Please tell me I'm not alone

[Trish Crocker]

For the past few years I have been consistantly getting rid of 'stuff' because I knew we would be moving. Steve and I have started to pack and suddenly I'm overwhelmed with the amount of stuff remaining! Just emptying out the entertainment center of DVDs and VHS that we still like....I thought it would be easy, just fill a box and be done. We are now at 6 boxes of movies, haven't even started on the CDs or the stacks of LPs that Steve is planning to convert to CDs now that he will have free time!! The moving company told us that we will have 3/4 of a truck...please tell me it will all fit! BTW, who do you suggest for storing? The movers will bring anything that we are unsure of to a storage facility. Has anyone else looked at their packed belongings and said "WTH..where am I going to put this stuff??" I know the answer is just get rid of it...but how do you decide? I have determined that what to do, whenever I get frustrated I will just open the door..get hit in the face by the 20 degree wind chill factor, open up The Villages.com, look at the squares and then I will be 'remotivated!' One month from today we will officially be frogs!

[SALYBOW]

WE GAVE ALL AWAY THAT WE THOUGHT WE COULD. bOY WERE WE WRONG!!

[jimbo2012]

you're not alone, I left stuff on the curb, sometimes it was adopted by others or the town pick it up.....kinda sad

[raynitsche]

You won't miss a thing. Until your here and have to buy it again.

[2BNTV]

Your not alone. :smiley:

I have decluttered and I threw out many video cassettes and books went to the library I am hoping what I have left will fit in the car with clothes and toothbrush.

I looked at my stuff as, "If I didn't touch it for a year, it gets tossed".

[Down Sized]

You can always pay $4 or $5 thousand dollars and move it down here. Then sell it in a garage sale. Or store it for a hundred dollars a month for a year or two, then sell it in a garge sale.

[Rbgold]

In my ongoing effort to make the best of a bad situation, Hurricane Sandy actually solved this problem for us! Much of our "stuff" that probably would have ended up being 'should I save or should I donate/toss' fell victim to the flooding.
So that problem was solved. Having downsized a couple of times now, I am constantly amazed how much "stuff" I can accumulate and how fast it multiplies! :cus:

[Happinow]

We had 3 garage sales before moving here and we sold almost everything. We decided to start all over in Florida. I'm glad we did! The furniture we owned in NY would never have gone with the way we decorated our home here. It would have been more overwhelming to get down here and discover that we had to get rid of a lot of stuff. We just kept our TV's, photos, some Christmas decorations, one chair, some cd's and movies. I would downsize as much as possible because unless you have added closets and stretched the garage big time, you will have difficulty storing all of your stuff. Besides, it's so much fun decorating a new home from the ground up! We even bought new pots and pans, silverware and dishes. For us, it was the way to go. Best of luck downsizing and with your move to The Villages!!!

[jrandall]

It is too overwhelming and not worth stressing over trying to find places for things that just won't fit any longer. We gave a considerable amount of items away before moving to TV. Even so we had moved in with way more than we needed, could ever store, and or could use. If I could do it over again I would have sold or gave away twice as much and started fresh. Either way you will go through some attachment withdrawals but that shall pass soon enough.

[Teryl1949]

Ditto, from Medina, Ohio ......how did we accumulate all of this stuff!

[shcisamax]

We stored "stuff" while in Mexico for almost ten years. When we opened up the boxes, we were shaking our heads. What a waste of money. AND much deteriorated. This time, we decided, we were not taking anything that wasn't a significant antique, was going to be used, or had sentimental value.

[njbchbum]

the more stuff you can leave behind just means that you have more room in the villages to start collecting new stuff!

are there charities like the salvation army or local church groups that can take your stuff and distribute it to folks who don't have stuff? we in nj are doing a lot of that thru a bunch of new grassroots orgs that started up after the superstorm sandy. people are thrilled to get someone's used appliances, furniture, books, cds, videos, video games since theirs has washed out to sea.

[A-4 Skyhawk]

We're going from 4400 square feet down to 2020. Habitat Resale Store has taken 4 truck loads of stuff away and I have made 4 or 5 trips myself. We've packed 104 boxes of stuff so far and that doesn't include the kitchen and dinning room that the movers will pack. Don't feel bad . . . we're both in trouble:ohdear:

[graciegirl]

I am sorry that I got rid of some of the stuff I got rid of.

BUT not too often and not too much.

