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Here’s What you Need to Know before you Move to the Country

Are you planning on moving to the country? Maybe you just want to make sure that you and your family are prepared for what lies ahead. Either way, here you can find out whatever you need to know about uprooting your city life and moving to the country.

Living for Less

There are so many reasons why you should move to the country, and one of them is because you can save a ton of money. You’ll be paying reduced rent and you may even be paying less tax too.

This is a great way for you to make the most out of your income and it will also help you to put more away for your family’s future too. As if that wasn’t enough, when you live in the country, you won’t be distracted by the huge amount of coffee shops and fast-food places.

Instead, you’ll rely more on cooking and baking because you’ll be a little out of the way, and this can help your family to lead a healthier lifestyle overall.

You will, however, need to bring or get a car, which is much more of a requirement in the country than it can be in big cities. Not prepared to drive to the country and wondering about shipping cars? Just click that link to get all your questions answered.

Kidding Around

Activities for kids when you live in the countryside will cost you a lot less. You can go exploring on a Saturday morning or you can even teach your kids how to fish if you want. When you do, you will soon find that they learn more and that they also become more aware of the world around them.

When you live in the city you won’t have access to this kind of entertainment, and you may even find that they enjoy it more too.

Saving on Fuel

Did you know that living in the country can help you to reduce your energy bills?

After all, if you have a wood-burning stove you can easily collect fallen trees for the wood, or you can even chop them down yourself by using the resources you have in your yard.

Some places will even give you offcuts for free as it means that they don’t need to dispose of them themselves. If you use a wood-burning stove twice a week then this can save you 10% in energy bills every single year.

Of course, depending on where you live, you might need to invest in the best well pressure tank as well.

Stock Up

When you move to a rural area, you will have a higher level of independence.

You won’t have access to convenience stores that are open 24 hours a day and you may also be too far away to make the trip even if you wanted to. Of course, this means that you have to stock up on a certain item.

When the winter comes along, it’s possible that you’ll get snowed in, and although this isn’t fun, there’s something fun about being able to prepare for the winter and stocking up on certain items such as medical supplies, firewood or even gasoline.

Growing your Own

Saving on groceries is very easy to do when you are able to grow your own.

Swap produce with your neighbors and even get the kids involved as well. When you do, you will be able to teach them the reward of hard labor and you will also be able to get them outside more. If you want to take things to that next level, then you can easily adopt some hens so that you can produce your own eggs.

When you start to grow your own produce, you will find that it is way more flavourful when compared to buying it from a supermarket, not to mention that you can forage as well.

Know your Neighbors

When you live in the country, your most valuable resource is actually your neighbors.

They are there to help you haul wood or they can even give you a lift into town. You might not have known your neighbors very well in the city and this is understandable because you probably worked 9-5 and you may even find that your schedules just didn’t align.

When you live in the country, things are much different, and you may find yourself bumping into them a lot more.

Be friendly, offer a helping hand and be open as much as possible. Nothing can quite compare to having a good relationship with your neighbors, so make sure that you really put the effort in. When you do, life in the country will be much easier and more enjoyable.

Conserve

When you live in the country you may be somewhat disconnected from a lot of public resources.

This can include garbage pick-ups and in some instances a sewer line. For this reason, you’ll want to conserve resources as much as possible. Instead of throwing away your vegetable peelings, create a compost heap. You might also want to recycle your supplies much more too.

Weeds need to be dealt with and you may also need to make the effort to keep pests away too. This is easier said than done but it is one of the most rewarding things about living in the country.

Respect Wildlife

Finally, you need to make sure that you are very mindful of your surroundings.

Depending on where your home is stationed, you may encounter deer, foxes or even bears. It’s so important that you know how to interact with these species and that you stay safe as well. If you live in bear country for example, then you may want to carry some bear spray with you.

Foxes may be of little concern, but if you have chickens then this could pose as an issue. A high fence can work wonders here, along with a little maintenance.

In general, country life really is about being more independent, while also being able to recognise the importance of relying on those around you.

This may sound contradictory, but if you follow the above tips then you will soon find that you are well on your way to living your best life and this can work wonders for your mental health, physical health and even the future of your children.

 

 

Jeff Campbell