# Downsizing your home?



## DaveNV (Aug 5, 2017)

Has anyone successfully downsized your home in the same town? By "successfully" I mean, have you actually disposed of excess possessions, and moved to a smaller place, without filling every corner of the smaller place with new or found items you feel you MUST have, until you're up to the rafters in "stuff" again - just with fewer square feet to store it? Were/are you HAPPY that you did that?

I'm a couple of years away from retirement, (spouse is seven years younger), and I've started looking at our home, all the stuff in it, asking myself "Do I/we really need/use/want that?" I like the house, (a very nice house, bought new 14 years ago), I like the town, and I'm happy to stay here. But I'm starting to question two people living in a 2000sf 2-story 3bed/2.5bath house with a quarter acre of urban yardwork, etc.  Our two small dogs and an indoor cat are about the only others who ever see the place. Seems like they'd be just as happy in a smaller location.  

I recently heard that the days of "saving that for the kids" isn't all that popular anymore, as family heirlooms aren't as desirable, many millennials aren't interested in the furniture their parents or grandparents owned, and "possessions" (in whatever form) aren't generally as much in demand for the succeeding generations.  They have their own stuff they're trying to get rid of.  So Baby Boomers are trying to unload their stuff, but so are their kids. And the grandkids have their own stuff.

So then I think, "I should look at a two bedroom condo someplace nearby," but I find nothing affordable that I'd consider living in. So I keep coming back to staying right where I am. For the money, this seems like the best bang for the buck.

And therein lies the problem.  Every time I clean the house or mow the yard, I wonder if it's all just getting to be too much.  So, is it possible to successfully downsize?  Are you happy for doing that, and what would you do differently?  What is your story, good or bad?

Dave


----------



## jackio (Aug 5, 2017)

We are doing that right now, moving from a 3 BR to a small 2 BR cottage in a 55 and over community about 25 minutes away. We never use the big yard, and the neighborhood is transitioning to a younger community once again as the original owners are moving out. We have been here 31 years and have accumulated a lot of stuff. We have been purging, donating and throwing stuff out. Our 3 kids don't want much of anything. In fact, we still have a lot of their crap, which is not coming with us!


----------



## Luanne (Aug 5, 2017)

Dave, yes we downsized.  But we didn't stay in the same town, or even in the same state. 

We started at least a year before we knew we were going to move and started getting rid of the things we didn't need.  When we got more serious (we'd bought the house in Santa Fe) and knew what size of home we'd be moving into we got more serious.  I started selling the big stuff on Craigslist.  I got rid of an electric piano, three daybeds, a television set, and other assorted furniture.  As my daughters moved out I was literally selling their furniture right behind them.  What we couldn't sell we either donated or gave away (freecycle was a great resource for this).  When we moved we had pared down so that we used every bit of furniture and other "stuff" that we brought with us.  We were even able to get both cars into the garage right away.

We downsized from a 4 bedroom 3600 square foot two story house with pool to a 3 bedroom 2300 square foot one story house.  We did still find a few things as we were unpacking that we thought we'd gotten rid of, and we ended up donating a lot of wall art that we just have no room for here.

Overall I would say we were happy we did the downsizing, I haven't missed any of the things we disposed of (and it's been almost five years).  So yes, it can be done.


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2017)

After we retired last year we decided to sell our 4600 sq ft home which included an Endless indoor pool, attached to the house with a four seasons sunroom.  My husband and I moved to a 2800 sq ft one story condo in another state and I occasionally comment on how small this place is.  The issue is that we furnished the condo 3 years ago when we bought it. My son bought a 1400 sq ft home in the same county as our old home.  We split the furniture and still left a ton of expensive furniture behind in the home that we sold, which included a gorgeous and humongous dining table and chairs set, entry way table, side tables french chairs etc.  We also left much of the artwork behind.  We lost about 200K from that the sale of that home but we wanted to move on.  Painful, yes, but simplifying our lives has been good.


----------



## ottawasquaw (Aug 5, 2017)

Yes! Multiple times! You are smart to take your time. It's a quality of life issue: there's the location, which you seem to like; then, there's your living space, and finally, your stuff!
You are smart to start with your stuff. Edit, edit...and right size for your life style today. Your living space is a bit trickier. From a single-family home to a condo is a bigger step than most, er, men....realize. I am saying this from years of working with people in their housing needs and listening to what makes them happy and unhappy.
Everybody's different about what they use and what they need to have around them. I've got one kid who is a minimalist and the other who grabbed a bit more of my things then I wanted to part with. haha. Oh well! It's all working out. I am giving my cherished furniture to him to furnish his first home. He loves the pieces and so does his future wife. I get to visit my things!
Currently, I am in 1000SF with 2bd/2ba and it's just right! It's great to host family for short visits. I have my outdoor space without much yard work, I've got outdoor storage, too. Previously, I had a 1300SF and before 1800SF? and even bigger before. My goal is that my kids can just get a dumpster for my stuff when I'm gone and cash the checks...


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2017)

I want to add that the biggest adjustments needed are for my cats.  They are a little claustrophic, and I am not kidding.  In our previous home, they had so much space to roam in our house that they had no interest in going out.  They are indoor cats.  In my current home, one of my cats always tries to sneak out when he hears us coming in or going out.  They also try to get into every closed door in the home.


----------



## Talent312 (Aug 5, 2017)

I'd like to downsize, but my DW won't budge. She still holds a grudge over a garage sale that I talked her into 12 years ago.

My fall-back is to rent a U-Haul, fill it only with what we want, dispose of the rest, then drive around the block and unload at our "new house." Apparently, that won't fly either. <sigh>
.


----------



## chellej (Aug 5, 2017)

We started about 5 years ago....After my parents passed away (they lived with us) and two kids have graduated college and the 3rd in the Military we decided we could move and live where we wanted.  So we had yard sales, a huge garbage container and about 3 truckloads that went to the woman's shelter.

I got a job in Washington state and went from about 2700 plus a garage apartment on 5 acres and pool to a 1200 sq ft house on 7.5 acres with a shop.  The 7.5 acres is a forest with a small maintained yard so much less than the five acres we maintained in Texas.   I still have a few boxes in the garage I need to just donate...if I haven't missed it in 5 years...I don't need it.

The Kitchen has been the hardest part for me...I have much less storage now  but it is better


----------



## breezez (Aug 5, 2017)

I'm about 7 years from retiring, live in a 3400 sqft house,  was just me and the DW here until daughter asked this week if her and her boyfriend for the past 4 years could move in while they were going to school.  So we just went from 2 to 4.   But I also came home yesterday and her Boy friend just finished mowing which typically takes me 2 hours man was I happy to see that!

When I do retire, I don't want a tiny place but definitely don't need something as big as my place now.   I hope to down size to a 3bdr condo or townhouse where outside maintenance is part of HOA fee.

3Bdr gives us one to live in, one for an office/computer room, and finally one for guests.  My goal is to travel lots up 26 weeks a year so just a simple house is fine with me.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 5, 2017)

We too are approaching this situation and have not really started to go through all of the accumulated items from over the years.  I suspect that will be a long process full of memory and remorse if we decide to get rid of the 'wrong' items.  Dave, your point about time spent cleaning and mowing has merit, but the other end of that equation would leave you with little (or no) control over your house and yard.  You might not be able to paint that wall any color you like, or hang that wacky bird feeder out back.  I wish I had solid answers for you on this but I don't - I'm starting to struggle with questions over what is going to happen when we retire too and I am not finding any answers that provide comfort. 

As I look around the community we currently live in, I just don't see many activities or pastimes that look fulfilling as we hot the retirement years.  Our connection to our current location is weakening by the day as our kids have moved off and are spread about a good bit.  I am hoping to use the idea of downsizing as a way to make our next house a bit more affordable bit every area I want to retire to has a higher costs of living than we currently have in Central Arkansas.  

This will not be easy.


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2017)

bbodb1 said:


> We too are approaching this situation and have not really started to go through all of the accumulated items from over the years.  I suspect that will be a long process full of memory and remorse if we decide to get rid of the 'wrong' items.  Dave, your point about time spent cleaning and mowing has merit, but the other end of that equation would leave you with little (or no) control over your house and yard.  You might not be able to paint that wall any color you like, or hang that wacky bird feeder out back.  I wish I had solid answers for you on this but I don't - I'm starting to struggle with questions over what is going to happen when we retire too and I am not finding any answers that provide comfort.
> 
> As I look around the community we currently live in, I just don't see many activities or pastimes that look fulfilling as we hot the retirement years.  Our connection to our current location is weakening by the day as our kids have moved off and are spread about a good bit.  I am hoping to use the idea of downsizing as a way to make our next house a bit more affordable bit every area I want to retire to has a higher costs of living than we currently have in Central Arkansas.
> 
> This will not be easy.


For us, we pay high HOA fees now but never needing to worry and being unhappy with the gardener over the condition of the lawn, weeds and shrubs, paying arborist each year to fertilize, remove trees and planting new ones, worry about something going wrong with the pool, paying for pool maintenance, high water bills, something breaking, blocked sewer, roof and expensive house cleaning.  When the cats pass away one day, we can just lock up and go away for months to travel.


----------



## Cornell (Aug 5, 2017)

I did this 6 months ago.  I'm not retirement age but downsized from a large , single family home that had been in my family since the 1930s.  Moved into a significantly smaller townhouse with new construction.  It was FREEING and LIBERATING.  I allowed 6 months for the process of getting rid of "stuff".  Sold a lot on Craigslist, Facebook garage sales, etc.  Gave a lot away.  Donated a lot.  I was horrified and appalled at how much "stuff" I had accumulated.  Not necessary!  I don't ever want to go back to that place.  I also used 1-800-GOT-JUNK at one point during my purge.  That was some well spent money.  Now that I've moved to a smaller place, I've told all the people in my life to NOT give me new "stuff" as gifts.  I don't need it nor want it.  The smaller floor plan has improved the quality of life for me.  I interact w/my teen daughter now more and the space just works great.  The longer you wait to do this, the harder it will be.


----------



## vacationhopeful (Aug 5, 2017)

I moved 10 months ago .... well my pillow and pj's moved along with my computer. And about 15% of my worldly possessions.

I left behind enough stuff to make the 6bdr house with 3.5 acres of ground looked staged. And my realtor is about to be REPLACED .... esp as her new 6 month plan is to TAKE the place off the market, sub-divide off 2 lots and sell them to 2 other real estate sales females in her office for an undisclosed sum of money ... alledgedly to build their personal dream homes .... Yes, I must have just fallen off the turnip truck ... if they think I am going to agree to their plan to cheat & steal my lots from me and leave me with a 1951 built home on a small lot .... I am selling the HOUSE because I have been living alone in that HOUSE and it is too BIG for a senior citizen. And 6 months of paying $12,000 yearly property taxes plus heat and water & sewer ... (my electric is FREE).... only to TRY selling a BIG OLD house on a way smaller LOT... my realtor is being REPLACED.

PS I already owned my current sleeping space since 1985 ... did not do any remodeling ... just moved in with a new mattress & box spring and my 'staging' furniture from the last house I sold (about 5 years ago).


----------



## clifffaith (Aug 5, 2017)

Timely topic! As I mentioned in my other thread we are looking to move into a Contiuing Care Retirement Community about eight years from now. For several years I have already been using eBay to off load some of my collectibles and some of the silver and odds and ends from my grandmother's estate. I'll be stepping that up, as well as garage sales and Craigslist to off load things that are too heavy to ship.  Then I look around at what I'd have left and sigh -- do I really want to be known as the old lady who is "a basket case" and has "creepy skeletons" in her apartment?! Our home is loaded with baskets and Dia de los Muertos stuff, and every wall is covered with Mexican, Indian (from India) and other folk-arty stuff. I'll try to clear the clutter, but next trip to Santa Fe or Old Town San Diego it will start all over again!


----------



## slip (Aug 5, 2017)

Nice question and thread Dave.

I did 12 years ago. I got a 30 yard dumpster and filled it. Mostly stuff I thought I would use and never did. Some things were things I thought I would use but couldn't find it when I needed it so I bought another. When I went through everything, I asked if I used it in the last 6 months and if I said no, it went in the not keeping pile. We did a garage sale and some of the bigger better items went on Craigslist. The rest went in the dumpster. That dumpster was some of the best money I ever spent.

We went from about 2,000 square feet to 1,300 on two acres. The new house is a newer ranch so the maintenance was considerably less work to take care of. The only thing that's a pain is our deck. Snowblowing a 100 yard driveway is no fun either but I live in Wisconsin.

We have been thinking about downsizing again to a condo. My wife is 58 and will be retiring in 2 to 4 years but I'm only 54 so I have six to eight left. Maybe even 11 years if the economy is an issue. All the rentals in our area aren't much cheaper than us living here. Our Hope was we could save some money to put away so we could retire earlier but the savings aren't there to make it worth it. So for now we're staying put but to answer your other question, we haven't accumulated more things. The larger things we have, we have for work around the house and will probably sell these with the house.

You're also correct about the younger generation not wanting some of this stuff. They may want one or two things and that's about it. Most of that stuff we gave them already.


----------



## Luanne (Aug 5, 2017)

Just a bit more after reading the posts.

We bought a three bedroom for the same reasons as breezez.  Our bedroom, guest bedroom and office.  The office has a sleeper sofa so when both of our daughters (and our son in law) are here the younger dd gets the couch. The nice thing is there are also three full bathrooms so she doesn't have to share a bathroom with anyone.

