Will anyone admit to the actual moving to TV being exhausting physically
 

I was just chatting with some local friends and neighbors and we all remember our younger days when long distance moving, preceded by packing up the entire home, was a chore but not as exhausting as it became in our later years.......and that includes unpacking at the other end, after traveling to the locale. A bit different than moving locally.

It goes to say, that any northerners contemplating a move to sunny Florida are already downsizing and eliminating clutter and items which they do not want to bring along.......including all the furniture (at a later date) when a potential home is bought and their current residence is sold.

The question I have is: Will anyone honestly say that the move itself to The Villages was found to be exhausting?

Or, did they discover some novel ways of coping with the long distance move........such as hiring some help at the end of the road.....to unpack and organize the home? Or, help in packing up, to begin with?

The people I was chatting with earlier this morning all are in the same boat with stiff joints and various types of arthritis which cause fatigue along with limited mobility in the mornings.........so this would not relate to the 30 somethings and 40 somethings who live in TV.....but say 68 and older.

No matter where anyone moves to.......is WORK. Been there, done that.
However, when younger.........the mere idea of moving from one large home to another was not that daunting..........as it is today.

We would not be bringing our furniture, but there always are boxes of personal items and clothing to organize.......kitchenware, etc.

Any helpful thoughts or ideas on the subject would be appreciated....so thanks in advance. Or, as another poster said......please tell me your moving story.

We moved several times with Westinghouse, and later a couple of times on our own. I have to say, moving with little kids and cats and dogs was a lot harder than the last two moves without the kids and only the dog and bird. I think we had pared down due to several prior moves.

However, moving to TV involved packing and cleaning up our apt. in Pittsburgh, then driving to MI and packing up a third of our condo, sending that off to TV with movers and then racing back to Pittsburgh to meet the other movers, and then each driving separately from Pgh. to TV.

Then sleeping on the floor and sitting in bag chairs while waiting for two movers to show up.

It was the most fun, relaxing, exciting move we've ever done, despite arthritis in shoulders and neck and one of us with a bad back. The whole difference, I think, was mental. Retirement and a new home in sunny FL made all the work seem easy. And we could take our own sweet time unpacking at this end. Just find the dog food bowl. That's what retirement is about, right? Taking your own sweet time.

I found it very stressful and very hard to pare down and pack, things you cannot have help to do, Taking or leaving things has to be decided by the owners. Also boxes were heavier than they used to be. Plus terrible bouts of nostalgia.

Sweetie would go off to work and the deadline was looming closer and closer and it seemed that Sweetie was not getting rid of his "stuff".

I love that wonderful husband of mine of fifty years but one day he kissed me goodbye to go to work and said....

"By the way, My name is NOT %#@*&^%$# Henry!"

The unprintable word was worse than you could think.

YES, it was very hard.

So glad it is history.

It is tiring, but the rush of adrenalin keeps the fatigue in place for a while. Remember, moving in doesn't have to be done quickly. Just make sure you have the essentials you need set in place....some clothes, your bed, TV, phone, coffee maker. I've been here 6 years and am still sorting some things....:)

There are people who can be hired to help unload things if you are moving things yourself. There is time to relax and recharge....and make sure you make this a priority. There's plenty of time to work on the house, there's plenty to do to relax.

First of all, decluttering helps a lot. We all store things that we haven't touched in years. I found it best to start doing a little at a time in anticipation of an impending move. Get rid of heavy items like books that one can donate to your library. Take only your necessary paperwork as it takes time to go through. Pack all of the small items in small boxes that are easily transportable. Pack clothes that you haven't used in a while or donate to Goodwill, as your probably not going to wear them.

As far as the bigger pieces such as furniture and such, help is required. It's good to be young but that is not an option for some of us. Round of younger members in the family, (the more the merrier). If your going to donate your furniture, they will pick it up for you. Again, decluttering of the contents in the furniture is helpful

I think the biggest thing is to keep reminding oneself it's all worth it. :smiley:

That's true. The fact that you could take your own sweet time unpacking, etc. Thanks for sharing.

