difference because these products tend to sell well at farmer’s markets and can be invaluable to vegetable box schemes.
Good suggestions include:
- Goat milk.
- Making cheese from excess sheep or cow.
- Preserves and jam from the fruit.
Goat milk, for instance, is one product that’s high in popularity, so if you’ve got herbs, try making ointments or dried teas for sale, just like Nicky’s Comfrey Ointment.
9. Sell Your Creativity
If you’ve got a knack for crafty ideas, why not sell them?
Homemade handcrafts tend to sell well, particularly at fairs and markets.
Etsy is another good online platform for you to sell.
Making personalized gifts and seasonal decorations is an excellent and fun way to bring in some extra money.
Check out the following for more tips on selling on Etsy:
- Best Sites like Etsy for Handmade Products
- How to Make Money Selling Stickers on Etsy
- How to Sell Digital Downloads on Etsy
- What to Sell on Etsy to Make Extra Money
10. Start a Business
Running your business can quickly look overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be so.
The hard part of starting is figuring out what you’ve got to offer. It could be your time, experience, produce, or facilities.
You don’t have to worry about getting a significant investment to set up your off-grid business- start small and watch it grow from there.
Fitness, photography are simple ideas you can build on to start a business. Others are:
11. Utilize your Spare Space
If there’s one thing we off-gridders have in common, it’s space, lots of it!
Have a closer look at your plot and see if you can find something valuable to do on the piece rather than having it just lay fallow.
If the space permits, Bamboo is one of the fastest trees to grow for income.
If you stay close to the highway or just the road, you can reach out to advertising agencies to rent out sign space.
12. Become a Media Personality
Often, people just want to share their story with the world, though it may seem that people seeking alternate lifestyles tend to venture into blogs, podcasts, vlogs, and the likes, but hey!
That’s a perfect way to make money from doing something you love with little to no capital involved.
There is currently a large appetite for social media content that focuses mainly on off-the-grid living.
Many off-gridders have taken advantage of this opportunity and created for themselves an outstanding and successful career by creating videos and social media content.
By growing a large audience, you can generate an excellent income stream just from advertising and affiliate links.
Establishing a solid social media presence can help boost the profile of your product or business.
An excellent way to start becoming a social media star is to select a niche on what people enjoy.
Think about your selling point and be creative about it so that your social media presence will be appealing to others.
13. Consultancy
Many off-gridders make a good income by working as consultants based on their previous walks of life.
I used to be a marketer in my former life, and now, I own a marketing consultancy platform for people starting in the marketing industry to get their feet firm in the business.
14. Bring in Visitors
As an off-gridder, you could host events such as wedding receptions and birthday parties on your land and get paid for it.
You can also open a small campsite, and if you’re permitted to open small yurts or cabins, then you can provide glamping packages as well and rake in a few extra cash.
15. Animal Husbandry and Breeding
You can use your spare land to bring in extra money by raising and selling poultry, piglets, lambs, or kids (I mean the young of a goat, not your children, please!)
Conclusion
So, we have considered different activities as off-gridders to get paid, but you must comply with local laws and regulations before entering a business.
Make sure you have the proper legal backing or insurance in case of unforeseen problems in the future.
I hope you now feel inspired by the many ways you can get paid living off the grid.
Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members:
SurveyJunkie (only USA, Canada, Australia residents allowed). You can earn money sharing your thoughts. They have already paid $25+ million to their 20+ million members just for sharing their thoughts and opinions. Click here to join SurveyJunkie for FREE