We picked a place to move to where there would be a lot for us to do, and get involved in, in our retirement years.  Dh's first thought when we retired was we should both get part time jobs so we'd have something to do.  It's been five years and we've both found ourselves busy to the point we couldn't work. 

Dh had a huge vegetable garden, and a greenhouse he built for his orchid, in California.  He gave all of that up when we moved to Santa Fe.  He did do quite a bit of landscaping, but the maintenance is not anywhere near what he had before.


----------



## theo (Aug 5, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> Has anyone successfully downsized your home in the same town? By "successfully" I mean, have you actually disposed of excess possessions, and moved to a smaller place, without filling every corner of the smaller place with new or found items you feel you MUST have, until you're up to the rafters in "stuff" again - just with fewer square feet to store it? Were/are you HAPPY that you did that?
> 
> I'm a couple of years away from retirement, (spouse is seven years younger), and I've started looking at our home, all the stuff in it, asking myself "Do I/we really need/use/want that?" I like the house, (a very nice house, bought new 14 years ago), I like the town, and I'm happy to stay here. But I'm starting to question two people living in a 2000sf 2-story 3bed/2.5bath house with a quarter acre of urban yardwork, etc.  Our two small dogs and an indoor cat are about the only others who ever see the place. Seems like they'd be just as happy in a smaller location.
> 
> ...



I have no words of insight or wisdom to share; I am going through very much the very same thought processes (and the same angst) right now myself. I really like the town I live in, which is why I bought 1.5 acres and designed and built a house here in 1983 and stayed here since then. However, over those nearly 35 years, my little town has become very much "gentrified" (to my great dismay, not pride). If I sold my house, I certainly would not want to pay what the market now dictates for any place we'd even want to live in if we remained within our own town.  

Joining the hordes of the elderly driving around (...badly and often entirely clueless) in Florida is *not* a scenario that I can imagine ever seeing in our crystal ball. It's a process and there is lots to consider for *anyone* facing the dilemma of advancing years (no one is excluded or exempt, to the best of my knowledge) . 

A bigger problem I'm having is really inside my own head. I designed our house myself and a lot of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice, both physical and financial,  went into constructing it. I try to tell myself now all these years later "c'mon, it's just a building with four walls and a roof and the land it sits on", but there are several decades of family history and many happy memories residing there too. There is somehow an emotional bond that I'm having great difficulty severing (at least for now).  Maybe that sounds immature (or nuts), but it's the truth nonetheless. In addition, who wants to just walk away from the friends, the unique New England Yankee culture and the community of which you've been an integral part for decades? Not me, at least so far, as age 70 looms ever closer.

I've got no more than 5-8 more years (if that) of sufficient physical ability, agility and / or energy (God willing) to maintain a house and grounds of this size, so it will certainly be time to "fish or cut bait" in the not too distant future.  A good problem to have, I guess, still being in excellent health and with a happy and healthy family off starting new families of their own, all of them happy and successful and productively contributing to their world. Life is good!

Thanks for starting this thread Dave; I'll be watching it with great interest.


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 5, 2017)

Wife won't move or downsize. I'm considering a match.


----------



## bnoble (Aug 5, 2017)

I'm farther from retirement (late 40s) but am starting to seriously consider getting rid of at least one large box of "stuff" each weekend. We have lots of things we've not touched in years, and do not need.


----------



## vacationhopeful (Aug 5, 2017)

Theo,
Theo, move NOW ... so you can build/find/bond with a place where you will enjoy your later years. Live among relatives or YOUNGER relatives with their families. Who wants to hunt for services at age 70 or 75 or 80 or 90+ years old.

My 92 year old aunt relocated back to NJ at age 89 from the west side of Philadelphia to NJ. She is NOT driving ... lost her life partner... her 4 other siblings ... and depends on her High School friends for rides or me ... or on paid "help" from her LAWYER'S OFFICE to shop for her, take her to doctor's appointments, pay her bills, etc. She does have church people to & from her new church on Sundays. And almost weekly outings with her deceased sister's husband (also 92yo) whose has a live in helper who drives them to events & lunches.

And I regularly see another of my aunt's fellow HS graduates at his old hardware store ... run by his son ... he is still kicking around with his original wife ... another set of 90+yo. All living within 10 miles of each other.... all 16yo or 17yo when Pearl Harbor was attacked.. graduating HS in June 1941.

PS The high school my aunt graduated is the high school and town featured in the movie, Jersey Girl. And this year, that HS (building & grounds) is celebrating its 100th year.

Has YOUR high school been open for 100 years?

PS#2 ... I graduated from a Florida college ... 20 miles due west from Daytona Beach on RT 17/92. Guess I could move back to my college town.


----------



## geist1223 (Aug 5, 2017)

Patti and I laugh about our down sizing 7 years ago. We went from a 1916 3 Bedroom 2 bath 1750 sq ft 2 floor Craftsman to a 1918 5 bedroom 2 bath 3100 sq ft 2 floor with an unfinished cement basement Craftsman. Hey it is newer. The big draws were we can sit on our covered front porch and admire one of the nicest Parks in town; and, we can live almost entirely on the ground floor. There are 3 bedrooms on the first floor (Master Bedroom, TV Room/Library [we do not believe in TV's in the Livingroom or Master Bedroom], and Office/Library). The second floor is 2 Guest Bedrooms, Bathroom, and large room that was with previous owners the TV and Game Room. We use it climate controlled storage. In our prior house the Master Bedroom was on the 2nd Floor. Going up and down the stairs many times a day became a pain.


----------



## PamMo (Aug 5, 2017)

We downsized almost 10 years ago (well before retirement) and haven't ever had second thoughts about it. Our kids lived thousands of miles away on both coasts, and didn't need/want any extra "stuff", so when I finished renovating a derelict little (1,600sf) Arts & Crafts native stone home in town that I'd fallen in love with, we had a huge estate sale and gave all the proceeds to our local food bank. We only had to move out what we wanted, and the estate sale company took care of everything else - down to thoroughly cleaning the 6,600sf McMansion for the new owner. It was _by far_ the easiest move we've ever made.

_EXCEPT_....now that DH is retired, we're thinking about moving closer to our kids/grandkids, and _*that's*_ proving impossible to figure out!


----------



## SmithOp (Aug 5, 2017)

We did it two years ago.  Lived and worked in Sacramento for 25 years, decided when we retired to move to SoCal and live near the beach, just enjoy life.

A year before retiring we started having garage sales the first weekend of every month, when everyone has cash for "stuff".  We had a three car detached garage with a 4/2 on 1/4 acre.  One bay of the garage was full of "stuff".  We got rid of everything and it felt so free not having to care for "stuff" any more.  

We had a neighbor that bought abandoned storage units, she had three units of her own plus a garage and shed full of "stuff", she enjoyed it I suppose.  She told me something that stuck with me "nobody wants your stuff when you are gone, they only want the cash".  She would find family photo albums galore and contact the heirs, they didn't want them.

Now we live in a rental on a postage stamp lot in a gated community of 25 homes.  The owner pays the hoa and gardener.  The guest bedroom is empty, has a blow up bed, wife uses it for yoga.  Garage has a couple of gorilla racks for essentials.  I play golf twice a week and ride my bike twice on the beach bike path.  Life is good, don't spend your retirement tending to possessions!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## littlestar (Aug 5, 2017)

My husband is 60 and I am 58.  We have been looking to possibly go to one level in a single family home, but I have not found a neighborhood I like as well as our current one.  We built our two story home 26 years ago.  Our oldest daughter plans on buying it if we can find a ranch in a location we love.  Homes sell super fast in the townships surrounding Indianapolis (shortage according to our realtor) so we would probably have to build again.


----------



## vacationhopeful (Aug 5, 2017)

PamMo said:


> ...<snip>
> _EXCEPT_....now that DH is retired, we're thinking about moving closer to our kids/grandkids, but _*that's*_ proving impossible to figure out!


\

Buy DVC points and tell the grandkids they can visit you at WDW each year or every other year or every 3rd year.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 5, 2017)

Passepartout said:


> Wife won't move or downsize. I'm considering a match.



Marquess of Queensbury rules?


----------



## Luanne (Aug 5, 2017)

Passepartout said:


> Wife won't move or downsize.


That caused a divorce for one of our previous neighbors.  Except it was the husband who didn't want to make any changes, so wife said "So long".


----------



## spirits (Aug 5, 2017)

PamMo said:


> We downsized almost 10 years ago (well before retirement) and haven't ever had second thoughts about it. Our kids lived thousands of miles away on both coasts, and didn't need/want any extra "stuff", so when I finished renovating a derelict little (1,600sf) Arts & Crafts native stone home in town that I'd fallen in love with, we had a huge estate sale and gave all the proceeds to our local food bank. We only had to move out what we wanted, and the estate sale company took care of everything else - down to thoroughly cleaning the 6,600sf McMansion for the new owner. It was _by far_ the easiest move we've ever made.
> 
> _EXCEPT_....now that DH is retired, we're thinking about moving closer to our kids/grandkids, and _*that's*_ proving impossible to figure out!



My two sons live just one block away.....how lucky can I be?  But if they lived on different coasts.....and I could afford it.....I would offer to pay for their Xmas holiday somewhere nice....like a 5 or 6 bedroom house in Hawaii.  Lots of opportunities to spend time together and make good memories at the same time.....what a nice problem to have.   BTW.....I would also love to live in an Arts and Crafts home.


----------



## taffy19 (Aug 5, 2017)

theo said:


> I have no words of insight or wisdom to share; I am going through very much the very same thought processes (and the same angst) right now myself. I really like the town I live in, which is why I bought 1.5 acres and designed and built a house here in 1983 and stayed here since then. However, over those nearly 35 years, my little town has become very much "gentrified" (to my great dismay, not pride). If I sold my house, I likely could not afford to buy any place I'd even want to live in if I remained within my own town.  Joining all the elderly folks driving around clueless in Florida is *not* a scenario I can see in my crystal ball.
> 
> A bigger problem I'm having is really inside my own head. I designed our house myself and a lot of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice, both physical and financial,  went into constructing it. I try to tell myself now all these years later "c'mon, it's just a building with four walls and a roof and the land it sits on", but there is somehow an emotional bond that I'm having great difficulty severing (at least for now).  Maybe that sounds immature (or nuts), but it's the truth nonetheless.
> 
> ...


Yes, very interesting thread with big decisions to make.  We love the coast and the mild climate of California but may have to leave this State if they really mean what they say they would like to do.

There is no way that we can live on the East Coast near the ocean where the climate is so humid.  We have had high humidity here the last few weeks too and had to use the A/C and then your breath gets taken away when you go outside.  Hardly any neighbors have A/C but we had to put it in.  Our house is small so we do not need to downsize but we need to get rid of the clutter badly.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 5, 2017)

I missed this one earlier....



theo said:


> ... However, over those nearly 35 years, my little town has become very much "gentrified" (*to my great dismay*, not pride). If I sold my house, I likely could not afford to buy any place I'd even want to live in if I remained within my own town.  Joining all the elderly folks driving around clueless in Florida is *not* a scenario I can see in my crystal ball....



Theo,

Would you please explain / expand on the bolded point?  

It almost seem like you lament that you may not be able to afford a house in (or around) your neighborhood while at the same time appearing you don't want to stay there.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 5, 2017)

taffy19 said:


> Yes, very interesting thread with big decisions to make.  We love the coast and the mild climate of California but may have to leave this State if they really mean what they say they would like to do.
> 
> There is no way that we can live on the East Coast near the ocean where the climate is so humid.  *We have had high humidity here the last few weeks too and had to use the A/C and then your breath gets taken away when you go outside*.  Hardly any neighbors have A/C but we had to put it in.  Our house is small so we do not need to downsize but we need to get rid of the clutter badly.



Welcome to (just about) every Southern summer!


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2017)

taffy19 said:


> Yes, very interesting thread with big decisions to make.  We love the coast and the mild climate of California but may have to leave this State if they really mean what they say they would like to do.



We moved out of California because we cannot stand the craziness going in the state anymore.  Not getting political here.  We are watching as outsiders now as the CA legislators come up with something new each day.  It is not just about taxes, but the whole package.


----------



## Sugarcubesea (Aug 5, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> Has anyone successfully downsized your home in the same town? By "successfully" I mean, have you actually disposed of excess possessions, and moved to a smaller place, without filling every corner of the smaller place with new or found items you feel you MUST have, until you're up to the rafters in "stuff" again - just with fewer square feet to store it? Were/are you HAPPY that you did that?
> 
> I'm a couple of years away from retirement, (spouse is seven years younger), and I've started looking at our home, all the stuff in it, asking myself "Do I/we really need/use/want that?" I like the house, (a very nice house, bought new 14 years ago), I like the town, and I'm happy to stay here. But I'm starting to question two people living in a 2000sf 2-story 3bed/2.5bath house with a quarter acre of urban yardwork, etc.  Our two small dogs and an indoor cat are about the only others who ever see the place. Seems like they'd be just as happy in a smaller location.
> 
> ...



Dave,

That is my goal, I was the administrator / executor of my grandmothers will and just sold her house. I took me a year before I could sell it because she had shit piled up to the rafters keeping things she thought either her children, grandchild or great grandchildren wanted.  Nope, none of us wanted anything and it fell to me to dispose of 800 bags of crap.  After going thru that process, I looked at my house, and decided it's time for me to do the same thing. 

Since one of my kids is completely done with school and on his own and the 2nd son has just one more year left of school and the youngest just graduated high school and is starting college in the fall, I want to downsize.