P.S.We had a neighbor and dear friend who visited while we had just finished boxing up our entire house back in 1994, prior to moving to the Gulf Coast of Florida........since all of her husband's moves had been "corporate moves" she couldn't understand why we had packed all of these boxes ourselves...............we were still 49 years old....and very organized..........but self employed.....

On the return move from Florida back to Vermont..........I had my elderly mom in tow (with senile dementia and Alzheimers) so that made it a bit more tedious while caring for her........but the movers were great, as this time we brought back our Florida furniture.

Right now, I'm trying to downsize A LOT. We've actually moved at least eight times in our married life. Glad your back, etc. held up.

Again, thanks for sharing..........

Great advice..........as usual. Is your condo on the market???

We were waiting for the property values to go back up.
Lately, the evening news seems to be a bit more positive.
However, not so for the real estate listings in our town..........so far.

We'd hire a moving van........but I still have memories of 1995 which is the last time when we moved back to Vermont from Florida.

6 years is a good reasonable goal. Thanks !!! Definitely slowing down now compared to 1995.

My next door neighbor "enlisted" her step children to help move locally and she said it was more bother than it was worth.......they put all the boxes in a huge pile, rather than bring them to the proper rooms which she had labeled on each box. We always did that for the movers.
Would write on each box which room it belonged in. Anyway, her stress levels just went through the roof..........she's now 70. Said she would have preferred to do it herself and at a slower pace.........not as chaotic.

I'm going to give myself the six year goal....to totally unpack

Condo is on the market. Hopefully, it sells soon. :icon_wink:

Another thought is, "will it cost more to transport all your furniture to Florida as opposed to buying furniture in Florida?"

One more is, "will your present furniture be the style you will want in Florida?"

Your "Sweetie" sounds just like mine. It's the garage !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I keep telling him I'm going to put him on those "Hoarder" shows.

We, of course, haven't done it yet, but the thought of it terrifies me.

Being disabled and just barely able to move myself around, let alone carry anything doesn't help.

Unlike some of you who have moved a lot, I reject moving on principle. My family seemed to move for a hobby when I was a kid. I attended 14 different schools before high school. I hated it. So, I told my wife we wouldn't do it.

That's why I had the same job for 30+ years.

We are at a minimum 1 1/2 years away from being able to move there, if we decide to. I'm retired, and while I don't get around well, I could certainly start sorting through drawers, closets and cabinets and putting stuff in boxes for the big garage sale (my wife actually has one every summer). BUT, she isn't one to throw stuff away. So, I have a very hard time getting her to let me start winnowing things out. Joe is exactly right, the best way to do it is a little at a time. And of course for me all the work of a garage sale to make $200 is insane. I'd just call the Salvation Army to come pick stuff up if it were my decision. As my wife starts having more arthritis pains, she has a harder and harder time dragging up stuff from the basement. And since the kids are gone mostly, she's got no help. MAYBE, she'll change her stripes, lol. No, probably not.

Secretly I'm glad she's saves stuff. I cannot count the times she's saved us by being able to root around downstairs and find something important.

So, good luck with your move. I think the key factor will be how healthy you are and how much help you have.

The last time we moved from Vermont to Florida, we were going to a condo.
We sold all of our northern furniture at auction. Bought new in Florida.

However, when we moved back to Vermont, we brought the Florida furniture as we had my elderly mom to consider first and foremost.......and then later, slowly replaced the Florida furniture back to northern furniture...................this time around, I will sell it all again.

The moving van fees are astronomical. Florida furniture is not that expensive......so yes, will replace it again.

I've actually begun getting rid of our 48 years of books..these past several years..........everything is now on our kindles.........so one less thing to dust.

Good luck with selling the condo...........

My "ideal" would be to buy a house in TV to have something to go to....have it all set and ready.........and then put our home on the market.
Every other time we've moved............we did it in reverse and then would have to rush into buying. Not much of a selection up here..........especially not compared to The Villages.

I hear you and I can "feel" your arthritic pain.....and your wife's.
It does make it difficult to buggylug heavy items......fatique is part and parcel of various types of arthritis.......not to mention sore joints.

