The challenges of country life

[Cascadian]

I was just thinking with folks looking to move to the country, we could post some of the downsides or challenges. Not necessary a rant section but if the rant fits. Let's face it we have it pretty good but it is not all sunshine and rainbows. I also considered naming it Homesteading Headaches.

Part of what inspired me is our Christmas visit to see the kids. We were gone for a week. Finding someone to take on the responsibility and headache isn't easy. There are probably a hundred things big and little that can go wrong. So like many here leaving for more than a day is difficult. It took 2 people from 2 different households to cover for us. Several things went wrong. My wife wanted to be upset with the helpers. I talked her off the ledge and reminded her how often we deal with life's little problems on our farm. Also I put it in perspective that no animals died, no one robbed us and the house didn't burn down.

 

[Caribou]

Not having "stuff." When I need a screw, bolt, or a washer I buy a box of 100, not just what I think I need for my project. The gas costs more than the hardware, not to mention the time.

 

[Cascadian]

Here are a couple more basic things I can think of.
Expenses: everything is bigger in the country.
Pets and livestock. We have 2 big dogs and 5 cats. Other animals include chickens, cows etc. All the feed, supplements and vet bills add up and it is rarely less than $100 trip anywhere.

Infrastructure: most things are done in hundreds of feet like fencing, water, power etc. They all almost always $1 to $3 a foot. Do you ever wonder why you see huge properties with the house right on the highway. That is partly because everything is by the foot.

Being off the beaten path. That is a good thing right? Well yes until you need one thing from town or a doctor. Because of this you need to plan ahead for just about everything. This also is an expense since you need to buy stuff you don't need yet. This starts getting in to prepper mentality or just plain country living.

Machines: OMG, I have never had so many things to keep running in all my life. We have 5 vehicles all with a job some are redundant. So there is registrations and insurance also. We have a wood chipper, push mower, riding mower, log splitter, tractor, 2, chainsaws and a weed eater.

Fuel: oh ya you need fuel and it is still a half hour to town. So you gotta have bulk fuel storage.

Outbuildings: you can't leave all you stuff out in the weather. Also tweakers and thieves exist everywhere. So you need relatively secure storage.

Security: tweakers made me think of this. Another reason for big ass dogs. Along with good fencing and protecting your livestock. You need to know your neighbors. Unlike city living you really need to have some connection to your neighbors.

Oh that's disgusting: yeah get used to that. Killing, gutting, plucking etc. I have never put my arm up a cows butt, however I have seen my neighbor do it.

I feel like I hogged all the good stuff but you get the idea.

 

[Spikedriver]

You don't just grab a shovel after a blizzard. When I lived at the farm, there have been years where it took a 140 horsepower tractor to move the snow for me to be able to get out of my house. It also can take 4 days for the county to clear the roads after a blizzard so if you want to get anywhere, you need a snowmobile or you clear the road yourself...

 

[Wingnut]

I dunno, I reckon the trade-off is totally worth it... there's virtually no crime out here, no traffic, no smog, etc. Folks seem happier, not all jacked up by living in the city and dealing with all of THOSE problems, aye? I look at the trees I've planted, the improvements I've made on this property, and I think to myself, "This was work worth doing." Yes, I have to drive 5 or 6 miles to town if I need something, unless I can find it at the nearby Dollar General (roughly one mile away). I don't mind the drive, since I own a 4-banger Camry that sips fuel, and I also have the motorbike which doesn't burn much fuel. The scenery is nice, every morning when I walk into my kitchen I see the Sacramento Mountains towering above my home, and that view doesn't suck, lol. Could be worse: I could be looking at Compton, North Philly or the Lower Bronx. Everything else about country living doesn't bother me, though some planning or foresight comes in handy... like combining errands in town and picking up extra stuff at the store to lay in supplies at home. I've been living in the boondocks ever since I left the crowded beach in my home town of Coronado, and I know this: I'll NEVER go back to living in the city again. Sure, I miss the beach, but I don't miss ANYTHING else about living in the Big City.

 

[Cascadian]

Not having "stuff." When I need a screw, bolt, or a washer I buy a box of 100, not just what I think I need for my project. The gas costs more than the hardware, not to mention the time.

Yep, I need to go to town and buy a gate pin. Just one of the things that went tango uniform when we were gone. You can't leave the gate broke so off to town I go.

 

[backlash]

We live 5 miles from a small town.
There are 3 options for getting groceries. Walmart, Safeway and Fiesta Foods, which is mostly Mexican food.
There are mini marts but I don't consider those to be places to get groceries.
There is a small hospital but I will never go there again.
Doctors are not the best. In fact some of the are down right dangerous.
It's a 50 mile one way trip to one of the larger cities to see a doctor.
There are one or two small animal vets in town and I won't go to either of them.
I drove 50 miles one way to get a Rx refilled for my dog.
We have NO good restaurants. Fast food, Chinese food, and Mexican food are the only options, none of them good.
There is a Taco truck on every corner it seems.
When the wind blows out of the South in the Summer the smell can be overwhelming.
There's a hog farm, several dairies and feed lots not very far away.
Like @Wingnut said. I will never live in a big city again.

