[graciegirl]

Now I am not a keeper just generally. I have heard many threads about getting rid of stuff before moving here. We still have two houses so I don't have my stuff here I usually use to entertain people at parties; hot trays, serving dishes, silver etc. And I am already missing them.

However, we were invited for cocktails at a friends lovely stretched Lantana over the weekend. She recently moved here and she said the storage was so good in her house that she may have gotten rid of too much. She said she was looking for some serving dishes and was sorry that she got rid of them and will have to replace them now.


Anybody else feel they have too much or too little here?

[Blondie]

GG, My problem is I don't know what to get rid of...I wil not be cooking, for sure..under any circcumstances, so I won't need any serving things.....that's a no brainer for me....but, what furniture should I bring, what clothes to keep, and I must bring all my treasures. Perhaps the discussion I have been having with myself (a bad sign) is premature, b/c I am only putting my house on the market this week. What a goofball I can be. However; even though I wil not be entertaining folks in my TV home with a home cooked meal..I can call for a pizza, or have a ...let's all have a party at Blondie's house and bring things to eat (or we don't eat). Enough rambling.

[graciegirl]

This little get together was just pick up foods. Cheese and crackers, some other things, not a meal. You know little things for crackers and stuff. We all either have too many little serving dishes or too few.

[tkret]

Originally Posted by Blondie

...let's all have a party at Blondie's house and bring things to eat (or we don't eat). .

Count me in Blondie. Wonderful to see that you made it home safely. Good luck in the sale of you house. Hurry back because "Firecracker" misses you I'm sure.

[villages07]

GG...your bigger challenge will arrive if/when you sell the Ohio house and make TV your permanent home. Having to consolidate two houses would be a nightmare.

We brought a lot of stuff with us, including furniture we wished now we had left behind. Although it fits and is functional...it's not tropical/Florida motif. If we had it to do over we would have bought more new furniture for here.

Probably our biggest boo-boo was moving a full size 32" TV...at approx a dollar a pound to move, we spent close to $100 to move it, only to replace it within 6 months and get far less than that in selling it.

Fortunately, I'm not a dish hound or collector of lots of seasonal decorations. I had no problem throwing stuff out...it was a cleansing experience.

I'm sure your neighbor will have her new house filled up in no time. Junk/stuff accumulates to fill the available space.

[graciegirl]

If we decide to move here full time, I think we might get a larger house. With the stock market being what it is, we might be moving in with one of you......however, my original plan was to decorate our Hadley house on a budget, but nice enough to sell our home furnished if we relocate here permanently.

We have occupied our house now a total of 29 or 30 days. Actually just now getting the feel of living in it this week, as previous visits were spent on furnishing it.

[beady]

Deciding what to bring is hands down the most difficult part of moving. I spent months sorting and re-gifting and selling. In the end I still brought way to much. I have since sold more furniture, bought new and have made several trips to Goodwill. Just do the best you can and now that when you arrive you will do more sorting and eliminating.

I have already gotten rid of lots of stuff, including many things that would be used for entertaining. We've had a few get togethers with our kids and grandchildren since then, and I find that I can get along very well without all the other stuff I used to have.

I find the less stuff we have, the easier things seem. So, if we do get to the Villages, I plan to live very plainly.

[ConeyIsBabe]

Any stuff I shlep or ship 3,000 miles from Oregon to TV will have to be either very valuable, very sentimental or very important

[SteveZ]

This seems to be a universal problem.

When we bought, we moved what we thought would be a full houseload of stuff so that the TV house was fully equipped. We left up North just enough (or so we thought) to keep that place running during the transition from wage-slave to retiree, knowing that we would be "commuting" between both locations for several months. Every commuting trip South still had us looking like the Beverly Hillbillies in transit, and there's probably three more loads to go.

It's now getting down to crunch time, and UPS will end up with the last of the boxes, and the stuff left up North will find new homes among friends, church charities and refuse removal. Oh well, we really don't need most of the stuff anyway, as we haven't used it in years, but have kept it "just in case."

There probably is no "efficient" way to make this re-sizing of life style happen.

[tkret]

Originally Posted by ConeyIsBabe

Any stuff I shlep or ship 3,000 miles from Oregon to TV will have to be either very valuable, very sentimental or very important

.... and Jack better be one of those things.... right Coney??

[Rokinronda]

We bought furnished. I had 25 boxes of music, my paintings, photos, sentimental mementos, our stereo, big TV, my beloved art easel. Everything else-stuff-1 yard sale and CHARITY! We gave a full bedroom, dining room and living room furniture to 2 young families in need. It felt so good to give. Although, 2 days ago I wished I had my winter coat!

[nONIE]

Steve I am finding that those "just in case" items are not being missed at all! I havn't given any thought to them since I gave them all to auction. And if by chance you do miss something along the way, its really very satisfying to go out and buy it new for the new house in TV.

Downsizing is very stressful but after all, they are only material things, and "things are easily replaced if they're not antique or sentimental.

The lifestyle we live in TV is far more satisfying and enjoyable then any of those "just in case" things we left behind. IMHO

[ConeyIsBabe]

Originally Posted by tkret

.... and Jack better be one of those things.... right Coney??

No, Jack belongs to my gentleman friend... who loves Oregon, loves the cold weather, loves living out in the boonies.......... SOoooooooo if/when I shlep myself over to TV it will be alone

That's what I find daunting - to make all new friends

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by ConeyIsBabe

No, Jack belongs to my gentleman friend... who loves Oregon, loves the cold weather, loves living out in the boonies.......... SOoooooooo if/when I shlep myself over to TV it will be alone

That's what I find daunting - to make all new friends

Oh Coney. Don't worry about that. Everyone you meet here is so friendly and gives you their card. Be sure to print up some cards to exchange with people when you come. Our door is always open!