Joe is right........and that's how we always did it.....slowly organizing.

We "stayed put" the entire time the children were in school..........and all through their college years.........they had the stability of being in one family home for their youth.

We decided to move to a condo when our daughter married and our son graduated college and moved to Colorado..........

That was 1994. However, "life is what happens when you are making other plans" so we not only had to close down our home after selling it, but my mom's home as well when her husband died..........and bring her along with us. Long story, but we missed Vermont and moved back, buying a home in our same neighborhood where we had just sold the "family home".

Other times we moved was prior to having the children and when they were babies and toddlers........

Vermont always drew us back like a magnet.........however, this recent winter has been a GOOD TEST of how the sub zero cold feels on older bones and joints. Not so good. The Florida sunshine now does seem preferable, for sure. I've had the heat cranked up to 80 degrees all winter long.

My husband would love to have a huge tag sale, as it is called up here.
I'd as soon donate it to the Salvation Army, etc.

Thanks for sharing your story..............appreciate it.

Those are good questions. I would say No to the first one and Partially to the second one: If and when we sell the condo, DH wants to sell everything except the dining room furniture, which would cost more to replace than the cost of our initial two movers, and will fit right in down here.

I love the idea of an estate sale. They are very popular in West MI. A company comes in, prices every single thing in your house, holds a three-day sale (advertised) and takes a percentage. They take care of everything, including donating anything that isn't sold. The trick is to sell your place and have a far-enough out closing date to get an estate sale set up.

I agree wholeheartedly. We built the condo before selling the house, and bought the TV house totally on impulse, without selling the condo. Before that it was "Moving With Westinghouse," which involved hurrying up and choosing a place to live without really knowing the area. That is stressful.

But... you will have so much more of a selection here, and you pretty much know what the models look like, and if you've been here before you might be familiar with the individual villages and know what location you prefer. I think it will be easier.

Good luck, Senior Citizen!

Unless you're buying a Premier home here, I'd advise to not move large furniture, especially oversized sectional sofas, tall t.v. entertainment units, and especially not china cabinets. The consignment store ends up with far too many of these because they are too big or too old-fashioned to fit in anything but a premier and some designers.

Old china is another thing that ends up at the consignment store. Few people use their "good china" they got as wedding gifts 40 years ago, much less display it it a cabinet.

If you can afford it, it works better IMO to buy here and furnish with new and slightly used, and THEN go back home and sell the major furniture you have. That way you'll know what would fit here, and you'll see how out-dated and tired a lot of the furnishings at home look now. You'll also see how good it feels to have the new place here clutter free, and you'll see how much you need to get rid of a lot back home so you can stay clutter free here.

I have to admit since decluttering, I have felt so much better to be rid of stuff that I never looked at that was stored away. Some of it in bookcases just added to the burden.

It is also so much easier to keep clean. :smiley:

Except for a few momentos, "it's got to go is my motto".

I was fortunate. About 8 years before I moved to TV and without any intention of moving - ever, I started cleaning out my closets of things that I had not used in the past one to two years. It is amazing how much STUFF one accumulates - even without children and a husband. Every year, I would shift through my belongings, shedding more and more. It felt great!!!! Then, when out of the blue, I decided that I could indeed retire and leave New York City, I had most of the work done. Was I unconsciously preparing to move to TV and I just did not let myself in on the decision? Maybe. I sold most of my furniture to the buyer of my Co-op. I still had many boxes to pack for the movers and then again unpack here in my new home. In retrospect, it was exciting and exhausting. I moved here in May this year. This December I felt like I had my full energy back. I retired, sold my co-op and moved all in one fell swoop and the life change took a lot of energy. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Was it worth it? You bet it was!:MOJE_whot: Good luck with your move.

I started getting rid of unwanted household items long before the move. As you get older, you need to take the gradual approach. But I enjoyed it. The anticipation gave me energy and I have always kept myself in good physical condition which helps a lot.

The optimum situation would be to find a previously-owned furnished house. There are some out there, but the catch is you have to like the house and the furnishings. The recurring theme through this thread is start early.

Turnkey!!!
 

