What to bring to TV, what to leave behind
 

Ladies - did you bring the wedding china? As I sit here wrapping it up, I am torn between bringing it with me as I have for the past 38 years or giving it to my daughter-in-law. I used it for family dinners since we had a rather large family, but I am wondering if people use their china much. I am leaving my china cabinet which means I will have to fit everything in kitchen cabinets. Thoughts?
What about all those Christmas decorations? I still have the painted macaroni decorations my kids made for crying out loud. I am wondering if we would even stay there for Christmas or go to one of the boys houses. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I know you addressed it to "LADIES" but I have to put in my 2Cents.

THREE YEARS AGO:

My wife packed her wedding china. It's been in the attic of our Villages home ever since.
My wife packed 35 years of Christmas ornaments. All 14 boxes are still in our garage stacked 2 high on a shelf near the ceiling ever since.

The only thing I packed and have not used is my corderoy sport coat.

Great Question!
 

Ahhh Conn...I have been going thru the same thing! And Aln you are absolutely right, as I am sure I would do the same thing. It really is so hard getting rid of things that are sentimental to us. You wouldnt believe how much Christmas stuff I have lol. My friends tell me my house looks like the North Pole. :1rotfl:. I think I am going to let my son go thru it, and take what he wants and sell the rest. As for my china...I am going to take half with me, and half to my son (he better take care of it lol!! :evil6:).
I am bringing going to bring the sentimental things, and sell the rest. Thats my plan anyway lol, but first it would help if I sell this house first! :1rotfl:
Its very difficult I know to choose what to bring and what not to bring :shrug:. I wish you luck. It will all be worth it in the long run right? :pepper2:
Jeanne :beer3:

These are decisions all of us soon to be villagers are struggling with.

I know for myself I will be bringing very little Christmas Decorations with me unless they are VERY special or sentimental. Christmas stuff tends to look kind of haggered and dull after a few years and most of it can be replaced easily and inexpensively. Do you feel that you will decorate your Villages house as much as you did over the past years? I for one am sick of putting up decorations every year and will put up very little in the future.

The good China is another story. I am struggling with that also. How many sets of dishes does one family need? Guess Ill take my favorites and leave the rest behind. I tell you one thing, your lifestyle will be different once you get to the Villages. The idea of what set of china to use for your company will not seem as important. Living in TV changes your whole mindset and prioities do change dramatically. At least I know they will for me.

Im with you Jeanne, just want to sell this dang house so we can get on with our lives. :cus:

Hey Conn.....does that mean you're from CT?

As for the china....here is MY decision. We bought a new house in TV and need EVERYTHING! Seeing that we need to have a set of dishes, I figured why not the china? I have a set that serves 12 and is diswasher safe and sitting in nice little china protectors, rarely used. What am I saving it for? I'm bringing it and am going to use it for everyday use! I have my mother's china set to pass on to the kids.

I didn't register for china when my hubby and I got married. My relatives yelled at me for not putting that on the registry, but we are not formal people and I didn't want to have to deal with having that additional set of dishes that we would never use. My grandmother felt sorry for me, (being married and not having a set of china! OMG, just the thought!!!!!) so she went and bought me a set from a garage sale! It has been sitting in my cupboard for 24 years, and we have never used it. Guess what I am not going to have any trouble getting rid of when we move to TV?!?! :laugh:

What to Bring
 

I'm going through the same thing. I decided quite awhile ago to go through my house mentally, and ask "If I move, is that worth moving?" I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff. However, my dishes, I think I'll bring. Different dishes are kind of my "thing" and I usually have my dining room table set, as if I were having company. It really looks nice. I change it every so often. One thing I found interesting-my real estate person in TV commented a couple of times "No one in TV has dinner parties". I'm not sure where she gets that idea. Maybe it's true, and I can certainly see where people eat out a lot, or entertain casually. I don't have elaborate dinner parties, but I like to invite one or two couples over for dinner now, and don't think that would change for me when I move. Any comments?

My suggestion is to simplify your life by leaving most of the stuff behind.

I see soooooooooooooo many garages full of boxes piled high - and my guess is years later, that stuff is still living in boxes.

It is very liberating starting fresh and new, and not be encumbered by all that stuff ---- the stuff you own actually begins to own you, as it requires effort and money to lug it around the country.

After all, really, its only stuff.

