Downsizing?

[mags]

Has anyone gone smaller since kids left?

We have a fairly big house with no one to fill it. I retire in 2 years, but H can  not. I can not wait to sell the house and get an apartment! Has anyone else done this? Pros? Cons? (we'd be moving back to manhattan)

[flex]

Yes. I moved to a smaller place that is half the size of the house I sold. I.had.so.much.crap! I got rid of a lot of it and it was like a giant weight was lifted off my shoulders.

[mags]

Apr 1, 2016 12:18:23 GMT -5 @pnkbride said:

We keep going back and forth. We want to sell and purchase a garden home. Our biggest issue is our yard. It is huge. We finally hired help last year for the grass. I don't really see our situation changing anytime soon though. Our youngest daughter lives at home and always will as she is disabled. It takes a lot of space to hold her equipment and supplies, so we need the larger house.

ill swap ya!@

[mags]

Apr 1, 2016 14:58:48 GMT -5 @stalkermom said:

When DH retires in two years we are heading off in a Sprinter Van and plan to be full time RVers. We'll be going from a 2,000 sq ft house to a 150 sq foot van I call it the Beer, Barbeque & Baseball tour of America. When the time gets closer I'll be asking all of you for recommendations of places to see in your neighborhoods. Can't wait!

That is awesome!!!!

our plan after he retires is to go to Europe and spend 1 year in every country we want.

[aMrsin09]

link

I have my 400 sg ft tiny home picked out. Just need someplace to put it.

Our house isn't really too big for us, but the property will be too much to keep up with once we are well and truly old.

[mrsukyankee]

Once renovations are done, we'll actually be in a larger house, but we are also living with my MIL so we need the space. I imagine, once my MIL has passed, we may rent this place out and then find a smaller place in a 'cooler' location (we're in a nice part of London but it's a bit quiet for us - we'd like to have a nice pub w/in walking distance). Our plan is to eventually move to a small cottage in southern France for retirement (as long as the UK stays in the EU).

[sweetcheeks]

Two years ago, I moved to a "55 and older, active retirement community". I was 56 at the time. Two bed, two bath, 1200 sq ft patio home. I love it. Everything is on one level and my knees are a thousand times better since moving from a third floor apartment. There's room for when my daughter and her husband visit, but not so overwhelming for me to take care of. They take care of all outside maintenance, including snow removal. I work full time, so have little interaction with 'the olds' (as I call them). Can't take advantage of any of the activities offered, since most are during the week, during the day, but I didn't move here for those things, so I don't mind (and really don't want to 'hang out' with 70 year olds). But the price was right and taxes were insanely low. My goal is to have the mortgage paid off by the time I retire, so that I can be financially comfortable, while on a fixed income.

[fairygodmother]

sweetcheeks, good news bc that's my dream...