Downsizing from House to Sailboat

[anjou]

I downsized and disposed of much acumulated materialistic junk 4 years before the financial crash, and once the crash came, I was amused by some 'lifestyle gurus' appearing on TV, championing the cause for downsizing.

For some it became the new religion, like they had just invented it, plagerised from buddhist monks, trying to rise above the ashes of greedy materialism that was the backbone of the financial boom, to become the new squeeky clean perfect people.

But i still see many brits in towns every saturday, buying crap they dont need with money they have borrowed, to fill houses they dont own, to make them feel happy about the life which is modelled upon a celebrity who is a fake, and for what?

Life isnt about STUFF. You could have a fire tomorrow and lose all your prize possesions, and you would be upset but life would go on.

You dont need all that stuff. Be brave, let it go, one bit at a time if necessary.
Establish some of your own rules.
A good clothes rule is, one in, one out. Keep a set number of clothes hangers in your closet and dont over load them. You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time
Look at stuff you have stored away and ask, have i seen it, worn it, used it, needed it in the last year?

Change you mind first, the rest is easy after that.

[captain58sailin]

I'm with anjou, stuff owns you, you don't own stuff. I am going through the downsizing process now, and if I haven't put my hand on something in 5 years, it is slated for disposal, sell, give away, throw away, doesn't matter. It will get down to if I haven't used it in the last year, out it goes. Whether I see any money back is immaterial.

[Hudson Force]

CaptainsWench, I would be no help with the downsizing question. We moved aboard straight out of college when all we owned would still fit inside a Volkswagon. I do notice, though, while reading your post, that I'm next to a Beneteau 461 from Kemah, Texas in the Vero Beach mooring field. Did you make the move? Is that you? It has been about three months since your original post. Whoops! Correct that! I was looking at your "join date" and not the post date!......unless you magically made a time warp jump! Oh well,- It will happen for you!

[wingNwing]

How to downsize, a method we called "shopping at our house." Take everything out of your kitchen cabinets, every single thing, and put it in the basement. Then live your normal life. Any time you need something, go down to the basement and get it, use it, and return it to the cabinets. Sooner or later, you'll decide to improvise using a kitchen knife instead of that snazzy ripple hard-boiled-egg-slicer you bought from an infomercial. At that time, you'll discover you have a kitchen containing things you actually use, and a basement full of things you don't really need. (Donate or sell or dumpster those things.) Repeat with your closets, and other areas of your house.

Living aboard a 33-footer for years now. All the books have been replaced with an e-reader; the music stored on an ipod; the photo albums scanned and converted to digital format. Uniquely sentimental things, like Grandma's quilt, are stored in the basement of good friends. It's easier than you think.

[boatman61]

For me it was easy... filled a tote bag with my favourite clothes and strapped it on the bikes fuel tank...
The rest I left with the wife... and her new boyfriend... 32yrs ago..
Have not looked back in sorrow since..
Best day of my life..

[anjou]

A lucky escape then Phil. Rejoice and give thanks.

[CaptainsWench]

CaptForce, No, that's not me. We have her docked at WaterFord Marina in Kenah, Texas. Where is you dock?

I listed a ton of items on Craigslist list night and have so many responses. The problem seems that people want you to sell them expensive items for
pennies on the dollar for what items are actually worth. Advertise a new patio set for 1/2 the price and they still want it for 1/2 of that price. That is probably the hardest thing for me is dealing. It is so overwhelming. This will take months. I can't even think about selling the house until we get rid of all this stuff. I also have a Corvette and 2 Harley's to sell. Those are probably the only items that will be hard to let go of.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by CaptainsWench

CaptForce, No, that's not me. We have her docked at WaterFord Marina in Kenah, Texas. Where is you dock?.......

I'm posting from Vero Beach, Florida, but we have no dock. We are pretty much always underway or at a temporary stop. The Beneteau that I saw yesterday was gone early this morning. We'll be gone Thursday.