<p>I am following the plan that retirees should pursue their own interests and should not make plans which include kids, grandkids or other family members. Those plans seldom work. At first my wife could not understand moving away. I told her to envision the mother in law apartment and living that life. I was planning on moving on to other pursuits. Logically she understands but those maternal bonds run deep.</p>
<p>…and so the story continues.</p>
<p>I just got off the phone with emom, aka the packrat. In addition to hoarding tendencies, she is also cheap. All of a sudden, the stuff does not seem to be worth $15,000-20,000 for storage and moving. She claims she has renewed interest in clearing out the junk and selling or giving away all of the furniture. I agree. Our best piece of furniture is an ethan allen couch. Even that has one broken spring and needs cushion covers. I know we will still have at least one POD for photos, sporting goods, artwork, memorabilia, etc. I have had my hopes up before. We shall see…more to follow, I am sure.</p>
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<p>I love it!!! My very cheap also packrat inlaws live in a farm house that has not only a full basement but a warehouse! Hidden under all the boxes and other assorted junk is actually an old (unworking) Lincoln Continental! But I can tell you that if they had to pay to store the stuff, the cheap would win out.</p>
<p>OMG! Well, some of my clutter comes from 4 (really more) relatives homes - stuff like old letters, etc. I am brainstorming a way to photograph the stuff and pitch someday. Do we really need great-aunt’s composition book, for instance? It’s neat to look at, but I have to wonder if I’m the last of the line to care in the least. I’ve often wondered if the local history people would be interested in things like farm records, etc.</p>
<p>Just copied a VHS video for niece by sending the VCR output to the input of a DVR machine.</p>
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<p>Yes, brown… I still have a few small brown trash cans that I actually like. Can’t really see them against wood.</p>
<p>I have been inspired by this thread to linger on the TV show, American Pickers. These guys go around hunting for antiques/collectibles to buy and sell at a small profit. They appreciate all the “junque” that old farts* have collected over a lifetime and know how to purchase it at a price that makes the oldster happy but still gives the Pickers room to make a tidy profit. Win win. I wonder if the show would be interested in pawing through yer stuff. I bet Auntie Prudence’s diary would be mighty appreciated by somebody. How to have a garage sale without hauling it all outside? Have any of you just opened up the cellar to the public and tried to let 'em buy what they want? Loved the story about the couple who cleaned out the basement and took whatever they wanted. Brilliant!</p>
<ul>
<li>Who, me?</li>
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<p>Missypie–maybe we should get a small lake house?</p>
<p>After telling DH about this thread and contemplating a perm. move to our new house in a couple of years, DH declared the the clean-out will start this weekend…in the garage,lol.
Oh well, it’s a start. </p>
<p>Our new house is in the area of the state where DH and I graduated fr. h.s. S2 is now attending college in the area. S1 (military) is living out of state. Hopefully S2 will settle nearby after college. </p>
<p>I feel a little wistful knowing that the new house will never be “home” to them and that when/if they have kids and come to visit for holidays, they won’t be able to drive them around to their old schools, church, ballfields where they played or see old friends who are also in town for the holidays.</p>
<p>The other part of me thinks that DH and I should not tie ourselves to a place we are so ready to leave just because of an occassional visit fr. adult kids.
