Downsizing - Am I nuts?

[Dylan Walters]

I recently took a two week trip to Europe with my wife and had the opportunity of visiting Belgium, Holland and Italy. This was my second trip to Europe and the first for my wife. The trip was nothing short of amazing and in fact was life changing. Upon our return I realized how everything is so much bigger here at home. The roads, houses, cars, people, you name it is bigger. I currently live in the suburbs of Portland in a 3 bedroom, 1300 sq ft house. I have an entire bedroom dedicated to my office/project studio, which is nice to have. But besides my bedroom and office, the rest of the space is mainly used for storing junk that I hardly use. For the last six months or so I

[ViLo]

Call me stupid but I saw your post and I saw: "Downsizing my nuts" WAIT A MINUTE!!!! :eek: :D:D

 

I tihnk your are making the rigth decision, as long as you and your wife are happy don't be afraid!

[coyote-1]

17 years ago I lived similarly.

 

Then I met the woman who became my wife.... now I have 2 cars, a 1200 sqft house, a yard, three sets of dishware....

 

I congratulate you on having a woman who's willing to downsize!

Originally posted by Dylan Walters When I look back at my life ten years ago it is amazing how I got by with so little. Everything I owned could fit in one car.

[UstadKhanAli]

For the last 8-9 years, every place that I've lived has been progressively smaller than the last. I've moved three times in that period. I have to downsize every single time. While I would love to have a larger place, I do like this side benefit of being able to determine what is important and what is not and get rid of stuff. Furniture, books, clothes, etc. - I have big yard sales or give it away every time I move.

 

Because my hobby is music - both recording and playing - and this sort of equipment takes up a lot of space, I have a lot of stuff. Aside from music-related stuff, I really don't own very much. Well, okay, my books are a bit out of hand...

 

I am always envious of people who don't have that much stuff. I think it's a more elegant way to live.

[PBBPaul]

Over a three year period beginning in 1999, I was financially wiped out between a divorce and three subsequent tech industry layoffs. The only thing I managed to hang on to was my house and music equipment. So I lived quite simply for a couple of years in a mostly empty house. Then I remarried... Now I walk around the house just looking for stuff to get rid of. We donate truckloads of stuff every year and I just can't seem to get the level of crap down. Where does it all come from? Our house is decent sized at around 2500sf but I swear it just keeps getting fuller the more I give away.

 

Like Ken, I admire folks who live simply and without tons of stuff.

 

Someday I'll get there again.

[UstadKhanAli]

Our house is under a 1000 square ft., which is small when you consider that one of the bedrooms is my studio. We'll clean the garage one of these weekends and get rid of my crud. I've been selling a lot of my old equipment on eBay, getting rid of my old drum machine, rack effects, and other stuff that I simply don't use anymore. And clothes....I don't know where all these clothes come from, but I keep getting rid of more and more.

 

Get rid of whatever you don't need. Give it to someone who needs it, or sell it for money, whatever....get it out of the house if you don't need it. That'd be my advice. And you know already to try and make your time for the truly important things.

[EccentRick]

Tons of "stuff" is just that IMO - "stuff". And all that stuff (and all the effort expended to acquire and manage it) can easily become a HUGE ball and chain, keeping you trapped both literally and financially and much less free to experience life. I remember a quote that went something like this (paraphrasing): "Things ride man as a man rides an animal". Not all that profound, I admit, but you get the gist.

 

Purchasing and keeping only what you really use, need and want, versus habitually/compulsively accumulating, accumulating, accumulating (on purpose or not), is the way to go without a doubt, I believe. At the very least, a dedication to regularly scheduled "house cleanings" are a good start. Moderation in all things; quality versus quantity.

 

I think you've realized and are acting on something that you have recognized as being trivial, superfluous and basically anti-life. And as another poster said, it's extremely rare to find/have a woman who is willing to live a more spartan life, possessions-wise, on a long-term basis. You've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain, and if later on the two of you come to the conclusion that you've made the "wrong" decision for yourselves and want to reverse course - not to worry - that can always be done.

 

Good luck and enjoy!

 

 

Rick

 

P.S. And, don't allow yourself to get hung up on the societal definitions and "rules" of age. It's all BS, unless you allow yourself to believe the cultural brainwash. To thine ownself be true. 30 (or 90, for that matter) is what you make of it, in the psychological realm and largely in the physical realm, as well.

[Anderton]

[MikeRivers]

I never throw anything away and dread the day I have to move. Hopefully it will be when I move underground in a box and all my stuff will become someone else's problem.

 

I have some good friends who, for the first 15 years or so that I knew them, always had good sized houses. When their kids grew up, they moved to go with her job and got a two bedroom appartment. Their next move was to a slightly larger two bedroom apartment, and a few months ago, they moved to a three bedroom apartment in the same building. It's not that they needed space for more stuff, they needed more space for themselves.

 

When I went out to Seattle for six months to work with Mackie, I rented a two bedroom town house style apartment (left my house with a house sitter). Even though I did bring some hand tools with me, I really felt lost without my workshop. And of course there was no need to bring any recording equipment out there given where I was working. Still, I managed to ship out 1000 pounds of stuff.

