Since moving aboard just almost two weeks ago, I figured I'd share some of what we went through to get to this point and to downsize yet again. This "simplifying" thing has been hard work .. especially when still working full-time and tackling a ton of boat projects! We've been downsizing since October, 2014 when we sold our house and moved into a 2-bedroom condo. At that time, we got rid of a ton of stuff and stored a few sentimental things at my dad's oversized garage. After a year, we downsized again to a 1-bedroom, furnished condo. That's when we sold all of our remaining furniture and brought a few more things to my dad's place.
A year and a half later, we just moved again and went through the last few things we had in our furnished condo. We vacuum-sealed our winter clothes (pic below) that we decided to keep and we moved them to free storage along with some of Ken's tools, kitchen items & sentimental items that we want to keep. It's definitely nice to have a place for free storage.
We also moved things that will go onto the boat to either our part-time beach condo (the closet is packed) or our temporary storage unit that we have been using for Ken's work storage. Since we're still tackling electrical work and a few other interior boat projects, we're not quite ready to fill the boat up with our stuff. For now, we're roughing it on Nirvana.
Since we were lucky enough to have free storage for sentimental items & other things, "letting go" wasn't as difficult as it could have been, but I wouldn't call it easy. While it was hard to part with some items that we've always held close, it was comforting to know that they'd be waiting for us someday. I went through a ton of costume jewelry, and threw most of it away. Boy, those earrings were huge in the 80's! I held on to a few things to give to my daughter, along with a few valuable items. We're still holding on to a few tiny items that we'll have to make decisions on at some point .. but not just yet.
Ken & I aren't fancy dressers, but we still seem to have a ton of clothes! We'd donated a lot of clothes when moving into the 1-bedroom condo, but it was time to donate again. As mentioned earlier, we stored our winter clothes that we wanted to keep. It's the summer clothes that have me scratching my head! I know that the elements will cause us to renew our wardrobe when on the boat, so how can I get rid of these good clothes?! The truth is .. I can't! With the beach condo available, I've stored way more summer clothes than I can keep on Nirvana. I figured that I'll enjoy the clothes this summer, get rid of what's worn out by then, and then decide what I can fit on Nirvana. Whatever can't fit could be vacuum-sealed in tiny bags & given to our daughter for mailing in the future. This would save money later, and give me piece of mind now.
While "roughing it" on Nirvana, we'll pretty much be living out of duffel bags that we'll bring back & forth about once a week to the condo. When at the condo, we're able to wash clothes at its laundromat. Before the condo came along, we figured we'd be sitting in a laundromat for an hour. Instead, we'll be able to hit the beach, pool or whatever while the laundry is done .. we're so glad this condo came about! Once we get a our new LED lights installed & tackle the electrical, we'll fill up our closet & four tiny drawers with some clothes .. no more duffel bags!
Storage bins in the aft cabin will soon be in place, and then we can really start to bring more items aboard and get things organized. The tools will be removed from the galley and we can set up our kitchen. We ordered a bunch of reusable ice packs that we'll freeze in our Engel and transfer to our ice box. We're hoping this system works, and until the ice packs come in we've been buying ice to store water and ham for sandwiches. We're both still finishing up loose ends at our jobs and we've always brought our own lunch .. buying it everyday adds up! We have been buying cheap take-out for dinner lately and can't wait to install our grill and mess around with our alcohol stove. Here's my fortune from Chinese take-out the other night .. I like it!
We've been "simplifying" a long time now, so we're taking our time making Nirvana our home. Organization is the key to moving onto a small boat, so I'm sure we'll be moving things off & on until we get it all figured out. Meanwhile, we're diggin' our new home. It's an adventure!
Hasta luego .. until then. Mid-Life Cruising!
We also moved things that will go onto the boat to either our part-time beach condo (the closet is packed) or our temporary storage unit that we have been using for Ken's work storage. Since we're still tackling electrical work and a few other interior boat projects, we're not quite ready to fill the boat up with our stuff. For now, we're roughing it on Nirvana.
