No longer prepared to move at any time... [Archive]

Ultralight

7-26-18, 7:19am

catherine

7-26-18, 8:06am

Interesting questions.

A) "Should I lighten my rucksack so I could move any time?"

I was just reading about how a certain religion (not a mainstream one by any means) required its adherents to move frequently so they wouldn't get attached to any one place--their goal was detachment from everything in life. Even though you are an atheist, I think "detachment" figures into your value system, at least from the perspective of not needing or wanting superfluous material possessions.

If you were to plan your life around an instant get-up-and-go exit strategy, you need to ask yourself why? Are you seeking a higher level of freedom? Are you afraid of missed opportunities?

Also, are things like your couch really holding you back? When my son and DIL moved a very short distance away, my DIL sold EVERYTHING. I was amazed. So your couch and a few possessions don't have to keep you from moving. Just sell them and buy a new one at your new place.

b. "Or should I keep digging in here and become even more a part of my community, family and friendship circles."

I think the value of good relationships and community can't be understated. It's interesting it took this "almost" job to make you re-evaluate your home relationships. I love the term "digging in" because it's a great metaphor for establishing roots and gaining "soul nutrition" from the humus of our home place. It's up to you how much that means to you.

In any case, neither alternative requires a life-long commitment. The good thing is, you can change your mind any time.

I love my home(s)... I only had one brief twinge of homesickness since I've been here--ironically it was in Newark Airport. I was returning from a business trip and I had to make a connection through Newark. Standing at the Burlington gate, I thought about my back patio, my zen garden, my comfy couch, the bathroom DH and I demo'd and rebuilt with our own hands, and a twinge of nostalgia got to me--even though without a doubt my life up here is filled with beauty and fulfillment and family. I think we'll always miss "home" but we have to decide when it's time for us to be "repotted" (sorry for all the cheesy gardening metaphors!)

razz

7-26-18, 8:32am

Very thoughtful OP and response UL and Cath. Feeling a sense of being rooted is a precious feeling. It took me decades to find it. I kept planting a new plant or trees at every move possible. Where I am now in thought as well as physical presence is 'home' and I love it.

Williamsmith

7-26-18, 8:52am

I can tell you that uprooting yourself after being dug in for a quarter a century is a monumental task .....but it is fitting. We shouldn’t take leaving a place where our heart has been, lightly. If it were easy, I fear I’d not value many relationships at all. The melancholy or wistfulness associated with a move are expressions of healing and they are tentative explorations of a new neighborhood.

Speaking for myself, I need a home base where I can come to feel comfortable without working too hard. I need to reflect on my last expedition out into the world in a place where it feels like therapy, where I’m not threatened by intrusion. I think some people are wired to make that transition quicker than others. I have always told my family that I don’t travel well. And it’s true ....but I still travel. I think what you describe is a more intuitive function of the brain than it is a cognitive function. Meaning, all your senses are involved....not just your technical mind.

Does that translated to actually uprooting yourself and moving lock, stock and barrel to a strange location? Everyone gets to evaluate that one opening door at a time and it is the blessing of a freedom loving society that these types of challenges exist. Many entire classes of people had no such options.

My guess is when the time comes, the couch won’t matter much. You’ll hit the road knowing it’s the right thing to do.

SteveinMN

7-26-18, 9:14am

I think catherine makes an excellent point: being able to just go is/was an ability to which you gave a lot of value.

Why? Is being able to put all your earthly possessions in one vehicle a handy quantitative measure of minimalism? Does it support the belief that you are not attached to a place and could leave without arranging for a moving vehicle and to sell large items, etc.? Or is it something else entirely? Look for the question behind the question.

It's okay to change our minds and reprioritize values as life brings us additional experiences and challenges. You're not the same person now as you were when you made this a prominent value. You have a good relationship with someone now (how rooted is she?); you have a chronic illness that may or may not degrade your ability to just pick up and go wherever whenever. That's OK. It's life.

