The Cost of Rural Cottage Life - being honest with myself, looking for a ‘quick fix’

The Cost of Rural Cottage Life - being honest with myself, looking for a ‘quick fix’

More details below⬇️

🧹Broom DIY: https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/tools/how-to-make-a-broom

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Link to video I mentioned: https://youtu.be/3Wd70GBa62c

Information and conservation efforts in the beautiful Okanogan County: https://methowconservancy.org
🌎 Take action to protect our lands (no donations necessary): https://www.audubon.org/takeaction
🌙 My favorite charity: https://www.nrdc.org
☀️Take Action: https://www.sierraclub.org/take-action

Business e-mail: endymionmerrill@gmail.com

This video is a collaboration with my brother Rohan. You can find him on Instagram @ Rohan_Merrill
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Challenges I encountered while living rural:
- garbage disposal is a bit more complicated
- In some areas there are limited housing opportunities (even though the rentals I found were affordable, there were not a lot available, which is an issue my town has been dealing with for a while now. However, towns nearby have more rental options.)
- higher food expenses due to smaller grocery stores with limited backstock.
- Taking care of a garden or lawn can be expensive (or you can do what I did, which is make friends with the weeds).
- The more extreme weather means I have to do more frequent fixes on my car.
- It is hard to find plumbers and handymen, so you have to fix things yourself (and sometimes make expensive mistakes, hehe)

Ways I budget (while I do not need to do all these things, I like to in order to be more environmentally conscious and work towards my goal of owning a home):
- I chose low waste recycling options (keeping garbage low reduces expenses since I have to drive to the dump myself.)
- I shop in bulk when I visit large supermarkets several times a year.
- I buy clothing and furniture second hand when possible (I love yard sales).
- I cook with more simple ingredients (cheese toasties and tomato soup are a winner) and grow my own veggies and tea herbs.
- I limit my driving by trying to plan a lot of errands on the same day.
- While this isn’t budgeting related, I do love to patronize artists and creators that make work that speak to me. I recently tried to purchase all my Christmas gifts from small businesses. I find it a very meaningful way to connect with other artists.
- I find I naturally spend less due to not being exposed to as many advertisements on billboards/magazines/internet. I had never realized how much these ads influenced my spending until I moved. Another way I limit this is by pre-downloading tv shows and audiobooks and having set times to use social media, as I do not have wifi at home.
- I try to educate myself on financial management as much as possible, prioritizing health insurance if possible and trying to prepare for retirement (even if it’s only a tiny contribution). I know this isn’t always possible for everyone, but the more I learn the more I realized how important it is.

As I mentioned before, when I first started considering a transition over here I was 21. I eventually did get assistance from my family in order to start a new job. On the internet I notice there are a surprising amount of individuals who find it shameful to get support from others as a young person, but I do not believe that is true. While it is definitely an incredible blessing to have parents that can help you relocate, one that I am very grateful for, there is absolutely nothing wrong with accepting help if you need it (from anyone, not simply family). I have never met anyone who hasn’t received help from someone else during some time in their lives, I think it’s beautiful to build bonds and relationships in this way as long as it’s done with honor and respect for others.

If there is one thing I’ve found empowering, is finding practical ways to work towards your dreams. Every if it’s baby steps, you can clearly see the progress you are making and feel very motivated to keep working towards your goals.