>>2837762Of course, he's not entirely self-sufficient.
Instead of trying to mow the steep sides of the valley for winter feed, he buys it, with the very good reasoning that the equipment he needs to mow and bale the hay costs more money and bother than he could ever hope of earning back.
Instead of cutting and planting trees for firewood, he buys it, with the very good reasoning that the few sparse trees around him won't keep him warm for long, so instead he just buys a few thousand litre bags of wood a few times a year and drives them up to the farm when he can get them with his tractor.
Fresh food, any drink other than water, dry goods, petrol for the generator and ATV, diesel for the boat and tractor(...) he still buys, but with some planning ahead it's no big deal.
Still, he lives without any close neighbours, doing what he wants, with living costs so low that he doesn't need to worry about getting by, only working when he needs a little extra money, and he has excellent meat and fish to eat.
Despite his relaxed relationship with cleanliness and personal hygiene, he is a genuinely intelligent man, well educated and experienced in agriculture and with many clever ideas about synergies between the fishery and farming, and with no qualms about proving it with himself as test subject.
I was surprised to see how well he was doing, but the takeaway is that you don't need a lot to *live* off-grid. It's only if you want to live in the same high style and comfort as you do on-grid, with running water, plenty of electricity, fast internet, shitting indoors(...), or if you want to be entirely self-sufficient (grain, meat, veg, dairy, eggs, feed, firewood...), that it gets difficult and/or expensive.
His devil-may-care attitude was just to get out there, start living, and figure out the rest as he went, and it seems to work.
3/3
