My off-grid home is on a narrowboat.
The concept of a narrowboat does not lend itself fully to a typical off-grid life, which normally means that you are totally self-sufficient for power supply, water catchment, growing your own food, and so on.
This is simply because narrowboats are mobile homes in a confined space, that does not facilitate the planting of many crops, except for small potted herbs, which can be seen on the bows and top of many narrowboats. However, most boats' electricity supply including mine, is solar and battery-powered, and we do have access to water filling stations dotted along the towpaths, and other facilities for wastage. Therefore, close monitoring of our energy consumption is important, especially when the boat engine is not running.
Cruising along the canals means that we are most times in remote locations without immediate access to supermarkets or shops within close reach, so route mapping is essential.
With limited food storage, a small kitchenette/galley, and a small refrigerator, onboard my 28 ft narrowboat, strategic planning of meals and food shopping is practiced to use food, money, and time efficiently.
Key strategies applied to alleviate these challenges are (1) Planning of meals every 3-4 days. (2) Grouping of foods and goods that we buy.
Planning of meals forces me to use food items systematically, so perishable goods are used first, and then I adjust menus according to my time available after cruising and operating the canal lock system, and by using up available ingredients at hand.
Grouping of foods means that stocking up on staples, condiments, canned goods, are purchased in bulk to stock my under table food storage.
Once these are covered, finding supermarkets when moored, for perishable things like meats or fresh milk, is easier, or shopping at small convenient corner shops that are in some villages without a supermarket.
Examples of these staples and condiments are:
Original Photos are all mine, created using canva.
Of course, there are pubs and restaurants along the canals for convenience. However, with my minimalist approach to life and spending, cooking my own meals is my preferred choice.
Cooking imbues a sense of calmness and satisfaction, from knowing that I am in control of the ingredients and portions of what goes into the food that I consume. Basic dishes, prepared adequately, filled with love, can be surprisingly delicious, wholesome, and healthy.
Some points I would like to highlight that helps me to stick to a budget, in a non-comprising way are:
- Use up perishable items first, as perishable foods can be cooked in bulk and frozen to avoid waste.
- Leftover dinners can be used to make creative meals for breakfast and lunch.
- Planning, in my case for 4 days, allows me to use items systematically and I can easily make quick switches in emergencies, or if days don't go according to plan.
- Thought is needed in meal planning, so if this is done in advance, it frees up time and space to do other things, and prepping of things like vegetables can be done in advance.
- Stocking up on condiments make a big impact on the roundedness of your meals, and condiments generally have a long lifespan.
- Also, it is important to check dates on produce when purchasing in general.
Living off-the-grid is an amazing lifestyle that come with many challenges. As a boater, this is an important aspect of life on the canals that needs to be considered to prevent additional expenses.
Thank you for stopping by my post out:)
I believe that adopting a minimalist budget for shopping and spending, could also be beneficial for persons living in conventional homes on mainland with easy access to supermarkets and shops.
