How/why/where did you decide to move if not job related?

[DaveNV]

Dave, have you confirmed with the local charities? Goodwills are now all open here in NC; after the first week or so of the #quarantimes, they did open one or two manned, contactless donation centers because of all of the folks that were doing home organizing. (Put stuff into the trunk/back; open it remotely; staff person pulls it out, leaves receipt if needed.) I would definitely call around and see if some might be taking donations in some form or fashion, even if their retail sites are not open to the public. Habitat ReStores were doing the same thing here, even when the stores weren't open to the public. Just FYI.

I haven't checked in the last week or so, but my local Goodwill was closed when I checked a few weeks ago. Same with other donation sites. I don't want to drive a long ways to another town just to give something away. I'll check tomorrow, though. Thanks!

Dave

 

[WinniWoman]

Thanks, Mary Ann. Your situation of selling your home, moving into your buyer's home as a rental, then finally moving into your new home when it was ready was what I've used as an example of "Yes, this can be done," but also "Jeez, what a hassle!" You had a final home to ultimately move into. I don't have that yet. Since we think we've found the location and development we'll like, the only way to know is to go there and try it out. This brand new rental home that has never been lived in is a perfect situation for us right now.

As I explained to another Tugger, the Tug timeshare purchase concept mantra of "rent first, and try before you buy" is absolutely coming into play here. Tuggers are helping even when they don't realize it.

Dave

Yes. Tuggers are wonderful and so supportive! If it wasn’t for their suggestions we probably would still be living in NY.

We were considering doing exactly what you are doing. Except- sell the house first, then rent where we thought we wanted to live, and buy later. It was just that this little house was a rare opportunity here for our price point and limited lots left so we jumped on it. Just like you jumped on that perfect rental house!

I take it as a sign that it was meant to be!

 

[DaveNV]

Yes. Tuggers are wonderful and so supportive! If it wasn’t for their suggestions we probably would still be living in NY.

We were considering doing exactly what you are doing. Except- sell the house first, then rent where we thought we wanted to live, and buy later. It was just that this little house was a rare opportunity here for our price point and limited lots left so we jumped on it. Just like you jumped on that perfect rental house!

I take it as a sign that it was meant to be!

Thanks! I learned a long time ago to listen to my gut. If this rental hadn't come along, I wouldn't be doing any of this. But "a bird in the hand" and all that, made the decision for me. That the rental is in the exact development we want to live in, and all the details fit our lives, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. And if the national economy goes into the tank, as some people are saying, I think it's better to sell our current home now, while the resale market is high. It might be years until the value recovers.

Dave

 

[WinniWoman]

Since this appears to be a thread about future retirement places I'll chime in. (doggy bag parent's phrase !)
I'm in Virginia mainly because my last job and the family was here but that could change. Yes, we get humidity in the summer but I don't have to water my vegetable garden, mother nature does it for me.
If I had my choice I'd spend summers in New Hampshire and winters in Florida. I'm still working on that retirement game plan

So many people here do the same. NH in summer and Florida in winter.

 

[WinniWoman]

Thanks! I learned a long time ago to listen to my gut. If this rental hadn't come along, I wouldn't be doing any of this. But "a bird in the hand" and all that, made the decision for me. That the rental is in the exact development we want to live in, and all the details fit our lives, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. And if the national economy goes into the tank, as some people are saying, I think it's better to sell our current home now, while the resale market is high. It might be years until the value recovers.

Dave

Totally agree. If you recall the same day we signed for this house, our former house went on the market, and the day after that the couple that was to end up buying our home came to look at our house- the very first ones to look at it! And we ended up renting THEIR home (so they could get the mortgage on our house) until our new house was ready.

Talk about karma!

Here’s hoping your current house sells fast. Sounds like it will!

 

[DaveNV]

Here’s hoping your current house sells fast. Sounds like it will!

Stay tuned.

Dave

 

[geekette]

Wow, my head is spinning. Dave!! What a roll you are on!!!

Some Goodwills now pick up. Salvation Army in my area does, also AmVets and DAV. With AmVets, once you are on their list, they will call you whenever a truck will be in your neighborhood. I am really good about, oh yes, I will have something! then, find stuff to give away!!

Yeah, 8 million details. Compared to Mary Ann and Dave, I'm feeling like I'm strolling Easy Street, a much smaller stack of details. Details For One, immediate seating. Not very complicated. sell, pack, go.

