John and Carol (Our Trip Around the Sun) are so right when they commented that downsizing from a house to an RV is not for sissies! It is a long drawn out process and you really have to decide what your priorities are. What to keep and what to get rid of is not that easy. This process is something most people don’t understand. I guess the only people that really do understand are the people who have taken the plunge and have moved into an RV or a boat.
Everything you have accumulated over the years has to be examined and careful thought has to go into your decision of what to do with each possession. Do you really need to keep it? Is it something that should remain in the family? What family member should have it? Is it something that you have such attachment to that you can’t part with it? It is something that is really worth placing in storage and paying a monthly fee for? Is it something that you can sell? Is it really worth anything?
Not only do you have to make those decisions, but you also will suddenly be overwhelmed with the emotions and memories attached to each possession. You will remember when it was given to you as a gift. Remember that it was made by someone special. Remember when you had to search all over town to find the right color or size. Remember how long you had to save before you could afford it.
We have spent a lot of time recently going down memory lane. We have touched and thought about each item that we have put in the garage to sale. We have touched and thought about each item that we have donated to charity. Like I said, it is a long drawn out process. We are just grateful that we have the luxury to do it at our own pace. Our house is not yet on the market and we don’t have to rush.
With that being said, we really have to stop and think about what we are keeping. We don’t want to rent a real large storage unit and pay a high monthly rental fee. We have to remind ourselves that we are going to rent a small unit and we will have a limited storage area. To our credit, we both have very good spatial relations and that will come in handy. We don’t really decorate for Christmas anymore so, we can get rid of all the Christmas decorations with the exception of a few ornaments that are sentimental to us.
We are making progress and we are really getting excited about it!