I'm about 10 years away from retirement and by downsizing, this will allow me to save more for retirement and get the house cleaned and de-stashed prior to the age that it's harder for me to move around...I want no extra stuff anymore


----------



## Sugarcubesea (Aug 5, 2017)

PamMo said:


> We downsized almost 10 years ago (well before retirement) and haven't ever had second thoughts about it. Our kids lived thousands of miles away on both coasts, and didn't need/want any extra "stuff", so when I finished renovating a derelict little (1,600sf) Arts & Crafts native stone home in town that I'd fallen in love with, we had a huge estate sale and gave all the proceeds to our local food bank. We only had to move out what we wanted, and the estate sale company took care of everything else - down to thoroughly cleaning the 6,600sf McMansion for the new owner. It was _by far_ the easiest move we've ever made.
> 
> _EXCEPT_....now that DH is retired, we're thinking about moving closer to our kids/grandkids, and _*that's*_ proving impossible to figure out!



One of my good friends when she retired moved closer to her two kids who were living in Nevada and Arizona at the time she moved to Arizona, 5 years later both kids moved again because of job transfers and now she is further from them then she would have been had she not moved.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 5, 2017)

Sugarcubesea said:


> One of my good friends when she retired moved closer to her two kids who were living in Nevada and Arizona at the time she moved to Arizona, 5 years later both kids moved again because of job transfers and now she is further from them then she would have been had she not moved.



But she is in Arizona.....some parts of that state look mighty appealing....Flagstaff for example.


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2017)

bbodb1 said:


> But she is in Arizona.....some parts of that state look mighty appealing....Flagstaff for example.


Scottsdale is better.


----------



## Luanne (Aug 5, 2017)

Sugarcubesea said:


> One of my good friends when she retired moved closer to her two kids who were living in Nevada and Arizona at the time she moved to Arizona, 5 years later both kids moved again because of job transfers and now she is further from them then she would have been had she not moved.


We decided we weren't going to move based on where our daughters were.  Daughter number one is now married and living in Silicon Valley, CA.  They have talked about moving to the Seattle area, or maybe Dublin, Ireland for awhile. Daughter number two is in graduate school in Vancouver, BC.  She will most likely go where the job is after she completes her program.  They both told us when we started talking about moving that we needed to do what WE want.  Luckily they like visiting us here.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 5, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> Scottsdale is better.



I assume you used the pink dude since Scottdale is currently hitting about 100 on the thermometer (and the dude is roasting!)....currently 65 in Flagstaff!


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 5, 2017)

bbodb1 said:


> I assume you used the pink dude since Scottdale is currently hitting about 100 on the thermometer (and the dude is roasting!)....currently 65 in Flagstaff!


Don't know what is pink dude.  But I can tell you 100 or 115 really is not too bad.  It is better than I expected.  I am experiencing my first hot summer and it really is not bad.  We did just spend 2 weeks in San Diego and several more getaways to Big Bear Lake / Mountain before summer is up.


----------



## PamMo (Aug 5, 2017)

Yeah, we're a family with generations full of wanderlust, so are keenly aware that a move might be temporary at this stage. We know couples who moved close to their kids, only to have them move away for career opportunities (which I think is good thing, BTW). Luckily, we like both areas where our kids live, and real estate would be a decent investment in either, if we're careful about what we buy. For the next 10 years or so, if we're blessed with good health, we plan to use the house as a home base for travel around the world.

In the meantime, we feel fortunate to be able to gather everyone in our timeshares at least once a year, and we spend months on each coast. And gratefully, our grandkids love spending time with us, so we take them on summer road trips to explore this beautiful country of ours. It's silly - we're 60-year-olds who just bought a minivan for the grandkids!!!!


----------



## WinniWoman (Aug 6, 2017)

theo said:


> I have no words of insight or wisdom to share; I am going through very much the very same thought processes (and the same angst) right now myself. I really like the town I live in, which is why I bought 1.5 acres and designed and built a house here in 1983 and stayed here since then. However, over those nearly 35 years, my little town has become very much "gentrified" (to my great dismay, not pride). If I sold my house, I likely could not afford to buy any place we'd even want to live in if we remained within our own town.  Joining the hordes of the elderly driving around (...badly and often entirely clueless) in Florida is *not* a scenario that I can imagine ever seeing in our crystal ball.
> 
> A bigger problem I'm having is really inside my own head. I designed our house myself and a lot of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice, both physical and financial,  went into constructing it. I try to tell myself now all these years later "c'mon, it's just a building with four walls and a roof and the land it sits on", but there are several decades of family history and many happy memories residing there too. There is somehow an emotional bond that I'm having great difficulty severing (at least for now).  Maybe that sounds immature (or nuts), but it's the truth nonetheless. In addition, who wants to just walk away from the friends, the unique New England Yankee culture and the community of which you've been an integral part for decades? Not me, at least so far, as age 70 looms ever closer.
> 
> ...




I totally relate. Due to a poor market, our updated house wont sell for what we need to move near our son who lives in another state.

Right now we can't move anyway because we have to work until the dreaded 66+ full retirement age.

However, going through the remodeling process these past 5 years we have definitely cleaned out the place and simplified- trying to get hubby to do more in the garage- his domain. I keep telling him he can't take all this stuff to the nursing home!!!


----------



## theo (Aug 6, 2017)

bbodb1 said:


> Theo,
> Would you please explain / expand on the bolded point?
> 
> It almost seem like you lament that you may not be able to afford a house in (or around) your neighborhood while at the same time appearing you don't want to stay there.



Not so. I am quite content (and for now, committed) to stay where I am, where we willfully chose to settle down, but I am realistic enough to realize that maintaining such a large house and grounds will soon enough be neither practical nor physically possible. I guess I perceive "down*sizing*" and "down*grading*" as being very distinctly different from one another, if that makes any more sense than my original observations.

My comment about "lamenting" the "gentrification" of my town was not really about "being able to afford to stay" (I certainly can) but more a reflection / observation that what was once a quiet little coastal New England town has now been "discovered". As is often the case, affluent new arrivals (virtually all of them from the next generation) drive the real estate values (including mine) into the stratosphere. That's great, but sadly the *offspring* of working locals whose families have been here for many generations now simply cannot afford to buy or live here. *That* is what I "lament". Additionally, it seems that the affluent new arrivals also frequently want to import and impose their own will and values upon their newly adopted community. I suppose it is their prerogative (to try), but some people (among whom I certainly number myself) do not necessarily appreciate or welcome that imported ideology and value system and may in fact bristle at attempts to force feed its' introduction upon unwilling others. That is what I really intended to convey, perhaps not articulately.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 6, 2017)

Thank you for the additional insight, Theo.  I understand completely.  When we retire, I hope to find some place small (cool temps and near mountains) that we can enjoy because of the place's uniqueness.  I would hate to move someplace only to then see that place change. 

I have never understood why people move to an area for all its charms and attractions only to then try and change that area.  Why move there in the first place?

That is probably one factor that is making our decision on where to relocate to when we retire so difficult.  It is hard to get an accurate read on a town over the course of a one week stay.


----------



## vacationhopeful (Aug 6, 2017)

Yes, I am downsizing. My old residence has been up for sale about 6 months now. A few lookers each week but the value is the 3.5 acres of ground in a desirable town with excellent schools. I moved out beforehand ... for my personal reasons. Close to Theo's logic.

My realtor's last communication was pitching an idea: 2 other agents in her office (technically her brother owns the office) want to subdivide OFF 2 lots .... for them to BUILD their dream homes. While they will PAY the costs to subdivide, I will pay all the carrying costs for keeping the property off the market (my "pulled out of the air" costs might be a few thousand dollars of direct costs) for 6 months .... except in my state, if I (as the owner) gets DENIED, I can't reapply for the same or similar subdivision in the future. Mind you, I know the town will ADD in their own conditions (like improvements like NEW curbs, sidewalks, sewer extensions, house setbacks, even street pavings). And they are NOT making an offer or mentioning "How much they will PAY ME for these 2 said lots."

And these are real estate sales people ... and 15-17 years ago, my sister's friend purposed a similar offer to HER as the executor of our father's estate.


----------



## vacationtime1 (Aug 6, 2017)

vacationhopeful said:


> My realtor's last communication was pitching an idea: 2 other agents in her office (technically her brother owns the office) want to subdivide OFF 2 lots .... for them to BUILD their dream homes. While they will PAY the costs to subdivide, I will pay all the carrying costs for keeping the property off the market . . . . . And they are NOT making an offer or mentioning "How much they will PAY ME for these 2 said lots.



It sounds like your realtor is working for your realtor and not for you.

Or maybe your realtor is working for this person who wants you to take your house off the market so they can try to get subdivision approvals at no cost or risk to them.

No firm offer -- or even an option agreement with a non-refundable payment to secure that option?  And your realtor is seriously pitching this idea?

Perhaps you need a new realtor.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 6, 2017)

theo said:


> Sadly, the offspring of working locals who have been here for several generations can no longer afford to buy or live here


I was thinking more about this and looking around my own neighborhood as I did.  I'm also still near enough to the neighborhood where we bought our first house as well and the price differences are considerable between the two neighborhoods.  I can't see a young couple owning where we do now, but at least in Arkansas homeownership for the young couple is still possible.

Whether it is practical is another consideration entirely - especially given the current job market situation.


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 6, 2017)

I find that selling a home fast is better than waiting.  The recent 3 homes that my realtors sold for me... first sold within 1 week of listing with 3 similar offers, second sold within 1 day with 1 offer, third (most recent) was sold after 48 days.  The third had 4 offers throughout the listing period, none of their offers were close to what I really wanted (their offers were 60K below asking), the first 3 offers wanted to resell their newly bought home to buy mine. My home was listed $600K below actual cost - it was a really special home, and really a steal but not in a prime location.  The 4th offered cash and closed in 10 days.  I took the 4th offer as it is better to have the money in my bank quickly and let it grow than to sit on an empty home which was bleeding money with each day.  There are all kinds of stories about squatters breaking into empty homes.


----------



## klpca (Aug 6, 2017)

We bought our current home 30 years ago. Say what you want about CA (and I am so sad that some feel so negatively about it) but our real estate values have quintupled in our area, while our property taxes have remained quite stable. We have a beautiful home with a panoramic view that is loaded with happy family  memories. Our extended family has lived in the area since the 1940's. We talk about moving to a smaller home but can't find one with a comparable view. So for now, we are staying put. Our next move will be our last, as you get a one time tax base transfer in CA once you turn 55. 

I am a regular purger. We just spent the last two weekends clearing out the garage. Closets are next. Very little is safe from being purged.  My personal philosophy is that you should own things, they shouldn't own you. If it doesn't bring me personal happiness, I try to give/sell it to someone who would be happy to own it. I recently sold/gave away leftover tile from past home improvement jobs. I can't believe that others wanted it, but it was taken as fast as I listed it! I even put out odds and ends on the driveway for free and someone picked it up! And (drumroll please) I was able to give away my baby grand piano that hasn't been touched in 20+ years!!


----------



## vacationhopeful (Aug 6, 2017)

vacationtime1 said:


> It sounds like your realtor is working for your realtor and not for you.
> Or maybe your realtor is working for this person who wants you to take your house off the market so they can try to get subdivision approvals at no cost or risk to them.
> No firm offer -- or even an option agreement with a non-refundable payment to secure that option?  And your realtor is seriously pitching this idea?
> 
> *Perhaps you need a new realtor*.



I had already thought of that 2+ weeks ago. And I had 3 other RE agencies thru the house and to pitch me their ideas in that time. Now, I just got to move ahead without distractions from my day job.


----------



## vacationtime1 (Aug 6, 2017)

vacationhopeful said:


> I had already thought of that 2+ weeks ago. And I had 3 other RE agencies thru the house and to pitch me their ideas in that time. Now, I just got to move ahead without distractions from my day job.



You will probably make more money selling your property for the right price than you will earn from your day job.

So don't let your day job distract you from maximizing the net sales proceeds from your property.


----------



## Luanne (Aug 6, 2017)

klpca said:


> We bought our current home 30 years ago. Say what you want about CA (and I am so sad that some feel so negatively about it) but our real estate values have quintupled in our area, while our property taxes have remained quite stable. We have a beautiful home with a panoramic view that is loaded with happy family  memories.


I was born and raised in California (second generation in fact).  I married and raised my daughters there.  I still love California. But yes, we moved when we retired.  The biggest reasons were housing prices and how crowded it's gotten.  In order for us to downsize our house and stay in an area we liked, we would have had to pay the same, or more, for a smaller house.


----------



## breezez (Aug 6, 2017)

I find myself in a perplexing situation I had a paid of second home I was considering renting.   But, neighborhood slowly going downhill so decided to sell it instead.   We did par down 50% of our aquired junk when we moved out of this house.   But it is amazing how fast you acquire new junk 

My current house I could pay completely off all but about 80K.    But, my loan is 15yr at 2.85% fixed.   In my mind I can do better investing than paying down mortgage.   So I told my wife let me play a couple months and see if I can beat it.   I primarily sell derivatives.  So far I am earning slightly better than 2% a month so at this rate I can't bring myself to wanting to pay house down.

But am willing to listen to any insight you older wiser folks can provide.


----------



## remowidget (Aug 6, 2017)

We actually downsized when we went from 1700ft to 3200ft. Since then we filled it up, but it was great to get rid of tons of stuff we hadn't used in a long time. Have been through that, I don't think we will have a problem with it when we decide to downsize.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk


----------



## bogey21 (Aug 6, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> Has anyone successfully downsized your home in the same town? By "successfully" I mean, have you actually disposed of excess possessions, and moved to a smaller place, without filling every corner of the smaller place with new or found items you feel you MUST have, until you're up to the rafters in "stuff" again - just with fewer square feet to store it? Were/are you HAPPY that you did that?