I did not expect to wrestle with this. I think I didn't expect to want it, I thought I wanted my life Here. Or maybe "in a few years" make a change. But, doggone it, I not only want to build the new garden mounds (Hugelkultur), but shepherd them through the season. Be the one plucking out the mature herbs and getting them tied, upside down, and drying.

I also have a trustable gut. It takes a while for it to churn to a decision, but then that decision is solid. I feel like the churning is still happening or nearly end of cycle, based on the angst and sleeplessness it's handing me ...

I don't have a lot of stuff any more, I could be packed up pretty quickly. I know where I'm going, the exact coordinates, if not the structure (looks like a cabin kit would be a great starter for me). Not sweating sale of this place. there isn't much inventory in this old neighborhood, homes sell fast. My new next door neighbor asked for first crack at the place, if I was ever going to sell (our lots used to be one). I just didn't expect to offer it Soon.

I would save a pile of money living there, and could make some money growing stuff, making stuff, selling stuff, but not so much pressure on it with near evaporation of monthly expenses and sufficient savings to roll with things until some new cash shows up. I could enjoy hobbies I never tried before, with no real responsibility for grounds maintenance, although I would be very involved in its beautification and would of course help with stuff. Especially growing food and cooking food. On a beautiful day like today, I could have lazed in a hammock with a book, while a hired camp assistant mowed or whatever. That was of course not how my day went.... hot, sweaty, productive, zero Yard Guys, yet, difficult to see that anything happened. There is a lot of pure freedom to this opportunity. There is a chance to feel Caught Up every day just with massive decrease in chores.

Here, I will never ever be caught up, and maybe I can't take the guilt or feelings of being overwhelmed any more. It feels like I know what to do, and should get on it and get gone by Spring. Start my new chapter and do it now.

Living in a cabin in the mountains was one of my dreams. It had been Asheville, long before everyone else found it ; ) Then it was "somewhere between Knoxville and Asheville".... It was so long ago that I seem to have forgotten! Hit me last night, like, BLAM, you dummy, don't you remember??

I remember staying in various campgrounds across the US, thinking, it would be fun to own something like this! And here I am, someone else taking the big responsibility, the big risks. I had thought about Carolinas, were I to leave here for retirement, so that is a perfect fit. Just a few hours from some relatives I have seen a handful of times since I was about 8.

I didn't sleep well last night. Like a decision I don't have to make is weighing on me, and part of me has settled the matter and is actively trying to convince the other parts.

I don't feel comfortable talking to people in my real life about this yet. It's a lot easier to handle opinions from "people I know on the internet". I have several friends that would be completely supportive, even if they would never do it, don't get it.... they know me well enough to understand my offbeatness, and they know I liked the camp a lot, and there is a good chance they will visit. Repeatedly. My family, however, would crap all over it. I have never fit the molds they keep trying to shove me in. I'd rather tell them after I have taken certain action to do it. Or, heh, maybe after I get there... here's my new address... lol....

 

[DaveNV]

Yeah, 8 million details. Compared to Mary Ann and Dave, I'm feeling like I'm strolling Easy Street, a much smaller stack of details. Details For One, immediate seating. Not very complicated. sell, pack, go.

I did not expect to wrestle with this. I think I didn't expect to want it, I thought I wanted my life Here. Or maybe "in a few years" make a change. But, doggone it, I not only want to build the new garden mounds (Hugelkultur), but shepherd them through the season. Be the one plucking out the mature herbs and getting them tied, upside down, and drying.

I also have a trustable gut. It takes a while for it to churn to a decision, but then that decision is solid. I feel like the churning is still happening or nearly end of cycle, based on the angst and sleeplessness it's handing me ...
l never ever be caught up, and maybe I can't take the guilt or feelings of being overwhelmed any more. It feels like I know what to do, and should get on it and get gone by Spring. Start my new chapter and do it now.

So what's keeping you from following that dream? It sure sounds to me like you know what you want. Do you need permission to do it? Ok, I give you permission to pursue the happiness you're seeking.

What helped me to make this leap of life are two things my parents told me when I was growing up. Both sets of parents and step-parents are long gone, but I hear their voices in my head all the time.

One thing my Mom always told me was, "You can do anything you want to do, and you can be anything you want to be. The only thing holding you back are the restrictions you place on yourself." (She was a smart, storied, street-wise woman. I listened to her well.)

