I am relaxing in a very comfortable bed right in our hotel suite and surfing the web about seniors downsizing because for years now I have had the urge to move out of a larger home.
It’s really interesting though. I have read in one article that people between the ages of 51 to 70 have chosen to live in tiny homes. I will turn 65 in October.
Eh, not so sure that I could make the severe of a transition of a tiny home. Forget the loft bedroom. No way! LOL Cooking in a tiny home, is it claustrophobic? You get the idea.
I must say that I wanted a big kitchen and now I don’t like a huge kitchen. I’m exhausted after cleaning my kitchen. My friend who lives in a small condo cooks fabulous meals in her little kitchen and it’s a snap to clean up.
I know that some seniors live out of RV’s. Personally, I could easily live out of a nice hotel suite!
I do feel living in a larger home becomes a burden after the children are grown. The house seems so empty and is a lot of upkeep.
I keep thinking about if it is where I want to live out my remaining years.
I have another friend who recently lost her husband and she has decided to sell her large home. She says that she no longer wants to do repairs on her home. She is moving to a two bedroom condo.
I always wanted an adorable playhouse as a kid. They are so cute! My neighbor had one and it was so precious. Tiny houses kind of reminds me of a ‘grown up’ play house. Hahaha.
What do you all think of the she shed trend?
I do feel that there is so much dead space in our homes today. Look at RV designs, small apartments, boats, etc. These places utilize every inch!
Let me hear from you if you have downsized because you wanted to, not necessarily out of necessity.
If you like living in a large home with a big yard, tell me why please. To each his own. Variety is the spice of life.
I don’t think a smaller home is inexpensive though. Some say that if they sold their home to buy a smaller place it would not be cheaper due to the rising cost of real estate. Gosh, look at the price of independent living facilities. They aren’t exactly cheap! Apartment rentals are very costly nowadays. Condos have expensive fees.
There are many things to consider. Plus the more room that we have the more we accumulate over the years. Both of my girls still have some stuff stored here too. Grrrrrr.
Be honest, do you use your garage for your car or storage?
I have felt like this for a long time and since my husband’s recent cancer diagnosis I know even more that a big house just doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. We do pay a gardener to do our yard since my husband’s shoulder surgery. He can’t do it anymore.
I’ve had cleaning services from time to time and that can help but can also be a pain and expensive too. I have seen maids do some strange things in my home! I walked in on one filling up her purse with the toiletries in my bathroom. I’ve seen others just not clean thoroughly like I do, etc.
Some must make a lot of money. They pull into the driveway driving a BMW. Good for them. It’s tough work.
I miss my books. I miss my knitting and crafts hoard. I miss quite a lot of what, let's be honest though, was just familiar background junk. I miss the working space of a large utility room. I do miss my garden (I still have a pocket handkerchief sized patch in front but there's hardly space for a daffodil). I do miss my late dog, but I'm working full-time and I can't look after a dog now anyway so it's a good thing I don't have enough house to rescue another.
I don't mind the tiny kitchen because when you're cooking for one it's actually easier to have everything just a step or two away than to roam around. But the big advantage is that I am not paying for the unused space which just sustained my fantasy that the kids/grandkids would be frequent visitors for whom I would cook large, leisurely meals. It was time to move forward and find other concepts of fulfilment, ones that had a realistic chance of happening.
And, I'm not relying on objects for my sense of self or my memories. Yes I admit I regret letting go my tiger, with its makeshift repaired tail and unravelled ear. But it's still true that my Dad bought me a toy tiger for eight Deutschmarks in 1970, and I don't need a piece of fabric stuffed with sawdust to remember that day.
[I think I might be in denial about the tiger. I really wish I hadn't done that. Moral: in downsizing, don't attempt to be more unsentimental than you really are.]
DESIRABLE NEIGHBORHOOD? Does make one wonder.
So sorry about your fire. I can’t imagine seeing things go up in smoke.
We’re mostly retired now. Still work at the assisted living/nursing home we own. I work in the office. My husband is the doctor.
I sold mine and mother’s Hummel collection on eBay. We had over 150 figurines. Next up is our depression glass collection. I guess we’ll get it all downsized someday. When we built the assisted living we built two larger spaces. Mom and Dad have moved in theirs. I guess we’ll end up there someday. We’re looking for a younger doctor to take my husband’s place.
