If there’s one thing I hear over and over from readers who have a dream of rural living, is that it’s their spouse, family or friends who are keeping them from their modern homesteading dream.
Let’s face it – while the number of people desiring a rural lifestyle is growing, most of North American society thinks we’re either dreamers and ‘not being very practical’, or we’re flat out bonkers. So if you have a burning desire to get out of the city or suburbs and into the wide open country and you’ve got loved ones raining on your parade, what do you do? How do you convince them that you’re onto something important?
I was fairly lucky when I announced my plan to return to the country and live in a little cabin in the woods. Most of my friends either wished they could do the same, or were at least supportive. My spouse, on the other hand (a born and bred city boy) had no interest in packing up and moving. Truth be told, it was just one more difference that we weren’t able to overcome, and the relationship was really long ‘over’ by that point (we’ve got a much better relationship now – go figure). So no, I’m not a success story in that department, but if I had been in solid relationship, you bet your booty I’d have pulled out all the stops to convince him that moving to the country was a good idea. I’d have done everything I could to prove to him that living a rural life would be better for our family and our relationship.
So at this point, all I can tell you is what we have gained and learned by pursuing our dream, and touching on what’s going on in the world right now that makes rural living a very valid, and dare I say wise choice.
Benefit #1 – Stress Levels Go WAY Down
There’s something about all the background noise in the city that seems to keep us all jacked up, even if we don’t know it. At least it was that way with me. Between the sirens and the noisy neighbours, sleep was something that eluded me more often than was healthy. But here, I’ve stopped grinding my teeth at night and overall feel way less stressed, even though my workload has probably tripled. There’s just something about waking up to birds and not screeching tires that soothes the soul.
And with all the work required on a homestead, even a teensy tiny one, we’re in better shape, even without going to the gym. With all the wood chopping and piling, mowing, gardening, building and other chores necessary to keep a modern homestead functioning, our muscles never lack for things to do. While I’m hardly an example of fitness any more because I spend so much time in front of the computer for my business (and researching homesteading skills and topics!), I know that I’m much healthier now than I was then – even when I was running 3 miles a day and biking to work.
Less stress means we’re happier overall… and healthier. Now there’s a selling feature!
Benefit #2 – We’re Less Reliant on the Industrial Food System
With all that’s going on today – droughts, floods, climate shifts, crop failures, topsoil loss, civil unrest, GMOs, food recalls, pesticides, complete economic restructuring, loss of nutrients in conventionally grown crops, and everything else we see in the news – it only makes sense to try to wean ourselves away from the industrial food system as much as possible. Many ‘in the know’ are saying that we may see basic food prices double – or more – over the coming year.
So, the more food we can grow, raise or glean ourselves, or buy from local growers and producers, the better off our families will be: our food sources will be more secure and less reliant on transportation and big agriculture, and unless we’re using raw sewage or something on our veggies, it will be safer because you’ll know what’s gone into and onto it.
While it’s possible to grow vast amounts of fruits, vegetables and poultry on a suburban property, it’s pretty clear that it’s a tad easier to be self sufficient when we’ve got more space.
Benefit #3 – We’ll Avoid Much of the Craziness
the Next Few Years May Bring
As the economy continues it’s dramatic shift and families and individuals are affected in so many ways, we’re seeing a lot of fear rising up. And what happens when people get fearful? They do crazy things.
I remember a few years ago in Vancouver when we had heavy, heavy rains and a landslide washed into the mountain water supply. It was muddy from the tap, and there was a region-wide boil water advisory affecting about 2 million people – most particularly, the advisory was directed at those with compromised immune systems. Well, you’d have thought someone had dropped 12 tonnes of raw sewage into the lake – the line-ups for bottled water began almost immediately, and there were actual fist-fights among store customers as the supplies dwindled. This when all we had to do was boil our drinking water (we just filtered ours with a bio-filter and suffered no ill effects)
If a simple boiled water advisory creates that kind of panic, I honestly have no interest in seeing what will happen should we be faced with an actual disaster in an urban area. For some reason, rural towns seem to fare much better with these sorts of situations, as their residents are pretty much used to things like power outages, muddy water and the inconveniences that come with living away from big city centers. You learn to make do and not whine and complain. Well, most of the time, anyway…
So as the economy continues its shift and food prices rise as a result of drought, floods and everything else affecting big agriculture this year, I think we’ll sadly see more and more people doing more and more desperate things. For those who live in a community that’s working on becoming more food secure (city or country, doesn’t matter – there’s good people doing great work everywhere), they’ll be far more comfortable, and less stressed, than those who ignore all the warning signs and just take their chances that ‘the government will look after them’.