Since we were lucky enough to have free storage for sentimental items & other things, "letting go" wasn't as difficult as it could have been, but I wouldn't call it easy. While it was hard to part with some items that we've always held close, it was comforting to know that they'd be waiting for us someday. I went through a ton of costume jewelry, and threw most of it away. Boy, those earrings were huge in the 80's! I held on to a few things to give to my daughter, along with a few valuable items. We're still holding on to a few tiny items that we'll have to make decisions on at some point .. but not just yet.
Ken & I aren't fancy dressers, but we still seem to have a ton of clothes! We'd donated a lot of clothes when moving into the 1-bedroom condo, but it was time to donate again. As mentioned earlier, we stored our winter clothes that we wanted to keep. It's the summer clothes that have me scratching my head! I know that the elements will cause us to renew our wardrobe when on the boat, so how can I get rid of these good clothes?! The truth is .. I can't! With the beach condo available, I've stored way more summer clothes than I can keep on Nirvana. I figured that I'll enjoy the clothes this summer, get rid of what's worn out by then, and then decide what I can fit on Nirvana. Whatever can't fit could be vacuum-sealed in tiny bags & given to our daughter for mailing in the future. This would save money later, and give me piece of mind now.
While "roughing it" on Nirvana, we'll pretty much be living out of duffel bags that we'll bring back & forth about once a week to the condo. When at the condo, we're able to wash clothes at its laundromat. Before the condo came along, we figured we'd be sitting in a laundromat for an hour. Instead, we'll be able to hit the beach, pool or whatever while the laundry is done .. we're so glad this condo came about! Once we get a our new LED lights installed & tackle the electrical, we'll fill up our closet & four tiny drawers with some clothes .. no more duffel bags!
Storage bins in the aft cabin will soon be in place, and then we can really start to bring more items aboard and get things organized. The tools will be removed from the galley and we can set up our kitchen. We ordered a bunch of reusable ice packs that we'll freeze in our Engel and transfer to our ice box. We're hoping this system works, and until the ice packs come in we've been buying ice to store water and ham for sandwiches. We're both still finishing up loose ends at our jobs and we've always brought our own lunch .. buying it everyday adds up! We have been buying cheap take-out for dinner lately and can't wait to install our grill and mess around with our alcohol stove. Here's my fortune from Chinese take-out the other night .. I like it!
We got our 12v television a few days ago, and it's sitting on top of our navigation table until we get it mounted. We bought a HD antenna (50% off at local Radio Shack closing) and have been able to get our favorite local news station in the morning, as well as quite a few other stations. We haven't watched much tv the past two weeks, and we haven't missed it. However, we have been enjoying it in the mornings before work & in the evenings when we're done for the night. Nirvana's salon is pretty comfortable & cozy!
Since we've "cut the cord" when moving out of the condo, we're saving over $100 a month on basic cable & internet. We've looked into getting a "hot spot" on our mobile phone for internet, which would allow us to use our laptop (using office computer for now) & stream movies n stuff on our Roku. It will only cost an additional $15 a month on our phone bill, so we'll be adding a hot spot soon. We'll still be saving about $90 a month by not having internet & cable through the local cable company. It feels good to stop giving them our business .. their prices are crazy!
We've been "simplifying" a long time now, so we're taking our time making Nirvana our home. Organization is the key to moving onto a small boat, so I'm sure we'll be moving things off & on until we get it all figured out. Meanwhile, we're diggin' our new home. It's an adventure!
Hasta luego .. until then. Mid-Life Cruising!
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3 comments:
Love how much time you have put in this transition. Think you have been wise and measured.
Great job! You've done this in stages, which is the easiest way, though it is the last 10% that is the hardest to downsize! Good idea on saving the summer clothes to have mailed as you'll get sick of and wear out the ones you take along initially. I still keep a small stash at my mom's and trade out when we visit since I get sick of the ones I've been wearing for months, even if they are still in good shape. It helps me feel like I'm getting new clothes even when I'm not!
Hi Cheryl & Ken,
You guys are almost there, it must feel so good. I am very jealous at how close you are to your dream. You always have a positive spin tasks, even doing laundry. I think it is this style/outlook that makes for great reading.
Cheers,
Alan
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