[Geewiz]

I am the last person to give advice. A bit over a week ago ago - I was told I was given a 50/50 chance of passing from a hospital based infection.... but, I dragged my sorry ass down here to make a new new future. Videos can be digitalized. Save all memories....they will live beyond you. Once better, I can help you with this this. in the cloud all your family can access it.

[NotGolfer]

First we asked the kids what they wanted...if anything! Then sorted through our basement full of items (Christmas, photos, books and more). The addage of "need...OR....want" came into play with items also taking into advisement of how much room was to be had in Florida. THEN we went about having our first garage sale. At the end...we donated, sold and even put items on the curb (with a free sign) to get rid of "stuff". We moved our "stuff" here...then ended up having a re-sale shop come in for ALOT of it. Every now and then we find ourselves still purging and donating some items. It'll be never-ending til they put us in "The Home".

[mac9]

We applied the "5 second rule." We had 5 seconds to decide where we would use it in our Village house AND where we would keep it. Otherwise, it went into the sell, donate, or garbage pile. We did well. We came here with our liquor cabinet, our clothes, our cars, and our art. We have never regretted a thing.

[Madelaine Amee]

For the past few years I have been consistantly getting rid of 'stuff' because I knew we would be moving.

First we rented a dumpster. We called the kids and told them to take whatever they wanted, they got a uhaul and went through the house and garden shed like a vacuum cleaner - now we visit them and see our "stuff" in their homes. We had a huge yard sale and whatever was left over was either donated or left in the dumpster. I had really nice and very expensive furniture and some good rugs, that went into a resale shop and I got good money for all of it. We brought our beds, kitchen items, some clothing, linens and some antiques we were not prepared to part with and we still needed a moving company. Since we have lived here we had to have an auctioneer come in and clear out most of the stuff "we could not live without"!

Get rid of whatever you can because this really is a whole different life from what you are now living.

[SanFranDianne]

We have been moving internationally (with the US Govt) since 1984; some posts have been pre-furnished, some not. When we move into our Sanibel house, we'll get shipments from four different sources, some of which have been in storage for up to 7 years. We have the time to go through our current household stuff. However, every time I look at eliminating something, I wonder if one of our kids or a neighbor might want it. I know we'll have the time, and I'm hoping we'll have the energy to sort through everything once we're settled in TV. My advice is, if you aren't sure, take it with you (if you can afford it) so you can see if it will fit into your new life style. We have heard there are many sources around TV that will take what you don't want.

[mrdarcy]

I recently made a recommendation to my 20 something niece to get better at saving money, rather than buying, buying, and, buying stuff. I told her I've come to observe that people seem to spend the first half of their lives accumulating things and the second half of their lives throwing those things out.
:confused:

[kbace6]

Trish, I thought the post above about donating to Sandy relief was a great idea! However with respect to your videos and CD's, if your husband is adept at converting albums to CD, then what he should be doing is converting them all to MP3. You save them on a hard drive and then on another as a backup somewhere. Then all your CD's only take up the space on a hard drive. Get rid of your CD's and go buy a couple iPods and you have all your music no matter where you go. Best of luck to you and your husband. I hope to join you all in a few years. Going to see my financial planner next week about this very issue.

[Cantwaittoarrive]

We sold, donated, threw out everything except our dinning room set and just bought what we needed when we got to TV.

[senior citizen]

You can always pay $4 or $5 thousand dollars and move it down here. Then sell it in a garage sale. Or store it for a hundred dollars a month for a year or two, then sell it in a garge sale.

So true.

Just donate it to a local senior center in your town.......they will enjoy all the movies and such.

[skip0358]

We looked at what we had and said we're moving and starting our new life. All but a very few winter items went. The rest went to charity or the garage sale. My big powere tools went at the yard sale or relatives. The furniture went to the kids or donation. Household items went to yard sale or donation. As for what we bought down summer clothes, big screen TV and our master bedroom TV, our curio cabinet and the big screen TV stand. All our stuff we bought fit in one POD. As others have said you'll pay to move probably store it or give it away down here. Why spend the extra money. If you can afford to really start over when you move. PS it's not to warm here today . 34 degrees at my house in TV.
Good luck give it the 30 second rule and move on to the next item.

