The Simpler, Cheaper Country Life

This is not an easy post to write, and I'm going to start off by acknowledging that everyone's circumstances/preferences/tastes are different. I'm going to talk about some of the reasons why we chose to live in a tiny town in Western Victoria, Australia. I was also very inspired to share more our situation after reading this post on House of Humble, about this young couple's opportunity to buy their own home in the country.

For Charles and I, it wasn't a hard decision. We have both lived in cities, and both have a preference for a life that doesn't involve traffic congestion, or polluted air, or tiny residential blocks, or apartment living. We like open space, clean air, getting out into the hills and living quite simply. We like cooking at home, we can make a good coffee and being in crowded shopping centres is not something either of us really enjoy. At all. So we're lucky, that we 'fit' the quiet country life. It really isn't for everyone. And even for me, in this small town, I struggled for the first year, feeling a bit isolated, like we had gone a bit too small for my liking. I'm all good now, I wouldn't change a thing.

Big George and Little Bridget

So apart from our preference to live this quiet life, one of the biggest elements in it's favour is the cost of living. We were able to buy a beautiful 100 year old weatherboard house, built to standards that don't seem to exist in modern housing, on a 1/2 acre block, complete with old peppercorn and pine and oak trees. We have space to grow vegetables in our garden, and have chooks free ranging on our block, and have plenty of room for children to play for years to come. We have delightful high ceilings, and open fireplaces, and polished floorboards, and rain water tanks. If this house was located within cooee of Melbourne, there is no chance we would have been able to afford to buy it. At 2.5 hours drive away though, it was extremely affordable for us. 

This means lots of things for us. It means we have a small mortgage. It means we don't both need to be working. It means we can devote more time to being a family, and less time to making ends meet. It means we don't have the stress of having to find and pay for childcare, and I don't have to return to work soon after baby is born. It means quality time with baby. It means neither of us are locked into stressful jobs that require long work hours. It means we can grow a lot of our own food, and therefore put healthier food into our bodies. It means we're a part of a small community, where people still like to stop and have a chat. It means we're less busy. It also means we need a good internet connection to keep in touch with the world!

Anyway, why am I writing all this? Because to anyone out there who questions life, who doesn't want to be stuck in a mortgage trap, who dreams of escaping to the country or living a simpler life - I'm writing this because it can be done. I won't say it's always easy, and there are aspects of city living that are convenient and that you don't have in the country. But you don't need buy into the city trap. Incomes are higher in the city, but so is the cost of housing, and the time spent commuting, and the toll on your wellbeing. Real opportunities exist for a different life. Plus I have a vested interest. I would love to see more people moving out to the country, to revitalise our small towns and bring new life to regional areas.