What I did when moving from a house to a much smaller condo was sell everything in the old house to a company for 10-15  cents on the dollar and buy all new stuff so I could furnish the new condo without cluttering it up with stuff just because I owned it.  Except for the cost it worked out great.

George


----------



## clifffaith (Aug 6, 2017)

Luanne said:


> In order for us to downsize our house and stay in an area we liked, we would have had to pay the same, or more, for a smaller house.



We just had that exact discussion at breakfast. Really hard to downsize the house but stay in our area of coastal Los Angeles without ending up paying about the same.


----------



## Luanne (Aug 6, 2017)

clifffaith said:


> We just had that exact discussion at breakfast. Really hard to downsize the house but stay in our area of coastal Los Angeles without ending up paying about the same.


We look back now and wonder what we would be doing if we'd stayed in the same area.  I'm sure the opportunities for getting involved in the community are as numerous as they are here, but the ability to have all of the museums, music and such so close wouldn't have been.  We are very happy with the move we made.


----------



## VegasBella (Aug 6, 2017)

Yes. We moved from a 3 bedroom 2 story home to a 2 bedroom 1 story home a few neighborhoods over. Our intention was not so much to downsize as to get into a better neighborhood. But we did manage to do it without too much clutter. It helps that we have a housekeeper come once a week and a landscaper come twice a month 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## wilma (Aug 6, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> We moved out of California because we cannot stand the craziness going in the state anymore.  Not getting political here.  We are watching as outsiders now as the CA legislators come up with something new each day.  It is not just about taxes, but the whole package.


Actually you are getting political here....


----------



## WinniWoman (Aug 6, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> I find that selling a home fast is better than waiting.  The recent 3 homes that my realtors sold for me... first sold within 1 week of listing with 3 similar offers, second sold within 1 day with 1 offer, third (most recent) was sold after 48 days.  The third had 4 offers throughout the listing period, none of their offers were close to what I really wanted (their offers were 60K below asking), the first 3 offers wanted to resell their newly bought home to buy mine. My home was listed $600K below actual cost - it was a really special home, and really a steal but not in a prime location.  The 4th offered cash and closed in 10 days.  I took the 4th offer as it is better to have the money in my bank quickly and let it grow than to sit on a empty home which was bleeding money with each day.  There are all kinds of stories about squatters breaking into empty homes.



Agree. That is what we did when we sold my parents' home. Listed it for a fast sale- got a cash offer the first day and took it, though we did have a couple of others as well. Why hold out for a higher price when you have property and school taxes looming (in hell hole NY) and operating expenses?


----------



## rapmarks (Aug 6, 2017)

mpumilia said:


> Agree. That is what we did when we sold my parents' home. Listed it for a fast sale- got a cash offer the first day and took it, though we did have a couple of others as well. Why hold out for a higher price when you have property and school taxes looming (in hell hole NY) and operating expenses?



I can't tell you how many people turned down perfectly good offers and waited months before taking a lower offer.  Worst case was neighbor who decided to reap his profits and move in either 2006 or 2007.  He turned down an offer cash $420,000 and sold two years later for $225,000


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Ivy (Aug 7, 2017)

VegasBella said:


> Yes. We moved from a 3 bedroom 2 story home to a 2 bedroom 1 story home a few neighborhoods over. Our intention was not so much to downsize as to get into a better neighborhood. But we did manage to do it without too much clutter. It helps that we have a housekeeper come once a week and a landscaper come twice a month
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sounds like a good move. I have always wanted to be a minimalist..but tell that to my husband. A man who still wants to keep jackets that he owned when he was 17...ugh. Sometimes i just don't even have the words


----------



## rapmarks (Aug 7, 2017)

We have two homes and my husband has seven golf bags in each home filled with clubs, and he complains that I have too much stuff.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## vacationhopeful (Aug 7, 2017)

It is his "Y" gene ... verses our "X" gene ... his head keeps bobbling, slushing his grey matter around and causes some serious short circuits of his neutrons.

If you have to have too much stuff, make sure the stuff you have is almost the entire collection of "Green Backs" and other cash equivalent instruments. He can keep his seven golf bags .... as long as ONLY stuff BROUGHT from the golf store is inside those 7 golf.


----------



## clifffaith (Aug 7, 2017)

Ivy said:


> Sounds like a good move. I have always wanted to be a minimalist..but tell that to my husband. A man who still wants to keep jackets that he owned when he was 17...ugh. Sometimes i just don't even have the words



LOL! Just last year I got Cliff to toss his 40-50 year old engineering books. We've dragged that box of books along on six moves!


----------



## VegasBella (Aug 7, 2017)

I should add that we waited and timed the purchase of the new home so as to try to get the best deal. We were close and nearly got the best deal, certainly far less than they're selling for now. Right now would not be a good time to purchase a home IMO. I would wait 5-10 years to see if this current bubble drops. But the downsizing prep work can be done at any time   For us it was helpful to hire a pro organizer to help discard unneeded stuff and help organize what was left into smaller areas. Been helpful after the move too to clear out the garage.


----------



## Talent312 (Aug 7, 2017)

Ivy said:


> I have always wanted to be a minimalist..but tell that to my husband. A man who still wants to keep jackets that he owned when he was 17...ugh.



So, what is he now... 18?   No, I do understand. Our heirs may be stuck with the task.

I moved into DW's house a few years after our respective divorces. I thought it was good timing becuz her kids were grown and out of the house. But they weren't really gone. She had all their baby-stuff, and not just baby pictures. I'm talking high chairs, strollers and clothes. "They might need 'em for their kids." -- 17 years later, still no grandkids. She also had their school stuff, beach toys and board games. Thankfully, it was all in the attic.

There are 4BR's in the house... Her clothes fill 3.5 closets. I had to re-build the shelving in 2 of them after they broke from the weight of her stuff.

I talked her into our first and last garage sale 12 years ago, and to hear her tell it, I stripped the house bare.
Yeah, I'd like some cheese with this whine.

.


----------



## isisdave (Aug 7, 2017)

We tried to downsize. We retired in early 2015, and went off to Mexico and Europe for six months. We liked it, and didn't kill each other, so we came home, got rid of darn near everything (21 years in that house then), did $30k rehabbing to kitchen and yard as assured by realtor this would make it sell instantly, and listed it in early 2016, heading off to Europe for a second summer. We thought we'd buy something much smaller, maybe a condo, in town, as DW's two sisters still live here.

Not a single offer, not even a lowball, in five months, with reductions from $490 to $460.

We wanted to downsize because (1) it's 3100 sf and the nest was empty; (2) it's on the corner of a busy street that's being extended at the far end, so we expect more noise and traffic; and (3) sometime The Big One will hit SoCal and we'd rather not own real estate here then.

The problem is that there are bad comps.  There are even-bigger houses, like 4000 sf, just across the busy street, being offered at $499k and going for less. Those houses even have a HOA with monthly dues of $500, and we have none. Nearby houses at 2100 sf trade quickly, from $399 to $430 or so, but another 1000 sf, the biggest lot in the subdivision, ability to see your kid's elementary school and even hear its bells, along with solar that makes $1800 worth of electricity each year, won't support anything more than about $449k right now, although there are starting to be listings a little higher.

By the way, in another thread I had to caution about the idea that "having solar panels will raise your home's value." $1800 a year, or $150 a month, would pay for about $30,000 of mortgage at current rates.​
But we have a 30-year loan at 2.75%, so the monthly payment with taxes and insurance is less than the typical 1200-sf 2-bedroom apartment nearby. So we're staying until something changes. We're back in Europe for the third summer in a row; our son and his spouse and their two big dogs are in the house, as is our little dog.

I'm mostly worried about the possibility of earthquake. Not locally, as we're pretty far from a fault and on cut land, not fill. But if LA (60-90 miles away) gets hit and 10 million people come looking for a place to stay, they'll either have fistfuls of money, or guns. Don't want to find out which.


----------



## sun starved Gayle (Aug 7, 2017)

I volunteer at a charity thrift store, and boy has that changed my thinking ! 

I have vowed to clear out my "stuff" while I am still able to do it myself. I don't want my kids to have to do it.  I ask myself, if I were moving, would I want to pack and move this ? More often than not, the answer is no.

We get a lot of "leftovers" from estate sales at the thrift store, and it is still is a ton of stuff. People's collections of tea cups, romance novels, thimbles, owls, bells, figurines, Lennox items, Belleek items, Christmas ornaments etc. Lots and LOTS of Christmas stuff. Beautiful sets of expensive China and crystal sell for pennies on the dollar. Numerous souvenir type stuff too, paintings, pottery, glass etc. And a ton of those collector sets of stuff you buy one by one, through the mail.  The people who re-purchase them at the thrift store usually say, I'm collecting these for my granddaughter, or for someone else. I want to say, your grandkids are not going to want this ! But I don't say. They are happy getting a bargain.

While I'm on my soap box, before donating, CHECK POCKETS AND COMPARTMENTS of donated items. We have no idea of who donated what bag of stuff. We have found valuable jewelry, and and cash in pockets of clothing, in purses and suitcases. We hold the item for several months, and then sell it, if no one has claimed it. I can only think of one or two times when item has been claimed. I am also kind of amazed at the number of unopened condoms we find in suit jackets as well. Seems Gramps had a randy side.........


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 7, 2017)

Talent312 said:


> I do understand. Our heirs may be stuck with the task.
> 
> I moved into DW's house a few years after our respective divorces. I thought it was good timing becuz her kids were grown and out of the house. But they weren't really gone. She had all their baby-stuff, and not just baby pictures. I'm talking high chairs, strollers and clothes. I talked her into our first and last garage sale 12 years ago, and to hear her tell it, I stripped the house bare.



I think we could write each other's posts on this. There is no talking about it here. "I like that (fill in the blank)  and I'm keeping it." We have her boys' high chairs, Cub Scout uniforms, (they're in mid 40's) figure cake pans (race car, Santa, etc). Costumes for Halloween, plays, and on and on.

It's bad enough that when I sold my condo, all my furniture and the stuff from my Mom's house after she passed and we cleaned out and sold it, got incorporated into the house we bought together. We've had no problem furnishing the condo second home (she) bought a couple of years ago. In the end, her boys (well, only one's wife) will ultimately have the responsibility of loading the dumpster.

I strongly suspect my 'downsize' will be a box about 2 1/2 feet wide and about 6 feet long, so why should I worry about this?  

Jim


----------



## PigsDad (Aug 7, 2017)

Talent312 said:


> So, what is he now... 18?   No, I do understand. Our heirs may be stuck with the task.
> 
> I moved into DW's house a few years after our respective divorces. I thought it was good timing becuz her kids were grown and out of the house. But they weren't really gone. She had all their baby-stuff, and not just baby pictures. I'm talking high chairs, strollers and clothes. "They might need 'em for their kids." -- 17 years later, still no grandkids. She also had their school stuff, beach toys and board games. Thankfully, it was all in the attic.
> 
> ...


I feel for you, Talent.  My wife might not be quite as bad, but close.  Still have all of my daughter's baby clothes, high chair, crib, toys, etc. in totes.  Can't throw out any scraps of leftover construction materials (tile, carpet pieces, laminate, etc.) because "we might need them some day".  Have boxes and boxes of my wife's school papers from college *AND high school!*  And of course we have every shred of paper, "art" projects, homework, etc. my daughter ever brought home from school.  Several boxes of supplies from my wife's hobbies of stained glass construction and basket weaving -- which would be fine, but she hasn't touched either in over 25 years! 

Then when my wife's mother died last year, we brought home a ton of their old stuff as well.  Tell me this -- what in the hell do we need with four (yes, _*four!*_) sets of china?!?!?  We barely ever use one set!

If it were up to me, we would get rid of 90% of the junk, but I know that will never happen.  So frustrating!  (Thanks for letting me vent -- I'll take my BP pills now...)

Kurt


----------



## clifffaith (Aug 7, 2017)

Cliff also won't get rid of old paint. But each time we have a little pile of batteries, light bulbs and dead electronic equipment to take to hazmat I can usually find a can that has dried out and he'll agree to. Hit the jackpot this morning when someone posted  on Nextdoor that they needed donated paint for scenery at the kid's summer Cat In The Hat play. I think only because we have started research on a retirement community and he knows how much stuff we have to get rid of that he said sure, give them some paint.  I got rid of three cans from the house we moved out of seven years ago and a bunch of quarter cans from this house. We like color (Smurf office, tangerine guest bath, hot pink and teal stairwell, etc) so they were thrilled, and that got the stuff out of our garage. Only leaves us two dozen cans left, sigh.


----------



## klpca (Aug 7, 2017)

OMG. We are having the downstairs floor tiled this week. So you know, we had to remove the carpet. That meant that we had to move the furniture. Turns out I had squirreled away quite a few things in the entertainment center, china cabinet, buffet and bakers rack. Everything is now out in the garage and a lot of it won't be making the trip back inside! I think that is what happens when you never move. My stepdad used to say that three moves was as good as a fire (in getting rid of things). I thought I was more on top of things that I was. More purging to do. It feels endless.


----------



## bbodb1 (Aug 7, 2017)

I think your Stepdad was an optimist!

And I feel your pain.  We have to start our purge soon...


----------



## salpalaz (Aug 7, 2017)

bbodb1 said:


> I think your Stepdad was an optimist!
> 
> And I feel your pain.  We have to start our purge soon...


