I have finally convinced my wife that moving out to the country would be a good idea. I am planning on living an hour or so out of the city, because I still have to work and am unlikely to find a job with the pay and benefits I currently enjoy, but am hoping that my wife will be able to stay home. My goal is to live more sustainably, so we will be raising chickens and an ever expanding vegetable garden to get started. My hopes are for a three bedroom home on at least 1.5 acres. I was looking for some feedback from folks who have already done as to what pitfalls I should be looking out for so I do not end up regretting my decision for a problem I was not aware I should be looking for. Thanks all!
One of the biggest issues for myself is the commute into the city everyday. When home shopping, look for the reverse commute or come from an area that has the best route for getting to and from where ever with ease. Sitting in 2 hours of traffic becomes a quality of life issue quickly!!! Also consider the fact that someday you may have to walk home if the SHTF.... can you do it based on the terrain or other issues... do you have to go through a bad neighborhood area.... all factors to where you call home. While you are searching for that perfect nugget of a refuge..... ensure you are using google satellite to recon the immediate area of any property you may be interested in. You can eliminate a lot of places just by looking around..... do you really want to live next to that gravel pit that is just on the other side of your trees?! Does your neighbor have squatterville in his back yard.... you may not be able to see far down the driveway, but an overhead sat view cut's through that issue..... You can also use the street view to go down the road each way from the property and get a unique perspective. In the end, information is the key to making that decision to purchase IMO. Another area is to look at the features of the property.... can you get your own water from a local source (such as a well) vs muni water system. Are there regulations prohibiting you from having animals on the property such as chickens.... if you are in the city limits you may encounter these rules.
Inside city limits is an automatic "no hunting" sign in most places. A farmer I know, incorporated his property to get city water, first notice they sent him was the list of new "do not" rules.
what my sis ran into when her fam made the trek to the country was an up front cost to many of the things she hoped to save on. they went to big to quick with farm animals and huge gardens just because they had the room. they wasted lots the first few years.Take it slow with animals and gardens. you can spend a lot quick and easily think ( and rightfully so) these chickens are not worth the money... get a few wait... if more is needed see if a local farmer has fertile eggs and go slow. dont plant so much that its 4 hours a day in weeding and moving water when you get home from work. Plant half of what you think you have time for...agian if more is needed add a little each year... slow and steady will be easier on the pocket book.
Read and heed the errors of others, me included.. Ducks and geese do not belong here.. They did not have sense enough to stay out of the woods.. Chickens did.. Wondered if the chicken where loughing at the geese as they wandered off in to the tree's and got eatened by the forrest critters.
If you are use to living in the city and have not lived in a more remote location you will have to plan better. Planning for a months worth of food and supplies is an art form that is acquired over time. So plan and budget for gas for extra trips to the store for the 1st few months. The next thing I'm going to say will be un popular but as the man in your family you need to consider this very carefully if you want this move to work. You are 'talking your wife into' living remotely and staying at home. You will still be getting daily social interaction that she will not. If she is a very active social person now this move will not be successful. She won't be happy being alone most of the time and having the daily homesteading chores of animal care and garden and kids. My experience is that men don't think of these things as their daily life changes with a longer commute but everything else is the same. Most Women need other women to talk to. I very deliberately used the word NEED because most women don't see social interaction action as a need but it is and you can't get around it. So please don't treat this lightly when considering your move. Living even an hour from town is a huge change and if your wife isn't prepared for the isolation you won't last more than a year.
It might make sense to rent or lease a place in the area your interested in before investing in an adventure your not sure about. Country living is not for everyone. You don't necessarily have to buy a place in the country to get the experience. If it turns out to be pipe dream, its a cheap lesson. If it works out and you like it, your in a position to make a better informed decision. Just a thought. In my area people move in and back out all the time. Some come here from the city in another state and leave within a year or two. (sometimes that's good). They quickly find out winters are not what they thought they would be. Wages are not what they were getting back where they came from or the neighbors rooster wakes them up too early. It can be a different life and you should know what your getting into...
You know, that bit about my wife is a very good point, and we actually discussed that this weekend. She tends to get an idea in her head, like moving to the country, for example, and runs with it. Once we started talking about it, she realized this would be a big difference in her current lifestyle. We have to plan to make sure that she gets the socialization she needs if this is going to happen. That said, we have to slow down on the moving whether we want to or not. Turns out that we paid a credit card bill one day late in April and it got reported to the credit bureau, and as a result our bank will not approve any financing until May. This has caused us to reassess our priorities. We are going to take the time to downsize our possessions somewhat (I don't need to keep every book I have ever bought) and eliminate our (admittedly, small) credit card debt completely, and get rid of the cards. We may keep the Amazon one to get the points as long as we don't use it to pay for things we cannot afford. There are some awesome tips on here. Now that I have no choice but to take more time to plan, I can focus on addressing these things to make sure that I don't hate my life after moving. Keep them coming! Thanks!
Heat. Water. Electricity. Secondary source for all. Is there a wood stove in the house so that you can cook when there's no power? There will be no power at one time or another... bet on it!
