Agony Aunt: Greener pastures

Dear Wendyl

I’ve always wanted to live in the country, but my husband said we should stay in town for the kids and maybe move out later when they’ve left home. We live in a great Auckland suburb, but I’ve done the sums and we could get a few acres and a lovely home if we moved, and there are schools for the kids when they’re old enough. I’d quite like to do it now, while they’re little, but my husband thinks city life is better for kids. What do you think?

Julie, by email

Dear Julie

You won’t get discouragement from me – my dream is to live in the country on a few acres, with hens, a cow and a kunekune pig, but I too have to wait until all the children have left home. But that’s because I’m a city girl and therefore my kids were brought up as city kids, but it sounds like you can change that.

You don’t mention what your husband does for a living, so it could be he’s against the idea as he doesn’t want a long commute. Some small rural communities are tiny, with no big supermarkets, and you have to drive miles to a decent shopping centre. While the idyllic lifestyle, milking a cow and making your own cheese sounds great, you could end up missing city life.

See if you can meet your husband half way by moving to the city fringe – somewhere like Clevedon, Henderson or Warkworth – and why not rent to start with? Lease your own home out and rent another in the country for a year, to give it a trial period.