Quite often a number of hindrances exist. Lack of a savings fund, lack of employment opportunities with witch to fund the effort and lack of knowledge as to what to do and how to go about it.
I do not profess to be an expert on the first two points. I can suggest making an effort to live green and reduce energy consumption as a first step. This is possible even if you live in an apartment and have little control over things.
Buying an energy meter like the Kill-a-Watt model P4400 is a good first step the price is also reasonable. Typically these can be purchased from Amazon online or in various stores like Radio shack/.
Base price is around $20 so this should be affordable for most people. In fact it may help you save enough money to pay for itself. More to the point it makes you aware of how much electrical energy you consume in daily life.
This becomes very important when you have to size your solar or wind power generating capacity to power your needs.
Apartment or rental accommodations where the power is included in the monthly rental nay not see a direct return in the form of reduced utility power billing. However it does give you an idea of how you can reduce use in the future.
Presumably your plans include getting away from this rental situation. This is not exactly glib advice because I found myself in exactly that kind of situation. Through the help of friends we did find a place far from where we lived then and we managed to rent a shipping containe,r crammed most of our belongings into it and had it shipped by transport truck 600 miles away.
The immediate benefit was we reduced our monthly rental by $400 by getting away from the huge expense of living in an urban environment.
Naturally there are culture shocks. A trip into town is no longer ten or twenty minutes its one hour each way and the fuel burn is now $25 per trip You quickly lear to make lists and plan your route around town to minimize back tracking. You also learn to pick up frozen foods last so they do not thaw out during a hot hour long drive back home.
If you do not already own a 4 wheel drive vehicle trade in whatever you have for one before the move. Never mind if it is not as new or has as much status appeal. In the backwoods area where most off grid people live. 4X4 trucks are worth their weight in gold. We made the mistake of thinking our 2X4 half ton Ford truck was adequate. Well yes, it is in summer on nearly flat roads but come the rains and snow it is not. We are practically house bound in winter.
We managed to pick up most of our firewood in good weather but many a time we also got stuck. . You learn to pack a chainsaw and jerry can of fuel in the back because windfalls can block you in at a moments notice. Drive down a back road and come back an hour later only to find a windfall across the road.
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If vehicle maintenance is not already part of your skill set take a course or get a knowledgable friend to show you. The basics of checking fluid levels and where to top them up plus knowing how to change a flat tire are essential. Later on you can begin to learn how to do basic maintenance. and tune ups.
Living off grid you will need to acquire many manual skills needed in daily life. You quickly discover you will need a basic tool set containing screwdrivers wrenches and a hacksaw. Many of the big box stores now offer beginner kits in a nice carry case. Although the tools are not always first quality they generally work well enough to get a job done. My own rule is if you do not know what kind of tool you need a kit like this gets you started and when you break the inferior tool replace it with a good quality tool because that size is generally the one you will need the most.
One of the biggest benefits of these carry cases is the fact a mislaid tool quickly shows up by the empty spot in the kit case.
While you are thinking of tools do the garage sale circuit in nearby towns. Many retired trades people are getting rid of their surplus stuff. These older tools are often Made in USA
Also ask around to learn what semi retired craft /trades person lives in the area. You would be surprised at what hidden resources you may find. Sometimes its just the person you may need to supplement your own meager skill set.
Living off grid means you can’t expect to pick up the phone and have a trade service truck at your door in an hour. But you often find neighbors will be helpful.
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