I Live in a Tiny House Off the Grid and Don't Pay Taxes or Own an ID

Publish date: 2024-06-27

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Robin Greenfield, a 37-year-old activist and artist. This text has been edited for length and clarity.

I am an author and activist who lives completely off the grid.

I've put myself through multiple tests over the years to bring attention to living more sustainably like only eating food I foraged or grew for a year. I don't own a cellphone, only a laptop to write from.

I began to transition to a more sustainable lifestyle in 2011. There was no moment of clarity or significant occurrence, just a realization that my daily actions were harmful to the earth. I committed to small changes in the beginning, and my journey took off from there.

How I removed myself from capitalism

Greenfield in 2005 as a young college student. Robin Greenfield

It takes a lot of work to break free from capitalism. Before starting this journey, I owned my own marketing company.

In 2011, I started removing myself from the monetary system. I started pulling away from my company, destroyed my credit cards and closed my bank accounts.

Now, I only use cash, so I don't need a bank account. If it is stolen, it's gone. I will never own a house or rent an apartment, so I don't need credit.

Tiny living helps me connect to nature

Greenfield stands outside his off-grid tiny structure near Asheville, North Carolina. Sarah Tew Photography

Living tiny helps me enjoy my life. Most of us live in far larger spaces than we need. The more stuff I had, the more time I spent taking care of it all.

My focus became living in harmony with plants and animals. I decided to start living in small, off-grid shelters I either built or purchased.

I stay on land in people's gardens in exchange for helping the owners live more sustainably.

My first tiny house

In 2015, I quit my job as a marketer completely and moved into a 50-square-foot home – so small that I couldn't even stand up in it.

I was living in San Diego and was searching on Craigslist listings for a camper van to live in while I built my first tiny house. I found this small shed-like building listed for $950. I thought it was a typo.

I clicked on it and saw it was a wooden box on a trailer and priced correctly. I bought it and put a callout on Craigslist and to my 5,000 Facebook friends: "Hello community, I'm looking for someone who has an unused backyard and would benefit from hosting me and my tiny house. In return, I can help you transition to a more sustainable life." Jim responded and I lived in his backyard for a year.

The trailer had no electricity. I built a composting toilet and rainwater shower on the property. When I moved away, I auctioned the trailer and tiny house and donated the proceeds to a local charity.

Living almost off-grid in Orlando

Greenfield built a tiny house in a Florida woman's backgarden. Sierra Ford

My next tiny house was in Orlando. The goal was to commit a year to eating only foods that I had grown or foraged. I was working on a book on this topic while I was there.

Before moving to Orlando, I connected with a homeowner who had agreed to let me build a tiny house on her property. She was letting me live in her garden and giving me an extension cord connected to her power. Electricity was a huge bonus, allowing me to have a deep-chest freezer and use my laptop.

Greenfield spent two years in Orlando, for one whole year he only ate food he'd grown or foraged. www.livewonderful.com

The Orlando tiny house cost less than $1,500 to build, including all the materials, which were sourced second-hand. It also included buying food for the volunteers – friends and social media connections – who helped me construct the house. I got some materials for free, such as pallets and old fencing, which I used for siding.

That house was just 10 feet by 10 feet, which was relatively comfortable.

The hardest thing about living off the grid is being responsible for everything

Depending on what off-grid set-up I'm living in, I am responsible for collecting water and dealing with what people consider waste.

People living on the grid often don't think about water usage. Off the grid, you have to pay attention unless you have a well or running river.

When Greenfield is living completely off the grid he has to prepare and store all the food he collects. Sarah Tew Photography

In the summer of 2021 and again in the summer of 2023, I lived in a tiny house at Wild Abundance, a school for carpentry, earth skills, and permaculture located near Asheville, NC.

In this off-grid structure, my water source was rain – how much you have is limited by how much you can store. If rain wasn't enough, I would have to walk to a spring five minutes away to fill jugs.

I have no government ID and earn under the poverty threshold

My expenses vary greatly. Most of my money goes to food. If I am traveling, I spend more on food. If I'm in one place, I spend less as I prefer to grow and forage most of what I eat. I spend a lot on seeds, plants, supplies, or tools to store food like a dehydrator or pressure canner.

About 90% of my possessions now are for food – the food itself, storage, and cooking.

Right now, I own 600 items and 300 of them are jars for food. I currently don't have a refrigerator or freezer so all my food has to be stored at ambient temperatures.

Greenfield forages and ferments or jars most of his food. Robin Greenfield

After food, I spend the most on getting around: trains, buses, or paying for gas when I catch rides with people.

It was important for me to completely remove myself from capitalist systems I don't support. I have committed to not paying federal taxes therefore I earn less than the poverty threshold, which is $11,000 a year. I donate 100% of my media income. I make my personal money from public speaking. I have no form of ID. I don't drive, so I don't need a license. Last year, I destroyed my passport.

The way I live is an experiment in existence. We believe the norm is the only way but there are many other ways to live.

The longer I live in this way, the less I need

When people tell me that they're thinking of living tiny, I tell them to start by downsizing their lives. Get rid of things you don't need that don't serve you.

Before you commit to living in any kind of tiny house, travel and stay in a few. Get a feel for what you like. If you have minimal money, building yourself is key. Schools like Wild Abundance can teach you how to build a tiny house from the ground up.

I am in love with the earth. The more time I spend outside and living in gratitude, the more I find that I don't need things. This lifestyle is not about giving things up. It's about filling your heart with something more meaningful than materialism.

Correction: January 7, 2024 – An earlier version misstated details about Greenfield's first tiny home. He built a shower and toilet on the same property as the trailer, not in the trailer. It also misstated how Greenfield manages his income. He donates 100% of his media income and uses public speaking for personal income. He does not donate all income he makes over $11,000.

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