There's nothing like getting rid of virtually all of your possessions to make you feel free!
We're just about 2 weeks into a 30 day escrow and we've already sold at least 75% of the stuff that needs to go. And the best part is that most of the big stuff is going to our friends who are fine with taking it once we no longer need it. This takes a big load off our shoulders and makes it all not seem so overwhelming.
We'll have one last garage sale after escrow closes then any remaining goodies will be donated.
Serendipity has been showing up left and right. This feels good and right and we are ready for change. This is the purge phase, next is transition out of work, to be followed by exploration!
So happy!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Metamorphosis has Begun!
We are in escrow!!!!!!! Such sweet words! The house sold after only 7 days on the market! We've still got to get through the inspection and appraisal, etc. but we are optimistic. With a 30-day escrow and 21-day rent back, allowing us to give notice at our jobs once escrow has closed (don't want to put the cart before that horse), we have to be out of the house on August 2nd.
Boy do we have a lot of stuff to get rid of! Despite regular purging over the past 2 years we still have all the accoutrements of daily living and working. Luckily there is a community garage sale coming up in 2 weeks so we should be able to unload a bunch and make a bit of money to boot.
It's going to be a frenzy of activity for the next few weeks!
We went to Oregon over the Memorial Day week and believe we have decided what 5th wheel we'll end up with...the Arctic Fox 29-5K:
It's a good $25k less than our previous first choice but still a well rated, quality built, rugged unit that will suit our lifestyle perfectly.
Here we go....!
Boy do we have a lot of stuff to get rid of! Despite regular purging over the past 2 years we still have all the accoutrements of daily living and working. Luckily there is a community garage sale coming up in 2 weeks so we should be able to unload a bunch and make a bit of money to boot.
It's going to be a frenzy of activity for the next few weeks!
We went to Oregon over the Memorial Day week and believe we have decided what 5th wheel we'll end up with...the Arctic Fox 29-5K:
Here we go....!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Let the Metamorphosis Begin!
Well, it's been over a year since I've posted. After deciding not to market the house last spring, I needed to back away from constantly thinking about early retirement. I didn't actually succeed in blocking those thoughts, but it helped not to to have to write about my yearning!
Another year of saving under our belts, some recovery in the housing market, fuel prices have stabilized somewhat, various projects have been completed around the house making it as ready for marketing as it can be...so we have decided to list it come June. The agents we have spoken with sound optimistic that we can get the price we want because it's not often that a house this size comes on the market in our neighborhood.
Sooooo, right now we are full of positive energy, slightly reined in excitement, with a dose of nerves thrown in for balance! And the purging of possessions has regained momentum...Even though we've been purging bits and pieces for two years, there is still a TON OF STUFF to get rid of!
In a couple of weeks we will go to Oregon to visit my daughter and son-in-law and see their new house. During that trip we'll tour some Arctic Fox 5th wheels and probably drive a couple of brands of diesel trucks. We'll open an Oregon bank account to start the process towards residency. We've decided to make Oregon our domicile because my daughter has agreed to be our mail forwarding service and their home will be a regular landing point for us.
We still love the NuWa 345 LK WTB 5th wheel, but haven't decided if it is fully worth the additional cost for the premium brand (about $20k more). So we'll check out the Arctic Fox which is known for good quality, four season, rving at a lower price point.
Let the fun begin!!!!
Another year of saving under our belts, some recovery in the housing market, fuel prices have stabilized somewhat, various projects have been completed around the house making it as ready for marketing as it can be...so we have decided to list it come June. The agents we have spoken with sound optimistic that we can get the price we want because it's not often that a house this size comes on the market in our neighborhood.
Sooooo, right now we are full of positive energy, slightly reined in excitement, with a dose of nerves thrown in for balance! And the purging of possessions has regained momentum...Even though we've been purging bits and pieces for two years, there is still a TON OF STUFF to get rid of!
In a couple of weeks we will go to Oregon to visit my daughter and son-in-law and see their new house. During that trip we'll tour some Arctic Fox 5th wheels and probably drive a couple of brands of diesel trucks. We'll open an Oregon bank account to start the process towards residency. We've decided to make Oregon our domicile because my daughter has agreed to be our mail forwarding service and their home will be a regular landing point for us.
We still love the NuWa 345 LK WTB 5th wheel, but haven't decided if it is fully worth the additional cost for the premium brand (about $20k more). So we'll check out the Arctic Fox which is known for good quality, four season, rving at a lower price point.
Let the fun begin!!!!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Metamorphosis...Delayed!
