Do you want to move to the country but the stereotypes of country living scare you?
If so, stay tuned to get my honest opinion of 5 things you may hate about living in the country so that you can start to understand the lifestyle changes to expect and ensure you don’t gamble with a decision you may regret later.
At the end of this blog I will be sharing something that may have you second guessing if the country life is for you that even affected me growing up.
The Smells
One thing about country living that is easy to sniff out is the manure. I know I know, I said the smells were in my top 5 favourite things I love about the country, BBUUUTTT… If you make a move to the country don’t be surprised at slow moving vehicles trucking down the road with manure tanks.
Yes it can be smelly but in order to grow good crops and keep the farms clean they will be spreading manure in the fields of all kinds. It’s also not unusual to smell someone having a camp fire or burning brush from cleaning up their property in the spring or after a big storm. If you fully embrace country life, I promise these smells will not bother you in the slightest. But until then, just plug your nose.
Amenities
Living in the country can be inconvenient to get to amementies.
Bust out your own coffee maker because you’re not going to be walking to the starbucks up the street or calling an uber for 24 hour takeout deliveries. Small communities may only have 1-2 grocery stores, a post office, and a few small businesses.
Some rural communities may not have any transit options whatsoever. This means that you will need your own car and have to travel outside your town to get all the products and services you need which takes added time and money for gas.
The roads may not even be friendly to bicycles or pedestrians.
I grew up where I needed a ride to anything and everything so getting my full license as soon as possible was a big milestone.
Property Maintenance
You have more space in a rural area which is great!
But that means you now have more home and property maintenance to take care of. I grew up having to cut firewood most weekends to keep the woodstove running, helping my parents upkeep anything from routine maintenance of cars, tractors, and our home. At the time I felt like I was cutting the grass every second day to try and keep up. Gardens needed weeding, flowers needed watering and the property to do lists never seemed to end.
As I enjoy being overly busy most of the time. Some others may not enjoy the thought of always having something to do instead of going to work and coming home to relax.
Wildlife
Number two on my list is wildlife.
I can’t say I’m a big fan of all wildlife, but I deal with the ones I can’t avoid. I grew up digging in the dirt playing with worms and toads. I don’t like crunchy bugs or listening to the trees humm with june bugs. But I do love seeing deer or foxes in the field, wild turkeys crossing the roads and watching my daughter explore all the little critters around her.
I have blood that mosquitoes thoroughly enjoy and the amount of flies that seem to appear daily can be frustrating at times. Some nights in the summer you can even hear packs of coyotes howling in the distance.
Be aware that country living can bring unexpected birds, bats and bugs into your living space from time to time.
It Can Get Lonely
My number one flaw of country living is that it can get lonely.
There may be times that you miss the vibrancy and diversity of the city such as the exciting nightlife and community events going on every weekend. Not to mention there may be only one restaurant nearby, or you may not be able to enjoy some of your favourite activities or hobbies as there may not be a place nearby to practice or a group or people who share your interests.
Growing up I luckily had a best friend that lived near me but in order to visit any other people or get to any nearby town, I needed a ride, which got lonely at times over the summer break.
You definitely have to make a bigger effort to connect with others when you live in the country.
Are you ready to move to a rural community or are you learning that city living is more convenient for you?
Every type of community has its ups and downs, so be sure to have a good discussion of what is best for your families needs.