And it's not like you couldn't go back to this. You're not an Olympic-caliber athlete giving up the next Olympics to sit in a trailer watching the game show network and sucking down corn dogs. That opportunity won't come back. If you develop (more) roots and then your situation changes, you can always sell your stuff, say goodbye to people you know, and strike out anew.

pinkytoe

7-26-18, 9:29am

I still get a little heartache when I think about the house/place/family we left behind almost two years ago. In my rearview mirror, it was in many ways perfection but no longer affordable. However, the thought of living life without even trying something different kept pestering me as I went to work every day. I can't say I am regretful to have made the leap but I more fully appreciate the value of place/familiarity that is cultivated over many years. There are so many options in our lives these days so I guess the lesson is to enjoy where you are right now. As far as stuff, it is very easy to lighten your load over a weekend via craigslist, garage sales, Goodwill...especially if you only have two carloads.

Teacher Terry

7-26-18, 10:17am

Having lived in 5 different states I love having roots where I am and would not move again. It is getting expensive here but we own our house which is the biggest expense. While visiting Kenosha it hit me how cheap things are there compared to here. We went out for appetizers and drinks one night. The bill for 3 people who had a total of 9 drinks and 2 appetizers was 62. It would have been double that here.

iris lilies

7-26-18, 10:52am

Yes, $62 is cheap for that!

iris lilies

7-26-18, 11:03am

I am constantly thinking of how I would move, what I would move. In my mind I guess I could leave this house to live in
Hermann IF I could retain an aprtment in the city of St. Louis. The apartment has to have architectural features
i like, none of this loft crap. And while there are many fabulous pre-war apartments in the city, I would likely have to live in this same neighborhood in order to retain community garden rights.

You see, I cannot seriously grow lilies in
hermann because the fkg deer will just eat them. Hate those fkrs. But I digress...

in my current neighborhood (community garden rules require
I live in the neighborhood) there are limited choices for pre-war apartments. There is a set of buildings I oove but those are condos. I reeeeasaaaly do not want to buy a condo in an old building because I dont want to own real estate with other people, usually they defer maintenance and manage the property poorly.

But to get back to the idea at hand, yes,
I regularly go through the stuff in this house as a mental exercise to think about what stays and what goes in a move.

bae

7-26-18, 1:00pm

iris lilies

7-26-18, 1:09pm

bae

7-26-18, 1:33pm

That is a fun mental exercise. I can see that. NZ has some elements that make it fantasy land.

Yup, I noticed I could liquidate enough capital in a day to sneak in through one of their investor-immigrant programs, and just leave all this mess here behind :-)

iris lilies

7-26-18, 2:00pm

Yup, I noticed I could liquidate enough capital in a day to sneak in through one of their investor-immigrant programs, and just leave all this mess here behind :-)
I have always though that NZ is a place
I could move and love it, even without having visited there.

We have assets to make the move but could only liquidate 75% of it in one day.

My question is about how much the USA would confiscate on our way out, an issue you have educated me about. We would not have extra dinero to cover that.

Anyway, bas, you might end up in another country in the future without a wife to consider, of it comes to that. I did wonder what she thought of your contemplation of a move to one of those Northern European countries you liked, cant remember which one.

gimmethesimplelife

7-26-18, 2:16pm

This is an interesting thread. We all know how I feel about the US - there's no need to go into this again here at this point. So I'm going to take this from the perspective of my zip code. The infamous 85006.

It would be surprisingly difficult for me to just pick up and leave at the drop of a hat. I am emotionally invested here in my activism, in my friends and neighbors.....were I to move further north into a "better area" I would not fit in anywhere near as well and realistically would have to suck up a lot and keep my mouth shut to avoid issues/problems - whereas where I live I'm pretty much worth the right to be myself. This would be hard to give up without some perks in it for me - no need to go into specific perks here and now, I've posted about these perks on and on and on. My point is that I would not want to give up the ability to be myself around people who agree with me unless I could at least get that which I could get in any other developed country. Rob

gimmethesimplelife

7-26-18, 2:28pm

Huh. I have mountains of stuff here, but it doesn't mean anything to me really.

Yesterday I briefly contemplated simply hopping on a plane, flying to New Zealand, and buying myself citizenship there, travelling with just my carry-on.For what it's worth, I'm jealous......but wasn't there a poster on here some time ago that immigrated to New Zealand and started some kind of business and didn't get renewed for their visa and ended out moving to Pittsburgh? This was several years ago and I don't remember the poster's name, but I do remember the basics of their story.

