I should be used to moving by now, but I'm not. I think moving is behind me, but who knows for sure? I thought I was done when I moved from Indiana to Iowa. Then Iowa to #Alabama. Then Alabama to #Virginia. And now #Florida. I never dreamed I'd be packing the same old stuff up and #moving it thousands of miles, yet again. But then came a grandson, the light of my life and I couldn’t stand the thought of not being near him. With a #military son, I should have known better than to think he would stay in one place.
#Moving. What a mess! I just spoke with a dear high school friend who decided, after 46 years in the same house in #Connecticut, to retire and move to North Carolina. No more winter or shoveling! No more paying high #taxes. They were looking to simplify, as are most of us at this age. She sold everything except a few personal items and they are starting over and updating things they’d held dear for many, many years. When I talked to her a few days ago I could hear the angst in her voice. I felt for her, as I will for another dear friend who will make the move next year from San Diego to Florida.
We all have various reasons why we will most likely be making a move during our “#senior” years. Maybe it will be to get closer to loved ones. Maybe we’ll be #alone and need the support. Maybe we don’t want to shovel ourselves out of one more #winter. Maybe we want to move to retirement communities that make our money last longer. Whatever the case, we are #BabyBoomers on the #move.
Here is where my advice comes in. Ditch every last thing you can possibly live without. Moving to different areas of the country will make the stuff you owned in Minnesota look out of place in #Arizona. Lighten up your life! Most of us have held on to things that nobody on earth, including those we love, will ever want.
Our children want our #cash, our real estate, #jewelry our #guns and not much else. They don’t like our “style” of things. They don’t “get” why we ever held on to our great #grandmother’s lace doilies or #vintage jewelry. They hate fur coats, porcelain plates, sterling silver pots, antique rugs, and anything else perceived as old. We are lucky they even like us!
Seriously, ask your #friends and #family one time if they’d like anything. If not, then put it #online and try and sell it. If that doesn’t work try listing it for free. Don’t be like us. We packed (by ourselves) what we thought we could use into several #UHaul trucks and drove those trucks 1000 miles to Florida where we unloaded them (by ourselves) into several 10 X 30 storage units where they stayed for several months. Cost for each truck one way? $1500. Cost for storage units for 6 months while we waited for our place? $165 pr. unit X 3.
Foolishly, we thought our kids or friends might want some of our “precious” items. The kids said no and the #friends just laughed, saying they were trying to get rid of stuff and not gather more. I could have purchased a whole new condo full of #furniture for what we paid to drag our old stuff along!
On the day of our last drive from Virginia to Florida, we found ourselves #pitching good things into the #trash. We gave away everything we possibly could and #donated tons more. We loaded our final items into the back of our pickup and headed south wondering what in the heck we had done to ourselves. We looked like the #BeverlyHillbillies! Halfway to Florida, frustrated and exhausted, we stopped at a rest area and found ourselves loosening the ropes on the truck just to watch things fly out of the back until just a few items remained. It felt like a blessing to see items careen off the side of the road. (Probably not so much to those behind us.) I haven’t missed one thing!
Yes, we are in the moving stage of our lives. As Baby Boomers, we have to take stock of the important things in our lives. Our #time is valuable, as is our #health. The stuff we’ve accumulated…..not so much. So, as the #Frozen song goes…..”Let it go! Let it go! Can’t hold it back anymore!”
If you have to move, you don’t have to take stuff with you. No one wants your stuff. Neither should you. It is a #burden and its #expensive and hard to move. Realize that sooner than later and save yourself a real hassle when the time comes to move.
Learn from our #mistake. Follow another one of my friend’s smart way of moving. Get rid of everything, including furniture and most #
sentimental items and take only what you can get in the smallest #Budget truck available. And….don’t look back! There is something much better waiting up ahead!
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