I do have a set of good china that I have used a lot over the past 30 years but I packed it all up last year and will be giving it to my son in Michigan. It has 12 place settings, plus serving pieces and I know there won't be the need for it in TV. I would rather get a nice every day set that I will use. I have been getting rid of Christmas decorations, pictures, books, etc since I know we will truly be down sizing. It's hard but it is time to let go of these things and pass some of it on.

Bring everything.

YARD SALE!

Yoda

Yeaaah but come on guys ( er, I mean gals)
Her PROM DRESS , Gimmy a break ..............It even still has a Herbert Hoover button on it,,,,,,,,,,,,

Oh Well ,,,,Does anyone need any extra wire ?????

Fumar

I don't like my wedding china anymore. No problem getting rid of that. BUT I still like my wedding silver serving pieces. AND people still have dinner parties in TV. Maybe not as formal, but if you like stuff like that, why not?

My problem is getting rid of framed pictures and wall art. I haven't even THOUGHT about Christmas decorations.

We have removed the wallpaper from the last bathroom here in Cincy and have the updated light fixture ready to install. It is looking so good, I have second thoughts about selling it. :1rotfl:But this is the last day of May, the flowers are blooming and the grass is green. The hot humid days are ahead and I find it easy to forget the frigid cold and the SNOW.

Choices Choices Choices.

When we first moved to Florida from Illinois, (still a TV wannabe) I gave some 'good' china away and brought some with us. After one year I decided to use the good dishes, crystal and silverware for every day. I LOVED them all, so why not use what makes me feel good. We certainly don't live the formal life, very lay backed but decided that WE should enjoy. Can't take it with us...and the kids don't want or need it.

Storage is a problem in TV houses. When we sold our house in NJ, we applied the "5 second rule." If, within 5 seconds, we could not name the place where something would be used, we either sold it or donated it. It made moving ever so much easier.

When we moved down to the Delaware shore, I wanted my house to look "beachie".
So I gave the formal diningroom set and the china and crystal to the daughter.

Problem solved!!

As I sit here and look around me at a house full of boxes I wonder why "Mrs F" kept this stuff. It's 6:10 AM so before I start on the boxes I thought I'd let you know how I feel about this subject. I'm calling in a dumpster about the size of my driveway and throw this #$%& away before she arrives. :rant-rave:

Hey 16....CONGRATS!!! You finally made it. I can empathize with staring at boxes. Like most others, we moved things down here that we ended up donating or throwing out within the first 6 months. Hmmm, at 50 cents a pound to move it, some of that was a real waste.

Now the fun begins...happy unpacking 16!!!

I can relate to the above. When I married I moved into my husband's apt--all he had was melamac dishes--(I'm sure we all remember those). I wanted some "glass" dishes. Told my mother-in-law and next thing I knew I was receiving china place settings for every birthday, etc. I think I used it once on an anniversary (in 44 yrs). Mine is boxed up--in attic--awaiting my granddaughter's marriage!!! House here in TV that we bought was completely furnished--right down to the dishes, silverware, etc. Been here for almost 2 yrs--still boxes in attic I brought that I haven't gone through. I do have one box of memorabilia that I could not part with---boxed it up with a note in it that who ever was responsible could dispose of it after I'm "gone." Just could not bring myself to do it. Good luck--whatever you decide to do will be right--and enjoy your new home.

I guess that is one of the good things about the military. You earn to live "light" due to many travels. So me and wife have actually very little when we move to TV. WE clean through every closet, shed etc at elast once a year. Believe it or not, all that is in our two car garage is two cars and a Harley! Nothing else! No boxes, stacks, etc. Our shed out back just has the lawn mower, and few garden tools!

Army Guy

Prior to moving from Milwaukee to Florida in 1995 I let my children choose whatever they wanted from the house telling them not to wait for me to die to fight over it. I kept my own good China which has been used less that ten times in the last ten years. My problem is who to leave it to? Five daughters all in different places and ten granddaughters also scattered. Five grandsons and two sons who probably would rather not have 'dishes'? Ask the kids what you have that they would like to have and give it to them. I am glad we did because Katrina took whatever we had in our new house when she flooded us out. My good china was at a daughters house thank heaven but I still have to make that who gets it decision. I dont have yard sales ( although I do support them on weekends) so I usually donate my things to the Battered Womens Shelter or Vietnam Vets. In regard to the kids Christmas decorations: choose one item from each child and put it into a treasure box. A previous poster was right in saying that the decorations get beat up and dull looking after time. I lost a huge collection on antique ornaments that cannot be replaced. Thank goodness for Wal Mart and Hobby Lobby and the after holiday sales. What goes up must come down.
I am ready to pack and load now to sell this house.