On Dictionary.com one of the definitions of metamorphosis is:
Since this blog is about our transformation from the working world to the retired world, I'd say change in circumstances fits our story just fine. And we currently have a change in plans.
About a year ago, when we started this blog, we had agreed that we would ready the house for sale starting January 2011 and put it on the market in the spring of 2011.
We've been painting the interior, scraping ceilings, replacing carpet, etc., etc., etc. Lots of little cosmetic things to make the house more appealing to someone who wants a house they can live in immediately, and eventually tackle projects here and there to make the house their own.
While all this has been going on, Hans has taken on several large projects at work and in the meantime, fuel prices have gotten higher and higher. These pressures have had us discussing endlessly the pros and cons of selling now or waiting a while. Ultimately we have decided that now is not the best time for us to proceed with marketing the house. We've decided to see how the work situation plays out and continue to save money, building our fuel nest egg. Perhaps some time in the next year we'll be ready to sell the house and hit the road.
The metamorphosis continues, just at a slower pace for now!
3. any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.
Since this blog is about our transformation from the working world to the retired world, I'd say change in circumstances fits our story just fine. And we currently have a change in plans.
About a year ago, when we started this blog, we had agreed that we would ready the house for sale starting January 2011 and put it on the market in the spring of 2011.
We've been painting the interior, scraping ceilings, replacing carpet, etc., etc., etc. Lots of little cosmetic things to make the house more appealing to someone who wants a house they can live in immediately, and eventually tackle projects here and there to make the house their own.
While all this has been going on, Hans has taken on several large projects at work and in the meantime, fuel prices have gotten higher and higher. These pressures have had us discussing endlessly the pros and cons of selling now or waiting a while. Ultimately we have decided that now is not the best time for us to proceed with marketing the house. We've decided to see how the work situation plays out and continue to save money, building our fuel nest egg. Perhaps some time in the next year we'll be ready to sell the house and hit the road.
The metamorphosis continues, just at a slower pace for now!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Metamorphosis Road Guiding Principles
Words to live by, on the road and off. We'll post these prominently in the RV.
Be present
Acknowledge love
See beauty in all things
Keep an optimistic outlook
Slow down and experience the moment
Live simply and within our means
Practice forgiveness
Be prepared
Be grateful
Breathe
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Is Fulltime RVing Environmentally Friendly?
As we slowly but surely make our way toward life on the road in an RV, we are constantly questioning ourselves, making sure that this is the path we should be on. The current state of the world economy and the environment are parts of the equation that must be considered.
Currently we do what we can to control our water usage, cut down on the packaging we consume, keep our long driving trips to a minimum, and limit our purchases to products we "need" as opposed to those products we simply "want".
Obviously I am heavily biased towards fulltime RVing! That said I do believe an argument can be made in favor of the fulltime RV lifestyle when compared to our existing lifestyle.
Currently we are two people and a cat living in a 2400 square foot house...waaaaaay more house than we need. We've got to heat and cool and clean and maintain those 2400 square feet as well as take care of the yard.
Currently we own, operate, insure and maintain two vehicles; which we drive to work daily, separately, adding to the congestion of San Diego freeways.
In comparison:
Living quarters in the 5th wheel trailer we are considering are around 400 square feet. These days every time I clean our expansive kitchen counters (and anticipate having to do this constantly while the house is on the market) I can't wait for the transition to a smaller space! So: less to clean and maintain. Less water usage since we won't be maintaining a garden (except maybe a pot of basil!).
Some aspects of life on the road are the same as the stationary lifestyle: we will still purchase and cook most of our food which means when we buy food we continue to do so with the intention of limiting packaging and avoiding waste. We will still be able to recycle packaging, even if it means finding a recycling center.
On the road, we will own only one vehicle. This vehicle will be a large truck, possibly diesel, that will perform dual duty as our tow vehicle and our daily driver when the trailer is stationary. This truck will get fewer miles per gallon than our existing vehicles, but we will be driving together everywhere and we anticipate spending as much time as possible walking, hiking and biking instead of driving. Also, the longer we stay in a campground or RV park the cheaper it is to stay and the less we tow the trailer so we get better mileage!
We anticipate doing some boondocking on the road, that is, camping off the grid, on public land. When boondocking, we will only be using whatever electricity we generate ourselves, and the water in our RV tank.
In our quest for the road we have been purging unnecessary belongings for the past year or so, sending many truckloads of perfectly usable goods to Goodwill and AmVets. This has been a therapeutic process that has me eagerly anticipating a lifestyle that celebrates minimal consumerism (no sense in buying tons of stuff when there's nowhere to put it).
