We once had to melt snow just to flush our toilet. It was one of several unexpected challenges of living off-grid.

We loved living off the grid, but dealt with our fair share of challenges. Jayme Serbell My husband and I lived off the grid on 40 acres of land in New Mexico. We dealt with a few unexpected challenges — for instance, taking out the trash was a major ordeal. On the other hand, we didn't have to…