Contributed Post
Living in the countryside is arguably one of the biggest lifestyle changes you can experience. In fact, it could be argued that it’s an even bigger change than moving from one country’s city to another. This is because living in a rural area subjects you to different rules in life. There are different ways to interact with people, your relationships with your neighbours are more important, and you need to learn to become more self-sufficient instead of relying on consumerist tendencies such as instant deliveries and supermarket conveniences.
However, despite all of the challenges that you might face when moving to the countryside, it does come with some unique advantages. It’s a completely different lifestyle that many parents feel would be more suitable for their children than a life in the city, and it’s easy to see where they’re coming from. It helps your children appreciate what they have and it makes them fitter and more active when they’re involved in chores. It gives you a completely different perspective on life and it’s understandable that many people would be willing to make the switch.
The advantages of moving to the country
Before you even consider a move to the country, you need to think about why you want to do it. There are a couple of unique advantages and reasons to adopt a rural lifestyle, and here are some of the most common ones.
- You get to grow your own food, meaning you’ll be healthier and will be able to control everything that goes into your meals.
- Learning new skills is a major component of living in the country. From gardening to home improvements or even sewing, you’ll learn unique skills that can help you in everyday life.
- You’ll escape city pollution. You no longer have to worry about smoke from cars or noises that keep you up at night.
- It’s generally safer than cities. There’s a much lower rate of crime and you’ll likely be living near friendly neighbours.
- There’s a sense of community since you live near neighbours that are more friendly and caring than the neighbours you might get in city environments.
- It’s peaceful and tranquil, meaning there’s more privacy and you’ll generally feel more relaxed in the environment.
- A life in the countryside also means a life of freedom. You’ll be able to switch to a self-sufficient lifestyle and control virtually everything in your life.
Do keep in mind that many of these advantages will likely be a moot point for certain people. Some people live in safe neighbourhoods and cities so they won’t feel that the countryside provides much more safety, and others are very happy with their neighbours which means they won’t really get the advantage of having a tighter sense of community. However, these advantages can’t be underestimated and if they appeal to you, then it could be a fantastic change of pace that you deserve.
Problems you might encounter living in the country
As you can see, there are many great advantages and reasons for living in the countryside, but you should also remember that with these pros also come cons. Here is a list of cons that you might experience when switching to country living.
- You won’t have comforts that you have grown used to such as fast food, quick delivery times for internet shopping and large megastores with a seemingly endless choice for food and general use products.
- You’re going to be isolated, meaning visiting your existing friends will be difficult and getting to a city centre for anything will generally require you to drive your car.
- Although it’s known to be safer than living in a city, there are other dangers such as flooding and animal threats that you may need to worry about.
- You might find it difficult to secure a source of income. Unless you have an online business or an at-home job that you can do, you might find it hard to get a job in the countryside that doesn’t involve manual labour.
- You’ll have to worry about utilities such as internet access, backup generators for power and even septic systems. These are the types of things you generally don’t need to worry about when living in the city, but in the country, they’re much more prevalent.
This is just a short list of the perceived cons when living in the countryside. There are other issues as well, such as learning how to use a water softener for well water in order to purify the water you drink, or learning skills like gardening so that you can grow your own food and take advantage of one of the perks of living in a rural area. It’s so different to living in the city and you might be overwhelmed with tasks.
But is it really worth it in the end?
So in the end, is moving to the country really worth it? It really depends on your circumstances
You’re not going to enjoy some of the changes especially if you’re used to living in the city where convenience is a given. You need to learn to become more self-reliant when you live in the countryside because that’s generally what the lifestyle is about–self-sufficiency and learning to live with what you have.
It’s a completely different lifestyle that many people will enjoy, but for those that have tech-infused lifestyles and rely a lot on their smartphones and computers, it could be a surprisingly fresh change of pace if you’re able to cope with it.
At the end of the day, you need to think about how practical living in the countryside is. Depending on your job, your income and your family, you might find that staying put in the city is (at least, for now) a much better option. You typically have better options for facilities, schools and job opportunities, which is often enough reason for people to stay in the city. However, if you’re doing well financially, have a job that you can continue working in the countryside and have found a good way to educate your children, then moving to the countryside should be considered a future option.