We just moved from Virginia in a 6000sq ft to a 775sq ft in Arizona so we really downsized


----------



## Jan M. (Aug 8, 2017)

When we moved to Florida 6 years ago I purposely left a lot of stuff in boxes and put them in the garage. My reasoning was that after a certain period of time if I hadn't needed what was in those boxes enough to go out in the garage to dig through the boxes then I didn't need that stuff at all. My husband would just get rid of everything so he didn't have to think about it, sort stuff and reorganize. I've ended up hanging on to more stuff than I should have because of him. Yes we have had to go out a repurchase tools and stuff that he should have brought with us.

Our plan does an annual garage sale and we've gotten rid of a lot but there is still a lot in the garage that will be going. When my husband retires in a few months and the rainy season here in Florida is over the first thing we plan to do is a major garage clean out and reorganization. The men in the neighborhood will stop by to kibbitz when they see everything from the garage sitting out in the driveway. My husband will point to the mini fridge from our son's college days that we are keeping in case of a hurricane, the lawn chairs and tell the other men that I have threatened to bring out the air mattress and he will be taking up residence in the garage for the foreseeable future unless he keeps his mouth shut (hah, like that will ever happen) and just does what I tell him. Of course they will all laugh. I've been promising that when he retires and we have unlimited time they won't recognize our garage when we're done. When we moved to Florida six years ago it was for him to start a new job and that meant starting over with 13 days of vacation time. We became grandparents for the first time that year and our son and his family are in Ohio. Projects in the garage and house can wait; grandchildren are only little once and they are the only two grandchildren we will ever have. A lot of people have garages full of stuff they brought with them from up North so no one really believes it when I say I'm getting rid of most of it. When they see all the stuff we are getting rid of they will ask are you really getting rid of that? Yes, help yourself it's not coming back in. My husband will tell them if he's lucky I will keep him when I start purging. More laughter.

After 39 years of marriage you would think my husband would be suspicious and have asked by now exactly what I'm planning for us (read mostly him) to do in the garage. Maybe I should have that air mattress waiting by the front door when I get down to a few details I just happened not to have mentioned, like painting the the walls and garage floor and a few other little things. I am determined that when we are done with that garage it may not be quite the showpiece of my dreams but at least it will be one my father would approve of if he were still living!


----------



## FLDVCFamily (Aug 8, 2017)

Subscribing to this thread. We still have a young family, but someday I think we'll want a smaller place. This one is bigger than I ever though I'd own anyways. My folks are in this position. They bought a BIGGER house once we were grown, and yes it's filled. They know they need to downsize because just caring for that house is overwhelming, but it's so hard now because they're there and they have all the stuff...

I disagree about not "saving heirlooms for the kids" though, but I think I've grown more sentimental with age? At least ask the kids if they want any of it before selling it or donating it. My sister has my grandmother's dining room table and side hutch and honestly I love seeing it in her house. If I had a place for my old bedroom set (that was my father's before me) I'd totally take it and put it in my house. I have the piano that my father bought me as a child, and I've moved it something like eight times (yes, for real lol...crazy). My daughter is going to start taking lessons on my childhood piano and that means something to me. You can't write everyone from this generation off as unsentimental...some of us want some of the heirloom items in our houses.


----------



## klpca (Aug 8, 2017)

FLDVCFamily said:


> Subscribing to this thread. We still have a young family, but someday I think we'll want a smaller place. This one is bigger than I ever though I'd own anyways. My folks are in this position. They bought a BIGGER house once we were grown, and yes it's filled. They know they need to downsize because just caring for that house is overwhelming, but it's so hard now because they're there and they have all the stuff...
> 
> I disagree about not "saving heirlooms for the kids" though, but I think I've grown more sentimental with age? At least ask the kids if they want any of it before selling it or donating it. My sister has my grandmother's dining room table and side hutch and honestly I love seeing it in her house. If I had a place for my old bedroom set (that was my father's before me) I'd totally take it and put it in my house. I have the piano that my father bought me as a child, and I've moved it something like eight times (yes, for real lol...crazy). My daughter is going to start taking lessons on my childhood piano and that means something to me. You can't write everyone from this generation off as unsentimental...some of us want some of the heirloom items in our houses.



One of my favorite "things" is my grandmother's china from the 1930's. No one except me wanted it when she was downsizing in the 1980's. There weren't a lot of pieces left after 50 years of use, but we are able use it most years for Mother's Day brunch. I have no idea if any of my girls will want it. Not my problem at that point.


----------



## amycurl (Aug 8, 2017)

sun starved Gayle said:


> We get a lot of "leftovers" from estate sales at the thrift store, and it is still is a ton of stuff. People's collections of tea cups, romance novels, thimbles, owls, bells, figurines, Lennox items, Belleek items, Christmas ornaments etc. Lots and LOTS of Christmas stuff. Beautiful sets of expensive China and crystal sell for pennies on the dollar. .



Before you sell it for "pennies on the dollar," the next time the thrift store gets nice things--Lennox items, blown glass Christmas ornaments, the expensive china and crystal sets--place a call to 1-800-REPLACEMENTS and see if they will buy it back. You'd be surprised at what some things go for, because other people will spend good money for them. If they buy it back, they will help you arrange how to ship it to them. You could make more money for the nonprofit that runs the thrift store (and I would explain that to them when you call; they are extremely community-minded as a company.) 

For example, the everyday glassware that we got when we registered was about $4- $5 a stem *cough* nearly 20 years ago *cough*. Today, it's been discontinued. Replacements is now selling them for between $25- $45 a stem. You read that right. I can sell pieces back from them at about half that. That's a pretty good return on investment. In real world terms, it means I try to be more intentional about making sure my ten year pays careful attention when she uses those glasses, LOL!

The most valuable china my mother owns isn't the gold-rimmed Noritake. It is the no-name stuff she got free when she purchased her "lifetime" cookware. Because it was never available on the mass market, not as much of it was made....so it's rare, and in *very high* demand. The most valuable china they sell was originally offered free piece by piece when you sent it the box tops of some kind of cleaning soda in the 50s. So, the value of some of the stuff may surprise you. 

Plus, it will free up space in the thrift store. It's a win-win!


----------



## FLDVCFamily (Aug 9, 2017)

My mom and I like to go to estate sales for fun, and I can never understand why there is so much glass and china. Often there is an entire room full in just one house. I just don't get it. Was that a big trend at one point? Did they inherit other people's china and they couldn't part with it? I agree about replacements.com, although the idea of shipping china seems scary to me so maybe that's why most thrift stores don't do it? When I go to estate sales I think about my own mortality and how I never want my kids to have to go through a house full of china and bric-a-brac when I'm gone.


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 9, 2017)

FLDVCFamily said:


> My mom and I like to go to estate sales for fun, and I can never understand why there is so much glass and china. Often there is an entire room full in just one house. I just don't get it. Was that a big trend at one point? Did they inherit other people's china and they couldn't part with it? I agree about replacements.com, although the idea of shipping china seems scary to me so maybe that's why most thrift stores don't do it? When I go to estate sales I think about my own mortality and how I never want my kids to have to go through a house full of china and bric-a-brac when I'm gone.



We have 1 very extensive set of "fine china" - Wedgewood, for the special occasion.  The company stop producing that line and that's when I stumbled upon replacements.com.  We only ordered the new pieces that were not used.  We have Waterford for glassware.  We used to hold formal dinners with our neighbors a couple of times a year in our previous home and we would use these, together with a more expensive/higher quality set of cutlery.  After we moved, we have yet to use them even when we have guests over.  On hindsight, it was stupid of us to even have spent all that money.   

Then we have Corelle for everyday use - with 2 full sets for 2 homes.  My son took the ones from our old house to his new home.  

My current home has quite a bit of collection of stuff - Turkish vases etc that we have several display cases to hold them.  Then there is artwork.  I dread the day that if my husband goes before I do, and if I want to move back to be with my son (either another home or into his) and what am I supposed to with all these stuff.  Or if I remain at this place until I die, my son will probably just sell the home fully furnished - including artwork and collectibles.  He is not into "fluff".


----------



## Blues (Aug 9, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> After we moved, we have yet to use them even when we have guests over.  On hindsight, it was stupid of us to even have spent all that money.



So, rather than spend all that money at replacements.com to complete a set, wouldn't it be better to *sell *those incomplete sets to replacement.com?  And then use the money to buy new complete sets?  Just a thought...


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 9, 2017)

Blues said:


> So, rather than spend all that money at replacements.com to complete a set, wouldn't it be better to *sell *those incomplete sets to replacement.com?  And then use the money to buy new complete sets?  Just a thought...



My set was complete as they were but we were looking and bought items like taureen, accent serving plates, large serving plates, pasta plates/bowls...  We poured more money into it, that was before we moved.  Bought the china at Macys initially.  But I love online shopping, so we added and added...


----------



## Glynda (Aug 10, 2017)

Replacements doesn't pay as much as one might expect.  I lived near them and used to visit their showroom and wander the warehouse.  I've taken quite a few things to be sold there and was offered only about 20-30% of what they are going to sell them for at that time, depending upon their inventory needs and the rarity of the item. I sold some things to them but those I didn't I sold though a local auction house. Quite a few of them I should have sold to to Replacements as I didn't get even as much the low price they offered.  People are moving away from wanting to be burdened with fine china, sterling and crystal.  Antiques in general as well.  

As to downsizing, we sold a 5,000 sq ft house in 2002 and purchased two homes in two states.  The main home was 3500 sq ft and the weekend/vacation home 1170.  The rest of the "stuff" got stored in the basement of the main home.  Out of sight out of mind.  Then when my husband retired in 2011, we sold the main home and bought a 3,000 sq ft house in CHS and rent out the 1170 in CHS. We did get rid of a LOT of furniture, dishes, crystal and art then. I don't really miss anything at all. In fact, I want to get rid of even more. 

Now thinking seriously of moving to a condo all on one level and about 2400 sq ft.  Just want to lock the door and walk away to travel. However, my 95 year old mother lives with us and we have two dogs, 14 and 7, so we are still restricted on travel.  On the one hand, I really don't want to leave CHS's historic district and our walking to shop and dine lifestyle. But if we stay downtown our options are limited and very expensive plus most condos downtown are older and need renovation.  We are tired of the upkeep of old houses and of renovating as we've not had great experiences with that. Brand new looks good to us but isn't available yet downtown. So we've been looking in the surrounding areas but just can't decide whether move across one of the rivers, stick with our current house, or bite the bullet and pay the price to stay down here in a condo.  Decisions decisions!!!!


----------



## isisdave (Aug 13, 2017)

And the only time I tried to sell some china to replacements, they rejected it because the large plates had some surface blemishes. This was a discontinued pattern of nice quality but not china, and we did put it in the dishwasher. It was not even worth paying to have it returned. It would have been better to buy 8 new plates, and keep it. It was a pattern I really liked!


----------



## VegasBella (Aug 14, 2017)

Talent312 said:


> I moved into DW's house a few years after our respective divorces. I thought it was good timing becuz her kids were grown and out of the house. But they weren't really gone. She had all their baby-stuff, and not just baby pictures. I'm talking high chairs, strollers and clothes. "They might need 'em for their kids." -- 17 years later, still no grandkids.


I know she's not doing this for rational reasons but in case logic will convince her, the stuff WILL be outdated by the time her kids have kids (if they have kids). Unless the items have some historic value or true sentimental value, they do not have practical value. *When it comes to kids supplies, newer is nearly always better. Almost always, the newer kids stuff is safer, cleaner, stronger, etc. *Kind of like cars, the newer stuff is better designed and tested for safety.

I know people who save stuff from their fist kid to the last kid. But things change and a lot of times that stuff isn't safe anymore. You have to check recall lists. If there's plastic then the life on it is generally only 5-10 years. Here are some basic no-nos:
- no cribs with drop down sides, too dangerous, baby can get head caught and die
- no crib bumper pads, too dangerous, cause 
suffocation
- no car seats that have been in accidents, the damage may not be visible
- no car seats more than 5 years old (except 1 or two very expensive brands that have a lifespan of 10 years), the plastic wears down and will not be protective in an accident 
- no bumbo chairs, if baby can't sit up it's dangerous to position them this way in a bumbo chair
- crib tents, strangulation hazard

http://www.babygaga.com/15-typical-nursery-items-that-are-actually-dangerous/

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/13-dangerous-baby-products-to-avoid/index.htm




isisdave said:


> I'm mostly worried about the possibility of earthquake. Not locally, as we're pretty far from a fault and on cut land, not fill. But if LA (60-90 miles away) gets hit and 10 million people come looking for a place to stay, they'll either have fistfuls of money, or guns. Don't want to find out which.



Well, you could consider Baton Rouge after Katrina. People flooded Baton Rouge needing places to stay. Overall I don't think the crime rate increased so dramatically. I think it was a lot more money that came to Baton Rouge after the storm than violence. And NOLA is a pretty violent place, more violent in general than LA. So I would not worry too much that earthquakes may bring violence to your neighborhood. I would think from past experiences elsewhere that natural disasters are more likely to provide a small boom of economic prosperity to neighboring areas. That said, Baton Rouge was then hit with flooding. So... my point is that it's more rational to fear natural disasters than human violence because the natural disaster is more statistically likely.


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 14, 2017)

@isisdave Are you intending to rent in the same area or move to a different city / state?  The big one may not come in your lifetime but I do get it.  I lost about $200K in the sale of my home in June of this year.  I could have held on to it for another year and most likely it would sell it for another 50K+ more.  But I would rather have the house sold and have the money in my hands than to hold on to it.  That former home cost $20K a year to run, not including costs to fix anything that might break.  No mortgage on it. It all has to do with how badly you want to sell your home and then price it to attract buyers.