My point is that I don't know how picky New Zealand is once you get there - but money does talk and you seem to have money so maybe you would succeed where this other person did not, I really don't know Bae and I don't claim to. I only bring up this story as it pertains to immigrating to NZ and maybe other long termers here remember this poster and their story? Rob

JaneV2.0

7-26-18, 2:36pm

Huh. I have mountains of stuff here, but it doesn't mean anything to me really.

Yesterday I briefly contemplated simply hopping on a plane, flying to New Zealand, and buying myself citizenship there, travelling with just my carry-on.

I ran into an old boss years ago, at our dentist's office in Portland. He was splitting his life between Idaho and New Zealand--six months each. He seemed very happy.

iris lilies

7-26-18, 2:45pm

For what it's worth, I'm jealous......but wasn't there a poster on here some time ago that immigrated to New Zealand and started some kind of business and didn't get renewed for their visa and ended out moving to Pittsburgh? This was several years ago and I don't remember the poster's name, but I do remember the basics of their story.

My point is that I don't know how picky New Zealand is once you get there - but money does talk and you seem to have money so maybe you would succeed where this other person did not, I really don't know Bae and I don't claim to. I only bring up this story as it pertains to immigrating to NZ and maybe other long termers here remember this poster and their story? Rob

Zoebird did not move there on the “Investor” class plan. She was on some sort of entrepreneurial plan.

“Investor” class works this way: if you have the dough, you are in.

iris lilies

7-26-18, 2:46pm

I ran into an old boss years ago, at our dentist's office in Portland. He was splitting his life between Idaho and New Zealand--six months each. He seemed very happy.
Omg, one of my fantasies—have TWO lilies ‘n Iris seasons a year! Heaven!

gimmethesimplelife

7-26-18, 2:46pm

Zoebird did not move there on the “Investor” class plan. She was on some sort of entrepreneurial plan.

“Investor” class works this way: if you have the dough, you are in.Fair enough, IL....it's been some time and I don't remember all the specifics....fair enough. Looks like Bae can get in if he so chooses. Rob

ApatheticNoMore

7-26-18, 2:47pm

iris lilies

7-26-18, 2:51pm

Fair enough, IL....it's been some time and I don't remember all the specifics....fair enough. Looks like Bae can get in if he so chooses. Rob
He also has an elderly mother in this country. I wonder why she is not used as an excuse to stay.

ApatheticNoMore

7-26-18, 2:54pm

I think because his mother might come with him :) I don't know though, I don't keep track.

gimmethesimplelife

7-26-18, 2:54pm

He also has an elderly mother in this country. I wonder why she is not used as an excuse to stay.Ouch, IL....Ouch. I've never struck you personally at this level, have I? Food for thought is all..........Rob

gimmethesimplelife

7-26-18, 2:57pm

I don't like moving, but I have the fantasy, out of depression yea, and of not having found work yet. I have the fantasy because as Townes Van Zandt sings: "it seems easier than just waitin' around to die".

Like most things we may have our preferences but the universe cares a fig all about that, and what we really do when push comes to shove is all there is to say. Preferences, I think it's ideal to feel part of a community.That's it....community. That's what I have in the neighborhood I live in, and it's hard to give that up as it's hard to find this in America (and to be fair, I've heard this is true in Britain, Canada, and Australia, too......NZ I haven't heard about this either way). Rob

bae

7-26-18, 3:00pm

I ran into an old boss years ago, at our dentist's office in Portland. He was splitting his life between Idaho and New Zealand--six months each. He seemed very happy.

I'm today toying with the idea of moving between Iceland/Norway and New Zealand seasonally.

bae

7-26-18, 3:01pm

I think because his mother might come with him :) I don't know though, I don't keep track.

I told my mother about the New Zealand plan last night, and she wanted to start packing her bags to leave today :-)

iris lilies

7-26-18, 3:08pm

Ouch, IL....Ouch. I've never struck you personally at this level, have I? Food for thought is all..........Rob
Rob, I sincerely believe your use of your mom to be a bogus excuse for staying in the USA. Like it or not, that is my thought about your lack of action.

