Meet the couple who quit the rat race to live off-grid in a shed and now live mortgage-free with their own supply of water, gas and electric.<br /><br />Lia, 27, and Trevor, 31, left home behind in Phoenix, Arizona, US, and moved 3,680 miles to rural Alaska last year.<br /><br />After buying a plot of land for $35k, they had a custom $18k shed built and a well dug for their water supply.<br /><br />They get their electricity from solar panels, use a propane tank for their gas - which they only have to fill twice a year - and prepare and can food.<br /><br />The couple have slashed their previous $3.5k monthly outgoings - including a mortgage and bills - by roughly 80 per cent and now spend between $400 and $700-a-month, mostly on groceries.<br /><br />Trevor works as a welder in the nearest town, whilst Lia documents their off-grid lifestyle on social media.<br /><br />Lia, a former office manager, said: "We both grew up camping as children and loved being in the woods.<br /><br />"We looked at so many couples moving off-grid and we loved the idea of providing our own necessities.<br /><br />"But then covid happened and it really just reaffirmed our desire to be in charge of that.<br /><br />"We knew that if something like covid happened again we would be in a really difficult position in Phoenix.<br /><br />"We don't miss Phoenix - being off-grid gives us freedom and security."<br /><br />After making the decision to move in 2020, they began the process of finding the perfect spot for their new life.<br /><br />Lia said: "We decided on Alaska and moved out there in 2022.<br /><br />"We bought raw land that didn't have a road to it and we didn't see it until we moved - it was just trees and brush.<br /><br />"It was the most cost-effective option for us."<br /><br />Although in the process of building their dream place, Lia and Trevor needed a temporary place to call home.<br /><br />"We contacted a shed company and bought the biggest shed that they offer with our specs we wanted, and we put in everything else in ourselves," Lia said.<br /><br />"The electric, water, gas we did on our own and the shed came to around $18k plus an extra $4k for everything else.<br /><br />"Our biggest goal is to clear more land and start building our dream house.<br /><br />"This year we had to get a pole barn up and a woodshed to start clearing more land.<br /><br />"We plan to have a large garden and raise sheep for the meet and wool."<br /><br />Lia says setting up their off-grid utilities was "surprisingly easy" to do.<br /><br />She said: "There were some challenges trying to learn about solar but other than that it's pretty straight forward.<br /><br />"Electrics come from solar and a generator to charge the batteries.<br /><br />"We had a well drilled and that well fills a tank inside the house.<br /><br />"For gas we have propane tank for on demand water and for our stove, so that's it for gas.<br /><br />"We take the tank to the gas station and have them filled twice a year.<br /><br />"We enjoy paying less now - we don't have a mortgage or owe anything on the land and have no outgoings for utilities - it's quite a relief."<br /><br />Unfortunately, the pair have not had a chance to set up their own fruit and vegetable garden but still can and prepare their food for the winter months.<br /><br />Lia said: "We're still buying everything we need from the store at the moment, but we try to buy from local farmers as much as we can.<br /><br />"I try to have as much food as possible.<br /><br />"We have very limited space, but I can as much as I can.<br /><br />"Last December we were snowed in under 60 inches of snow for a few days, so I knew we had to have plenty of food canned up and ready to go.<br /><br />"It depends on what you're canning, but sometimes it's a multiple-day process.<br /><br />"For example, potatoes take longer as you have to get the starch out by soaking them.<br /><br />"Whereas canned ham is a lot quicker - put it in jars and then pressure canner for 75 minutes.<br /><br />"At this time of year, you have to plan and dedicate your time to canning."<br /><br />Lia says the best part of their new lifestyle is the ability to do what they want without having to check with anyone else.<br /><br />She said: "The freedom is amazing because of the amount of space we have - we can build anything without having to get a permit.<br /><br />"It's wild to think you can own your own water source too.<br /><br />"We can shoot our guns, and nobody bats an eye.<br /><br />"Firewood we get exclusively from our property - our woodshed was built with 90 percent of materials from our property.<br /><br />"We rely on ourselves for what we need and other off-gridders nearby - It's a tight community for sure."