----------



## pwrshift (Aug 14, 2017)

I'm going through the consideration of downsizing now too, but in Toronto the problem is that a 1700 sq Ft condo is over a million dollars.  While my 4400 sq Ft house is too much work and costly for 2 people (kids gone) I might get more for my house but the problem is these condos are selling overnight when put up for sale...far faster than the house would sell.  

How do you finance a million dollars when you don't know if and when and what your house will sell for? Scary.

Brian


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 15, 2017)

pwrshift said:


> I'm going through the consideration of downsizing now too, but in Toronto the problem is that a 1700 sq Ft condo is over a million dollars.  While my 4400 sq Ft house is too much work and costly for 2 people (kids gone) I might get more for my house but the problem is these condos are selling overnight when put up for sale...far faster than the house would sell.
> 
> How do you finance a million dollars when you don't know if and when and what your house will sell for? Scary.
> 
> Brian



Why don't you sell your home before you buy the condo?  It will be inconvenient with 2 moves - get stuff to storage, stay in a rental until you buy a condo.  Alternatively you can put an offer on a condo with a contingency to sell your home but most sellers won't accept this.  

When I sold my last home, I had 2 contingent offers (have to sell their homes first), third one removed the contingency - their bank agreed to lend them the money for the house so they would have 2 mortgages as an interim since they wanted to be competitive and be considered, and the 4th was an all cash deal as is and closed within 10 days.  I took the all cash deal.


----------



## pwrshift (Aug 15, 2017)

Curious to know if you staged your home or sold it empty?


----------



## Luanne (Aug 15, 2017)

pwrshift said:


> Curious to know if you staged your home or sold it empty?


I'm not the one you asked but, we've never had a home staged.  I don't think it was "the thing" when we were selling.  We did rent some furniture for one home we sold for the living room so I guess you could say that was staged.  The last home we sold got emptier as time when on as I was selling all of the stuff we wouldn't be taking with us when we moved.  So several rooms were empty by the time we sold.

And interestingly enough, the last four places I've purchased were all empty.  I found it much easier to envision what they would look like with my things in them.


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 15, 2017)

pwrshift said:


> Curious to know if you staged your home or sold it empty?


We had a huge home which was originally a model home, upgrade itself was 650K, and home was originally listed by developer for 1.4M.  The interior decor itself was 200K by itself.  We added another 200K to the house - all season sunroom which holds an Endless indoor pool, full solar etc etc.  We thought it was going to be our forever home.  When we moved, we left much of the furniture, artwork and wall decor behind.  Unfortunately it was a beautiful home in the suburbs and built at the height of the market.  12 developers were there and those who got out early were lucky.  We bought it when it was not done crashing.  We could have held on for another couple of years to get back what we paid but we just wanted to move on. We bought a single level condo that is 2800+ sq ft in another state 3 years ago and furnished it so we did not need much of the beautiful furnishings in the home that we just sold.  It was the most beautiful and expensive home in that development.  

3 of the buyers just bought their homes in a new development closeby and when they were shown this home, they wanted to sell theirs to buy this.  I took the cash offer with quick closing so that I was done with it.


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Aug 15, 2017)

klpca said:


> One of my favorite "things" is my grandmother's china from the 1930's. No one except me wanted it when she was downsizing in the 1980's. There weren't a lot of pieces left after 50 years of use, but we are able use it most years for Mother's Day brunch. I have no idea if any of my girls will want it. Not my problem at that point.


I can relate to that.  My grandma's china, service for 12, went to me 30 years ago, when she died.  It was a service for 12, now I have collected many more pieces and could easily feed 36 with my china.  I have all of the serving pieces, too.  My china cabinet is absolutely stuffed with her dishes and the additional ebay and Craig's List finds.  I am hopeless.  My daughter is always telling me how nuts that is.  When I die, those dishes will be given to the Goodwill, and no one will have a clue how valuable they are, especially all of the covered and uncovered vegetable dishes, the sugar and creamer sets (3) and the salt and pepper shakers (5 sets) and the gravy boats.  

Yes, I am a dish collector now.


----------



## DaveNV (Aug 15, 2017)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I can relate to that.  My grandma's china, service for 12, went to me 30 years ago, when she died.  It was a service for 12, now I have collected many more pieces and could easily feed 36 with my china.  I have all of the serving pieces, too.  My china cabinet is absolutely stuffed with her dishes and the additional ebay and Craig's List finds.  I am hopeless.  My daughter is always telling me how nuts that is.  When I die, those dishes will be given to the Goodwill, and no one will have a clue how valuable they are, especially all of the covered and uncovered vegetable dishes, the sugar and creamer sets (3) and the salt and pepper shakers (5 sets) and the gravy boats.
> 
> Yes, I am a dish collector now.




When my Mother died in 1996, most of her crystal was sold, but her fine china went to my sister's house.  She and I have traded the several boxes of it back and forth numerous times since then, with comments of "Your turn to hang on to it." and "You store it for awhile.  It's in the way!" I think we've used it maybe one time in more than 20 years. We just don't entertain like Mom did.  All her fine dishware, linen tablecloths and napkins, and all the other holiday finery just doesn't suit anybody left alive.  We don't want to get rid of it, because it was our Mother's, but nobody really wants it either.  I feel strangely ungrateful, but what can I do?  Oh yeah - downsize. 

Dave


----------



## Passepartout (Aug 15, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> We don't want to get rid of it, because it was our Mother's, but nobody really wants it either.  I feel strangely ungrateful, but what can I do?  Oh yeah - downsize.


We have faced this dilemma too. I had my crystal (manly stuff), 130 y.o. English china. Paula had gold flatware, bone china cups, pre-war Japanese china. The kids don't want it, and if you see it in a china shop or at an estate sale, it goes for pennies. So we've made the command decision. USE IT! There is none of it that's too good to use. And the value is NEVER coming back. The big houses with dining rooms meant for big family holiday meals and entertaining are simply relics from a bygone era. So get out the china and crystal. A craft beer tastes just fine from a crystal stem.  Mac & cheese tastes just as good on fine china as on Corelle.

Jim


----------



## klpca (Aug 16, 2017)

Passepartout said:


> We have faced this dilemma too. I had my crystal (manly stuff), 130 y.o. English china. Paula had gold flatware, bone china cups, pre-war Japanese china. The kids don't want it, and if you see it in a china shop or at an estate sale, it goes for pennies. So we've made the command decision. USE IT! There is none of it that's too good to use. And the value is NEVER coming back. The big houses with dining rooms meant for big family holiday meals and entertaining are simply relics from a bygone era. So get out the china and crystal. A craft beer tastes just fine from a crystal stem.  Mac & cheese tastes just as good on fine china as on Corelle.
> 
> Jim



Exactly. We don't use it every day, but birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines Day...there are many opportunities. The value is in the memories.

Funny story - I checked out Replacements.com The biggest surprise? The Christopher Radko Christmas dishes that I bought on clearance after Christmas about 15 years ago from Target. I probably paid less than $50 for everything. Now each plate sells for $20 on their site. I am pretty sure that my girls won't care about my china but I'll bet they fight over the Christmas dishes. Memories.


----------



## Luanne (Aug 16, 2017)

I think I may have already mentioned this.  I got my mom's china.  It's probably worth quite a bit since it's all stamped "Made in occupied Japan".  But, I don't like it.  I never have.  I wouldn't use it.  So my older daughter now has it, as she wanted it.


----------



## pittle (Aug 16, 2017)

This has been interesting to follow. We also downsized and resized, but not in the same area. We are not extremely attached to stuff.  Neither of us are really sentimental and everything we have can be replaced so that makes it easier.

We took early retirement – husband in 1999 and me in 2002.  When I retired, we sold our 3600 sf house that was on 5 acres just outside of Topeka, KS and moved into our 1500 sf condo at Lake of the Ozarks. We got rid of tons of stuff because we owned furniture, etc at both places.  Our kids were just out of college and one just getting married, so they happily took furniture, appliances, pots, and pans, dishes and linens. I sold or gave away much of what they did not want. We only kept DH tools and a few things that were very special to us because we wanted to buy new furniture for the condo living room and office furniture that we were going to put in one of the bedrooms to use as an office. We had a new MBR set to take to the condo and kept one for the guest room.  Five years later, someone offered to by our condo, boat, lift, and storage garage for a really good price. We took it and moved to Goodyear, AZ.  One of our sons lived in Phoenix and wanted us to try it. We rented a 2700 sf house for the first year to see if we liked the area and did. In 2008, we bought a 3800 sf foreclosure house for a house in a cul-de-sac with a ½ acre lot at ½ of the original 2006 price.  Once we bought a home, our other son decided to move from KC and now lives 3 blocks from us.

We have purchased more furniture, but I am not a collector of knick-knacks and have always been of the mindset that if I did not use something in the past 6 months, I sell it or give it away.  (Exception – Seasonal items like Christmas ornaments & Lennox Christmas dishes get a 12 month time span.) The larger home has worked well for us as I host a Women’s Bible Study twice a week with 20-25 gals at each one. That ½ acre graveled back yard makes a great parking lot.

All said, we have recently discussed that in 5 more years when we turn 77 & 75, we will sell our home and rent one in the neighborhood.  Our investments have provided great income and we hope that continues, but the equity we have in our home would pay for housing for many years and we would have cash in the bank. The advantage to renting is that someone else would be responsible for repairs and upkeep of the home.


----------



## rapmarks (Aug 18, 2017)

After reading pittle's post, I have to mention a pet peeve.   We are in our seventies, we don't want more things.  We have a friend that wants to exchange birthday and Christmas presents.  My birthday is dec 23.   I get Christmas items from them on the 23rd and then on the evening of the 25 th.  Not edible, but Christmas knick knacks.   I am probably being re gifted, but I don't want these things.    We all eat out together frequently, restaurant gift card, golf balls, anything but another Christmas decoration in a small home with no basement or attic storage.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## clifffaith (Aug 18, 2017)

My parents' wedding anniversary is Dec. 26, Dad's birthday is Dec. 27, I was born Dec. 30. Thirty years ago I moved my birth celebration to June 30 on my half birthday, and 12/30 feels just like any other day. In fact I got to 5PM one December 30th and never realized it was my real birthday until I had to date a check I was writing.


----------



## Blues (Aug 22, 2017)

*Goodwill is overrun with stuff millennials and Gen Xers refuse to take from their parents*

"No one wants the family china."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/goodwill-overrun-stuff-millennials-gen-151400853.html


----------



## clifffaith (Aug 22, 2017)

I look around at all the stuff I have and despair at both psycologically unloading enough of it to move into a smaller home and being able to find someone to take it off my hands.  We are in Big Bear for a few days and one of the things I love to do, when I don't have 10 other chores to attend to, is wander through the Dollar Tree. Made a determined effort to not bring anything "permanent" home, got some seasonal napkins and gift wrap; also happened upon some garage sale stickers with from 25 cents to $20 already printed. I am very organized, it takes me days to prepare for a sale, and I need to have  things pre-marked otherwise it is easy to be overwhelmed by garage sale shoppers. I have lots of stuff already waiting for me to get sold, and I need all that stuff out of the basement before I start actually clearing the house. Completely unrelated to downsizing, I have already been on eBay for five years selling off collectibles I'm tired of trying to keep cats off of, and stuff I inherited from my grandmother. Sterling silver souvenir spoons that she collected need to be listed multiple times with continuing price drops to gain any interest at all.


----------



## DaveNV (Aug 22, 2017)

clifffaith said:


> I look around at all the stuff I have and despair at both psycologically unloading enough of it to move into a smaller home and being able to find someone to take it off my hands.  We are in Big Bear for a few days and one of the things I love to do, when I don't have 10 other chores to attend to, is wander through the Dollar Tree. Made a determined effort to not bring anything "permanent" home, got some seasonal napkins and gift wrap; also happened upon some garage sale stickers with from 25 cents to $20 already printed. I am very organized, it takes me days to prepare for a sale, and I need to have  things pre-marked otherwise it is easy to be overwhelmed by garage sale shoppers. I have lots of stuff already waiting for me to get sold, and I need all that stuff out of the basement before I start actually clearing the house. Completely unrelated to downsizing, I have already been on eBay for five years selling off collectibles I'm tired of trying to keep cats off of, and stuff I inherited from my grandmother. Sterling silver souvenir spoons that she collected need to be listed multiple times with continuing price drops to gain any interest at all.



I'm tired just reading what you have to deal with.  I think Passpartout Jim said it earlier - something about "using a match." 

My Mom had many dozens of souvenir collector spoons I bought her over the years. I brought her spoons from all over the world.  She loved them, and traveled vicariously through me.  When she died, they all kind of disappeared.  I hope whoever took them is enjoying them as much as Mom did.

Dave


----------



## VacationForever (Aug 22, 2017)

We did not sell off anything when we moved, it was just too much of a hassle.  We called the city junk collection truck and put out items that we knew that no one would want.  The great stuff - lightly used/like new furniture, Christmas decor, tools, carpet cleaner, Dolphin pool cleaner, artwork, wall decor, fancy mirrors were all left behind for the new owner.  We told our agent to let them know that they can sell or junk whatever they did not want.  We left at least $50K of tangible value decor/furniture stuff behind.  It helped sell our house, I am sure.  The buyer was thrilled and wanted in writing that the house was sold as-is, because of the furnishings but the house was still very new/clean I guess they did not worry about issues.  Usually it is the seller who sells as-is because seller does not want to fix issues with the house.


