Yes, there are a few trolls out there! :boxing2:

Moving
 

We just sold our house in Colorado in July and have moved here full time. I would recommend using an online estate sale service to get rid of your furniture and other stuff. They come to your house, take pictures, and then offer them online and then people bid on them. They close the auction after 5-7 days and then give the buyers 1-2 days to pick everything up. Easy!
Much better then the tax deduction and we didn’t have to do a thing except cash the check.😎

Downsizing from Colorado
 

[QUOTE=Michael 61;2156691]I’m moving to TV in December from Colorado. I am in the process of down-sizing now in preparation of my move. Though hard (I’m getting rid of lots of expensive sweaters and jackets, and lots of items I’ve collected over the years), it’s also kind of cathartic. I need some feedback from you folks of what you wish you would have discarded prior to bringing with you to TV, but also, what did you get rid of in your haste to downsize, that you wish you now had. Here is my thinking, and let me know if I’m on track:
Getting rid of:
- Most of my winter jackets, sweaters, hats, gloves - only keeping two mid-weight jackets and a few light weight sweaters.
- Any clothing item that I have not worn in the past year.
- Most all of books, cookbooks.
- Most of my collectibles, and curio items - don’t want stuff that collects dust - looking for a minimalist and stream-lined look in my new Florida home.
- Bookcases, Curio Cabinets and China buffet/hutch.
- Not bringing a single furniture item - buying all new in Florida - want neutral and light colors - not my current Oak, Rocky-Mt style lodge furniture.
- All paintings, framed art, etc - want all new, something that is more Florida-like.
- Most tableware - getting rid of most china patterns - only bringing two styles- one formal and one casual.
- Ditching my car in Colorado- will buy something new in Florida.

We moved here a month or so ago. We are kind of the opposite. We didn’t have a desire to redesign our home. We went furniture shopping before we left and few were the quality of what we had and enjoy. One bedroom set that matched what we had would have paid for all of our shipping. We didn’t have the heavy color, maple primarily. We like the woods that you can see colors and grains and didn’t see that in the whitewashed or coastal looks.

We appreciate the comfort of our furniture and art around us from the day we moved in. That whole downsizing process, giving away a lifetime of items, was painful enough. We have one book rack from three for example. There are things we just like to hold in our hands, Iike our Bible.

We drove both cars down and will keep them as long as they make sense.

We feel like we wanted to change our location not so much the home we had designed in Colorado. Whatever works for you is what matters.

Amen! We moved here a year ago, and had to wait 8 months for a chair we bought from Babettes.
Another tip: Check nextdoor.com (or the app) locally for used furniture, you can probably pick up items you want a lot faster (and cheaper) that way. We got two large bookcases for our "library", two marching chairs for same, two queen ann chairs for living room, and a dining set. We selected the carpet pattern we liked by browsing online at Home Depot and Lowes, they were delivered promptly. If we'd ordered a matching living room set (or dining set) we would have had to settle for a design we didn't particularly like and wait 6 months.

It is much colder here in January and February then you think it will be, especially if you want to be active outdoors during the winter months. You definitely need a hat, scarf, gloves especially if you plan to cart in the winter. You will also need a pair or two of closed toe shoes or booties when you don’t want to wear sneakers and it’s too cold for sandals. We wear our packable down puffer jackets a lot in the winter months in the morning and at night in spring and fall. I would bring several sweaters and any cardigans you have as they are useful year round. You also need warm pjs and slippers in winter. I would also keep base layer/long sleeve tech fabric tops. As others have stated bring all you sports equipment/gear less the snowshoes and skis.

We're snow birds from Colorado -- bought up north in February '21. We head there each November for 5-6 months and are always pleased we have layers (32 degree hoodie w/light down, light weight gloves, and neck gator and headbands work great for cold nights in the golf cart). We had temps in the 20's last January and we were under blankets at the town square in March '21, so you just never know.

When we remodeled, we would have had to wait months for nearly everything were it not for our Costco membership -- we furnished our place (including appliances and TV's) courtesy of Costco. If you're a member (and from CO, you probably are), then you know the quality can't be beat and their delivery dates/times are accurate EVERY TIME! The Villages only has Sam's Club and BJ's and neither are a decent Costco substitute, so we order what we can for delivery via the app and hit the store whenever our travels take us south to the Orlando area.

Hope you will love your new residence and hope to run into a fellow Coloradan when we are back!

I don’t think Goodwill is your best choice for “charitable” organizations. Check ‘em out.

CO to FLA-
 

If you haven’t experienced FL in summer you may want to postpone closing out CO completely. Maybe you could use some of those items if you decide to keep a summer refuge. Look before you leap.

I'm not sure what kind of car you drive but if it's in good shape you want to keep it, this is not a good time to be buying new cars. Some dealers automatically add thousands of dollars to the sticker price. Personally, we've had good luck selling to Car Max and/or trading for another car. Let the buyer beware.

Lots of wisdom in this comment.

Hold on to the car. It is difficult to explain the auto market today. Other than that, maybe a couple of your favorite sweatshirts. Glad you found it cathartic. I just about had a breakdown. Forty years of collecting rare books (18th century) to objects d'art ie faberge; then realizing what I was proud of really meant little to most. Even autos I offered my kids (again) were not wanted. One chose a Hyundai over a Pantera. I was actually a bit proud of her, as the more I thought about it the sillier I felt. These "items" mainly created headaches. Going minimalist is, in my opinion, a great plan. Enjoy what really matters in life, family and friends.

Thanks- it has actually felt good already to part with so much of my “stuff”. I don’t think I’ll miss any of it - I don’t want my retirement defined by stuff I collected in the past. I’m hanging on to my stamp collection (will be joining the Villages stamp club), but I want a very stream lined and uncluttered house (more aesthetically pleasing, and way easier upkeep). I’m thinking of hanging onto my car for now, great advice in this current market.