I have just moved into my new home in Hadley three weeks ago....About most of the things that I so carefully packed and put into the 55 boxes that came with me: I have opened the boxes, looked inside, and asked myself why I brought this stuff!! Don't get me wrong, somethings are important for memories and of course I want them but opening the three boxes of my mothers stemware and realizing I could be out playing golf instead of cleaning all of it, really gets to you. I only wish my daughters had wanted it. Its a new lifestyle and my mentality is "new beginning, simplify you life so you can have fun!" I wish I had really thought of "simplifying" better before I went through all the time to pack stuff that will now probably take up permanent residence in my garage! My daughters took most of my furniture and most of my Christmas things. I only brought the Christmas things that had the most sentimental value at least...My advice would be to really think of the lifestyle you want here in TV and ask yourself before you pack anything if it REALLY will fit into what you picture your life being here.....remember FUN is the operative word here!! :pepper2: Good Luck!!

Oh Angel,

you echo my sentiments exactly! We are definitely on the same page. Thanks for the reinforcement before I actually sell and start packing!

I have been a horder and saver all of my life and I have posted in the past, I had the auctioneers come and take 2 moving trucks full to the auction. I dont miss the stuff one bit. When it comes time to pack up this house I will remember your words, you are right on!

Chuck it all
 

For the last 10 years or so we have spent many vacation weeks in time shares.
You know the places, 1-2 bedroom condo like apartments, tastefully furnished, equipped to cook a meal, feed 6 to 8 and easy to maintain.
As I would leave I would always say "bring a few pictures and some memorabilia and I could live in a timeshare".
Did I take my own advice? NOOOOOOOOOO.
As I sit here in my 2nd week of unpacking I too am muttering.......why oh why did I take all this:censored:

As to the family china....I have twelve six, count 'em six,piece place settings of haviland limoge china with serving pieces, including a coffee pot! Can anyone help me sell it on ebay?

As you pack just think TIME SHARE!!!!!

If we move permanently we would like a bigger house.
 

You guys are right of course.

I have another problem. I may be selling the house that we so carefully furnished in Hadley WITH the furniture. I love it. It is beachy and white and cheerful and so right for Florida and we have all this GOOD DARK furniture up here. It cost WAY more than the stuff in the Camellia. I like the tropical feel of the house we just fixed up BUT we have this heavy, dark, bulky, more expensive stuff in our Cincy house.

Sigh.

Chuck It All
 

I posted in this thread yesterday, then hit the wrong button and it all went away. Senior moment, I guess!

I brought all our wdding china, crystal, silverware, etc., etc., even while telling myself that I'd never use it! As it happens, I do use it. Once a year, when my brother and his family come to my "formal" Christmas Eve dinner. I wouldn't be able to do that without "the good stuff!"

I gave away my old everyday equivalents. I was looking for something new!

Most of my living and dining room furniture came with me. Something about the practicality of doing that struck me at the time, and I take comfort in my "old things!" Several pieces, by the way, were inherited by my late wife from her grandmother, who died before we were married. They are nice things, albeit not Florida! They're well over 50 years old, so may provide something for my daughters, eventually!

Christmas stuff. The girls took some ornaments (mostly those that they attached some sentimentality to), but the bulk ended up at a thrift store, where, indeed, many of my things did. The store, a fund-raising facility, was happy to have almost anything, and I received a lump sum check for most of it, follow up checks for items they took "on consignment!"

Would I probably do things differently today? Maybe, but not entirely!

To all those getting ready to downsize, I say, "Bite the bullet and rid yourself of as much as you can. You won't regret it at all!"

SWR

come on down with clothes and a FEW things that you cannot part with. 5 years ago we moved from Il to Mexico Beach, Fl. We were always gatheres and pack-rats...so we had tons to let go, which we did. Since we have been down here in Florida, we have gotten rid of 'Northern' stuff over and over again. Now as we are wannabes, we continue to get rid of things in anticipation of moving ASAP when the house sells. Our final thought......don't bring much down. By the time you pay for transporting your things, you can purchase items that you really need for about the same cost as the cost of moving them. Travel lite!!!

What to leave behind ??
 

Any thought of concept or freedom regarding your ability to make your home yours. You just paid for it. The Villages actually owns it and will govern the daily running of it via their comic book bible "the COVENANT".

