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Simple Country Living

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6 Ways To Live The Country Life… Even If You’re Not In The Country!

A lot of people tell me that they would love to move to the country. The allure of the lifestyle is hard to deny, but the reality is that most people can’t just pick up their lives and move to a small village and start living the country life. But not living in the country doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the best bits of the lifestyle. Here are some things that you can do anywhere, if you would like to live the simple country life.

Grow your own food

Now I’m not suggesting you start ploughing up your entire yard, or popping a few pigs on the balcony, but whack a few herbs in a pot, or a couple of tomatoes and lettuces in the backyard. The taste of home grown food is so much better than anything you can buy.

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Make your own meals and snacks

Home grown food tastes good, and so does homemade. Start cooking more and buying less pre prepared foods. Your tastes buds, wallet, and health will all thank you. Once you get into the way of it, cooking your own food becomes quick and easy. You don’t need to be roasting a leg of lamb or slow braising your shanks every night. Stir fries, chops and vegetables, soups etc. are all quick to make.

Eat seasonally

Food always taste best when it is fresh. Embrace that freshness by eating the fruits and vegetables that are in season. Not only do they taste better, seasonal food is usually cheaper too. Stone fruit, tomatoes, corn, and berries all summer, apples, pumpkins, and quinces now. You will find that if you concentrate on the fresh treats of the season you won’t even miss those fruits and vegetables you don’t have. So leave those tasteless tomatoes, and floury apples when they are not in season, and enjoy what is in now!

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Buy local

Of course it’s not possible to grow or make everything you need, but it is possible to support other local producers or farmers. Head to your local farmers market for fresh produce and homemade treats, and when you are in the supermarket buy products made in Australia, preferably by Australian owned companies. Doing this helps keep farmers and local producers in business.

Get involved in your community

Small communities rely on people knowing each other, and getting involved. In our village we have a church, a memorial hall, a school, a rural fire brigade, and a recreation ground, all of which need committee members. It is hardly surprising that many people are involved in several groups. Get involved in your local community by joining a local club. Go to the school parents association meetings. Organise a street BBQ to get to know your neighbours. I love that our kids feel connected to their community, and that there are people who we can rely on should we ever need to.

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Let Your Children Free Range

No I’m not suggesting you treat them like chickens, but don’t supervise your kids every moment of the day. Set some sensible boundaries about where they are allowed to go unsupervised, and then leave them to it. Our kids know to let us know where they are going if they head out of the yard, and not to go near the dam. The fun they have and skills they develop when they have to solve problems independently is incredible. Even when we lived in the mountains, we were very keen to let our kids play independently. Let them climb trees, dig in the dirt and build cubbies.

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Pick one or two ideas, or take all six. If you’ve ever thought about moving to the country and living the country life, why not start living it now. Right where you are!

 

What parts of the country life would you most like? What would you struggle with?

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Comments

  1. Caitlyn Pither says

    April 19, 2015 at 3:34 am

    Hi Jo, this is a great post! I originally grew up in the country, but moved to the city. Now my husband and I have just bought a new property in the city and will move after a few years. We have been doing some of the things above and I think they're spot on! Thanks Caitlyn

    Reply
  2. Jo@Countrylifeexperiment says

    April 18, 2015 at 2:29 am

    Thanks Alyson. Living in the country really is just about location, rather than lifestyle… though perhaps it is easier to adopt the lifestyle out here? Chicken and egg stuff!

    Reply
  3. Alyson Hill says

    April 17, 2015 at 10:22 pm

    I do live in the country and this post is spot on – these were all the things I did when I lived in the city, and eventually, I realised I wanted to do it all on a bigger scale…and here I am! Love your photos! X

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…
A picture perfect Autumn afternoon to end the scho A picture perfect Autumn afternoon to end the school holidays. We’ve been busy spending time with friends and family, harvesting the last of the summer produce, as well as a short escape to explore the big smoke. After the craziness of last term it was the break we all needed. It’s back to school for me tomorrow, and the kids are back on Wednesday. Shearing starts soon and so it’s all systems go over the next few weeks.
Covid has made some late changes to our weekend pl Covid has made some late changes to our weekend plans so we are embracing the unexpected and doing not much at home. Plenty of time for hanging out on the dam and enjoy the perfect weather.
Autumn has arrived in the orchard and the apple tr Autumn has arrived in the orchard and the apple trees are full of fruit. Yesterday we filled five baskets of apples that had fallen off the trees. Then we had apple crumble for dessert last night. Between the orchard and the vegetable garden this time of year is always super busy as we deal with all the harvest. No so busy though, that I can’t grab the camera and snap a few pics.
On weekends he makes himself a hot milo and lies o On weekends he makes himself a hot milo and lies on the veranda in the sun, just chilling and enjoying the freedom (until mum grabs her camera at least 🙄🤣).

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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