Letting it go!

March 1, 2015.

Wow!  We listed our four and half year old house with a realtor in March of 2014.  Twenty eight days later we had a contract and May 21st we closed!  How do you downsize from two or three thousand square feet or whatever size you're living in now, to what ever you can fit in your RV?  It is not an easy process. Emotions get in the way.  We are getting rid of things that have been a part of our life for many years and some of them hold a special place in your heart.  It is NOT easy.....to get started.  But once you make the decision and jump in there,  it gets easier and is really kinda liberating to not be tied down with a bunch of STUFF.
You have to keep reminding yourself what got you started exploring this crazy idea in the first place.  I think for us, it was the realization that we are in the second half of our lives and much that we wanted to see and do remained  unseen and undone!  We also, were both tired of the daily grind where you get up and go to work Monday through Friday, just so you can then spend the weekend getting things ready to go to work next week.  Cleaning, shopping, laundry, mowing, raking, fertilizing, washing, repairing, etc., etc., etc.!!!
When we backed up and looked at OUR situation, we were on this merry-go-round to pay for the house and all of our stuff and maintain the lawn and landscaping to just to keep up with the rest of the neighborhood. We also saw that we didn't really use all of the stuff we bought and it was stashed away in the rooms of our house that we never used.  When we looked at things critically, the two of us lived in about 20% of the indoor space we had.  The remainder was being heated, cooled, cleaned, and maintained just because it was there.  ENOUGH!  We wanted off the merry go round and this was part of our motivation.
Initially it was a bit overwhelming.  We had a short time to get rid of everything and Craigslist, yard sales, etc was not going to get it done considering we both still work full time.  We had a few items we were taking with us, and others that were given to family, but the vast majority of it needed to be sold.
Fortunately, we found an estate liquidation company that would handle selling the items that would sell, donating what didn't, and even sweep up after it was all over!  Now this service comes with a price - 30% of what sells.  But since these folks are professionals, we felt that they knew far better what things are worth and they know how to advertise, display, negotiate and close the sale.  This is one of those things that is hard to prove but after it was all over, we felt that we got as much or more  using this service to liquidate our asetts than Diane and I doing it ourselves.  An added benefit is that the days of the sale, we didn't need to be there, so it removed us from some of the emotions of seeing our stuff walk out the door.  It took two weeks to organize and prepare for the sale and during this period we moved into our Winnie Brave.  The sale was held over three consecutive days, and we had a check in our hands.  I would recommend that you at least investigate this method but in the end, you have to do what works for you.
Finally, once everything was said and done, the feeling of freedom and a load lifted from our shoulders, we found we were more relaxed and ready to move on with our chosen lifestyle.