I have started to get rid of "stuff" and plan on how to get rid of the rest of all this "stuff". I am naturally a pack rat, but I am also naturally a minimalist. These two conflicting natures often collide in a small storm in my head.
Getting rid of "stuff" is harder than I thought. Part of the issue is the realization that I may not actually like being without a home. I have read many stories and blogs of people who hit the road for what was planned to be years, only to find out that life on the road kinda' sucks. Not everyone likes continuous motion. Not everyone likes to have all their possessions with them at all times. The problem is that you don't find out for sure until you actually do it.
If I knew for sure that I would like being on the road continuously, I could more easily give away, donate and chuck everything, only keeping a few small boxes of paperwork and momentos. Not knowing means that every decision comes down to how badly I would want the thing if I end my trip early.
Some things, such as furniture, are easy. It is just money. I have no furniture that has any real value to me. The only "good" furniture I have I don't really like. If I was moving to an apartment across the town I would probably only take half of it. Similar with kitchen stuff. Some I would move across town, but most is easily and cheaply replaced if it turned out that I needed it. If I had unlimited storage I would still only store about half of it.
That is a good way to look at it. What would I keep if I had unlimited storage? What about if storage was only somewhat limited? What about if I had to pay for storage? Paying for storage is usually crazy, but so many of us do this because we think it will only be for a short time. Then the time extends and we have payed as much for storage as it would cost to replace the stuff. We continue to store it because we still think it will only be temporary, and we have sunk so much money into storage already that we might as well continue. Still, sometimes there are things we really want/need to keep and the only option is to pay.
If I had unlimited, climate controlled, free storage plus some strong guys to move my stuff I would probably keep about half my furniture, most of my kitchen stuff, most of my "stuff" stuff (assorted this and that), almost all of my cloths, and almost all of my garage stuff.
Assuming I could keep a small box or two at a family member's house, if I had to pay for other storage I would keep pretty much nothing. Maybe I would store a box of clothes at a friend's house, some important papers at a family member's house, and maybe some mementos at a different family member's house. Getting rid of the garage stuff would be the hardest. Tools are expensive, and a lot of these were gathered over the years and have special purposes. Some have sentimental value. Some I am attached to for no apparent reason. The garage will be tough.
Now, if I had limited storage, or maybe extremely cheap storage based on volume, what would I take, and how much room would it take up?
Clothing can be stuffed anywhere, so I would keep a chunk of that. Furniture would not be saved at all. Basically, everything that I would keep that currently resides in the house (excluding the garage) I could easily pare down to fit in my car.
The garage is another story. Ignoring the bikes, I think I could easily pare it down to fit in a pickup truck, although it might be piled a bit high. If I really needed to, I could pare it down some more. Some of the tools I could easily give away which would be easier to deal with. Still, I would have a bunch of stuff. Heavy, dirty stuff.
I only have 9 months and 19 days. Although that seems like a long time, there are a lot of things to do, and many of them are difficult in many ways. I have started the process mostly with smaller, easier things. I have also started to try to give away Irene's old riding gear. I will also try to get rid of her old SCUBA gear. Next will be segregating the things that I would like to save if possible from the easy to get rid of. If I can trip what I plan to keep to a small enough amount, then maybe I can figure out how to deal with it. But all the while, there is the Albatross around my neck, the garage.
I am thinking of changing the sub title of my web page to be: RETIREMENT BEHIND BARS.
I kinda' like the sound of that.