If you have had to move & change your lifestyle?

I've had to change my life style too many times over the years when

I moved a long distance, and didn't know what I'd find at the other end.

If I had a home now, filled with all of the previous things I had, that I

hadn't sold, or given away. I'd literally be bulging at the seams. Now I

am in a larger space than the previous residence, and I have a bit more

space to move around in. So this, at my age, seems to be the most

perfect spot. For I am content to sit and stare at the outside scenery,

and I don't feel cabin fever as I did before, in other locations.

The hardest thing for me, was losing all of my prized collectibles

that I had stored in a facility. And an unscrupulous manager of the

storage place, made it next to impossible for us to make a payment

by wire or by mail. We assumed he'd gotten inside and had viewed

the contents, knowing he could make a very sizable income from what

he saw we had stored. So I lost about four different collections that

had some historical collectibles, red blown glass, a semi precious

rock collection, and crystal ware. I could not replace the historical

pieces, nor any of them, due to costs today. These took a lifetime,

and were just swept away. Same for all of the framed pictures and

albums of my past adult life, and children and other friends and

relatives. Those can never be replaced in their entirety. The rest,

were housewares, and I had so many new towell sets and sheet

sets. Western wall hanging artifacts from one mining town, and

good quality pictures and a handsome pendalum wall clock. Every-

thing goes up in price, and so I have been uable to replace so

much. I know now to always take in my car, my jewelry, and things

I need to set up housekeeping with. That means, sheets and blankets,

silverware and dishes, glasses, cups/mugs. Because replacing all

of those will be costly. Even tho, it can be done. It comes down to

the nostalgic things.And which are you willing to part with. There so

often, has to be a decision made on what you can live without. Our

last long move, made us consider, only taking our wardrobes and

suitcases. We filled the car with those and shoes. We had intended

to return with a truck and remove all of the things from storage. But

life is often very unpredictable. So take with you what you can't live

without. Leave the extras behind, just in case of a mishap where you

can't get back. Even if you have to pull a trailer, take your bed, if it is

a comfortable mattress. I had a very difficult time, finding one to re-

place the set I sold prior to moving. There are just some things, either

too difficult to replace, or too expensive to replace. It's all up to you.

Erm, didn't he fall in love with you? Didn't he plan to marry you? Is he not going to spend the rest of his life with YOU?? So why the hell do you want to change everything about yourself?? You might well become a woman who your fiance would never be interested in marrying, ever thought about that? If you want to make little changes to your lifestyle then that's fine, but saying that you want to change everything about yourself is really sad and weird. You clearly have no self-respect, so that's what you need to work on, and try to be happy in your own skin. If you're saying that you need to change everything then you don't think that you are a 'good enough' person or something - and if you don't think yourself worthy then why should anyone else think you worthy of their love? Change your job, your dress sense, whatever, but your personality is what makes you you, so start loving yourself!!

I moved from a townhouse to a house, through out things got rid of things and had three garage sales, and I still have a lot of stuff so I am still working on downsizing. The hardest thing for me to get use to is shopping if I head West it's 22 miles to Walmart, Menard's, same mileage if I head East so when I do go shopping I stock up, and there is a small grocery store in a Mayberry town 7 miles away so I can always get the essentials. But the shopping took some getting use to. And also the veterinary I go to also treats farm animals.

I contemplate it all the time - move out to a much smaller place , lose the enormous piles of stuff we've accumulated and live and breathe easy , until we stop . Don't want to be like the Pharaohs in their pyramids , mummified and surrounded by expensive junk . When the time comes , I hope we can give away and sell what we will never use . Strange , you add things to your nest , like magpies , and you never really do more than admire them !

Downsizing can be very difficult for many when moving into smaller living quarters. Letting go of ones possessions isn't an easy thing to experience. It's necessary in order to make the move in your life. I had to downsize when planning on moving south but there were some things that I refused to part with. They were heirlooms, given to me by my grandmothers. After my move south, I found a special place for my heirlooms. Now, it really feels like home. I wish you all the best as you move. I hope you were able to save some of the things you treasured.

I'm in the process of moving overseas now. Deciding what to keep and what to ship over there. I am only taking some sentimental items and things I can't buy or that are too expensive there. Locating a reputable shipping company and learning another language are two other things, and getting used to the lifestyle which is very different from the US, many advantages though, love and hospitality and tolerant people who are very respectful makes it worth the effort. There won't be many supermarkets and a lot of walking on a daily basis, and it is more difficult to locate and buy certain items. I'm a typical spoiled American. It will be a challenge but I can adapt.

What you do is take pride in your adaptability. The hardest part for me was looking at something I didn't want to do away with, that moment of tribute to the memories it held, and letting it go. Each decision is letting go and moving on. So much is invested in objects, when really we have so much to invest in whatever comes next, and what makes life rich is expanding our perspective.

Been there, done that. It was very difficult to give up all I had, but I knew I had to get over the trauma. I looked at it as an adventure to a new life. The things I had to give up were actually everything that I had in my yard and garden that I worked 15 yrs to grow. Possessions don't make us happy, but do represent memories. I wish you the best in your move. It will get easier as time goes by.

I had to move and leave my pssessions behind. They are scattered across many locations. I don't expect to get any of it back but here's the kicker ... my ex landlord wants to charge me storage. I told him to throw the stuff out or sell it ... he'd rather do nothing and pretend that I'm running up a bill.

This is the hardest part ... my prized possessions are a burden to someone else.

Moving wouldn't have done me any good. I new people in that lifestyle everywhere. I did have to give up everyone I knew except family though. Moving is only geography. Unless you're moving from the city to the country or the other way around to change that kind of lifestyle, I've found that geography doesn't make much difference.