How Did You Downsize Before Moving Aboard ?

[rourkeh]

we went through the same process off shedding stuff. In 2006 we both retired, got rid of our 3 bedroom house (which was recently refurnished), a 59' boat, jet ski, 4 motorcycles, blah, blah, blah. We put all the stuff we could not bear to get rid of in a $400 (huge) a month storage locker and moved to Costa Rica.Two years later we dicided to buy a sailboat and go cruising, so now we have a boat and came to the brilliant conclusion that we do not want to pay 3 more years storage bills. We are in the process of listing all our almost new furniture etc on Craigs list and ebay and if it doesn't fit on the boat bye bye. It is amazing how little you really need to be happy on a daily basis. If we are not going to consume it or wear it tomorrow we are buying nothing. Very liberating. Pura Vida

[JanetGroene]

In re estate sale person or auctioneer: (1) You may be able to negotiate for agent to take lower commission. Don't cave too soon. (2) Another advantage is that the stuff just goes away. It's agony to sell it yourself, see people picking it over, rejecting and sniffing and trying to chew you down.

[First Mate]

we are still downsizing after nearly 3 years. buying the boat finally next week and still! still! have !#$!#@$ to dump.

I must have been a pack rat in my last life.

[Sea Yawl Later]

Last weekend we had an "estate reduction" sale. These ladies came in, set it up, priced it and managed the sale and took 30%. That is an oversimplification but essentially that is what happened. The rest they haul to Goodwill.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Sea Yawl Later

Last weekend we had an "estate reduction" sale. These ladies came in, set it up, priced it and managed the sale and took 30%. That is an oversimplification but essentially that is what happened. The rest they haul to Goodwill.

Just make sure "they" take it to Goodwill and not you; otherwise you could make the mistake we did and stop at the local storage unit on the way.

[Sea Yawl Later]

They have already made 3 truckloads. They will return Monday and finish. We had 30+ years of "stuff"

[anjou]

Im sat here in bed reading this and laughing at the psychological responses humans have.
When I downsized 5 yrs ago I did a few car boot sales and on the second occasion it got to mid afternoon and people were going home. I didnt want to haul the stuff anymore so started dropping the prices dramatically, eventually yelling, take it for free.
At that point, people got nervous and asked what was wrong with it.
Funny how they will steal it or haggle for it but are reluctant to take it for free.

[anjou]

A good motto is
If you havent seen it, used it, read it or worn it for 12 months, you dont need it anymore.
With a few exceptions for special books and clothes.

If your finding it hard to let go, try boxing it up so its no longer part of your daily life and spend as long as you feel is comfortable, to get used to not having it anymore.

Then, when you find you have moved on, let it go. People do this after a berevement. Clothes hang in a closet for how ever long it takes you to come to terms with the passing and when you feel a suitable or respectful time has passed, you can let go.

The only things I regret leting go of were a few books and a whole bunch of tools which im currently re stocking

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by First Mate

I must have been a pack rat in my last life.

Stuff!..Glorious Stuff!.

Im Downsizing too!....Actually selling and shedding stuff....for me that's almost unheard of.

I spent most of yesterday stripping off hydraulic cylinders and motors off our old street sweeper were taking to the metal recyclers ...

Hey I have to break into this slowly.....I might have a need for one of thoes cylinders in 10 to 15 years of so...

[Doodles]

Another ticks I heard about, but never actually used, was if you can't let go of some stuff yet, box it but don't label what's in the box. In a year or some time frame of your choice, if you haven't had to go into the box donate it. That way you don't know what you got rid of and it won't bother you ... so they say.

[First Mate]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Stuff!..Glorious Stuff!.

Im Downsizing too!....Actually selling and shedding stuff....for me that's almost unheard of.

I spent most of yesterday stripping off hydraulic cylinders and motors off our old street sweeper were taking to the metal recyclers ...

Hey I have to break into this slowly.....I might have a need for one of thoes cylinders in 10 to 15 years of so...

I'm down to ratty clothes and rusty pots and pans. I've inherited my parent's depression mentality. It is just junk for the landfill at this point.

[SurferShane]

Wow – some great advice! I was nearly going to go and ask a similar question, but this thread seems to have it covered.

Instead of repeating the topic I might just head off and get a few DVD to watch while I still have a big TV, powerful surround system and the leather lounge. I have to admit though, the few times I have turned that powerful surround system up trying to wind down it has caused me a bit of strife with the neighbours. Then I do enjoy sitting back to the little stereo on the boat listening to classical and community radio stations with a bottle of red and a good book. To date this practice seems to have caused a lot less drama!

[First Mate]

we're now on the boat 4 days and we are still downsizing.
but at least the marina had literature on who to call to pick stuff up for recycling.

[sck5]

we are moving aboard for our first 8 month cruise in a month - the house is going on the market too. How are we downsizing? The dumpster is in the driveway as I write this.

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

An update to our previous post #35 on this thread (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post332287), quoted in part below:

Originally Posted by Dreaming Yachtsman

We cheated by selling our house to our older son and leaving most of the furnishings for him. Even so, we held a large garage sale and took a truckload of clothes to Goodwill. Now that he is married, we will have to deal with storing or parting with all the stuff that his wife does not like.

Our son's wife of a year has now decided she no longer wants to live in the house her mother-in-law decorated so we are at the moment sorting through our remaining "stuff" to get rid of it.

Unfortunately I am fighting a losing battle with the wife that every decision to store or give away MUST be based on the assumption that we will be living in a small condo after we can no longer cruise. So far she has designated about 1/3 of the boxes to go to storage and only 2/3 to just go away. Hopefully we can improve that ratio over the next few days of sorting.

Fortunately, we have an "estate sale" company here in town that will come to the house, make a bid on the entire stack, then haul it all away.

P.S.: Saw a Tee shirt in Pike Place Market a few years ago that said "Stuff is junk you want to keep. Junk is stuff you want to get rid of." How appropriate for this endeavor! The challenge is to put each item into the right category.