View on Amazon

Resetting Our Off-Grid Cabin After a City Day: A Glimpse into Our Self-Sufficient Life

Hi, I’m Erica, and together with my husband, Mark, and our two kids, we live fully off-grid in a quiet, secluded cabin in the woods of Canada. Our lifestyle is all about health, self-sufficiency, and embracing the simplicity of rural life. If you’re new here, I share our journey on our YouTube channel, where I hope you’ll subscribe to follow along! Today, I’m walking you through what it’s like to reset our off-grid cabin after a full day of errands in the city—a task that’s both demanding and rewarding.

View on Amazon

The City Trip: A Big Disruption to Our Routine

Living far from the city means a trip to run errands is a full-day event. It throws our usual routine into disarray, and there’s always a lot to catch up on when we return. Since we make limited trips to the city, we buy in bulk to stock up on essentials, which adds to the workload the next day. From laundry to food storage to unexpected cleanups, here’s how I tackle the reset.

Starting with Laundry

Normally, I do one load of laundry daily, but city days mean no laundry gets done. So, the day after, I kick things off early with the washing machine. Since I don’t have a dryer, I hang clothes to air-dry, which requires timing to ensure they dry fully. Today, I’m catching up on two days’ worth of laundry, so it’s a priority to clear space on the drying lines.

View on Amazon

Handling an Unexpected Mess

Our drive home from the city brought an unwelcome surprise: a bottle of olive oil broke, leaking all over the car and pantry area. I didn’t notice until I’d spread the oil around, so there’s extra cleanup to do. It’s just one of those things that adds to the day’s tasks, but that’s life off-grid—adapt and keep going.

Organizing Bulk Purchases

We store food both upstairs and in our basement, which is only accessible from outside. To avoid multiple trips, I sort everything that needs to go downstairs into one pile. This includes bulk meat from Costco, like ground beef, roasts, and chicken, which I portion into family-sized servings—2-pound packages for ground meat and smaller cuts for roasts and drumsticks. Since we ran out of the meat Mark hunts, we’re supplementing with store-bought options while we source better alternatives. All the portioned meat goes into Ziploc bags, then into a cooler for Mark to move to our basement deep freezers later.

View on Amazon

Prepping Snacks for Hot Days

One of our favorite summer snacks is frozen grapes—they’re like refreshing mini popsicles. I soak the grapes in vinegar water to clean off dirt and pesticides, then my five-year-old helps pull them off the stems. Once rinsed, I bag them for the freezer, ready to cool us down on hot days.

Finding Joy in the Little Moments

Amid the busyness, we pause to appreciate the small joys. Mark’s yard work led to the kids finding a tiny frog, which they adored. Later, they spotted a cool caterpillar, and my five-year-old gifted me a bouquet of wildflowers from the yard. We swapped out the wilting flowers in my window vase for her fresh picks, a sweet reminder of why we love this life. These moments recharge us for the tasks ahead.

Navigating City Stress as an Off-Grid Homesteader

City trips are stressful for me. Going only once a month, I juggle a long list of errands, appointments, and bulk shopping, all in one day. It’s a lot to plan, and everything takes longer than expected. Thankfully, my family in the city watches the girls, letting them play and eat while I handle the errands—a huge blessing that eases the load. Still, I’ve learned to accept that I can’t do it all in one day and focus on what gets done.

A Surprise Connection

While at Costco, I had a delightful surprise: a viewer named Sarah recognized me and said she watches our videos! It was such a thrill to chat with her. If you ever spot me in a store, please say hi—I’d love to meet you!

Prepping for the Future

With a baby due in a couple of months, I’m starting to prep freezer meals. Ground meat is a favorite for its versatility, and I make big batches of meals to freeze for busy days. I’ve got a collection of freezer meal recipes linked on our channel if you need ideas. These meals are lifesavers when I don’t have time to cook.

Staying Energized for Busy Days

Days like this, with endless tasks, make me grateful for the health changes I’ve made. I used to struggle with low energy, but three simple steps turned that around. I share them in a free workshop linked on our channel, if you’re curious. Consistent energy keeps me going through long days like this, and I still feel good at the end.

Laundry and Grapes: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

While my five-year-old finishes de-stemming grapes, my younger daughter and I tackle the laundry. We take down the dry clothes from two days ago to make room for the freshly washed ones. I use an outdoor drying line in summer, but with occasional showers, the indoor loft is more reliable for consistent drying.

A Call for Potty Training Advice

As I put away wipes, I’m thinking about potty training my two-year-old. My first daughter’s potty training was a years-long struggle, so I’m eager to do better this time. Moms, I’d love your advice: When did you start? What methods worked? What made it go smoothly? Please share your tips in the comments below!

One Task at a Time

Reset days can feel overwhelming with a messy house and piles of stuff to put away. My trick is to focus on one task at a time—do it, then move to the next. Progress builds quickly, and it keeps the day manageable. By evening, the cabin feels like home again.

Wrapping Up

Thank you for joining me on this busy reset day! We’re passionate about sharing our off-grid journey, from the chaos of city trips to the peace of our cabin life.

View on Amazon