 

[Spikedriver]

Yep, I need to go to town and buy a gate pin. Just one of the things that went tango uniform when we were gone. You can't leave the gate broke so off to town I go.

This is one of the things I love about my tiny town, population 2,000. Directly behind my residence, I have a lumberyard/hardware store. When I needed a drain trap, I walked around the block and there it was. When I needed a window film kit, some caulk, and weather stripping, I walked around the block. Living in "town" does have some advantages, especially when you're over 25 miles from a major town and don't have to deal with their crap unless you have a real reason to go there...

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

The hardest part is getting animals taken care of. We simply don't go anywhere if conditions are so bad that the animals can't make do on their own with the bulk food and supplies left for them.

Don't live in the boonies if medical worries ever cross your mind. Never in all my life, have I worried about lack of proximity to a Dr., or a store; closest of either is an hour away.

Spit on it, maybe use some gorilla tape, a stick or two and get on with it. Never had to do that either.

I have had my arm up a cows butt. I can do gross every day all day long. I am the oldish lady that would get stuck doing all the work in that subdivision group thing.

The hardest part is maintaining all the convenience gadgets. They are nice but a pain to the posterior if you get too used to them.

I can go old school very easily on a small scale and I live where the helpless people don't.

 

[Amish Heart]

Yep, there's the animals. That's the big thing here. But a farm neighbor down the road aways has cancer and covid and took a huge health dive, and 3 different other farm neighbors have stepped in, rotating the duties he had in caring for his large sheep farm.
I can have the best laid out plans for the day, and then the weather can turn bad and I have to be flexible. There's something about the saying to make hay when the sun is shining. And don't rake leaves during a windstorm.

 

[Tirediron]

for newbies, the distance to things that are usually close by. having the things you need when you need them, when you buy one probably buy two or more. your mechanical helpers need to be looked after, as well as your live helpers/ dependants weather can be a big factor in your living. I have been rural all of my life and won't change.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

Animals.
For over 25 years now, either my wife or I has to stay home and care for animals while the other travels.
Things ARE easier now that we only have one horse, three dogs, and 40 chickens.
Easier than the old days.
This is New Years weekend, my wife went to visit her kids 300 miles away. I’m here taking care the animals.
When I go to my annual Army unit reunions, she has to stay. She rode out Hurricane Irma alone with the animals in 2017 when I was over 1,000 miles away.

 

[Morgan101]

I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I am close enough to the city to do city things, but far enough to not have city problems. When you are closer to the city if there is an SHTF event services will be restored sooner. The real deal breaker for me though, is medical care. I have to be close to good medical care, and we have needed it on several occasions. Only one was truly life threatening, but that is not a risk we can take. If we lived in a remote area my wife would not be alive today.

 

[backlash]

Everyone will eventually need medical facilities close by unless they die young.
Maybe even more if they die young.

 

[montanabill]

We moved to montana 43 miles from a town of 35K and then 250 miles to a city of 100K Other than that it is 300 miles and mountain passes to one bigger city.
suits us just fine. Other people ask what it takes to live rural on your own land and I tell them to work two jobs and throw away the income from one job and you can get an idea. Things take longer, cost more and sometimes it's just you and yours to get things done.
But gathering those warm eggs for breakfast, listening to the migrating geese or elk bugling is priceless. Along with sitting in the shade of a tree you planted on your own property.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Everyone will eventually need medical facilities close by unless they die young.
Maybe even more if they die young.

No, I won't need medical facilities. I grew up without them. People on occasion dropped dead at a dance at the neighbor's or out working or they died in their sleep. It was considered a good thing to go that way. I am conditioned to think that way.

I don't do medicals and I don't have a panic attack the few times I have gotten the flue in my life. I simply do not care about potential problems. I don't make jackass videos for YouTube either.

I will not linger into my 80s or 90s sitting indoors and drugged out in front of a TV. One way or another, I will die under my own steam, young even, and not with the helping hand of what now passes as our medical establishment.

 

[Amish Heart]

Ditto to that not being in front of the tv, Clem. I watched my mom's life go downhill the minute she retired from a factory job at 65, because she sat in front of the tv in her recliner, for the most part.
Stay active. There's always, always something to do.

 

[Magpie]

Lack of time to do things properly because of an outside job also- can't afford to leave and be totally self-sufficient.
Projects get half done as you need and there is always something to finish.
Never having enough fencing.
Bad ground, huge rocks.
Constant maintenance.
The weather- lack of seasons- either no rain or too much!
The physicality of many things as we get older becomes a problem
Modernisation 1. Stuff doesn't last, can't be fixed, parts can't be got or are made to break after a year.
Modernisation 2. Rules! Can't have a cow without a herd number, can't do this or that. which I do, most times, but aren't rural enough to get away with everything!

