We recently moved from the city to a small cabin in the woods. Our new living arrangement is a stark contract from our previous cushy setup. This led me to think about all the differences and how life has changed on the daily. Below I have listed the top 10 things we have learned from our first month of rural living.
- Very quick to clean, but also very quick to get dirty
At our old home in the city we had a cleaner. We loved her. When we decided to downsize and move out of the city, we also made the decision to clean ourselves at the cabin. I HATE cleaning. However, I decided we could tackle this together. It would have taken us at least half a day to clean our old house while the cabin only takes us about an hour to deep clean. Amazing!! However, I have learned that we must stay on top of the cleaning as a small space is easy to clean but also gets dirty quite quickly. We clean something in the house every day and do a deep cleaning every two weeks and it has worked out great. The first rule we implemented was European style living which means shoes stay outside in order to not track in mud and dirt. It is so nice to save money on the cleaning person and not have to sacrifice much of our own time to cleaning.
2. You can live with a lot less space than you think
Our old home was 2,300 sq. ft. Our cabin is 950 sq. ft. We went from 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths to 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. I was convinced that we would not fit everything and would need to get a storage unit. I was also already eyeing options for separate off-site office space for us. However, once we gave away most of our possessions while downsizing and only kept the items we truly needed/wanted, miraculously everything fit! I was so worried it would look like a hoarder’s house but with some organization, it works great without any clutter! We use every inch of the cabin and do not have any wasted space like we had at our old house. Storage totes and baskets are my new best friends!
3. Being 2 hours to the nearest airport is inconvenient
This is definitely one of my biggest negatives to our new location. We are a solid 2-hour drive to the nearest airport and that is assuming (hoping) we don’t hit traffic. As often as we travel, this is definitely a pain. However, we try to combo our trips with grocery shopping, doctors’ visits, etc. to make the most of it. And we have amazing friends that we can stay with when we have early morning flights.
4. Simplicity is underrated
I grew up in a small down but have lived in big cities my entire adult life. I feel like sometimes you get caught up in the rat race of city life. I didn’t fully realize this until we moved out of the city to our cabin in the woods. Downsizing and living in a small town are definitely underrated. Yes, I have to think about the basics a big more like running our trash to the dump and remembering what restaurants are open on which days. But, I love this life and the calm that comes with sitting on the front porch staring at the mountains.
5. The cost of living is insanely cheap
Moving from the city to our cabin in the woods cut our mortgage payment in half. Our utilities are about a third of what they used to be. We have high speed fiber internet on the top of the mountain for less money than we paid for crappy cable internet in the city that constantly was in and out of service. There are tons of free activities as well such as hiking, bonfires, swimming, etc.
6. You will constantly be fighting the elements
Living at a tiny cabin in the woods does have some challenges. This is evidenced by the fact that there is no lack of critters, wildlife, dust, and allergens. You sweep the front porch and 5 minutes later it’s covered in dust/pollen. There are bears that will eat your bird food if left out overnight. There are hawks that will try to snatch up your 10 lb. dog. Scorpions, snakes, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, etc. will try to come into your home on the regular. Regular and quality pest control service is definitely a requirement. Never mind the fact that the cabin does NOT have central heating/air so we must watch the weather constantly and plan accordingly. We have to remember to turn down the AC unit in the evening during the warmer months and not make a fire in the wood stove after noon during colder months. No one wants to try and sleep when it’s 90 degrees inside the cabin.
7. Less is more
I never realized how freeing it was to downsize and give away the majority of our worldly possessions. I had so many items that I never used, some still had tags on them! Living a somewhat minimalist lifestyle is also a built in way to save money. We aren’t spending mindlessly on clothing or items for the home as there simply is not sufficient space for frivolous and unnecessary items.
8. Utilize outdoor living space
Our cabin has a screened in front porch that we made into a separate living/dining area. It has a couch and rocking chairs, dining picnic table, and a TV. We use this space 3 of the 4 seasons (and sometimes on a balmy winter day if we are lucky). This extra space makes the small cabin feel so much bigger.
9. Outdoor cooking is great
We do a LOT of grilling. We invested in a grill that has a side burner so we can make many meals outside. This saves us from making the inside of the cabin dirty and stinky.
10. Spaces should be multifunctional
Living tiny makes you reevaluate your spatial surroundings. We have made each room multifunctional. The guest room is also the office. The master bedroom is also a secondary living room. The laundry room is a pantry/storage closet. Everything in the cabin has multiple uses.
Overall, we are very happy with this change to living at a cabin in the woods. It is the perfect space to use as a basecamp for future travels. With the money we are saving, we can happily finance trips to different locations if we need a change of scenery or when the weather does not suit us. We don’t know how long we will continue to live full time at the cabin, but we are enjoying our time. Stay tuned for more updates on rural living as we navigate and learn along the way.
Recent Comments