Energy

Living off the grid is always a challenge in the energy department.  My house came with 16 solar panels, a back up diesel powered generator, and some very sorry, bloated, worn out batteries.  The first order of business was to replace the batteries with ones that would last and actually hold a charge.  It didn't take long to realize that we were still a little short of energy.  My hard working male relations put in a nice yard around the house, but pumping enough well water to keep it green was taxing the limits of my solar panels.  I just put in 8 more which seem to be doing the trick quite well, unless the sun doesn't shine for days at a time.  Thankfully the former owners recommended a wonderful solar expert to help me with all of this.  We call him Solar Bill.  Now that we have enough power, it is just a matter of using it at the right time.  Some high energy chores are best done in the middle of the day, or when the generator is running.
I've also started conserving my personal energy.  I find ways of combining trips into town and making a loop to get everything done. (hit the bank, post office, gas station, feed store, pharmacy, grocery, etc)

Sometimes there is more than one way to get a job done.  We recently turned the daunting job of ridding my large garden of weeds, over to two goats and a pair of lambs.  In addition to adding a real country feel to the space, they effectively devoured the weed problem and added some fine organic fertilizer in the process.