My father always said, "Too many people spend too much of their time talking about all the things they'd really LIKE to do, and not enough people actually do them." (He was also a very smart man, self-educated in many ways, but he did things his way till the day he died.)

Those two things are how I live my life to this day. Why NOT go? What are you waiting for? What's the absolute worst that could happen? It doesn't work out? Ok, so then you're in a position to do something else. What's the best that could happen? It could be better than you dreamed it would be. But if you DON'T do it, you'll always wonder about what it would have been like. Life is too short to live with regret.

Go for it.

Dave

 

[geekette]

Well, the short answer is, they stopped being dreams. Life happened, other dreams showed up, had to consider spouse, career, etc. If I thought I would resume the career, I'd stay here, where I'm known. For semi-retirement piddly jobs, anywhere is fine. The idea would be to not Need a job.

The longer answer is princessy - I have for all of my life enjoyed indoor running water and ready electricity. I enjoy camping, the solar shower is great, nearby church has agreed to let her use their outdoor faucet, composting toilets are amazingly nongross, nonsmell, but ... I have to think hard on giving up some conveniences. Like no more Costco within 10 minutes!! Who can live like that??

Perhaps I should look at it as a good thing that the well is not yet drilled - I'll want to run it to my cabin that I won't buy for months after landing there. Adding solar panels shouldn't be pricey and she's already done the learning, so I'm not too concerned about electricity. Heck, I'd like to add a windmill and water wheel, so maybe we'll be in a position to sell power to the elec company... (I should probably quit watching Homestead Rescue, I keep getting more and more ideas....)

Mostly it's a matter of digging out of here, and completing whatever needs be done Here. 20 years in this place. I have never done a massive life changing move like this, it's daunting. I will need to do a climate controlled storage unit for a while. Hate to, but, protecting electronics is important to me. Just extra motivation to make the bank to build what else I need to feel like "home".

Can I be ok in a little cabin? Maybe forever?? Not like I can't change my mind later and move anywhere I want, IF I manage to keep most of my money and add to it while I'm there. I could add on to the cabin, I could make a bigger one, Everything Is Possible.

I will be heading down for a visit in a week or two. I originally told her I wasn't a relo possibility but now, gotta talk turkey.

I also hear my dad's voice in my head, and treasure it. What I most often hear is "you aren't going to learn this any younger..." that has been so helpful with things that seem daunting. I added to it, something like "if all these other idiots can figure it out, so can I!" seems to break out the competitive spirit, plus the desire to conquer whatever that seemingly difficult thing is. I've always believed that I can do or be anyone I want, so that's not a problem. I think it is more of Being Sure I'm done with living here. I try to live in such a way as to not pile up regrets. I would hate to walk away from this wacky place and wish I hadn't.

 

[bbodb1]

Okay, I had to stop and laugh at this!

...The longer answer is princessy - I have for all of my life enjoyed indoor running water and ready electricity....

Thanks for starting my week with a good laugh, @geekette!

 

[geekette]

Okay, I had to stop and laugh at this!


Thanks for starting my week with a good laugh, @geekette!

My ex-husband grew up very poor - no indoor plumbing. Imagine northern winters, head outside for middle of the night pee.... I probably would have kept a bucket in my room...

On my wilderness visits, it hasn't been cold, and moonlight lights the path to the outdoor full bathroom.

I had a migraine while there, too. It's convenient to just leave the yurt and puke anywhere....

It is likely that I will want my cabin to have an actual full bathroom and kitchen. But, the first one can just be walls and floor. Upgrade later.

 

[bbodb1]

Now on a more serious note, @geekette I understand your feelings here. When the time to leave this location comes, there is a strong possibility we will have spent close to three decades here. There is a comfort and a familiarity to a place you've lived in for a long time. A lot of memories too. There will be some feelings of loss when the day comes where you finally move, but when a move is something you want to do, there has to be some pull factors drawing you there (to the new location). Focus on those - it helps.

Best of luck to you with this process!

 

[elaine]

Dave, if goodwill, etc. aren't open, maybe call a few local churches and ask if you can drop off bagged/boxed items. Let them know you have kitchen items, dishes, etc. Many churches have ministries to the poor and might take them. In Jan 2020 (I know it's different with covid), a church in FL was thrilled to get kitchen items and bagged clean linens from my Mom's house.

