Thursday, December 11, 2008

Learning to live cheaply

I retired at 45. I didn't really plan to retire, I just thought I would take some time off between jobs.

Well, it's been 6 years, and I have learned to relax and enjoy life.

But to be fair, for the last 1 1/2 years I have taken care of my elderly mother, and that really is a job, although not a paid one.

How did I do it? Well for starters I got rid of all of my "stuff". I owned a 3 bedroom house with a walk-up attic and a basement, and it was full.

I decided to sell my house in New Jersey and move to North Carolina, but to rent before buying.

Doing so would involve the expenses of moving furniture a couple of time, or at least the cost of storage.

After some hard thinking, and advice from some smart friends, I realized the smartest thing to do would be to get rid of all of my furniture. I could buy all new whenever I bought a new house. Until then, I could rent furnished apartments, or rent furniture.

Once I decided to get rid of my furniture, I started thinking about all the other stuff I had to move and store.

That was when I decided the smartest thing to do would be get rid of everything, down to what I could fit in my car. It was hard. Really hard. But, really liberating.

And now, I get to buy all new stuff!

This blog will be a bit about my adventures over the past 6 years, and things I do today to continue not working.

With the economy in bad shape, I think many will join me, at least for the "live cheap" part.

From AP, Dec. 11, 2008

WASHINGTON – U.S. households, hit by declining home values and stock market losses, have cut back on their debt levels for the first time on record as loans remain scarce amid what appears to be a deepening recession.


And so we begin.

For those readers who English is your 2nd language, the "stuff" I refer to
From the Free Dictionary

b. Household or personal articles considered as a group.
c. Worthless objects.

My "stuff" is both b and c.

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