The bottom line is this – without prepping in some way, whether it be just getting a few weeks to a few months of food put away either by purchasing freeze dried meals or learning how to can and dehydrate food, we’ll all be paying more for food a year from now (likely a lot more). Now what’s that going to do for our stress levels?
Benefit #4 – Our Children Are More In Touch With the Natural World
My little guy has been a nature nut since before he could walk. I remember watching him in the courtyard of our townhouse, where the only wildlife to be found were pillbugs and the odd ant. I also remember thinking how sad it would be for a child this in love with nature to grow up surrounded by concrete and steel. It was one of the big reasons I wanted to move to the country, and I’m so glad we did. Seeing him now, surrounded by all sorts of critters (and now our chickens) and revelling in everything the natural world has to offer, I know I made the right decision.
Even his school is surrounded by trees and water, and is right across the street from the beach. There’s a creek running through the property, and they regularly see eagles and hawks, vultures and bears, right on the school grounds (you might not think bears at school is a good idea, but everyone is safe… ;o) What a way to grow up! I had a bit of that when I was little, but we lived in a subdivision (albeit a small town subdivision) and our school was the typical flat building surrounded by gravel and playing fields. Not a creek in sight…
Now, not all children are nature nuts, obviously, but spending time outdoors is good for everyone. Getting in touch with the cycles of life, getting dirty and wet, understanding what it’s like to be cold and feeling the sun on your face, exploring the edges of your capabilities – that’s what childhood should be about, and it’s so much more accessible in a rural community. And for their self-esteem, sense of adventure and imagination? There’s nothing like it.
Of course, small towns have their drawbacks as well – but in our community, at least, we’ve got access to brilliant music teachers, fabulous teachers and a tonne of activities… even some we wouldn’t find in the city. And not to mention that with all the hard work involved in keeping a homestead running, they’ll keep their bodies limber and their minds active. It’s pretty hard to be bored and get in trouble when there’s just so much stuff to do!
Benefit #5 – We’re Part of a Community
It’s pretty much impossible to ‘do’ this homesteading thing without connecting with others in a big way. And while it’s easy to be anonymous in the city, it’s not quite so in the country. Sure, you could go hide away in the bush and never see anyone (personally, I’m quite happy hanging out at home), but I’ve had enough experience now to know that I can’t do this thing alone. Nor would I want to, not that I’ve met all the wonderful people that seem to surround us.
Asking for help, by its very nature, builds community. And that’s a very good thing should we face the kind of food price increases and job losses that are looking likely – we’re going to need each other like we haven’t in decades. Thing is, most small communities have never forgotten what it’s like to be dependent on neighbours – especially those that have lived through a natural disaster or other calamity. It’s only those of us from the city who find it easy to disconnect from everyone around us and just do our own thing – until we realize that that’s just dumb (speaking for myself, of course!).
I’ll tell you, there’s just something really comforting about knowing that other people have got your back.
The Wrap-up
If you’re facing doubters in your own life, hopefully this has been helpful. Whether they think you’ve gone completely off the rail or just can’t imagine why you’d want to leave the comfort of the city for an uncertain future on a homestead, maybe this will provide a bit of food for thought to pass along. It goes without saying that this life is not for the faint of heart, and there are many times I wonder what the heck I’m doing here. But at the end of the day, I rest well knowing I’ve made the best choice for my family. Of course, there are other serious questions that need to be considered, and lots more to discuss on this topic, but if it’s your dream, I say go for it! Life is supposed to be an adventure, right?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s article. If you’ve got experience with moving your family to the country, or have any stats or great reasons to make the move that you’d be willing to share, we’d love to hear from you! We’re all learning from each other, and the more we put out there, the more we get back… 😉
- 11 Lessons Learned from 11 Years of Rural Living - March 23, 2020
- What is ‘Modern Homesteading’, Anyway? - July 17, 2016
- Summer Rural Living Celebration! - July 1, 2014
Great points. When I was young I thought living in the country was for geeks and hicks. Then when it was time to move away from home…. didn’t want to live in the cold city where no one knows are cares about you. Moved up north to Hay River, and that was the best decision I made. You have all great points. Hugs
This article is what I really needed. I am the families crazy one and have no support what so-ever from my husband or anyone else. I just know I’m gonna be the 80 year old woman (i I make it that long) still depressed because I never made my dream come true. Thanks for this article.
