Moving to the countryside – Review after 3 months

Moving to the countryside was never on my plans.  I envisioned it too far from social and cultural life, not to mention the thought of bugs and creepy crawlers. Besides, I have always been a beach person.

Have I changed my mind?

In this post, I give you my first impressions of country living, after three months of moving to the countryside.

 A lot more for a lot less

Connection to nature

Community

Unpretentious living

Produce directly from farmers

Growing veggies

No more clean-freakiness!

Optimised outings

Moving to the countryside

A lot more for a lot less

Undoubtedly, at least in our case, in Portugal, we are getting a lot more for our money.

By being away from the main urban areas and popular coastlines housing prices drop substantially. As a result, you can live in a much better and/or bigger space.

In addition, by being away from the crowded city centres and peripheral urban areas you can find housing with ample outdoor space.

This is a definite plus, at least for us, outdoors lovers.

CONNECTION TO NATURE

I have been mentioning nature a lot lately, but this is just a consequence of how much I am enjoying it.

When you live in an urban area, a walk in the park can be invigorating but it’s just a quick fix. The moment you head back home, you will probably encounter noise, pollution.

On the other hand, when you live in the countryside, even if you commute to a city for work, the time spent at home puts you in proximity to nature.

I have found profound healing in waking up early to enjoy the scents emanating from the soil and plants. Not to mention the tweeting of birds disturbed only by the occasional passer-by going for a morning walk.

Community

The human aspect of moving to the countryside is immediately noticed when interacting with traditional commerce. People are generally kind and friendly and often  go out of their way to please and help.

We have also found that there is a sense of community that you don’t normally see in urban areas.

Lucia, to my left on the photo below (right of the photo), is an example of a welcoming neighbour who has greatly contributed to our homing in process.

She has been a valuable source of information and besides being James’s egg supplier, Lucia became my veggie-growing mentor. Being a likeminded unconditional animal lover, her happy chickens never end up in a pan!

From seeds to seedlings, produce from her beautiful veggie garden and lots of gardening tips, every so often Lucia surprises us with an act of kindness. This is priceless.

Unpretentious living

Both locals and people who choose to live in the countryside seem to be much more laid back.

When it comes to external signs of wealth, showing what one owns does not seem to be a priority. This, of course, could be a romanticised view. However, from my short experience living in the countryside, once you connect with nature and the land, priorities do shift.

Produce directly from farmers

Another great benefit of moving to the countryside has been the opportunity to buy seasonal produce directly from local farmers.

This is a valuable contribution to the local economy and to our health. Though often not certified organic, small farmers tend to cultivate following organic principles.

Growing veggies

Starting to grow our own food has been the highlight of moving to the countryside.

 Even in a house with a small garden, planting vegetables can become a source of healthy food, relaxation and fun. Of course, this can be true in any garden, anywhere, depending on time availability. However, with more space comes a higher yield.

 Our main aim at the moment is to produce enough vegetables to become self-sufficient.

I have discussed the benefits of growing your own veggies on a previous post. Check it out if you are interested.

And If you want to see what is going on in our garden you can also ask to join my closed Facebook group Home Grown Portugal.

No more clean-freakiness!

I confess I used to be clean-freak.

Unfortunately for me, living in the countryside it is virtually impossible to have a sparkling clean house at all times. Especially when you have three cats, two orchards and a veggie garden that require constant in and out of the house!

During the first few weeks, I went a bit mental with the amount of dust in the house. (This happens because our street is not tarmacked yet!). After a while, I just relaxed into my new reality, as the only alternative option would be to spend my days with a cloth in hand. Not my idea of fun!

At the end of the day, the benefits of country living are so much greater than a bit of dust.

Optimised outings

Living in the countryside we have adopted new habits. One of them is to previously plan our outings to “civilization”, mainly for two reasons: time and money.

Although we have everything we need within a relatively short drive, sometimes we do need to take longer drives. In those occasions, we try to include as many things as possible in our schedule. This way we avoid hefty toll costs and more frequent long drives, hence leaving a smaller carbon footprint.

This means there is no longer a call to a friend saying, “Hey, what are you up to? I’m stopping by in 10 for a quick coffee”.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Moving to the countryside was one of the best things that happened to me, especially during the pandemic.

Being away from the new social rules and restrictions takes away the burden of the “new normal”.

I am eager to discover additional benefits to this new lifestyle. For the moment, I am grateful to be enjoying the bliss of life in the countryside. 

Want to have a glance at what our life in the countryside looks like?

Feel free to check my Instagram where I share some daily moments.

Do you have any questions or experiences of living in the countryside that you would like to share?

Please do so in the comments below. It could help inspire someone.

May The Bliss be with you,

Luciana P. Moraes