Sorry, SABRMnLgs. This post make no sense and has no bearing on what we might bring to TV.

Right!

Champ,

Thanks for the post, you are right on!

Ditto Nonie....
 

I agree, was confused myself :shrug:.
Great ideas from everyone, it sure has motivated me to get rid of alot!!
Good idea for a post!! :eclipsee_gold_cup:
Jeanne

P.S. Go Mark Martin!!! :clap2:

We got rid of almost everything and started fresh with alot of things. Our furniture was decent but most we had for 20 years or so and alot of it was big and bulky. I have a small kitchen in TV so I simplified. I do cook alot at home so I needed kitchen tools, but it is amazing how little you do need. You don't need 3 or 4 pyrex dishes anymore--one will do. I didn't need the 24 set of dishes, water and wine glasses for the big family parties, so I split them up with my nephew and daughter. Even they didn't want 24! I had 2 1/2 years to prepare, so I had several garage sales after I figured out what stuff the kids and family wanted. Our garage sales were priced to sell. I felt better giving it away for a small amount than just tossing it to the curb. When all else was done, I called in a local charity that would pick up and they took the rest.

I have only been here since Jan, so I still have nothing in my dining room (gave my huge dining and hutch to my daughter)--but I am thinking I will make it a game area--not sure yet and I am playing too much to find what I want to do with it. I still have a Florida room that I am using as a sewing room and have a plastic table and chairs that I watch the wonderful lightening storms from. Someday that will look better.

Life IS different in TV. I read the paper, I play cards with the neighbors (their house or ours), I play golf 2-3 times a week, I am on a bowling league, I cook dinner and I do enjoy inviting a few friends over for dinner. I never did any of these activties back home when I worked.

Big parties are usually held in garages and everyone brings something to eat, their own chair, and own drinks. The one thing I didn't bring that I should have is the 8 foot plastic fold up table for the block parties. I will probably need to buy one of those.

Thnk about how much it costs to move. Is what you are bringing worth it, and if so bring it. Garage sales are fun to go to also here. Even with all my cleaning out, my garage attic is full and some day I will be having my own garage sale. Good luck and hurry----you are missing a wonderful chapter of your life.

Garsha,

"GOOD LUCK AND HURRY, YOU ARE MISSING A WONDERFUL CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE"

truer words were never spoken, here in lies the desperation of so many of us wannabees! :rant-rave:

So Very True!!
 

:thumbup::thumbup:
Both of you have sent a great message to all of us wannabees/gonnabees!
Thank you!!! :thumbup:

garsha, great post! I sooo want to push Fast Forward and move to TV now. <sigh>

TV Gonna Be... 2012

We just moved to TV this week. When we decided to sell our home we started to get rid of things we didn't fell we would need or could use. By the time we were done we decided to take 2 end tables, a small curio, my good china and everyday dishes. We liquidated anything we had left and that helped toward to cost of the move. GOOD LUCK. :confused::confused:

Mouse (a/k/a Phyllis)

Just some thoughts and each person is different.
 

I find I use three or four glass baking dishes when I have folks over for dinner. Also quickly needed at least ONE card table and chairs and if we live there all the time will need two. (People over for games and larger potluck suppers.) Also for puzzles and crafts.

I like the new pretty colors in the hi tech plastic glasses that don't get crazed in the dishwasher and use them in TV. I brought a decent set of wine glasses, both flute and regular and water goblets for dinner parties and I have used them several times.

Sweetie installed a fold away ironing board in the garage. Out of the way and not taking up space.

Bring your sewing basket. I have found many uses for it in our first four month visit.

Because of the lifestyle, the dishwasher may not be run every day so more knives, forks and spoons are good to have. Same with glasses.

If we ever get to move to The Villages I'll have to put my wife on an IV drip to put her "under" while I pack and throw things out. ;-) After we're on the road I'll gradually lower the dose, remove the IV and she'll be awake and happy but a bit suprised over the tiny U-Haul trailer behind us. "My, how did you ever manage to pack all that stuff into that tiny trailer?" ;)

This may be a little off topic but in reading all the suggestions about Christmas decorations, it made me wonder if lots of people stay in tv at Christmas or most go "back home" or wherever their families are.

I'm getting married on Aug. l and moving to tv a week later, so I'm also in the decision aking time for "stuff". Have collected a whole lot in the last 40 years!