One word- Turnkey!!
My husband has a bad back, recent heart attack. So we sold everything and drove from CA to TV, after purchasing turnkey. It was so nice to be able to just turn the key, and we walked into our pre-owned home, after spending many nights in hotels on our way out here. We had sold our furniture on Craig's list, had several garage sales, to be able to do this.
We as a nation of people are SO stuck on our possessions and THINGS. Moving to Paradise should cause us to pause and reflect on what is really important in life. Friends, family, faith, good neighbors, stress free activities, you name it. But furniture is NOT on the list for me!

Very good observation. Like anything else, some things are to be done little by little.

"Inch by inch, anything is a cinch. Yard by yard, it's hard". Rev. Robert Schuller

Does anyone know of any company or service that will help you unpack and put things away?

Yes, you are correct on all of the above.........and I thank you.

I echo everything you say above and that's "the plan". Good advice.
Thankyou.

Great story !! Thanks for sharing.

Wonderful post and very wise observation.

I think we all have reached that point in life where "stuff" and possessions in general, especially those that accumulate dust are not worth the bother.

We've told the kids we do not need any more gifts and such, but then the grandchildren send us all their handmade crafts and things and the closets are busting out with everything.......all the accumulated stuff.

Ironically, we totally decluttered back in 1994. It has taken from 1995 in this house, which is large, to 2013 (EIGHTEEN YEARS) to replenish more of all the stuff we unloaded the last time...........this time toy boxes for all the grandchildren, games for all the grandchildren.......you get the picture...........childrens books, videos and so forth.......plus tons of gift items we've received and "never use".

I want to thank EVERYONE who has posted for sharing their stories.

When we moved to this house in Kissimmee, FL I got rid of all furniture and bought new...now w move to TV I am taking my stuff....up North its expensive and you dont know if things will break

Right On!
 

I didn't call my hubby names but we had many many many skirmishes over his stuff and helping me pack. He also went to work everyday leaving me to deal. In the end, when he took time off he was quite helpful. Many sleepless nights for me. I will never move again! Too emotional, stressful and tireing. I am glad we are here and settled.

Aww..my hubby is the most helpful guy in the whole world:swear: and I couldn't have done it without him:ohdear:...I'm SURE when he gets back from Michigan his first priority will be to clean the garage...yeah..right:cryin2:

THIS must be a trait of MI hubbys. Been there. With that same person:cry:

And cleaning the garage? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!:1rotfl::1rotfl:

So grateful someone else admitted how difficult it is to move. And I am only about an hour from TV. I think there is a backdrop to every move to do with moving on, what you let go of, how sure are the finances, will this get broken, what should I carry myself, what unknown do I not know that will bite me....almost like those monsters in the shadows....eeek!

Our doc said that moving (anywhere) is one of the most stressful things you can do in your life, ranked right up there with a death of a spouse, marriage or divorce. She forgot add in being hauled before the IRS.

In our situation we had not one, but two homes in two states to close out (one owned & one rented). Plus unlike most of you we are not retired and had to change jobs as well. The transition in my work was much easier than my wife's which is a much more demanding profession.

We hired movers but did all the packing ourselves. While we gave many items to our kids, we still brought quite a bit with us and we did our own packing. Since our last name isn't Rockefeller or Trump we couldn't afford to pay the movers to pack us up.

If think that while everybody's experience is different, it's stressful for anyone no matter what their circumstances. Good luck to all.

My wife and aren't even moving yet and we're exhausted. Prepping, trying to sell our house, trying to get rid of our kids!! LOL! If the carrot at the end of the stick wasn't so enticing, I don't know if we'd make it. :^)

I moved from Alaska by myself, I sold almost everything and then drove with 2 dogs in a car for a week just to get to Minneapolis. While my house was being built I stayed with my mother for 3 months, that was something else living with your mother after being out of the house for 40 years. Then I took off again for TV with my 2 dogs and drove another 3 days, so 5,000 miles to get here. Yes, I was physically and mentally exhausted. But now that I am in my beautiful home I can say it was all worth it! There were days I just didn't unpack, too tired and wanted to get to know the neighbors or just do something else, probably should have done more of that and let some of the boxes set, but I can get compulsive about things being in order. I won't do it again, next move will be in the nursing home when they drag me out of here or I just die here in my house. I am happy here and love my wonderful neighbors and the community. Some of my friends have said they don't know how I did it, but you do what you have to do in life if you want it bad enough, I was stronger than I ever thought I would be with some of the challenges I faced.

