Beginner’s Country Living Guide

February 18, 2014 0 By Jane

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Moving from the city to the countryside means always finding a place to park, listening to nature instead of car horns, and peace and tranquility.

But, moving from an area where there are 24-hour mini marts and coffee shops on every corner to a place where the nearest large grocery store is an hour long trek means learning a new way of life.

Here is a beginner’s guide to country living:

Be Secure:

Living in the country means neighbors are few and far between, or at least a few miles down the road. With such open surroundings, having a security system can offer peace of mind. Home alarm systems are worth the expense with the security they offer a homeowner. If a burglar was to break in, an alarm would cause them to hightail it out of there for fear of being caught.

Find a family pet that can patrol the grounds. With a lot of open acres, it can be difficult to keep a watchful eye on all areas. Dogs are loyal companions, love romping around open areas, and are watchful protectors.

Be A Smart Shopper:

When living in the country, forgetting an item at the grocery store means doing without it for the time being. While it can take time to get used to purchasing groceries in bulk, once it is learned and perfected, it will save gas, time, and headaches.

Plan meals a couple of weeks in advance. Knowing ahead of time what each meal consists of means knowing what ingredients need to be purchased at the store.

Stock up on meat, canned goods, and root vegetables that last a while. Most everything can be frozen and defrosted later so do not be afraid to purchase items like bread in large quantities.

For fresh fruits and vegetables, learn how to garden. While frozen fruits and vegetables are generally all natural, sometimes the taste of fresh fruit and veggies cannot be beat. Having a supply of frozen fruit and veggies on hand is smart, but try out being a green thumb.

With available sunny acreage, plant an herb garden, grow tomatoes, strawberries, and plant some fruit trees. Depending upon what area you are located in, different fruits and veggies thrive in different areas. Citrus fruit trees and avocado trees grow well in warm, sunny areas such as California while apple trees need a deep cold snap to grow well.

Landscape:

When living in such a remote area, it is important to appreciate the view and immediate surrounding areas. Part of enjoying the peace and tranquility is enjoying the environment. Landscape the space in a way that is beautiful to you, but that also does not require hours upon hours of maintenance labor.

Sitting on the front porch reading a book while staring at undeveloped, plain land can be uninspiring and boring. But, spending evenings looking over grassy fields with majestic trees softly blowing in the breeze makes country living’s beauty worth the extra effort of not living the city life.