A FAMILY has swapped city life to live off-grid in the desert during the pandemic, buying land and a trailer from Facebook Marketplace.
Zani Sunshine, 43, and her husband Yaseen, 43, a carpenter, didn’t want to be stuck in their home in Atlanta, Georgia when the pandemic hit.
Zani grew up dreaming of living on a large plot of land.
When Covid shut things down in 2020, she and Yaseen made the quick decision to trade in their car for a truck to tow their trailer.
From there, they traveled with Zani’s son, 11, until they found the perfect location.
Four months later, they bought 10 acres of land near Albuquerque, New Mexico for $10,000.
They bought a further five acres of land on Facebook Marketplace for $7,500.
Now the family is in the process of building their own home and have their own solar panels for electricity and a septic system.
They want to build an underground geothermal greenhouse to grow their own food so they can be self-sufficient.
“It’s a freeing lifestyle,” Zani said.
“I have so much more of a sense of security to know you have so much more control over things.
“People think I’m living in fear. It’s not a fear. There’s a possibility and I want to be prepared.
“I feel empowered.”
Zani had a busy life in Atlanta working as a health nurse, but she had been prepping for the last ten years.
“If something did happen, I wanted to be self-sustaining,” she said.
“We had water, medical supplies, and bug-out bags to leave the city quickly.
“The fact we’re so dependent on the systems, so many people are not prepared — then there is chaos and violence.”
She took the plunge to move off-grid in March 2020.
“When the pandemic hit, we didn’t want to be in the house,” said Zani, who now works as an author, content creator, and consultant.
“We traded in our car for a truck to pull our trailer.”
The family traveled 1,300 miles until they found their dream location.
They set up their 26-foot travel trailer on the land and bought a 40-foot destination trailer for $15,000 on Facebook Marketplace to live in while they build their home.
Yaseen built a mud room next to their trailer for their muddy boots, added a wood stove, and worked in extra storage.
They had a septic system installed for their waste.
The family currently has a chicken coop and meat rabbits, but they are hoping to get some mules and sheep as well.
They live in the high desert — 75,000 ft above sea level — meaning their days and nights can vary in temperature by about 70 degrees.
Zani says the temperatures rarely get above 90 degrees.
“The growing season is really short,” she said.
“We’re trying to build an underground geothermal greenhouse but it will cost $50,000.
“That’s our next goal.”
Currently, Zani bulk orders dry food on Amazon — and has six months to a year of prepped food.
They get their fresh food from a small town 30 minutes away or from a bigger supermarket an hour and a half away.
The family’s land is well elevated so they are less likely to experience flooding, which becomes more common due to climate change.
“We don’t have tornadoes or hurricanes,” she said.
“There is less of a possibility of it.”
Zani’s goal isn’t to be 100% self-sufficient, but she wants to be able to live with what she has if something happens.
Her recent book, Offgrid Planning Workbook, $35, is available on Amazon.