I do think that all of the things you posted on this thread in post #14, your friends and neighbors and sense of belonging in your community as well as the regular income and healthcare I spoke about up thread, all these things, keep you here. Honesty about that would garner more respect from me. You have it good here. You are too comfortable to move.

What happened to your plan to get into a field where you could generate income while living in Mexico or elsewhere? I havent observed that you are working on that.

But since you focus on your mother as your reason for staying in the USA, I am curious as to why she doesnt want to move. What are her reasons? She doesnt like it here and curses the day she gave up citizenship in The Homeland. So, why stay?

JaneV2.0

7-26-18, 3:11pm

I told my mother about the New Zealand plan last night, and she wanted to start packing her bags to leave today :-)

I've seen a lot of footage of New Zealand, and it's breathtaking. They do get earthquakes, but the PNW is overdue for one, too. And then there are Iceland's volcanoes...Never a dull moment.

This year seems to be one of upheaval all around.

iris lilies

7-26-18, 3:14pm

I'm today toying with the idea of moving between Iceland/Norway and New Zealand seasonally.
If
I lived in the South Island I wouldnt ever want to go to Cold country, ugh. Well, I suppose they do not have too many bugs.

gimmethesimplelife

7-26-18, 3:18pm

Rob, I sincerely believe your use of your mom’s presence to be a bogus excuse for staying in the USA. Like it or not, that is my thought about your or lack of action.

I do think that all of the things you posted on this thread in post #14, your friends and neighbors and sense of belonging in your community as well as the regular income and healthcare I spoke about up thread, all these things, keep you here. Honesty about that would garner more respect from me. You have it good here. You are too comfortable to move.

What happened to your plan to get into a field where you could generate income while living in Mexico or elsewhere? I havent observed that you are working on that.

But since you focus on your mother as your reason for staying in the USA, I am curious as to why she doesnt want to move. What are her reasons? She doesnt like it here and curses the day she gave up citizenship in The Homeland. So, why stay?Fair question, IL, now that you have framed it this way and given the nature of my posts. I'll give you this much - this comes across as a fair question.

So here's an answer. My mother feels about this country as I do however....she does have Medicare and since we are in Arizona, it's easy to get on a Medicare Advantage plan with minimal co-pays. She also is 76 years of age and dreads any major upheaval in her life. But I believe the strongest reason is this: Leaving the US would be admitting to all the family in Austria that it was a mistake to come to the United States. She has admitted as much verbally many more times than once but to pick up and pack up is to really admit this and I don't think she wants to face that level of scrutiny by family over her decision to come here and take the citizenship. Especially since doing so worked against her in terms of standard of living and stress levels during her working years. Rob

iris lilies

7-26-18, 3:41pm

Fair question, IL, now that you have framed it this way and given the nature of my posts. I'll give you this much - this comes across as a fair question.

So here's an answer. My mother feels about this country as I do however....she does have Medicare and since we are in Arizona, it's easy to get on a Medicare Advantage plan with minimal co-pays. She also is 76 years of age and dreads any major upheaval in her life. But I believe the strongest reason is this: Leaving the US would be admitting to all the family in Austria that it was a mistake to come to the United States. She has admitted as much verbally many more times than once but to pick up and pack up is to really admit this and I don't think she wants to face that level of scrutiny by family over her decision to come here and take the citizenship. Especially since doing so worked against here in terms of standard of living and stress levels during her working years. Rob

That is interesting, her perceived idea that she would be considered a failure in comng to the US.

That isnt something I can relate to, the controlling aspect of The Relatives in
the Homeland although I can understand it. It is interesting that you and she allow them to control your behaviour to the extent you do.

As you know DH has similar circumstances to yours, his mother was Swiss, she came here after WWII. She often talked about retiring back “home” in Switzerland. She died before she seriously got to consider it and I dont know if she really would have done it. If her husband, DH’s father had died, I would not have been surprised if she moved back to her
Homeland. I CAN tell you she and the Swiss relatives do not consider her move to the USA a mistake, even if they think Switzerland a superior country. (For the record, they consider Austria to be an inferior country to their own! )

but who cares about Eurothoughts.