I "hear you".

When we were in our early 20's and moving from our first 2 apartments to our first home.....it was exciting, even with a newborn baby to care for. Our energy level was super high in those days. Everything had to be accomplished the same day.

In our mid 20's we bought our second home (after relocating out of state) and were expecting our second child...........still high energy, even while pregnant........everything got done pronto.

We stayed put for a long long time while raising the children to adulthood.

The next move was again out of state but with our new elderly baby in tow.
Although we had always planned to buy a condo on the beach in Florida once our kids were raised, graduated, married, etc.......it was short lived.

My mom had been recently diagnosed with Alzheimers.....a widow.
We had to close down her place and our own place.......and find a new place........that was a bit tiring, to say the least.

Moving back to Vermont again, to be with her support system (and my own) was difficult as well; that's the first time the boxes sat for "awhile".........as I had to tend to my mom more often. But I still had energy and good mobility at age 49 going on 50. The kids were all gone, graduated from college, married, etc.......relocated themselves. We've been back here since 1995 and again contemplating moving to Florida (we are retired over a year now)........it will be our third move to Florida.
First time we stayed a year.......second time we stayed four months.

Now, pushing 70.......both of us feel like we have "slowed down" and are nothing like we were in our 20's or 40's as far as the packing up an entire house (which somehow miraculously grew back all of the "stuff" we gave away or sold........to even higher levels of "stuff" to dispose of.....if that is at all possible. We are literally back to 1994 as far as STUFF to get rid of, and then some.)

The "snowbird" idea was a good one for us........however, up here pipes freeze in the winter, field mice get into the best of homes......etc. Easier to not keep two homes.

It's really nice to hear everyone's honest retelling of their moving stories.
Perhaps at a slower pace...........but it will get done........and it will be worth it. I know others in Vermont who are presently downsizing and cleaning out their big family homes.........and are younger than us, and feel the same way........so I guess it just comes with age.

p.s.
I didn't include all the minor moves.......just the major moves.
But, been there, done that..........we always packed up and unpacked ourselves. My husband would have all the kids beds put together the same day. I'd have all the kitchen stuff put in the cabinets the same day.
Those were the days. We even had all the pictures and mirrors hung on move in day. In my dreams ...........now.

Will keep that last sentence in mind. A good one.

We have a dear friend and neighbor whose daughter moved to Alaska to teach the natives in the Aleutian Islands.........small schoolhouse. She has mentioned how long and tiring the drive is........once her brother drove her out and then flew back..........it's not an easy drive, especially alone. You are a champion, for sure.

Glad your end of the road was a happy one..........and many more years of happiness in your new home.

Thoughts To Ponder
 

1. You will never have the energy level when you were in your twenties so doing a little at a time is a blessing.
2. Keep reminding yourself, "it's all worth it".
3. Keep reminding yourself, "this is the last time I will have to do this".
4. Anyone who tells you it's easy had someone else do it for them.
5. Think of a nice meal you will have after it's all done.
6. Plan your day so that tackling your heaviest job is when you are at peak energy.
7. Stop and rest if needed, "Rome wasn't built in a day".
8. Make a schedule of things to do and get it done.
9. Enlist anyone who can help.
10. Keep your eye on the prize.

In the middle, hopefully, farther than middle, of packing now! The stress comes from the what do I do with this,Goodwill is getting suspicious of me! It is more exhausting to lug the stuff,good stuff,btw to them than pack it! Yesterday oldest daughter got 2'couches, antique dining room set, queen bed, tables ...... Next week baby daughter gets bed, tables....... And we downsized four years ago.
I just keep thinking of the new friends we are already starting to meet thanks to TOTV and the good times to come..... So TV here we come with less junk that we had, but probably more stuff than we need!