Yep, it’s all gone. The house, the car, the shoes (oh, I had so many shoes), the clothes, kitchenware, jewelry, purses, furniture, bedding, bath mats, tissue holder, hammer, drill, leaf blower, holiday decorations, and much, much more. Yes, I kept my golf clubs, a few family heirlooms, some spare clothes which are all safe and sound in my dad’s garage.
Why sell it all?
I crunched the numbers hard. To rent my house and make a profit worth my time and effort, the numbers were not showing a great enough return. Plus, I’m not passionate about being a landlord and getting into real estate hacking. Let’s not skip over the fact that if I had one a-hole tenant, all of my potential profits could have been eaten alive. In other words, the risk was much greater than the reward. It’s that simple.
Do I miss having a home base? No. I’m dead serious. No, I don’t miss having the water heater break, the pool pump break, the irrigation lines break, the palo verde tree snapped in half in monsoons, or the abundance of junk mail. OMG, the amount of junk mail that came to my Arizona home address was insane compared the volume of junk mail received in Kansas, Texas, Illinois, or Louisiana. I do however miss my friends and family and the time we spent together. However, I had already moved a dozen times since I graduated high school so I’m used to the process of making new friends in a new location, and by now, I’m super good at purging and packing.
Stuff is stuff, and I never ever thought I’d be a minimalist.
Selling a 2500 square foot home and all the stuff inside it, was an eye opener. I narrowed my belongings down to a large suitcase, carry on suitcase and a day pack. After spending nearly 6 months in Mexico, I learned that I packed way too much stuff and many of the wrong things. I’ve since downsized again to a medium size suitcase, and kept the carry on and day pack that I had started with.
I have ditched tons of clothes as I have learned that I have favorite outfits I prefer to wear over and over. Guess what? You can do laundry every week! Beyond never having to worry about what I’ll wear, I don’t go shopping anymore. Every item I carry with me has multiple purposes, so although I love to window shop as I travel the world, I’m not going to buy anything as I can’t carry it with me. And in the random situation that I do choose to buy a shirt or sun dress, it will replace one that I don’t love.
It’s very rewarding to donate the items I want to leave behind because I know for a fact, the people in the community will put them to good use. The financial benefits of being a minimalist is astonishing! It is amazing to see how much money I save monthly because I’m not out buying unnecessary items. Honestly, I spend money on excursions and food...I really like trying new food!
Thanks for the note and well wishes on your FI journey too!
Congrats Christina! It sounds like an amazing journey! One you will never regret. We did something quite similar, however, we decided to keep our small condo in San Diego and rent it out using a property manager. Yes, we pay the property manager, but he handles all the problems. I also have no interest, whatsoever, in being a landlord. It's not for me. But, we looked at our condo as a home rather than an investment. Something that would provide some cashflow when paid off and maybe pass down to the kids. Keep traveling! And best of luck in the FI Journey!