----------



## DebBrown (Aug 22, 2017)

I never thought we would do this but we bought a vacation home this year and I love being there.  It is small and life is simple.  I don't miss all the "stuff" in our "real" house.  So it is likely that our vacation home will become a retirement home in a few years.  We would probably need a small house in our hometown to be near our children but maybe not.


----------



## klpca (Aug 23, 2017)

It's not just us. It's everyone  

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/18/...s-of-stuff-and-children-who-dont-want-it.html


----------



## FLDVCFamily (Aug 23, 2017)

clifffaith said:


> I look around at all the stuff I have and despair at both psycologically unloading enough of it to move into a smaller home and being able to find someone to take it off my hands.  We are in Big Bear for a few days and one of the things I love to do, when I don't have 10 other chores to attend to, is wander through the Dollar Tree. Made a determined effort to not bring anything "permanent" home, got some seasonal napkins and gift wrap; also happened upon some garage sale stickers with from 25 cents to $20 already printed. I am very organized, it takes me days to prepare for a sale, and I need to have  things pre-marked otherwise it is easy to be overwhelmed by garage sale shoppers. I have lots of stuff already waiting for me to get sold, and I need all that stuff out of the basement before I start actually clearing the house. *Completely unrelated to downsizing, I have already been on eBay for five years selling off collectibles I'm tired of trying to keep cats off of, and stuff I inherited from my grandmother. Sterling silver souvenir spoons that she collected need to be listed multiple times with continuing price drops to gain any interest at all.*



There is a little church thrift store that I stop into on the way to pick the kids up periodically. They have had this very large set of those sterling souvenir spoons for months. I don't know if they've sold a single one (doesn't look like it). I have a feeling they are destined for the dumpster eventually.


----------



## FLDVCFamily (Oct 15, 2017)

Well, one of my best friends and I went to her Father-In-Law's (pristine, beautifully kept) home last week as he had moved into assisted living and is eager to clean out the house and put it up for sale. I sell on Ebay so he thought maybe I could spot items that were worth selling. He has the most gorgeous house full of midcentury-modern, Danish teak furniture in mint condition. So far, I basically can't give it away on Craigslist despite trying. Of course, there is the requisite decor to go with it, also the cabinet full of fine china. All this stuff cost a pretty penny no doubt, and it was incredibly well cared-for. Literally nobody wants it. I think in the right hipster part of the country, this stuff would probably do well. Unfortunately, in coastal FL it's a dime a dozen apparently. The estate sale people he contacted told him he would have to pay them $1000 up-front and then they'd have the sale. I'm not even sure he would net enough to pay the $1000 fee. It's actually really depressing to me and it's not even my stuff. It will probably end up donated to the thrift store if we can even get them to come pick it up.


----------



## klpca (Oct 15, 2017)

FLDVCFamily said:


> Well, one of my best friends and I went to her Father-In-Law's (pristine, beautifully kept) home last week as he had moved into assisted living and is eager to clean out the house and put it up for sale. I sell on Ebay so he thought maybe I could spot items that were worth selling. He has the most gorgeous house full of midcentury-modern, Danish teak furniture in mint condition. So far, I basically can't give it away on Craigslist despite trying. Of course, there is the requisite decor to go with it, also the cabinet full of fine china. All this stuff cost a pretty penny no doubt, and it was incredibly well cared-for. Literally nobody wants it. I think in the right hipster part of the country, this stuff would probably do well. Unfortunately, in coastal FL it's a dime a dozen apparently. The estate sale people he contacted told him he would have to pay them $1000 up-front and then they'd have the sale. I'm not even sure he would net enough to pay the $1000 fee. It's actually really depressing to me and it's not even my stuff. It will probably end up donated to the thrift store if we can even get them to come pick it up.


Mid century modern (mcm out here, lol) would sell fast. Funny how areas differ.


----------



## FLDVCFamily (Oct 15, 2017)

klpca said:


> Mid century modern (mcm out here, lol) would sell fast. Funny how areas differ.



Yep, and here it ends up on the curb getting rained on (I'm not even kidding...I rescued a MCM desk on the curb from an impending downpour). Nobody here wants it...it's not "beachy" enough for where we live.


----------



## SueDonJ (Oct 15, 2017)

We're in the process, too.  After buying a few years ago what will eventually be our retirement home on Hilton Head Island, and Don spending a couple years working in India, we're convinced that our home here in Massachusetts is a total waste for me and Don now.  Both kids got married in 2013 and are starting their own families and Don still spends a couple months every year on work travel, so I find myself roaming around this big house and resenting the time it takes for me to keep it looking the way it looks best.  It's been a wonderful home for extended family to enjoy over the years, too, but the days of all of us getting together frequently are, sadly, behind us all.  This house needs a new family to make wonderful memories in it!

We put it on the market and got offers immediately so we're under contract now, looking at a closing in mid-November.  The moving boxes are coming in this week and a dumpster next week, but our kids are coming in to take what they want before we start the process.  Then when they're done we'll let the rest of the family have dibs before we donate whatever else we don't want to Habitat for Humanity.  Honestly, it's not the process that's worrying me right now but rather that our kids may come in and decide that the "trappings" that formed their holiday/family memories aren't important enough to take.  I understand - they don't want to be burdened by all of it any more than we do - but still I know I'll be disappointed if they go home with only a few things.  (And I have to work on that so they don't feel a responsibility to take what they don't want.)

The last day here will be very sad, very difficult, despite knowing that we're downsizing here in Massachusetts to a 2BR condo that's closer to our kids.  But no matter how sad it turns out to be leaving wonderful neighbors and this house that's been home for 21 years, we are VERY excited about turning the condo into something that gives us easy, comfortable living.

Best of luck to everyone going through the process - and hopefully your list-making skills are a little better than mine.  Some days it's exhausting just thinking about all that needs to be done!


----------



## ronandjoan (Oct 15, 2017)

here's some good advice from Marie Kondo's book..it has helped us through our second time  of downsizing.. ongoing now.  We downsized once when we sold the Ohio 2000 sq ft 1890-old Victorian house , which I loved, and Timesharing full time, being absolutely "homeless" for 7 years. 


Here is the link with great ideas for decluttering and downsizing 

https://www.onekingslane.com/live-love-home/marie-kondo-book-declutter/

Joan 
Timesharing full time BLOG 


http://ronandjoanjourney.blogspot.com


----------



## vacationhopeful (Oct 15, 2017)

I have Tyler ... he will throw everything out that you do no have on your person (wearing or holding). He believes if you are 1 person .. you need only 1 plate, bowl, glass, pot, spoon and 1 chair etc. 

The only good thing about Tyler is, he goes home at 3PM. But you do get downsized effectively ... I am still looking for my Lenox china .. both the xmas set and the formal dinner set. it has to be SOMEWHERES ... maybe in my warehouse. 

I do know where my tax records are.


----------



## VacationForever (Oct 15, 2017)

We downsized to our 3BR/3.5BA condo, 2835 sq ft and it is so small compared to our old place, which means we have no room for even half the stuff we brought over.  We swear that we won't buy anymore stuff for the house and we will never moved again.  We also left behind all Christmas stuff, which was quite sad for me, but we also know that we prefer never to put up a Christmas tree again as taking it down after Christmas is more work than putting it up.


----------



## jackio (Oct 15, 2017)

SueDonJ said:


> Honestly, it's not the process that's worrying me right now but rather that our kids may come in and decide that the "trappings" that formed their holiday/family memories aren't important enough to take.  I understand - they don't want to be burdened by all of it any more than we do - but still I know I'll be disappointed if they go home with only a few things.  (And I have to work on that so they don't feel a responsibility to take what they don't want.)
> 
> 
> Best of luck to everyone going through the process - and hopefully your list-making skills are a little better than mine.  Some days it's exhausting just thinking about all that needs to be done!



This is exactly what we are going through. The stuff that I bought through the years to make our children's holidays memorable - they want NONE of it. Even my pack rat daughter who made my life miserable with her hoarding tendencies when she lived at home wants nothing. A local scout group was doing a thrift store fundraiser. They were paid by the pound. I called them and gave them several boxes. A lot of stuff went to the town dump. There is still a lot left. We are downsizing to a 2 BR and we have accumulated a lot of stuff in our 31 years here.


----------



## T-Dot-Traveller (Oct 15, 2017)

jackio said:


> This is exactly what we are going through. The stuff that I bought through the years to make our children's holidays memorable - they want NONE of it. Even my pack rat daughter who made my life miserable with her hoarding tendencies when she lived at home wants nothing. A local scout group was doing a thrift store fundraiser. They were paid by the pound. I called them and gave them several boxes. A lot of stuff went to the town dump. There is still a lot left. We are downsizing to a 2 BR and we have accumulated a lot of stuff in our 31 years here.



Take pictures with an I- pad and also "store" them in a cloud somewhere ( in case you lose the I-pad )
Hoarding  pictures ( electronically ) takes up a lot less space


----------



## klpca (Oct 15, 2017)

SueDonJ said:


> We're in the process, too.  After buying a few years ago what will eventually be our retirement home on Hilton Head Island, and Don spending a couple years working in India, we're convinced that our home here in Massachusetts is a total waste for me and Don now.  Both kids got married in 2013 and are starting their own families and Don still spends a couple months every year on work travel, so I find myself roaming around this big house and resenting the time it takes for me to keep it looking the way it looks best.  It's been a wonderful home for extended family to enjoy over the years, too, but the days of all of us getting together frequently are, sadly, behind us all.  This house needs a new family to make wonderful memories in it!
> 
> We put it on the market and got offers immediately so we're under contract now, looking at a closing in mid-November.  The moving boxes are coming in this week and a dumpster next week, but our kids are coming in to take what they want before we start the process.  Then when they're done we'll let the rest of the family have dibs before we donate whatever else we don't want to Habitat for Humanity.  Honestly, it's not the process that's worrying me right now but rather that our kids may come in and decide that the "trappings" that formed their holiday/family memories aren't important enough to take.  I understand - they don't want to be burdened by all of it any more than we do - but still I know I'll be disappointed if they go home with only a few things.  (And I have to work on that so they don't feel a responsibility to take what they don't want.)
> 
> ...


I admire you Sue. We know that we need to cut the big house loose, but I can't do it yet. So, condo first, then to HHI for retirement? That's an interesting plan. Good luck on the moves!


----------



## klpca (Oct 15, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> We downsized to our 3BR/3.5BA condo, 2835 sq ft and it is so small compared to our old place, which means we have no room for even half the stuff we brought over.  We swear that we won't buy anymore stuff for the house and we will never moved again.  We also left behind all Christmas stuff, which was quite sad for me, but we also know that we prefer never to put up a Christmas tree again as taking it down after Christmas is more work than putting it up.


Funny - the Christmas stuff is the only thing that the family is supposed to grab in case of a fire (we live on the edge of a canyon preserve and fire season is always a worry). My friend who lost her home in the 2007 fire said that those were the only things that she truly missed. 

I spend three weeks decorating for Christmas. I'm hosting three parties this year to make it worth my while


----------



## silentg (Oct 15, 2017)

Our daughter and son in law want to buy our house. My husband doesn’t want to sell it to them because  our son does not have a house. He is single and lives in South Florida.  I told him that his room would be there for him when he visits and his sister says the same. We are going to purge some stuff this winter and travel a bit around Florida in our timeshares. I may bring up the idea of selling to our daughter again after we do some cleaning out stuff we don’t need. DD and SIL have a house that they like, but she likes our house more. Time will tell. If we keep it in the family it won’t be hard to leave. 
Silentg


----------



## VacationForever (Oct 15, 2017)

silentg said:


> Our daughter and son in law want to buy our house. My husband doesn’t want to sell it to them because  our son does not have a house. He is single and lives in South Florida.  I told him that his room would be there for him when he visits and his sister says the same. We are going to purge some stuff this winter and travel a bit around Florida in our timeshares. I may bring up the idea of selling to our daughter again after we do some cleaning out stuff we don’t need. DD and SIL have a house that they like, but she likes our house more. Time will tell. If we keep it in the family it won’t be hard to leave.
> Silentg


It was hard for my son when I decided to sell the home.  It was way too large for him but he really did not want to move.  He finally found a small house to buy and we assisted him through the process.


----------



## silentg (Oct 15, 2017)

Our son moved 12 years ago, has no plans to move back to our house, but he still visits.


----------



## Egret1986 (Oct 15, 2017)

T-Dot-Traveller said:


> Take pictures with an I- pad and also "store" them in a cloud somewhere ( in case you lose the I-pad )
> Hoarding  pictures ( electronically ) takes up a lot less space



OK, so I have the dilemma now of liquidating my Mom's house and all her possessions.  Like many, I have my own stuff and don't need her stuff.  My son went through her house and what he took fit in his back seat and trunk of his car.

The pictures.....the boxes and albums of pictures!  I asked someone about them who said, "oh, you can't get rid of pictures."

I have my own large tub of pictures and tons of photo albums.

OK, so you take the time to scan pictures and store them, then what?  What do you do with the actual pictures? A landfill?

Gosh, my Mom told me to do an estate sale.  But I really don't think there's enough stuff to make that a worthwhile endeavor now.  It's kind of depressing.  A lifetime of amassing stuff, only to find no one wants or needs your stuff.

Then I see all these people that have lost everything to the hurricanes and fires....