Oh well, the house is built. The kids seem happy for us at this point but maybe because we are still perm. residents of old house so we get benefits of new house but they still come to visit in old house!</p>
<p>Let the De-Junking begin…we still have the brown hardside Samsonite in the attic right alongside DH’s college textbooks!</p>
<p>American Pickers turns my stomach. Too close to home with piles of stuff. The bad thing about being a packrat is not all of the stuff is junk. I think it is even worse when the piles of stuff are difficult to get rid of because the items might be valuable. </p>
<p>It is like the 2 boxes of file folders and stationary that I packed. If it is going to cost $60 to store and move that stuff, then it would be better to throw it out. Chances are we will never need or use half of it and instead we could go out and buy exactly what is needed when we need it.</p>
<p>We moved nine times the first 13 years we were married. We have been in this house for 14 years. My drawers are full, my closets are full, and my basement is full. Moving really keeps the hoarding to a minimum. I lovingly refer to my husband as “Mr. Clean.” Perhaps I will appreciate that he throws things out, some day.</p>
<p>congrats, eadad! Enjoy!</p>
<p>Edad, this has been an interesting thread - thanks for starting it.</p>
<p>We had to clear out the clutter when DH lost his job in Chicago and accepted one in Tampa. I sold what I could and gave away a ton of stuff. After a year of living in a condo, I have gotten used to the minimal , clutter free lifestyle. Problem is I am paying $80 a month for a storage locker in Chicago, and I bet half that stuff is stuff I don’t want. We are going to deal with it slowly the next couple visits .</p>
<p>I feel like we were forced into the “retirement prep” before we were ready, but now I am grateful. We have gotten used to living in less space, living with less money, and the emotional distress of leaving the home that the kids would come home to is not nearly as intense as it was at first.</p>
<p>Retirement will be a breeze now. And yes, folks , you can live on less (way less!) and still have a fun and entertaining life. I was afraid I would not have enough money to live decently in retirement. Now I know it’s all about your definition of living well.</p>
<p>Amen to that, Vderon. Our whole focus has been cutting down on expenses, so we can cut down on work. If you like where you are, and don’t have expensive tastes (and especially if you like the person you’re with :)), it is very do-able to live well on less.</p>
<p>Thanks garland! for anyone who is interested, here are just a few of the things I do to save money:</p>
<p>I use restaurant.com often- you buy a $25 gift certificate for as little as $2.00, and have a nice choice of local restaurants to try…</p>
<p>I buy my books at the flea market- $4 for hard covers and $2 for paperbacks, and they will take my old books for $1.00 each, so the books are even less</p>
<p>Dh and I go to local clubs to listen to music- saw a band that did a great job of covering Floyd, Dylan and other 70s groups for $5 each last week</p>
<p>We have season tickets for the arena football team- came out to $7.50 a game</p>
<p>We go to the movies before 3:00 and only pay $5.00 to get in, and we have Netflix.</p>
<p>We work out together at least twice a week for free at the exercise room at our condo complex and swim in the condo pool ( but not as often as we thought we would)</p>
<p>We go to art fairs, local festivals and the like- which we hardly did in Chicago at all.</p>
<p>I have become quite the couponer- last month I spent $209 on groceries and saved $242 combining sales and coupons. Coupons are everywhere! I even found one at Target.com for $5.00 off of Champion work out clothes, and DH bought work out shorts on sale that came out to $5.00. </p>
<p>Anyway, I could go on but I won’t. I now regret the money I mindlessly spent on books, movies, work day lunches out, etc. I could have spent a lot less. If you want to get used to living on less, you might want to try some of these ideas and slowly wean yourself into it.</p>
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<p>Can you come to my house and teach this to my children?</p>
<p>Missy, I’m afraid I would irritate them. I have to bite my tongue when my mom buys books at Borders for $8.00 each… even tho she doesn’t go to flea markets, she could buy her books used for half of that. </p>
<p>My husband was out of his beloved A-1 sauce a month or so ago. I made him wait until they were buy one get one free and then I bought 4 of them. </p>
<p>Once you start couponing, it’s hard to justify paying full price for almost anything, because you know you don’t have to. I print out coupons on the Internet for laundry detergent and wait for it to go on sale. The last 2 times I bought laundry detergent they owed me a penny. 
