Anyone live in the country?

[Anonymous]

Dh and I want to move to a home with a few acres. I am concerned about driving in to work with gas prices going up. I was curious if anyone regrets living out in the country and how much do you spend a week for gas. I found a house that is about 15 miles out that I wish I could buy today.....of course I would have a hard time getting financing right now. The only positive is that I work 16 hour back to back shifts as a nurse and get paid for 40hrs so I only need to drive in twice a week but dh works 5 days a week.

[WhirledPeasPlease]

Here's my take..  I grew up in a metro'ish area, eventually moved to a neighborhood where you could walk to everything.  I wanted a house and knew I couldn't afford to live in that neighborhood, so I sacrificed convenience for home ownership.  I moved to a suburb, bought a charming 1920's bungalow with mature trees and such.

Here it is, 6 years later and I can't wait to leave.  Prior to moving here I had never lived in such a small community.  As a teacher I really like the idea of getting 'out of town' at the end of the day, but this is just too far out of town.  With high gas prices and the lack of access I realized the time to go is NOW.

So..  I'm moving closer to work, shopping, theatre, etc...  and man I'm not going to miss drafty windows and noisy floors!

[Junejer]

I like the idea of having land and privacy. The suburban communities around here have everything you need within a short drive. So, while I am 25-30 minutes from the city where I was raised, I love the idea of having all I need right here within 10 minutes of me.

[Anonymous]

---

@Junejer wrote:
I like the idea of having land and privacy. The suburban communities around here have everything you need within a short drive. So, while I am 25-30 minutes from the city where I was raised, I love the idea of having all I need right here within 10 minutes of me.

---

So do you work in the city? The 10 or 15 miles out would be to get to our jobs.....just trying to figure out if that would be stupid with the price of gas going up. I have a friend who lives in Dallas and she talks about a hour long commute...I can't even imagine...but then I live in Kansas so I have no clue about living in a very large city.

[Junejer]

I work from home, but I have clients in the city, and a few days per week I go to look at properties in the city that I might want to purchase. My church is also in the city.

IDK, I just deal with it I guess. Gas will be what it is and I am not going to alter my lifestyle too drastically based off of what the price at the pump is.

[Anonymous]

My commute is about 17 miles one way- 30-40 minutes.  I don't live in the country, just on the other side of the river from my job.  From suburb to suburb is typical for the Richmond area.  Mass transit?  What's that?  Downtown?  That's where the scary crazy people are- panhandlers and bankers and lawyers and politicians...

With suburban driving (accelerate to 45-55 mph, brake for stoplight, rinse & repeat) I get about 25mpg in my Camry.  A tank usually lasts 8-10 days, and last time I filled up it was $60 something/tank.

With fewer stoplights and/or closer access to highways and/or a more efficient car, you could get better gas mileage.

I would looove to get some acreage out in the country with pretty horsies and woods to ride them through.  And a Prius, because my job doesn't have hitching posts!

-MsMS

[demi]

I live about 30 minutes from job in I guess technically "the country"... 2 acres.  I am moving to the city.  Cannot stand the drive, and seeing dead dear on the side of the road almost every day.   The highway I take has a reputation, and in the last year they have had to put rumble strips, no passing, and had no left turns for a while.  Two land road, and people think they should be driving 75 miles an hour.  Main reason is a nice small yard I can take care of, reasonble cost.  Guess I am just a city girl (although its hardly the big city, foothills of the Sierras).