 

[DaveNV]

I will be heading down for a visit in a week or two. I originally told her I wasn't a relo possibility but now, gotta talk turkey.

This will be where you can make realistic plans, if this is going to be an option for you. You may find the reality is something better or worse than what you picture in your head.

Perhaps you can arrange a trial run - stay there for a few weeks, and get your hands dirty. That may help you more fully understand the impact on your daily life. Everybody loves camping - for awhile. Inconveniences are acceptable if there is a known end-date. But camping forever can feel a bit like being homeless. And if you have insurmountable "princessy" needs, that may be a deal breaker.

Regardless, good luck with things. I'm glad you're at least exploring the option. Life adventures are awesome!

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Dave, if goodwill, etc. aren't open, maybe call a few local churches and ask if you can drop off bagged/boxed items. Let them know you have kitchen items, dishes, etc. Many churches have ministries to the poor and might take them. In Jan 2020 (I know it's different with covid), a church in FL was thrilled to get kitchen items and bagged clean linens from my Mom's house.

Thanks, Elaine. Great minds think alike. I spoke with one of my neighbors yesterday. He is pastor at a local church. He'll take things in and will distribute or donate for me. So it's all sorted out, literally.

Dave

 

[geekette]

Thanks, Elaine. Great minds think alike. I spoke with one of my neighbors yesterday. He is pastor at a local church. He'll take things in and will distribute or donate for me. So it's all sorted out, literally.

Dave

I also thought about how darned many housefires there are. People can lose everything in an instant.

 

[Luanne]

I also thought about how darned many housefires there are. People can lose everything in an instant.

Yep, happened to my bff in the Paradise Camp Fire.

 

[geekette]

Now on a more serious note, @geekette I understand your feelings here. When the time to leave this location comes, there is a strong possibility we will have spent close to three decades here. There is a comfort and a familiarity to a place you've lived in for a long time. A lot of memories too. There will be some feelings of loss when the day comes where you finally move, but when a move is something you want to do, there has to be some pull factors drawing you there (to the new location). Focus on those - it helps.

Best of luck to you with this process!

I think I have been in the process of leaving for at least a couple of years. things are nothing like they were when I moved in, my entire life is greatly changed.

I've been making my peace with a lot of stuff. Including, this place takes more $ than I want to have to work for. I don't want to put all of my time and money in a home any more. I need things to be easier, and cheaper.

Lucky me to have gone to that reunion last year. If I hadn't, I might not have stumbled onto this path that is so Me. Stacey was always cool, still is. We are much alike, but she is much more about healthy lifestyle. So, a good influence on me.

The pulls are strong, and kind of have been since I found out about camp. Then visited. And again. And now again.

This isn't my original city, so I'm ok with leaving it. I think there are a lot of great memories ahead of me. It feels like deciding to permanently hang up the career is the puzzle piece that needed to slide in. It came last week after talking with a recruiter. The job sounded great, right up my alley, but as it sunk in, I couldn't make myself want it. I don't want to touch my resume ever again. My LinkedIn is stuck back in 2014, where I will leave it....

This will be where you can make realistic plans, if this is going to be an option for you. You may find the reality is something better or worse than what you picture in your head.

Perhaps you can arrange a trial run - stay there for a few weeks, and get your hands dirty. That may help you more fully understand the impact on your daily life. Everybody loves camping - for awhile. Inconveniences are acceptable if there is a known end-date. But camping forever can feel a bit like being homeless. And if you have insurmountable "princessy" needs, that may be a deal breaker.

I always ask a lot of questions as her vision is important in this. I am an outdoor girl, more comfortable in dirt and splinters than makeup and heels. I can wield power tools better than a mascara wand or curling iron. I've helped build a few things, tested the wood stove in the bathroom, did the experiments to determine best sit out for solar shower to get the right temp, etc (as I suspected, the party rock is the best water heater). It suits me. I like what she's doing, she liked that I enjoyed pitching in, while she actually did not want me "to work".

The summer after my freshmen college year, I spent the summer up at the Boundaries Waters. Several of us stayed at camp working for a canoe outfitter. It was a blast. Maybe since then I have been slowly working my way back to the woods.

