As I creep towards retirement I've started examining which direction I'm going with every other aspect of life. I've always been a bit of a minimalist but even so I've still managed to compile a lot of things over the course of life, most are remnants of the hands-on phase of being a husband and a father, things left behind in the family house I've occupied mostly or completely solo for nearly 10 years. I recently sold my office building and downsized to a nice tight rental 1/4 the gross size and I've never been happier office-wise, it has prompted me to look at my living arrangements with the same eye. I've known for years I'm living fairly inefficiently holding onto the family home, but for a bunch of those years I justified it as a landing pad for my kids that flew the coup in the event something went south for them, when those possibilities dwindled in likelihood I simply became lazy, avoiding the giant pain in the ass it will be to find a new spot, get rid of things I really no longer need, packing, moving & so on, having just done that with my office I'm not too keen on repeating it so soon. However, it really needs to be done because I know that what waits on the other side is the same feeling I have every time I step foot into my little office, just contentedness knowing every square inch is useful with no vampire drain on the finances. It's similar to vehicles, I could drive a quad-cab F250 but I choose to drive a tiny Subaru, the minimum amount of vehicle I need has always served my purposes.
I travel light, I've hopped on a plane with nothing more than a Jansport bookbag for a week away on vacation, I'd like to do the same with life in general, dump all the unnecessary crap & seize total minimalism. This leads me to the renting vs. buying conundrum; having been a homeowner for over 30 years it's always been the way, it's always made more sense particularly when raising a family, not so sure anymore. It gives you flexibility in many ways renters don't enjoy, yet it also binds you in other ways renters avoid.
I took the first bite out of the elephant by getting in touch with my old realtor that found this house for me a long time ago, I was a bit surprised he was still in business age-wise, but he's alive & well. We'll meet soon to discuss all of these things.
Anyone here travel this minimalist home ownership to renter road that cares to weigh in would be appreciated. I'll say this, I'm not committed to renting, it's a relatively new idea to me that has only come up since the office situation opened my eyes, I'd also downsize to an appropriately sized purchase too, the primary goal here is downsizing. Sorry for the ramble, just looking for any input from anyone that's traveled this road.
I travel light, I've hopped on a plane with nothing more than a Jansport bookbag for a week away on vacation, I'd like to do the same with life in general, dump all the unnecessary crap & seize total minimalism. This leads me to the renting vs. buying conundrum; having been a homeowner for over 30 years it's always been the way, it's always made more sense particularly when raising a family, not so sure anymore. It gives you flexibility in many ways renters don't enjoy, yet it also binds you in other ways renters avoid.
I took the first bite out of the elephant by getting in touch with my old realtor that found this house for me a long time ago, I was a bit surprised he was still in business age-wise, but he's alive & well. We'll meet soon to discuss all of these things.
Anyone here travel this minimalist home ownership to renter road that cares to weigh in would be appreciated. I'll say this, I'm not committed to renting, it's a relatively new idea to me that has only come up since the office situation opened my eyes, I'd also downsize to an appropriately sized purchase too, the primary goal here is downsizing. Sorry for the ramble, just looking for any input from anyone that's traveled this road.
, all it does anymore is take up space, I barely drive it.
