The start of this journey began in 2014.  We decided to sell our house in Colorado. This was a beautiful location in the foothills behind Boulder at 8,000 feet on 7 acres. But, the winters had become too long. An around the world trip was on the agenda before looking for our next home. So, what to do with our “stuff”. Do we put it in storage or dispose of it?

Here is our experience and what we learned. Hopefully it will help you.

Emotions versus reality

To start, we took a new look at all our possessions. Many items had emotional attachments. However, the reality was that any retirement house would be considerably smaller. In addition, storing and moving furniture is an expensive hobby.

Phase 1 – Assessing your “stuff”

It is amazing what we found in the lofts of our house and garage! Items long forgotten. The same was true of the cupboards; clothes and items hardly ever used. The process of disposal started. A local hospice and charity shop were the most popular recipients. This was easy!

We also assessed what furniture we would keep. Once again, we were trying to overcome the emotional attachment. Items too large for a smaller house were put on the disposal list. Also, items more specific to a Colorado home that would look out of place in a warmer climate. However, the tough decision was when to sell, before or after the sale of the house? We started slowly.

Another important task was how to store business and personal documents. John spent days scanning and storing his business and our personal records. Thank heavens for the digital age, where a flash drive or cloud storage is all you need!

Phase 2 – SOLD!

We only had 30 days to vacate our house! Susan was quickly selling items through Craigslist and Facebook groups. More donations surfaced. Once we made the commitment, it was very reassuring to us that we were doing the right thing.  However, time was against us. Departure day and winter was fast approaching and we were forced to move more than we wanted to long-term storage. The items that didn’t make the move list were shifted to short-term storage while we used the remaining weeks after the sale to find buyers. We were leaving Colorado and planning for our around the world trip was already advancing.

Basically, 30 days is too short a time to downsize. A serious reality check is needed on the perceived value of items. Is the stuff worth renting storage space? Large furniture is especially difficult to sell quickly. Consignment stores are an option, but you will receive only around 40 % of the price.

Phase 3 – One year later

In one year, we travelled around the world, visited several regions in the US and house sat in France. A more mobile life style had become our first choice. What to do with the stored furniture and possessions? We had paid storage fees for more than a year! We rented an unfurnished house for the stored items. Unpacking was another reality check! We wondered why we had kept some items considering the associated cost of packing, storing, and moving. We were in Scottsdale, Arizona where there are a lot of retirees. It is astounding the number of garages full of furniture and boxes. Vehicles are left in the driveways.

While John had a consulting project, Susan started the next phase of disposal. This time there would be no future home to consider. This time the more important items were up for disposal.

 

Fashions and lifestyles change: The fancy Wedgwood 8 place dinner service is worth next to nothing. Life has become more informal. Younger people do not fill cupboards with china for special occasions. Books, paintings, antiques have less importance in this digital age. The Millennials care more about experiences than possessions (other than maybe cash).

 

Bequeathing “treasured” stuff: If you think that your siblings, kids, grandkids will want your treasured possessions, think again! They will not have the same emotional attachment as you. In addition, they have their own stuff.

 

Why did we buy new? We sold nice furniture in very good condition for bargain prices. We also noticed that we were not alone. We saw furniture on websites that we would have bought, had we been in the market. What is the difference between buying antiques and more recent items if they are good quality?

A good home is a nice feeling: We sold many items to people who really appreciated the deals we gave them, whether students, first home buyers, etc. We got a lot of satisfaction from that.

Stuff is disposed of, but memories remain: Just because you have sold or given away an item, any memories that you have, will remain.

 

 

 

 

Embrace the digital age: We have all personal records in digital format. All accounts are paperless and photos are digital. We can communicate with friends and relatives around the world as if we are next door. We are not sure how we would cope if not for these incredible conveniences.

Consider the cost of storage and moving: The cost for a moving company to pack, store and subsequently move your possessions is substantial, many thousands of dollars. Another reality check, are the possessions worth it, or could you replace them for less. Remember weight is important. Our interesting example: we bought a leather sleeper sofa in Annapolis, shipped it to Paris and back and then on to Boulder. It was a really good deal when we bought it! At least we sold it in Boulder and the buyer thought it was perfect.

Finally, today

So, if selling a house wasn’t enough, we can now take pride in having sold all our possessions.  It’s liberating knowing there’s nothing collecting dust in a locked-up storage unit or piles of useless items sitting dejected somewhere. Selling all your life’s possessions is not easy.  But once you’ve let go of a few things it’s surprising how quickly everything else follows. When you have less to take care of, you have more time to do other things. So, what are we doing with our extra time?  With our location independent lifestyle, traveling fulltime just became easier.

We are down to a couple of boxes our family has generously agreed to store until we return. Otherwise we have carry-on bags with clothes and back packs filled with electronics. What more could you ask for!