[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.

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!

[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

[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.