Thanks so much for visiting, Deborah! Yours is a story I hear a LOT. Which is why I’m here!! 🙂 I know people think I’m a bit loopy for doing this too (especially those days where I’ve got WAY too many things on my plate), but living in where I do, it’s not so oddball as it might be in other places. Keep that dream alive – you’ll get there! And you can do it in little baby steps. I think sooner rather than later, these skills and knowledge will be really valuable, and you’ll be the hero, not the crazy one. You have lots of support here! 🙂
I absolutely love this! My dream is to find a little parcel of land and do my own thing. It takes a lot of work to save the money to do such a thing, and I often feel disheartened. You gave me confidence! Thank you. I’m your newest fan. 🙂
Rachael, I’m so happy the article was helpful! It’s a BIG journey, for sure, and at times I wonder what on earth I’m doing, but a few minutes later, I give my head a shake and remind myself how blessed I really am to be living like I’d dreamed for so long. Though it could be a bit warmer in the house… 😉
I wonder how many realize that the reason they believe what they do about rural living is the conditioning we’ve been exposed to all our lives? Think of all the movies, TV shows, books you have ever seen. They always portray rural poverty and struggle to survive while rarely if ever pointing out the enormous benefits.
I just wrote a post about a TED talk about how much “better off” the Chinese were who worked ridiculous hours 7 days a week and slept 15 to a tiny room were than their counterparts who stayed in the country. I have to think, better how? Because they are “important” now? They can’t afford to buy what they make and their time is not their own. They are basically indentured servants in the same way Americans who commute long distances to jobs in cubicles are – only worse – because they have even less time and the almighty currency they are chasing buys even less.
Some people are throwing off their conditioning and question what they’ve been told all their lives. Others will never stop believing no matter how much evidence you can show them to the contrary. We must all make our own choices. If we would live free we must be self-sufficient as a community and walk away from corporate and government control. Once you realize they have nothing real to offer you, it is an easy decision to make.
It sure is. Your points are interesting, and I agree re the ‘cultural bias’ against rural living, right down to the stereotypes that get dragged out. Oh well, it will be our little secret… 😉
Hi Victoria, We are a couple from a remote part of India. Even though we have the rural roots and our families near our dream site for rural life with lots of land, after spending a 20 odd years in city we are in dilemma whether to go or not.
Your blog definitely encourages. This will help in taking a decision.
Good luck with it if you suddenly develop very serious health issues. All the fun in the barn and playing in the country is not going to be more important than the reality of not being able to afford many thousands of dollars in medical bills, tests, surgeries. People have these wonderful dreams until reality hits and then they can’t deal with an emergency. Seen it happen to too many friends who pursued this :dream”, then because they were homesteaders, didn’t have enough money to fly to help parents who became gravely ill, or to take care of their own medical bills when they themselves developed cancer.
Exactly why it’s important to make sure those considerations are made before the move is made, which we’ve covered in other articles. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure.
There is one thing that I have seen more in the country than in the city and that’s the sense of a tight knit community and how wonderful they are about helping you out during an emergency. I think part of that is because in a rural area or small town, everyone knows everyone or just about. The six degrees of separation is down to one or two. I lived in the country as a child and our house burnt to the ground and everything in it. Our neighbors let us live with them until we could get back on track. People rallied around us like they were family. Kids who picked on me in school were bringing me clothes. Because of the financial problems after that, some folks in the community pitched in and provided us with Christmas gifts that year. There have been tons of people who have been seriously hurt or sick over the years and the community came together and had benefits for these people. And when I was a teenager, we did get a big house and when some of those neighbors who helped us out needed a helping hand when they got down on their luck, we were right there opening our home to them. Most people in a rural community find themselves in the same situation as their neighbors at different times and so they either know first hand what it’s like or they know it wouldn’t take much for them to actually be in the same situation and so they are more generous. Nobody wants to rely on anyone, but there are times when that’s just what you have to do. These emergencies are hard and they are scary, but they are not impossible. Even people who have insurance feel the financial strain of expensive medical treatments. Insurance doesn’t cover the cost of everything, and those costs not covered add up quickly. I knew a guy who worked, had insurance, and got cancer. His insurance didn’t cover everything and he couldn’t work while doing the chemo because it made him very sick and weak, and so he ended up having to file bankruptcy….but he had a job and had insurance. It’s not a guarantee that everything is going to be ok if you get really sick.