DH has cousins who moved to North America, both Canada and the USA for the opportunity. One cousin retired about age 50, towing his blonde American trophy wife and two tow headed children back to the Homeland after making his millions here. No one here or there thought less of him, we support him doing what he wants to do.

For that matter DH recently closed the book on getting a Swiss passport. He and his sister investigated that possibility and while it IS techncally possible, his lack of language skills seems to kill the deal. Had he got a Swiss passport we might have spent more time there but would never have considered any opinions of relatives there or here to be final determinants.

gimmethesimplelife

7-26-18, 4:02pm

That is interesting, her perceived idea that she would be considered a failure in comng to the US.

That isnt something I can relate to, the controlling aspect of The Relatives in
the Homeland although I can understand it. It is interesting that you and she allow them to control your behaviour to the extent you do.

As you know DH has similar circumstances to yours, his mother was Swiss, she came here after WWII. She often talked about retiring back “home” in Switzerland. She died before she seriously got to consider it and I dont know if she really would have done it. If her husband, DH’s father had died, I would not have been surprised if she moved back to her
Homeland. I CAN tell you she and the Swiss relatives do not consider her move to the USA a mistake, even if they think Switzerland a superior country. (For the record, they consider Austria to be an inferior country to their own! )

but who cares about Eurothoughts.

DH has cousins who moved to North America, both Canada and the USA for the opportunity. One cousin retired about age 50, towing his blonde American trophy wife and two tow headed children back to the Homeland after making his millions here. No one here or there thought less of him, we support him doing what he wants to do.

For that matter DH recently closed the book on getting a Swiss passport. He and his sister investigated that possibility and while it IS techncally possible, his lack of language skills seems to kill the deal. Had he got a Swiss passport we might have spent more time there but would never have considered any opinions of relatives there or here to be final determinants.Thank You for the update, IL....I'd been wondering what was up with your husband and the potential acquisition of a Swiss passport but since there'd been some friction between us recently I didn't want to come right out and ask.....so Thank You for the update.

About Switzerland - my family in Austria doesn't have much to say about it other than it's very very very expensive. Which I found interesting as I found the costs I was exposed to in Austria comparable to US costs and in some cases, less expensive. I've never been to Switzerland, though......my mother changed planes once in Geneva years ago and on one of her trips to visit some years ago, her luggage was sent on to Zurich by mistake.....I believe this was back in 1998 when she got a great tax refund and spent it on visiting Austria. Rob

iris lilies

7-26-18, 4:09pm

Switzerland IS very very expensive, that’s why
I laugh about DH taking a vacation there in recent years, and it cost less than me going to Florida for a shorter period of time. His Swiss relativs fed him, gave him a car or ferried him around, and let him stay at their house. From his aunt’s house i have walked across the bridge into Austria.

You can ask whatever. If I dont want to answer, I wont.

dmc

7-26-18, 5:01pm

The recent prospect of getting a new job somewhere else brought to light that I am no longer prepared to move at the drop of a hat.

I could not fit all my stuff into my car anymore. It'd take two car loads and I would have to get rid of my couch.

I have "settled in" here it seems.

More than that, there are more things keeping me here emotionally than ever have. My sister and BIL. My niece. My nephew about to be born. Some friends in the atheist and minimalist community.

And believe it or not, some of my coworkers are cool enough to make me think: "Do I want to risk this and leave?"

So I have been doing some thinking. Should I lighten my rucksack of life so I could move anytime? Or should I keep digging in here and become even more a part of my community, family, and friendship circles?

All you need is a U Haul truck with a car hauler. As to your relatives, you could always visit. Plane fares are cheap these days.

We moved 4 years ago from the St. Louis area to SW Florida. We got rid of everything that wouldn’t fit into a 26’ truck and a couple of cars and plane. We can pretty much live anywhere we want, I was tired of the winters. The heat doesn’t bother me much, and we take quite a few vacations. We are leaving tommorow to visit relatives in Ohio, then flying over to take our grandson on a vacation for a few days. Then we will decide what we want to do after that. The grandson has a soccer game on Thursday so we have to get him back to Chicago. My other son and his family recently moved down here, so we will see them a lot.