I’m not kidding.</p>
<p>Vderon: Don’t be too hard on yourself. When one is working hard at earning a living and keeping a house going, it’s hard to economize if it’s not necessary.</p>
<p>Those are great tips.</p>
<p>One we practice is to only order one entree at restaurants. The other person gets salad to avoid a plate sharing fee.</p>
<p>Better on the wallet and the waistline. No one is hungry.</p>
<p>We have economized a lot to afford tuition and one year H’s business collapsed and we lived on my salary.</p>
<p>I have also discovered what is important to me to spend money on and not worth cutting out. Plants for my garden is number. Not good at seeds and I was making myself really unhappy by insisting to myself that I try.</p>
<p>I also discovered that for me a very short vacation (even one night) at a very nice place is more rejunvenating than a longer vacation at a less charming venue. And cheaper too – not so many meals to buy.</p>
<p>But every couple has different priorities.</p>
<p>I love, love, LOVE this thread. It gives me something to look forward to. Although I am pretty good about getting rid of “stuff” on a regular basis, this thread makes me realize how much better I could do. It also encourages me to save more money and get things paid off so that DH and I can retire somewhat comfortably when that time comes. I just had surgery last week so I can’t do any lifting or moving for a while but I can certainly go through some clothes, papers, etc. I’ve been bored sitting around, anyway, so it will give me something to do! Thanks, edad, for getting many of us thinking and giving us encouragement to go ahead and start on clearing the way to retirement happiness! Hang in there, edad … I know it seems tough now but you’ve already accomplished so much. Just keep looking at that truck and camper in the driveway and think of the wonderful adventures you and Mrs. edad are going to experience! :)</p>
<p>Vderon, my H is on the “very frugal” side, but with ridiculous results - he’ll buy almost anything that is “one sale with a coupon”…so one week we’ll have multiple boxes of Twinkies or Ding Dongs and another week we’ll have a bag of every flavor of Lays potato chips…because they were so cheap. They never seem to put fresh fruit and veggies “on sale with a coupon.”</p>
<p>We are just getting ready to sell the family home where we’ve lived for almost 19 years and move to our vacation house on an island near Seattle. My H has wanted to do this since we bought the island house three years ago. It’s so quiet and peaceful over there on the island, and he grew up on a farm. He adores it there. We are on the water and he has a boat, is “farming” oysters, fishes, etc. </p>
<p>That house is all furnished and decorated and this house is FULL. I have so much sorting and getting-rid-of to do, it’s quite mind-boggling. This house is large with lots of storage space and that is a problem with those who like to collect and save (me).</p>
<p>This will be a huge transition for me as I still like living in our suburban town; H doesn’t. Our neighborhood has gone downhill in a lot of ways, not as well kept up as it was, drug dealer lived next door for years, other drug dealer two houses away, lots of strange cars in and out. Drug dealer #2 was smoking crack in his car on our cul-de-sac last week when I was out walking my dogs at 10 PM. We hear sirens every single night and lowflying police helicopters circle the downtown on weekend nights. I guess it’s time to make the move.</p>
<p>My MIL and her 2nd husband did this several years ago. They were already on medicare and ss at the time. Downsized from a large 4 bedroom bed and breakfast. Bought a 5th wheel, put some stuff in storgae and headed out. Loved it. The storage was helpful for switching from summer to winter clothes, etc. After a couple of years, she did feel somewhat “unsettled” and felt the need for more permanency. Stuff in storage just enough to furnish their 2 bedroom apt. they rented for a year. Travelled somewhat less but still travelled 2 weeks at a time. Then, sold the stuff and travelled again. They have never bought another house. </p>
<p>At 80 as her medical issues increased, she decided travel was too difficult so she got an apt near her daughter. He still travels when he gets wanderlust but mostly state parks/coastal areas not too far away. They have done the park “host” thing sometimes, etc. Have several friends who visit the same parks and they hook up with a few months a year. This has really helped because then they get some time away from each other and get to do their own thing. </p>
<p>Time with the grandson is not a problem. Just haul the trailer to near where the family is for a few weeks at a time. You get to keep your own space but still visit. </p>
<p>One thing that has helped is paying for a mail forwarding service as their address. Not everything can be taken care of online and this really helps. </p>
<p>It’s not for everyone but for the people we have met when visiting them, it can be wonderful. If it doesn’t work out or you tire of it, you haven’t got so much committed that you can’t just change plans and move back home or some other place. One warning, many of the more popular private parks have people who reserve spaces a year in advance and public parks often limit the amount of time you can stay to two or three weeks in the more popular times.</p>
<p>Good Luck over the next few months as you prepare for this next step in your life. After that, just enjoy.</p>