I believe the only way we could retire early and make less of an impact on the environment would be to purchase a small piece of land with the intention of growing as much of our food as possible and limit our exploring to a very small area. At this stage of our lives we don't want to be stationary...one of the reasons for retiring early is to make the most of the years when we are young and healthy enough to go places and see things and get out and explore.
Our goal on the road is to enjoy and explore our country with minimal impact to our wallets but great impact to our souls. I think that can be acheived responsibly, and I'm looking forward to making it happen!
Currently we do what we can to control our water usage, cut down on the packaging we consume, keep our long driving trips to a minimum, and limit our purchases to products we "need" as opposed to those products we simply "want".
Obviously I am heavily biased towards fulltime RVing! That said I do believe an argument can be made in favor of the fulltime RV lifestyle when compared to our existing lifestyle.
Currently we are two people and a cat living in a 2400 square foot house...waaaaaay more house than we need. We've got to heat and cool and clean and maintain those 2400 square feet as well as take care of the yard.
Currently we own, operate, insure and maintain two vehicles; which we drive to work daily, separately, adding to the congestion of San Diego freeways.
In comparison:
Living quarters in the 5th wheel trailer we are considering are around 400 square feet. These days every time I clean our expansive kitchen counters (and anticipate having to do this constantly while the house is on the market) I can't wait for the transition to a smaller space! So: less to clean and maintain. Less water usage since we won't be maintaining a garden (except maybe a pot of basil!).
Some aspects of life on the road are the same as the stationary lifestyle: we will still purchase and cook most of our food which means when we buy food we continue to do so with the intention of limiting packaging and avoiding waste. We will still be able to recycle packaging, even if it means finding a recycling center.
On the road, we will own only one vehicle. This vehicle will be a large truck, possibly diesel, that will perform dual duty as our tow vehicle and our daily driver when the trailer is stationary. This truck will get fewer miles per gallon than our existing vehicles, but we will be driving together everywhere and we anticipate spending as much time as possible walking, hiking and biking instead of driving. Also, the longer we stay in a campground or RV park the cheaper it is to stay and the less we tow the trailer so we get better mileage!
We anticipate doing some boondocking on the road, that is, camping off the grid, on public land. When boondocking, we will only be using whatever electricity we generate ourselves, and the water in our RV tank.
In our quest for the road we have been purging unnecessary belongings for the past year or so, sending many truckloads of perfectly usable goods to Goodwill and AmVets. This has been a therapeutic process that has me eagerly anticipating a lifestyle that celebrates minimal consumerism (no sense in buying tons of stuff when there's nowhere to put it).
I believe the only way we could retire early and make less of an impact on the environment would be to purchase a small piece of land with the intention of growing as much of our food as possible and limit our exploring to a very small area. At this stage of our lives we don't want to be stationary...one of the reasons for retiring early is to make the most of the years when we are young and healthy enough to go places and see things and get out and explore.
Our goal on the road is to enjoy and explore our country with minimal impact to our wallets but great impact to our souls. I think that can be acheived responsibly, and I'm looking forward to making it happen!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Big Island Wrap up!
I would have liked to have posted every day while in Hawaii but we didn't always have internet access. This is a wrap up of a wonderful trip...
We got to swim with turtles! We saw this guy at Kiholo Bay, along with several others:
We got to tour a private garden in Kona with our host at Tiki Island Hawaii. This 8 acre property was a tropical paradise:
The second place we stayed was the Adventurous Lava Rock Hale: http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/vacation-rentals/Pahoa-Hawaii-vacation-rental-cottage-proID-40680.html. This was a unique experience! It was waaaay off the beaten path, off the grid and very tranquil.
Champagne Pond is a geothermally heated tide pool accessed by a rough lava road. It is a mixture of salt and fresh water that was about 90 degrees in some areas. The mixing of salt water, fresh water and different temperatures made for some psychedelic underwater viewing...every time you passed into a different water field the water was wavering as if you were in the Matrix!
This was the closest we got to the current lava flow. The lava in the foreground is about 2 weeks old and still too hot to walk on. The steam in the distance is rising from the lava flowing into the ocean.
We saw several waterfalls, this one is Rainbow Falls:
One of the most amazing snorkeling experiences was at Kapoho Tide Pools. The picture doesn't do the place justice...it was acres and acres of large and small tide pools with crystal clear water and many, many beautiful fish and corals just waiting to be discovered.
On the last full day we stopped at the end of the northern road at Pololu Valley Lookout and hiked down to the beach below:
Altogether a fabulous trip!
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