Saying all that- wouldn't change a thing

 

[Hooch]

I can relate to many of the issues that have been discussed.
It can be a challange. Sometimes I get discouraged trying to do it all by myself and as I get older I'm having to downsize some ideas and plans I originally had. Also trying to do all I envisioned on one income has become a challange too as prices have caught up to this area.
It would be a relief in many ways to have the company , help and literal man power who is as motivated as I am to live this kind of life.
Maybe that will happen someday but I cant count on it.
I recently thought about throwing in the towel and selling. Everyone is making great profits on their property in my area and I found out I'd likely walk away with a huge profit if I did.
Still, I do love it out here. Its quiet, I need my solitude and the dark night sky I have to stargaze in the summer. I need to really evaluate what I want and can realistically do here. While I'm here I'm going to continue to work towards my long term goals. If I lose my job or something bad happens..fine.
I'll sell n start a new adventure. Lots of rockhounding and road tripping America will happen. I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can.

 

[kenv1950]

Challenge , I don't think of country living as challenge , to me would be a challenge to live in a city . I've lived in the country my whole life I don't know any other way .

 

[Hooch]

Anywhere I have lived had its ups n downs.
I had helped my brother out once and lived in San Diego with him to help him out before he got deployed. Thankfully it was short term (6) months that I lived there. Nice to visit, but it solidified my dislike for living in a city.
I've only known small country town type life up until moving to rural idaho. Living in a small town where one can walk or bike to the stores or to work is a bonus. People , friends , neighbors are close and it's not a inconvenience to call a friend or neighbor up to help lift a heavy object or walk across the street to feed your cat while your gone.
So, financially and convenience wise to get stuff done..living in a small town has its benefits especially on one income.
That said, you still have the noise, drama, light pollution, less privacy even in a small town.
Country life living, you get all the bennies of having privacy, quiet serenity, beautiful scenery, very little light pollution for night viewing, wildlife critters that are actually wild and not habituated, wild mountains n creeks to explore. All the generously beautiful reasons why I love it. That said, comparatively speaking, it does cost more financially, finding services ..stuff like that.
Thankfully I have great neighbors. A few of my neighbors head to warmer climates during winter. Those of us that do stick around team up n help eachother out when needed.
So..having lived everywhere from city's to rural mountains by the sea to mostly small towns and even homeless for a summer in my truck..I have found there are benefits and challenges to wherever I have lived.
I suppose it all depends on what a person wants and what they are willing to put up with or overcome. I find being fluid and adaptable has awarded me the opportunity to experience different adventures I likely wouldn't have had if I chose other opportunities, and as I age I'm rolling with those punches as best I can.

 

[montanabill]

Just a note to those who totally dismiss medical facilities and treatment. I don't plan on dieing from a infected spider bite or deep laceration that with proper high level care will allow me more years to live. A major heart attack just let me go.

My wife while working in a town of 1100 (in the middle of nowhere) as a nurse had a person get rolled in 22 miles in a wheel barrel because they had broken a leg or hip. No vehicle at the moment and didn't feel like imposing. Some folks are a bit tougher than others.

 

[backlash]

My Grandma was at a senior citizens dance and had a heart attack.
She drove herself home and called my Uncle to come get her and take her to the hospital.
He said call 911 and she said they would charge her and she wasn't calling then she hung up.
He drove the 15 miles and took her to the ER that was less than a mile away.
Luckily she survived but sometimes being stubborn and cheap aren't a good combination.
Grandma was a tough as they came but even she didn't get out of this world alive.

 

[BBLife]

Mud. You are gonna get dirty. If you can't suck it up and go out in wet weather, muddy land and get what needs to be done finished then country is not for you.

 

[FarmOR]

Been exceptionally muddy here lately. I cope by running errands in the morning when it's frozen. And spreading out more fresh straw bales for the livestock.

But one of my older neighbors couldn't make it to the mailbox. Asked me to go and check during the afternoon. I took my fourwheeler. Almost got stuck once, but made it, albeit the wheeler is completely covered in mud. When I was younger, liked to wallow in the mud like that for fun?

 

[sonya123]

Lots of stuff already been said here. Our animals have to be taken care of and the right way. They are used to being moved in and out of the barn every day in bad weather so a stranger couldn't do it. For now we have our son to do it for a few days here and there when he doesn't have school. I would like to be with my daughter when she has her first kid, but that is also when our sheep and goats start kidding, so there is no way I can leave. But on the other hand it gives me a good excuse to NOT have to go anywhere.....
( I don't want to go anywhere for the most part)

Medical: we are 2 hours from the nearest larger hospital. When I had my accident, the local ambulance came after about an hour and called the helicopter right away....I was there in about 10 minutes
But for the most part I agree with Clem, when it's my time to go it just is.

Weather affects EVERYTHING if you are farming.

 

[LadyLocust]

Mud!

 

[Cascadian]

And lots of butt mud.