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Thread: Selling house, Quitting Jobs, Simplifying and Moving to Rural Vermont

  1. #1
    Junior Member chauddog's Avatar
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    Selling house, Quitting Jobs, Simplifying and Moving to Rural Vermont

    Hello everyone! Happy I found this site of like minded folks. My partner of 27 years and I are getting ready over the next two months to sell our beautiful but too big Victorian house in Massachusetts and retreat to a much smaller mobile home in rural Vermont. We are excited that we will be completely debt free once we make the move. We are just starting the process of downsizing and ridding ourselves of a lot of extraneous material possessions. It will be a scary journey for us but one that we feel in our hearts is the right path for us to follow. As part of the journey, we will also be leaving our well paying corporate jobs to explore work that we are more passionate about and take time to find ourselves again, live much more simply and find our true passions and calling. IHe has already given notice although I will hold on to mine for at least a bit longer since I have more flexibility about working remotely. As much as we know it is the right thing to do, we do feel the tugs of attachment to the home we have poured so much into and a lot (although not all) of our friends and family think we are a little crazy to do this in our late 40s! I would love to hear from folks who have followed or are planning a similar path. It could be a mid-life crisis...but i am not sure that is a bad thing. LOL.

  2. #2
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    Sounds like you're going to have an eventful year, chauddog. You're doing what a lot of others only dream about.
    Please keep us posted - will be interesting to hear how everything goes.

  3. #3
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Sounds like big changes. I would keep one job if it can be done remotely. Good moving!
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    This is the best thing I ever did. I had some rough times because I just got divorced after 22 years. I had been working on a simple life and now I am working on making it easier. Go for it and don't look back. I think you will like Vermont better than Mass. Quality of life matters more than Fancy houses and money.

  5. #5
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Welcome, chauddog! You'll find lots of inspiration and experience here.

    About three years ago (!) I ditched a HSSJ (Horrible Soul-Sucking Job) for what has turned out to be mostly early retirement. I do have a photography business which is ramping up, but it hasn't been instrumental to our finances (my wife has a decent-paying job that she still enjoys -- most days). We're still in the same house but have been downsizing steadily, both in material possessions and in how we spend our time. And we love our lives even if the money isn't flowing like it used to. I think you will enjoy your new life, too.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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    Congrats Chaudog! I think you are making a great choice and you are probably already familiar with the area in Vermont (one of my favorite states!!) so know what to expect. Although I'd recommend you watch an old comedy starring Chevy Chase called "Funny Farm" about a NYC couple who move to rural Vermont. Very funny and hopefully not too realistic.

    I did something similar to you and it worked out very well for me. Several years ago I quit my job at 42, sold my house in Southern Calif., moved to a very beautiful mountain snow ski and lake resort town, and bought a small house for about 1/3rd the cost of my old place. Doing that gave me the ability to instantly retire and I have not been back to work since! Didn't move that far from my old place - about 100 miles away and 8,000 ft up - so I was able to stay near family, friends, and even much warmer weather (sometimes a 50 degree difference) and the ocean just a short 90 minute drive away. I've since sold that place but it certainly was a great way to achieve early retirement and live in an area that was much nicer than the over crowed, hot and smoggy SoCal 'burbs I had been living in.

  7. #7
    Senior Member fidgiegirl's Avatar
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    I really look forward to hearing more about your journey! We ourselves are not there, we are in an upsizing phase of our lives (moved into a bigger house two years ago, adding a baby to the family this spring) but I still love these stories.

    Why Vermont?
    Kelli

    My gluten free blog: Twin Cities Gluten Free
    Our house remodel blog: Our Fair Abode

  8. #8
    Moderator Float On's Avatar
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    Welcome. Looking forward to you sharing more about your journey.
    Float On: My "Happy Place" is on my little kayak in the coves of Table Rock Lake.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    In my mid 40's I got a divorce, new job & moved alone to the West Coast-a place I had never been. I interviewed by phone for the job. It was the best move I ever made. I also bought a 890 sq ft condo which I loved. Eventually I met my present hubby & we now live in a 1400 sq ft house with a small yard. It feels just right for the two of us. He wanted a small garage to do man things & I wanted a small yard since I love to sit outside while the dogs play, etc. Since you can work remotely it sounds like you will have some measure of security until you see how everything fits & feels. When I made the leap to move alone some people thought I was crazy but my attitude was if I hate it I will move again. Nothing has to be permanent. Welcome to the forum!

  10. #10
    Senior Member ctg492's Avatar
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    I think everyone should try this of they can afford to and want to.Best of luck! Give it a try.

    You asked if anyone had done this. Raising hand and waving. Sold it all, husband had enough in mid 40s, packed it up and went to our summer home to watch the river flow. We over did our budget to say the least. I have tips on that topic. First month, I was like what did we do?..Husband was happy as he could ever imagine. Second month I settled in and he had done all the projects he wanted. Third month he was on a jet to NYC and Turkey for business, his words were " I am rotting here" the other phrase I remember was " I don't like shopping for the lowest priced creamer". We moved back down to where we came from.
    Strange how things turn out in life. We planned this event for a long long time. The place we spent so many really nice summers at for years, turned out to be a nice place to visit not a place to live. Sometimes the dream is better then the end result. For us what we should have done is closed everything up and tried it for a year.

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