We have never lived in the same house more than 11 years, my wife is already looking at new homes now. I think she watches to many of the home shows.

dmc

7-26-18, 5:05pm

I'm today toying with the idea of moving between Iceland/Norway and New Zealand seasonally.

i looked into doing the snowbird thing, just seemed like to much of a hassle. We can stay in pretty nice hotels for the cost of maintaining two homes. And the nice thing is we can go where we want in the summer, visiting new places. I am still waiting for my new passport to arrive, so I am limited in that.

Gardnr

7-26-18, 6:38pm

i looked into doing the snowbird thing, just seemed like to much of a hassle. We can stay in pretty nice hotels for the cost of maintaining two homes. And the nice thing is we can go where we want in the summer, visiting new places. I am still waiting for my new passport to arrive, so I am limited in that.

We own 2 homes. 1 winter location and 1 city location (where we are currently employed). Our total monthly cost in 2017 was $2204.33. This includes: insurance, property tax, utilities (snow removal up north), all AC/Heat maintenance visits), and any household item we need to replace (even a hand towel). 2017 also included replacement of our AC/Heat unit for $11270 so without that 2 homes cost us $1264.

Considering prior to the purchase of the cabin, we went to this mountain town 3-4X/year which would now cost us $12-1400/visit, it was a huge bargain! At the time of purchase our monthly payment was less than a single long weekend visit. We escalated payments and paid it off in 54 months.

All choices and decisions are relative to desires and cost :cool: 15 years later, We are VERY happy we made this decision.

razz

7-26-18, 6:44pm

There are a large number of people around my community who live here from April to November and then elsewhere the other months. Some have homes in Mexico, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Britain, Portugal, British Columbia, Costa Rica, Peru, Hungary... Health insurance does play a part for some but not for others and this is just for people in my circle which is basic middle class economically.

At one point I think that I may have considered doing the same but i love where I am with four seasons and quality services and amenities readily available.

iris lilies

7-26-18, 6:53pm

We own 2 homes. 1 winter location and 1 city location (where we are currently employed). Our total monthly cost in 2017 was $2204.33. This includes: insurance, property tax, utilities (snow removal up north), all AC/Heat maintenance visits), and any household item we need to replace (even a hand towel). 2017 also included replacement of our AC/Heat unit for $11270 so without that 2 homes cost us $1264.

Considering prior to the purchase of the cabin, we went to this mountain town 3-4X/year which would now cost us $12-1400/visit, it was a huge bargain! At the time of purchase our monthly payment was less than a single long weekend visit. We escalated payments and paid it off in 54 months.

All choices and decisions are relative to desires and cost :cool: 15 years later, We are VERY happy we made this decision.
That is cheap, the $2200 annually. If comparing aples to apples (like an Aire bnb in your same mountain town) a financial advisor would have you also look at the opportunity cost of the funds you have sunk into the vacation home as well a real estate appreciation that offsets that.

But in the end, that is very cheap.

I think our Hermann house would probably be around $3,200 annually bare bones costs if we made no improvements. Which we could do because it is habitable the way it is. But—but we are all about tricking out the acreage. Building beds, cutting trees, landscaping. That is our entertainment and hobby.

Gardnr

7-26-18, 8:53pm

That is cheap, the $2200 annually. If comparing aples to apples (like an Aire bnb in your same mountain town) a financial advisor would have you also look at the opportunity cost of the funds you have sunk into the vacation home as well a real estate appreciation that offsets that.

But in the end, that is very cheap.

I think our Hermann house would probably be around $3,200 annually bare bones costs if we made no improvements. Which we could do because it is habitable the way it is. But—but we are all about tricking out the acreage. Building beds, cutting trees, landscaping. That is our entertainment and hobby.

We could get an easy $1500/week and we've had multiple cold-call offers to purchase. But we have no interest in having our home used by others, vandalized or ruined or injured by others. We've done the entire restoration ourselves. DH milled every single piece of trim/baseboards, we did every inch of flooring, we installed a tankless water heater and the thought of arriving to damage is too stressful. Plus, if we rent it we have to decide a year at a time when we want to block it for our use AND we can't spur of the moment go up like we can now.