So true. It really is incredible how a community rallies when they know someone needs help.
Wow, this is fantastic. Currently looking at the property we want. My parents are being really supportive, and just helping us look through both the positives and negatives, but my husbands father is so against it he won’t even come look. Tough times, and tough decisions, it makes it SO hard when your family isn’t on your side.
Mine thought I was a bit (or maybe a lot) crazy, too, but they’ve come around to be huge supporters of what we’re doing. If they hadn’t, it would have definitely been more challenging, but I know that for me, I have to do what my heart/gut is telling me is right. It’s never steered me in the wrong direction, hard as it’s been sometimes… All the best to you on your journey. Keep us posted!
Hi Victoria, Thank you for this article. I am currently in two minds about our decision to move to the country based purely on my own fear of the future and my extended families points of view. This article has helped me see the “light” and have confidence in our decision. Thank you so much, ill be sure to share your blog with the hubby and family.
Wow! You’re SO welcome! It IS scary, and it’s hard to know if you’re making the right decision, but I’ve never, ever gone wrong by trusting my gut instinct and/or heart. I have a big decision to make in the next couple of weeks and while I keep going back and forth on it, and it scares me, I know what my heart is telling me is the right decision. All the best to you!! Keep us posted as to how everything unfolds… 🙂
Hi Victoria,
I am writing to you from sunland, California . As I am reading your post I feel like you had access to my brain and copied what I was thinking all about the homesteading benefits . After all great minds think alike. I am very interested to leave the city life and start a life in a rural area. I am in a process of buying a 4.2 acres of land in three river ca . I really enjoyed reading your post knowing that I am not alone . I think many people in the modern world don’t understand what is really happening to them ( industrialized food , air and sound pollution , overwhelming stress , etc…) that’s why if someone is doing the right thing they think he/ she has gone crazy .
Congratulations on your land purchase! And yes, great minds DO think alike… 😉 As for people thinking it’s crazy, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s just a large percentage of the population that if the don’t understand something, have to ridicule it. I don’t understand it, myself, but that’s OK – all the more rural space for the rest of us…. 🙂
Not a big reader but loved your article. Not really looking to be a homesteader but would love to convince my wife to move further out into the country! Thx!
Victoria
Really enjoying your articles, as my husband and I are in the midst of transitioning to the country. We are doing it slowly, keeping our condo in the city while renovating our country property on the weekends; it’s been my husband’s dream for years but I’ve had a lot of doubts (even though I was raised in the country) about whether I’ll be able to adjust to a quieter (lonelier?) life after having lived and careered in a big city for decades. I’m finding your articles very helpful. They are validating some of my concerns (so I’m not crazy afterall) as well as highlighting the pluses of country living AND how to be prepared. Thank you!! I look forward to reading more of your informative articles.
Thank YOU! I haven’t written on the blog for an embarrassingly long time, so I’m thrilled to hear you’re finding the old articles useful. I really need to start writing again… Thanks so much for stopping by!
Thank you!
Im a 16 year old from Ontario from the suburbs, and ever since I was little I’ve hated the city. My dream is going to Guelph for a bachelor of science in agriculture, and then becoming a farm veterinarian- what I wanted to do since I was a kid. My parents, from the city, reckon Im crazy and family friends think im joking, or just having a “teenage phase”, even though Ive wanted this since I was just a kid. I know that, one way or the other, Ill achieve my rural dream, no matter how much work it is.
Your article gave real good points to prove my family members wrong about their perception of the country. \
Thank you!
Wow, Alex – thanks so much for sharing your experience. I think you’re the first person under 20 who has posted on the site ever! Your goal is amazing – I’m sure you’ll make a tremendous farm vet. Keep us posted on your journey! Would love to hear more. My son is just turning 15 and starting to think about what he wants to pursue… but in the meantime, he loves his chickens… 🙂 Thanks again for stopping by!
I am currently in the transition phase. I made an offer on a motel in a very rural part of west Kansas. We are currently in a small town but I’ve dreamed of rural living since I was a kid. I’m taking my 5 kids with me. It’ll be tough without their dad and our family but I’m looking for a better quality of life for my kids and self.