1. There is no high speed internet! There no Brighthouse, no Comcast, no wires! We called about the possibility of having fiber optic cable laid and the Customer Service guy laughed and said “Maybe in 20 years!”. The closest thing to high speed is Verizon Home Fusion, which is like having 4G for your house, which wasn’t terrible. The service itself isn’t horrible considering you live out in the sticks, but it’s metered and it costs an arm and a leg … and then they want the another leg to pay the overages. That leaves you with Hughes Net (Satellite). It’s the only Satellite available out here. Dish and Directv repackage it and sell it to you cause they aren’t doing it themselves. The service gets the job done, as long as your not trying to work on a VPN or play any WOW, until you run through your quota (15gig) and then they slow you down to 56K speeds. The good news is you can add more to your allotment, which at least means more control over what you spend or you can use it between 2am and 8am which works if your a vampire or do business with Japan. Why you should move anyway: The good news is when it’s metered you are more cognizant of your usage, which means you spend less time on the internet. I am grateful to disconnect from the everyday and leave work behind at work. 2. This also means no cable TV! Again, your options are limited. No cable here either, Satellite is your option or you can always get an Indoor HDTV Antenna, which I was surprised works really well out here.

Why you should move anyway: Most days, who has the time. Occasionally we will catch a movie together as family but even that is sporadic. The antenna is really enough to get news the some kids channels for the baby which means we save money and watch less TV to boot. 3. Cell Phone Coverage is Poor! AT&T can barely get a signal. Verizon is shotty. You have to roam around the house trying to get a signal. Why you should move anyway: You and everyone in your family get to disconnect from the hyper txting supersonic digital highway, even if it’s just for a little while. 4. You are far away from everything! This works out in our favor during an EOTWAWKI scenario but inconveniencing when you want to order take out. Why you should move anyway: Overall, this has forced us to be more efficient when we head in to town. We now plan, prepare and stocking up. Already we only do groceries once a month. We do stop in, if it’s en route, and grab milk about once a week as the only alternative is getting a cow and we are not quite ready for that yet. 5. Speaking of NO TAKEOUT, THERE IS NO TAKEOUT! No one delivers out here. We are too far from EVERYTHING! No Fast food either. The closest McDonald’s is 20 miles away. Why you should move anyway: You get over it! You get really in tune with eating at home and making food from scratch. 6. You don’t see a lot of people outside your family or neighbors! Visitors are few and far between in these parts so you come to depend on your family and neighbors a lot more than you do in the city. Why you should move anyway: You get some really special quality time with your family and neighbors and get to make a lasting relationship with the people who live with and around you. 7. Electricity is more expensive! We are part of a co-op which at first I thought was really cool but then I found out they buy the electricity from the nearest city, add a surcharge, and sell it to us. This means the electricity is a bit more pricey than in the city. Why you should move anyway: It makes going to solar a priority. Our end goal is getting off-grid and the the higher prices push us to make this happen sooner. Also, when the lights are off, you get an amazing view of the stars. Hubby even wants to start having star parties. 8. There is a lot of “nature”! I mean Bugs. I mean REALLY BIG BUGS! I mean, I grew up in the city and I NEVER even knew most of these bugs existed. Yes, I was sheltered. Why you should move anyway: But I also mean: Birds, Deer, Turtles, Snakes, Opossums, Armadillos, Hogs, Bobcats … the list goes on. Plus you get used to the bugs shockingly quickly and even come to appreciate them their beauty. 9.Let there be POOP! There are animals, so yes, there is poop! And nothing makes you miss a city sidewalk more than stepping out of your car to open the gate on your way to work and STEPPING ON A BIG WARM HEAPING PILE! Why you should move anyway: To be honest this could happen in the city too. But on the farm, the animals become an integral part of your entertainment, making the TV even less necessary (see #2). Some days I sit and watch the chickens and goats and begin to audibly laugh at the comedy taking place outside the window. They become part of the silent rhythm of the farm. 10.Early to bed, Early to rise! You go to bed REALLY early! Why you should move anyway: Mostly because the work of the day has you tired, but in a good way. I am also noticing that going to sleep early means I can wake up earlier and that I am better rested throughout the day. I am also grateful to spend more time with my significant other just talking over the day and having a conversation before going to bed.