[redwitch]

I've posted this before, but won't hurt to say it again. We traveled a lot as kids -- 2 to 3 moves a years was common. We couldn't take a lot of things with us. My mother would take pictures of the things she knew she couldn't take but meant something to someone in the family. This included furniture, toys, clothing and, most importantly, momentos of the country we were in at the time. We might not have the thing, but we always had the picture and the memory. Worked for us.

[senior citizen]

We sold, donated, threw out everything except our dinning room set and just bought what we needed when we got to TV.

Twice we moved "round trip" long distance. First time we brought all of our furniture and everything.......a year later, moved it all back north again , both times via Mayflower Movers.

Second time we sold all of our northern furniture, which was still new, and decluttered our home from all the years of raising the children..........bringing very little.............only to return north and have to totally rebuy everthing yet again. This was twenty years after that first long distance Mayflower Mover van came........but now we returned north with Florida furniture........which we slowly got rid of.

Now, twenty years later, we are in a huge home and bursting at the seams again............just the thought of decluttering and packing up or tossing out is mind boggling.........esp. the new furniture.

Things have a way of "coming back"........and going full circle.
Moving is very expensive when it comes out of your own pocket, so I would advise to sell everything and start over in Florida. Even clothes present a problem. You will need to save some northern clothes, but certainly not all..............

GOOD LUCK.

[baustgen]

There is no basement and unless you have added a 4 car garage you better dump it. We cleaned out considerably and still have a garage bay full of stuff. A good place to start is the VCR tapes, CD's and records. The radio works and cable has music stations. Only keep personal tapes. Luckily the trash guys take anything.

Just moved in

[kittygilchrist]

Hey, most of us hoard something, so this is a confessional. I can't seem to own enough TP to feel secure. Sometimes I stack it in a pyramid and I feel satisfied. OK, I'm nuts. As you say, "Am I the only one?"

[jblum315]

Use the money that you would have to pay the movers to buy new stuff. Just pack personal things that can't be replaced, photos, letters,etc.. Sell or give away everything else. I don't miss a thing that I left behind.

[MSG@TV]

We applied the "5 second rule." We had 5 seconds to decide where we would use it in our Village house AND where we would keep it. Otherwise, it went into the sell, donate, or garbage pile. We did well. We came here with our liquor cabinet, our clothes, our cars, and our art. We have never regretted a thing.

I like that. Think I'll borrow that rule.

[ariel]

You are not alone, Trish. We arrived yesterday in our van loaded to the ceiling; movers will get here in a week. Have been doing nothing but going through stuff, giving away, throwing away for the past two months. Moving from nearly 4000 square feet to a 3 bedroom CYV. Can't count trips to Goodwill, Salvation Army and pickups by Habitat for Humanity. Have already scheduled pickups here and will make a trip today to LCM to remove many items we bought here not realizing we would be full time so fast. I kept a few pieces of furniture - my Grandfather's chair and ottoman where I sat as a child to play games with him after his stroke; a chest of drawers that was in the room I stayed when I visited them; a sofa and a chair that we think are very comfortable, pictures we've bought at special times in special places, and a few tables we've grown fond of. Sometimes my heart has broken over the memories attached to "stuff", but each time I've been able to move on with the task at hand and think of how nice simplicity will be when finally achieved. I'm trying hard to focus and count my blessings. I am lucky in that younger family members wanted much of my furniture, lamps and small decorations. I'll be thinking of you.

[mikeandnancy1112]

Congratulations to you and Steve! I think in the long run you will be very happy you downsized. I know we were when we moved to TV and you think you need all that stuff but really you don't. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[keithwand]

We're going from 4400 square feet down to 2020. Habitat Resale Store has taken 4 truck loads of stuff away and I have made 4 or 5 trips myself. We've packed 104 boxes of stuff so far and that doesn't include the kitchen and dinning room that the movers will pack. Don't feel bad . . . we're both in trouble:ohdear:

Congrats on downsizing to your first house in TV.
You will soon find out you miss the space and buy your second home in TV.
Good thing is the homes sell pretty quickly.

[graciegirl]

Congrats on downsizing to your first house in TV.
You will soon find out you miss the space and buy your second home in TV.
Good thing is the homes sell pretty quickly.

What he said.:wave:;)

[A-4 Skyhawk]

Congrats on downsizing to your first house in TV.
You will soon find out you miss the space and buy your second home in TV.
Good thing is the homes sell pretty quickly.