I start on clearing out then I fall into the trap of reminiscing of when my children were small, get sentimental about some items and end up keeping them.
I have given away several things to the Disabled Vets organization and I used to donate regularly to the church’s rummage sale.
Taxes are so high here in NJ. And things will be getting worse. Not ready to sell yet, actually can't get what house is worth. Live in a depressed County. We have talked about when we downsize it will be to an apt. I could live in a nice trailer park but my husband not keen on that. We have a 55 and up here. In NJ you do not pay property taxes on trailers.
Since I am not into yard work DH asks me what will I do if he goes first. Told him I would then sell.
Ooooh, I wish that I still had my vinyls like your husband 😊. I gave the VCR collection away years ago to my local thrift shop. It’s amazing how much room kids stuff accumulate! All those Disney movies!!!
If you watch Netflix watch Marie Kondo and see how she helps people unclutter. But the best thing is understanding all we save we don't need, don't use, and let drown us in stuff.
As to Tiny House. Love to look at them. My bro's last home a historic trailer in a historic trailer park, a single wide 1970 trailer in Palm springs, so sweet. But that small is kind of two people and you cannot move, and as you said, THE LOFT!!!! nope. I don't even do stepladders much any more. My daughter and I fantasize me in a tiny house on her land, but that is fantasy, pure and simple. I wouldn't live with kids.
Good luck. What a great subject. Again, I wish it was in discussion where it could stay longer relevant and I could read more responses. And no, nothing is in my basement other than one crock pot and a dog travel kennel.
We own four big towels, two used, two in drawers. Two sets of sheets for each of two beds. We are spare and uncluttered, but I do have the book shelves and the two collections.
My landlady was the sweetest woman ever. When I asked her why was the rent so reasonable she said that she got top dollar for the main house and she knew that the attic apartment being smaller would rent to a single person and did not want to charge them a lot a money.
Ready to hear the price for it? $75 a month! Plus it was furnished with turn of the century antiques. It was awesome for a single gal like me.
Oh, I bet that you had great stuff at your garage sale! I love watching Antiques Road Show seeing the great finds that people find at yard sales and thrift shops.
We did the show while they were in New Orleans with my husband’s vintage guitar. It was so much fun. Hubby’s friend did the show previously with a gothic chess table that he inherited from his grandfather that ended up being worth a fortune!
Hidden treasures are special. I love to watch the divers on documentaries that find the sunken ships with their treasures aboard.
Storage facilities have become a lucrative business opportunity. They make a profit storing people’s excess stuff! It’s crazy, isn’t it?
The location is perfect for me. Walking distance to grocery stores, downtown (I live in a small town), hospital and more.
I have lived here for 23 years and raised my family here.
I use the two basement bedrooms for quilting. My TV is in the basement family room, I do not like a TV in the living room, nor bedrooms.
Of the three upstairs bedrooms, one is set up for my grandson who is at my house 8-10 nights a month. The other is my son's room and he has been in and out of the house over the last 5 years.
I live in an area where I can put a legal basement suite in my house. It is one of the options I am keeping. I would put a 750 sq/f 2 bedroom suite downstairs and upstairs would be a 3 bedroom suite. I would live downstairs, it is level entry and well lit, and rent out upstairs. This would give me extra income when I retire.
Alternatively I may build a proper house where the cottage is, If I do that I will sell my current house. The house plan I have been looking at is about the same size as my current house, it has 2 main floor master bedrooms and 2 bedrooms upstairs. This would give lots of room for the kids and grand kids to visit.
My aunt lived in a duplex and always had the other unit rented. She was fortunate to have great tenants. Otherwise, it can be a nightmare!
I love walkable areas. So nice not to have to drive and it’s great exercise.
I am going to check out that show on Netflix. Thanks for that information.
As far as organization goes. I love crafts and sewing. I’m the type that has to consider all of my options so I spread everything out! Then of course I have to put it all away later. grrrr.
When I taught school or in other jobs, I was super organized but at home I kick back and relaxed and am not nearly as orderly! I wonder how common that is. You sound like you have control with organization in managing your belongings.