Realistic First-Year Costs of Self-Sufficient Living
What I actually spent building a more self-sufficient household — beyond land and a cabin — and where the surprise expenses showed up.
Solar & Spruce
Notes from a cabin in the woods
Solar, water, gardens, and the skills that make a household more self-sufficient — still on the grid, figuring out how to lean on it less one season at a time.
Latest guides
Practical how-tos we've been writing about lately.
Rainwater Collection Basics for a Cabin
How to catch, store, and use rainwater at a cabin — without overcomplicating your first system.
A Beginner Self-Sufficiency Tool Kit
The tools that actually earned a permanent spot at my cabin — and what I wasted money on buying too early.
How to Estimate Your Daily Power Use
A simple method for figuring out how much electricity you actually use — the first step before sizing any solar setup.
Winter Prep Checklist for a Cabin
A month-by-month checklist for getting a cabin ready before the cold sets in.
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Hi — we're Peter & Morgan Williams
We live in a cabin in the woods — still on the grid, working toward more self-sufficiency one project at a time.