What he said.:wave:;)

I must confess . . . I already own a 1300 SF cottage in Sanibel. Then we decided 4 months later to make the permanent move to TV and bought a designer lot in Fernandina . . . then we realized it was too small and got a bigger lot in Gilchrist . . . . . :shocked: So later this week we're going full time in the cottage and design on January 11th. So we're really going from 4400 SF to 1300 SF. for about 3 months. I think I heard Gracie Girl say once that the average villager goes through 3 places before they settle down. I'm at my allotment.:D

[Sanibel7]

for what it's worth.. My wife and I just moved for the 2nd time in the Villages... We downsized everything from our original move from NY. We bought everything we thought we needed after our 1st move..furniture etc.. well it took me 5 18' truckloads, 2 storage units and a whole lot of backache just to move what we have amassed since we moved here.. lol.. hey it's a big struggle but we have what we want and we love it here... in my opinion .. if you dump it all you'll just have more junk anyway.. so keep what you want .. dump what you don't want .. and just enjoy

[Trish Crocker]

Thank you everyone for the sound advice. I have decided that I am only going to take the things I can't live without...a few clothes, my hair brush, my toothbrush and I'll be fine. Oh wait, forgot the hair dryer. Ooh..need the curling iron, spray and coffee pot.that's it..all I need.. oh wait..a few more clothes and shoes, can't forget shoes..just sandals..wait..sandals and a few pairs of heels and tennis shoes..can't forget golf shoes..darn, I really like the pictures I have hanging..how about the Christmas decorations my kids made..oooh..almost forgot the TV's, one for each bedroom and since we have the tvs we must have all of the DVDs..might get cold some night and we'll decide to stay home and watch tv..just may need the china since I plan on entertaining...might as well take both sets since I might have a lot of guests..hmm..definitely need the silver and crystal..just to fill the china hutch that HAS to come since it matches the table and and the sideboard, we only need enough pillows for three beds..but what if we have guests on the couch..darn, didn't think about extra guests, better bring the extra 6 pillows..and additional blankets..you know what.............if this keeps up, Steve will just HAVE to leave his golf clubs here..we do need to downsize, right?

[A-4 Skyhawk]

Trish . . . . . you're in trouble . . . . :shocked:

[rjm1cc]

[QUOTE=Trish Crocker;597896.where am I going to put this stuff??"
Think of what you are going to put in each room. The figure out how many boxes you can put in the garage of stuff you won't use but can't give up. For the rest try and find a charity that use or sell it.

[Lpierleo]

Trish, I can empathize with you. Just this holiday season, I was going thru all the Xmas things trying to designate boxes to stay and boxes for TV. When the time comes, this is going to be difficult, but the more I read here, the more I think I need to get rid of more. Good luck to you and Happy Holidays!

[Houselover]

We got rid of all the "excess" stuff via craigs list, ebay, and the rest to charities...Actually can get into the closets and garage now..:welcome

[SanFranDianne]

Thank you everyone for the sound advice. I have decided that I am only going to take the things I can't live without...a few clothes, my hair brush, my toothbrush and I'll be fine. Oh wait, forgot the hair dryer. Ooh..need the curling iron, spray and coffee pot.that's it..all I need.. oh wait..a few more clothes and shoes, can't forget shoes..just sandals..wait..sandals and a few pairs of heels and tennis shoes..can't forget golf shoes..darn, I really like the pictures I have hanging..how about the Christmas decorations my kids made..oooh..almost forgot the TV's, one for each bedroom and since we have the tvs we must have all of the DVDs..might get cold some night and we'll decide to stay home and watch tv..just may need the china since I plan on entertaining...might as well take both sets since I might have a lot of guests..hmm..definitely need the silver and crystal..just to fill the china hutch that HAS to come since it matches the table and and the sideboard, we only need enough pillows for three beds..but what if we have guests on the couch..darn, didn't think about extra guests, better bring the extra 6 pillows..and additional blankets..you know what.............if this keeps up, Steve will just HAVE to leave his golf clubs here..we do need to downsize, right?

Many thanks to you, too, Trish. I'm sitting at the computer, reading your post to JackZ (my hubby), and we're both laughing out loud. We are especially empathetic because the movers are coming in 2 weeks and we haven't started preparing yet -- some things stay here, some goes by ship (3+ months from Italy), some goes by air, and some we carry in our suitcases -- so we'll spend the day making lists, insuring that the number one item is, don't let them pack the garbage in the sea freight!