We've always considered it a sunk cost for us so having it sit vacant waiting for us to show up is not economically bothersome.

And because we have zero debt, it's totally no problem.

dmc

7-26-18, 9:34pm

We own 2 homes. 1 winter location and 1 city location (where we are currently employed). Our total monthly cost in 2017 was $2204.33. This includes: insurance, property tax, utilities (snow removal up north), all AC/Heat maintenance visits), and any household item we need to replace (even a hand towel). 2017 also included replacement of our AC/Heat unit for $11270 so without that 2 homes cost us $1264.

Considering prior to the purchase of the cabin, we went to this mountain town 3-4X/year which would now cost us $12-1400/visit, it was a huge bargain! At the time of purchase our monthly payment was less than a single long weekend visit. We escalated payments and paid it off in 54 months.

All choices and decisions are relative to desires and cost :cool: 15 years later, We are VERY happy we made this decision.

Im glad it worked out for you. My wife was looking at both homes being of similar value, not a cabin. And I wasn’t looking for something that I would have to work on. Taxes, insurance, utilities, and furnishings for two homes was just more than I wanted. Plus I’d be worrying about the home I wasn’t living in being damaged, robbed, or vandalized.

I know many that this worked out for, just not what I want to do.

i wish I could hangar my plane for $2204.33. I pay much more than that just to rent what’s nothing more than a metal building.

Gardnr

7-26-18, 9:49pm

Im glad it worked out for you. My wife was looking at both homes being of similar value, not a cabin. And I wasn’t looking for something that I would have to work on. Taxes, insurance, utilities, and furnishings for two homes was just more than I wanted. Plus I’d be worrying about the home I wasn’t living in being damaged, robbed, or vandalized. .

The value is similar but the mountain home is just 1250sf and our city home is 1850. And fortunately we bought it when we were just 42 and had the physical energy to do all that work. It's interesting the worry/fear part. We were for the first 5 years as well. We've grown comfortable with that. We do have 3 nearby neighbors who live their full time and keep "an eye out" and have our # if we need to get up there quickly which is sweet.

And I totally understand NOT wanting to own 2 homes. DH is a homebody. He will travel with me if I ask, but he'd be OK if we never went anywhere. So we have the cabin, and I do part of my traveling without him. I do some travel for work and for continued education so I tack on tourist days to those trips and get my travel fix:cool:

Tybee

7-27-18, 8:16am

We had two places for several years and I had the worry/fear thing in spades. No matter where I was, I was worried about the other house. We think about doing it again, but I don't know, it's really hard.

But it's also quite hard to sell first and then hope to be comfortable finding something, when you are in a seller's market in the new place, and you have dogs.

Float On

7-27-18, 10:48am

I remember my husband being so proud that everything he owned could fit in his little Mazda B2000 truck (a guitar, a duffel of clothes, a simple wood chair he liked to sit in to play the guitar) when we got married. He bragged about that for years. Maybe this thread and my thinking about that claim lead to the dream I had last night. We'd agreed to foster a child. I went to pick up the child and they said it was a family of 9 (2 adults/7children)!!! DH insisted we could make room for them and I was in the midst of reeling off all his music equipment he'd have to move to make room for 9 air mattresses when I woke up! :laff:

Teacher Terry

7-27-18, 11:54am

The hardest part about moving is making new friends. Also developing deep friendship doesn’t always happen. I have that and would not give it up. I definitely do not want 2 homes to take care of. I love the simplicity of having one small home. On this last driving trip we just stayed in hotels. I also live where we have 4 mild seasons which is a requirement for me. I don’t like it hot all the time. In fact spring and fall are my 2 favorite seasons. I think I have convinced DH to sell the RV once the big guy dies. We only use it rarely and don’t go more than 4 hours from home due to price of gas and RV sites. It was cheaper to use our car and stay in hotels than to take the RV on the 4K trip. So glad we bought it used otherwise it would have been a expensive lesson.