I definitely am very low maintenance, princessy isn't really an issue, just a fun term I threw out there to show how low my bar actually is.... water and elec! Already there on elec, plus can always add more; water is a well drill away. Plush is not my style. I can make do on short solar showers. Primitive is not a problem for me at this point; the well is maybe coming this fall.

But it does matter whether she would be ok with my doing a kit cabin and other kit buildings. I could probably live indefinitely in yurt or colonial tent, but I will want my own walls, and those structures of hers will at some point be rented out, not residences. When I consider my own canvas and vinyl campus offerings, long term is not do-able. I am fine with living in wilderness but in case we ever get bears, I want walls between me and paws. I'd kind of like to build, over time, many cabins for rental. I am very much into building out a camp, being the farmer/cook, entertainment director, whatever. But, if she's got guidelines and limits in mind, well, let's discuss. My creativity needs to know where the guardrails are. If Anything is on the table, well, gees, try to stop me...

sunrise coffee bar
meditation/butterfly garden
party barn

....


eta the swimming hole!

 

[geekette]

Yep, happened to my bff in the Paradise Camp Fire.

Oh no! I guess you indeed heard the anguish in her voice. Those big fires are Scary.

We're nowhere near a tinderbox, it's usually stupid stuff, and a couple per week burn. With 4th of July coming up, there will be more ...

 

[Luanne]

Oh no! I guess you indeed heard the anguish in her voice. Those big fires are Scary.

We're nowhere near a tinderbox, it's usually stupid stuff, and a couple per week burn. With 4th of July coming up, there will be more ...

It was quite an ordeal. She has resettled in Florida to be closer to her older dd, sil and grandsons. But each time we talk she mentions something else that is gone forever.

 

[linsj]

@DaveNW
Maybe I missed it, but what part of Nevada are you moving to? I have friends who moved from Ohio to Vegas to be closer to their kids in CA and to lower their cost of living. Financially, I need to get out of the Chicago area; and their invitation to move there is tempting--except Vegas is my least favorite city in the world.

 

[DaveNV]

@DaveNW
Maybe I missed it, but what part of Nevada are you moving to? I have friends who moved from Ohio to Vegas to be closer to their kids in CA and to lower their cost of living. Financially, I need to get out of the Chicago area; and their invitation to move there is tempting--except Vegas is my least favorite city in the world.

Ssshh! Don't tell anyone: We're moving to Mesquite, Nevada.

We considered Las Vegas and the suburbs right around it, and looked at a lot of real estate there. A number of Tuggers live around there. It's a vibrant city, but in the end we decided we wanted a much smaller town. We live in a small town now, and we like that kind of peace and quiet. Mesquite is on Interstate 15 about 80 miles north of Las Vegas, roughly an hour's drive. It's on the very edge of Nevada and Arizona - the state line is at the edge of town, and it's only about 30 miles from St. George, Utah, a city we really like visiting. Zion National Park is only about 90 minutes away. Mesquite is far enough away to be its own quiet community, but close enough to Las Vegas for those crazy forays into the Big City for entertainment, fine dining, and the Las Vegas Airport. Nevada is among the most tax-friendly of the western states, even better than Washington state, where we live now. We'll see how we get along.

Dave

 

[geist1223]

Congrats Dave. When we were looking at Nevada (before kids and Grandkids moved from SLC to Chicago) we decided Mesquite was too hot for four months of the year. So we were looking at Boulder City for the higher elevation.

 

[DaveNV]

Congrats Dave. When we were looking at Nevada (before kids and Grandkids moved from SLC to Chicago) we decided Mesquite was too hot for four months of the year. So we were looking at Boulder City for the higher elevation.

I understand. And that was a consideration. We'll be traveling mostly in Summer anyway, so it's going to work itself out. But the biggest weather reason: I can't argue with 7 inches of rain a year, compared to the 47 inches my area gets. Mesquite gets an average of ZERO inches of snow, where we get an average of 12 inches. I'd rather deal with desert heat than frozen, icy streets.

Dave

 

[TravelTime]

I understand. And that was a consideration. We'll be traveling mostly in Summer anyway, so it's going to work itself out. But the biggest weather reason: I can't argue with 7 inches of rain a year, compared to the 47 inches my area gets. Mesquite gets an average of ZERO inches of snow, where we get an average of 12 inches. I'd rather deal with desert heat than frozen, icy streets.

Dave

Is there a Costco in Mesquite?