----------



## Talent312 (Oct 15, 2017)

A couple of months ago, our next-door neighbor died.
Last month, her family conducted 3 weekly estate sales.
There was a lot of traffic, but not much was carted away.
It seems they actually thought the used stuff had value. 
Last week, a Goodwill truck showed up and took a lot.

I told our kids that:
If I survive DW, I intend to pare down to a small condo.
If she survives me, they'll have to deal with the house.
_... and good luck with that._

.


----------



## DaveNV (Oct 15, 2017)

Egret1986 said:


> OK, so I have the dilemma now of liquidating my Mom's house and all her possessions.  Like many, I have my own stuff and don't need her stuff.  My son went through her house and what he took fit in his back seat and trunk of his car.
> 
> The pictures.....the boxes and albums of pictures!  I asked someone about them who said, "oh, you can't get rid of pictures."
> 
> ...




My Mom's pictures are the majority of what remains, and she's been gone since 1996.  She had a huge steamer trunk her brother had made for her in wood shop class that is FILLED, CRAMMED, STUFFED full of pictures and memorabilia, and several shoeboxes full of just negatives - both from her, but also from her father, my granddad. My poor sister is doing her best to sort the pictures into piles, and she's going to just send manila envelopes of images to various family members.  The negatives we're going to give to a cousin, who thinks he may know most of the people in them.  He will scan them for distribution to the family. All I know is I don't want them back.  I already have all the photo albums of the family I want. 

And to complicate the issue, my spouse has a degree in commercial photography.  Our home is full of photography equipment.  I built a network attached storage (NAS) for our home computer network just to store those digital images - and at latest count, the total is approaching 100,000 images.  I cannot image how deep the piles would be if those images were on paper.  Eek!! 

Dave


----------



## MuranoJo (Oct 16, 2017)

This thread seems to be a theme that resonates through the ages, and we're right there with you--facing the same downsizing issues.
Although I fully expect we'll just stay in our current house, my concern is getting rid of possessions/clutter now vs. later.
I haven't quite convinced DH to start getting rid of his various collections.  (i.e, He likes to keep every book he's read, and he's read a lot.) We've had the talks about who's seriously going to want this 'stuff' when we're gone, why even burden someone to come in and clean it up, why even keep it, etc.

Sentimental feelings are strong to overcome, that's for sure!


----------



## isisdave (Oct 16, 2017)

I realized that although we have or have had boxes of pictures and thousands online, and we continue to add to them in our travels, neither I or DW ever look at them. There are just a few on the wall. Son (25) has no interest, at least as yet.

At the end of my first marriage, I ended up with exactly zero family pictures. Although I resented that and missed them for about two years, after that it didn't seem to matter.

Maybe I'm an unsentimental coot, but perhaps we don't really put as much importance on these things as we think we're going to.


----------



## FLDVCFamily (Oct 16, 2017)

isisdave said:


> I realized that although we have or have had boxes of pictures and thousands online, and we continue to add to them in our travels, neither I or DW ever look at them. There are just a few on the wall. Son (25) has no interest, at least as yet.
> 
> At the end of my first marriage, I ended up with exactly zero family pictures. Although I resented that and missed them for about two years, after that it didn't seem to matter.
> 
> Maybe I'm an unsentimental coot, but perhaps we don't really put as much importance on these things as we think we're going to.



It depends on the person and the volume of photos I think. While I didn't have a ton of interest in the boxes upon boxes of photos that were left in my grandmother's house, I do look at my own childhood pictures from time to time. If there are more of those somewhere in my parents' house, I'd want them. We definitely look at our pictures that we've uploaded to Shutterfly (mainly of trips we've taken). 

Photos are definitely a big issue. My friend and I found a cabinet of insanely well-organized slides and negatives in her father-in-law's house. I told her we needed to get rid of them before any estate sale as vintage Kodacolor slides actually sell quite well on Ebay and people would be purchasing those for resale. She agreed that she didn't want that to happen.


----------



## WinniWoman (Oct 16, 2017)

VacationForever said:


> We downsized to our 3BR/3.5BA condo, 2835 sq ft and it is so small compared to our old place, which means we have no room for even half the stuff we brought over.  We swear that we won't buy anymore stuff for the house and we will never moved again.  We also left behind all Christmas stuff, which was quite sad for me, but we also know that we prefer never to put up a Christmas tree again as taking it down after Christmas is more work than putting it up.


 

We haven't decorated for any holiday, including XMAS- in many years. This is mainly due to the fact that our only child- our son lives in another state and we end up going there and staying in a timeshare resort for the XMAS holiday (he lives in a studio).

Very freeing, but also we feel a bit left out of things. I actually can't wait to leave our home- which we do love- to start our new lives as retirees. But will be a while yet.


----------



## pittle (Oct 16, 2017)

klpca said:


> Funny - the Christmas stuff is the only thing that the family is supposed to grab in case of a fire (we live on the edge of a canyon preserve and fire season is always a worry). My friend who lost her home in the 2007 fire said that those were the only things that she truly missed.
> 
> I spend three weeks decorating for Christmas. I'm hosting three parties this year to make it worth my while



Yep - Christmas ornaments would go with us in an emergency!  (Disclosure, I managed a Hallmark Employee Card Shop for nearly 30 years - so all my ornaments are Hallmark. ) We even have an an online inventory with photos for insurance purposes.  I think my grandson or niece would snag most of those when I no longer need them!  I do 4 large trees and 6 smaller ones each year.  we have several Christmas events each year too.


----------



## Sugarcubesea (Oct 16, 2017)

bbodb1 said:


> But she is in Arizona.....some parts of that state look mighty appealing....Flagstaff for example.


She does love living there as she hates winter almost as much as I do...


----------



## easyrider (Oct 16, 2017)

Downsizing will likely never happen with us and I'm fine with this. My wife and I picked the lot we live on about 40 years ago while we were living together. It is a view property. It was sold in the late 70's before we could even make an offer.

In the 80's we saw the for sale sign on it again and again it was sold before we could make an offer. In 1990 it had a for sale sign on it again and again the realtor had offers but I called the owner of the property and met them. Because of the owners religious beliefs, so they said, they couldn't sell the property at a profit and were not allowed to accept interest. When they asked us how much cash we had, which wasn't very much, they said that was exactly how much they needed for this property and we ended buying our perfect home site. I think they liked us and wanted us to have this property.

We decided on a home plan plan that is a two story with daylight basement. It was a tough house to build but my brother in law and some friends helped me build this place and we were done in 5 months. The deck facing the view is huge. Hardly any lawn as most of the property is on a landscaped hill. Because we are on a hill I have a shooting range right out the back door and no one will be able to build behind me as the hill starts to get steep.

The problems I see are mostly winter related. Keeping snow off the driveways can really be a job. I have a plow for the snow but the ice is a different problem. I re-stained the deck this year and that took all summer into fall because of the prep work and it has to be stained top and bottom.

If we ever do downsize we would stay in this city because our family and friends are here.

As far as stuff goes, I finally gave away my 10 speed that I bought to do my paper route in the early 70's. It was my first major purchase. I cleaned out three truck loads of items that we do not use. Much of our stuff we get rid, like furniture and appliances, goes to help the kids and grand kids. Some of this stuff was my inlaws stuff that I don't know what to do with. After reading posts on this thread I think we will take out their expensive silver ware and wear it out. Its pretty nice but it just sits in a box. I don't have a clue as to what to do with the inlaws pictures. They take up about 25 cu ft. of space and no one really wants them but no one wants them gone.

Bill


----------



## vacationhopeful (Oct 16, 2017)

My most valued photos are from a concert in Madison Square Gardens in the late 1980s. I had a 3rd row center stage front seat .. for making a 5+ hour round trip run up to Manhatten several weeks earlier for my scalper. He promised me 1 really GOOD seat and 1 seat up in the rafters but dead in front of the stage.

I brought 1000 speed film, a "no flash" camera with zoom and several throw away cameras (again no flash). I had been to 3 or more concerts on that tour ... knew the flow of the songs and staging for the artist & band.

I enlarged 3 of the best photos to "poster size" ... I usually hang these 3 photos in a main room in my house. EVERYONE who sees these pictures likes them but real fans of the performer usually say, they have never seen these posters. I proudly tell them, I took these pictures. And when questioned further .. I just state "I have the negatives". And no, they can NOT take a picture of my pictures ... which about 80% of the persons viewing the posters try to do ... camera cell phones .


----------



## DaveNV (Oct 16, 2017)

vacationhopeful said:


> And no, they can NOT take a picture of my pictures ... which about 80% of the persons viewing the posters try to do ... camera cell phones .



Okay, Linda. You can't leave us hanging like that.  Who are the pictures of? 

Dave


----------



## vacationhopeful (Oct 16, 2017)

Dave .. yes, I can leave all hanging. I just hate having to always tell people NO. These are my personal pictures .. you can buy hundreds of photos of this artist, but ONLY I have these particular shots.


----------



## DaveNV (Oct 16, 2017)

vacationhopeful said:


> Dave .. yes, I can leave all hanging. I just hate having to always tell people NO. These are my personal pictures .. you can buy hundreds of photos of this artist, but ONLY I have these particular shots.



Fair enough.  I get that you like what you did, and it sounds really cool. I just wonder who it is that causes such excitement in your home. I promise, I won't ask if I can come over and take pictures of your pictures. 

Dave


----------



## MuranoJo (Oct 17, 2017)

DaveNW said:


> ...
> And to complicate the issue, my spouse has a degree in commercial photography.  Our home is full of photography equipment.  I built a network attached storage (NAS) for our home computer network just to store those digital images - and at latest count, the total is approaching 100,000 images.  I cannot image how deep the piles would be if those images were on paper.  Eek!!
> 
> Dave



On a lower scale (but seems HUGE to me), DH has puttered with photography through the ages and even sold some for a while.  Here in our office, we have two 4-drawer filing cabinets stuffed to the core with sleeves of 50,000-something slides.  (Just for the years before digital photography.)   At one time last year, he spent a month or two digitizing some of them, but he didn't get too far.  
To add to that, he came home from his Mom's this past summer with boxes & boxes of carousel slide trays with old family photos.
Eek! is Right!


----------



## clifffaith (Oct 17, 2017)

pittle said:


> Yep - Christmas ornaments would go with us in an emergency!  (Disclosure, I managed a Hallmark Employee Card Shop for nearly 30 years - so all my ornaments are Hallmark. ) We even have an an online inventory with photos for insurance purposes.  I think my grandson or niece would snag most of those when I no longer need them!  I do 4 large trees and 6 smaller ones each year.  we have several Christmas events each year too.



I'm impressed! I used to do three large and two mini, but really got burned out on take down. Everyone is willing to help decorate, but no one wants to put away. I'm down to one large tree, and have sold off about 300 Hallmark ornaments. 

Today we got the official acceptance into a retirement community with a wait list of about 3 years. I despair over getting the big house furnishings pared down to a two bedroom apartment. Have already informed Cliff that I don't care what it costs, apartment walls are going to have built in TV/book/display shelves for my winnowed down stuff. I'll get rid of a ton, be able to display lots, but I know I'll still have boxes and boxes for eBay once we get moved in and it really hits me how small two bedrooms are.


----------



## isisdave (Oct 17, 2017)

FLDVCFamily said:


> as vintage Kodacolor slides actually sell quite well on Ebay and people would be purchasing those for resale.



I sure can't guess what will be worth keeping.  I've thrown out a lot of old slides from the 70s, of stuff like the Grand Canyon. But I kept a Commodore 64 computer, new in the box, that's not worth as much as I paid for it, adjusted for inflation. At least I didn't buy Cabbage Patch Kids.


----------



## Glynda (Oct 17, 2017)

Two hurricanes in a year had me thinking about organization and what "things" would really be important for me keep safe or to take with us should we have to evacuate. I purchased several types of plastic storage boxes for these items. But then I decided I first needed to know what I have in order to know what is a priority to pack. I cleaned out a lot of cabinets, drawers and closets! Shred a lot of papers. The boxes? They sit empty. Oh well, it's was a start.


----------



## Talent312 (Oct 17, 2017)

Glynda said:


> [W]hat "things" would really be important for me keep safe or to take with us should we have to evacuate...



I'd start with my 60" TV, but since that won't fit in a box...
#1 - The laptops and their HD back-ups.
#2 - Passports (to "evacuate" to a non-extradition country)
#3 - A painting given to me when I was 5 (Coconut Grove bayfront). 

With those things (and my wallet), I'd be a happy camper.

.


----------



## clifffaith (Oct 17, 2017)

*Cliff found this article and forwarded it to me:

*

_'Swedish death cleaning' is the new decluttering trend

The first time I heard the term, I thought it meant some kind of hardcore Scandinavian house-cleaning routine (they take a lot of things seriously there), where you scour your home from top to bottom to the point of physical collapse, as in "working yourself to the bone." Well, I was wrong.

*In Swedish, the word is "dostadning" and it refers to the act of slowly and steadily decluttering as the years go by, ideally beginning in your fifties (or at any point in life) and going until the day you kick the bucket. The ultimate purpose of death cleaning is to minimize the amount of stuff, especially meaningless clutter, that you leave behind for others to deal with.*

A woman by the name of Margareta Magnusson, who says she's between 80 and 100, has written a book titled "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter." She says she has moved house 17 times over the course of her lifetime, which is why "I should know what I am talking about when it comes to deciding what to keep and what to throw away". Reviewer Hannah-Rose Yee, who practiced some Swedish death cleaning herself, describes it as being "like Marie Kondo, but with an added sense of the transience and futility of this mortal existence."
_


----------