 

I don't have it in me to get rid of stuff and move into a smaller place. It just won't work.

[coyote-1]

Ain't it interesting that luxuries are ultimately NOT tied to quality of life?

Originally posted by Anderton

[UstadKhanAli]

Originally posted by coyote-1 Ain't it interesting that luxuries are ultimately NOT tied to quality of life ?

 

If the luxury is really important to you, then it can be tied to quality of life.

 

I have a bad back, and have a Panasonic massage lounger. For most, that would be frivolous, but for me, it really helps me.

 

So, in other words, it's all relative.

 

But yes, in general, hording crap does not contribute to a high quality of life. Use what you need, try and get rid of the rest.

[EccentRick]

Originally posted by MikeRivers I never throw anything away and dread the day I have to move... ...I don't have it in me to get rid of stuff and move into a smaller place. It just won't work.

 

That's okay, Mike. When/if the cataclysm comes, all of those in Falls Gulch who have been living the "minimalist life" and who suddenly find themselves in desperate need of tools and goods formerly deemed "unnecessary" will be in a total panic until one of them has a moment and excitedly says:

 

"Hey! Let's get (and I do mean get) Mike-y!"

 

 

Rick

[Extreme Mixing]

I'm feeling guilty. My studio is almost 400 sq ft, and it feels small when I have more than 2 people over. And I need all the room I have in my house so that I can work at night without keeping my wife and kids up. Every time I sell a piece of gear, I regret it.

 

But whatever floats your boat, man.

 

Steve

[Super 8]

I admit to being a packrat. I have a nasty habit of forming attachments to things.

I am slowly getting better about it. My wife has watched as I've thrown some stuff out while wincing the whole time.

It's not good.

 

Regarding space however, I could really use more. But I also have two small -but growing- children.

 

I'd really like to have a basement studio. Something big enough for my drums. I haven't played my drums at home in many years....not since my kids were born. I'd also like room to have people over to jam.

 

It would be great to have some other things too, but I understand where this thread is going. The idea that having more will somehow lead to fulfillment is complete nonesense.

[Gus Lozada]

I would not do it if I was recently married... one single room will not be nice if kids are planned someday!!

 

But I agree, keep it simple! Is the best way to go.

 

I have a simple formula> Have I used / needed it within the last year? No? Then it goes out of the house.

 

* It does NOT apply to music gear, Audio CDs, books, gifts I receive and magazines. Well, some magazines and CDs go to the trash after being read / played

 

 

My "house" is a single room -everything in a single room, Studio, dinning table, coach, I sleep in the floor which is fully covered by hard to mantain WHITE carpet. Kitchen is very small but fully functional -fat chicks can not get into it! so fat chicks are not allowed at my house -

 

I love the simple life. Congrats, Dylan!

[fred zappelin]

Especially nowadays when the "in" thing for alot of folks is to buy the 4000 sq ft McMansions for big bucks and pay over 10k a yr taxes. (I live in the lower Hudson Valley NY where this has been going on for the last 8-10 yrs)

We bought our little 900sq ft house in 1993 for 72k, I have done many many improvements that have cost well over 50k total and I am still in the process of completeing my basement into a studio/entertainment room for my family (wife & two kids)...Most folks are into their second house by now buy we plan on staying right where we are until the kids are outon their own.

I live 60 miles out of NYC...I love the city life but their are sacrifices especicailly if you plan on having kids. They need a place to play etc...IMHO....

I`m very driven now to build this studio/entertainment room for me and the kids ...it will include a PA system, liights, smoke machine, Roland electronic drums, all my guitar crap, a keyboard, my old vinyl records, 42 " flat panel LCD TV etc....My home has a finished attic where the kids now have rooms, I have three chickens , a dog, cat and a good size yard with a pool..I commute 35 miles each way to work and I actually enjoy the ride most days....I think happinesss can be found in small packages but one needs to live within thier means in order to be happy. Too many people are caught up in keeping up with the Jones` if you get my drift..

To put it into a musical perspective : most of my guitar heros Rory Gallgher, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, John Lennon etc...These guys weren`t into "boutique" pedals and amps and tons of guitars with custom pick-ups and the like...from what I have read they didn`t get into those aspects as much as they got into the song...Clapton downsized his collection in a big way to fund the rehab cenetr in his name....Angus Young ...SG into Marshall...fini !

[Dylan Walters]

Thanks for all of the great feedback! Yes, I'm very lucky to have married such a great women who doesn't mind living simply. We've been together for over 10 years now and looking back there is no doubt in my mind that I picked the right person to share my life with. This transition might be difficult at first, but hopefully things will turn out for the best in the long run. When I lived in Boston during college I loved the fact that I could get around town on foot or mass transit without the need for a car. We'll still keep one car to get around town. My commute to work will literally be a 3 minute walk across the street!

[UstadKhanAli]

Originally posted by Dylan Walters Yes, I'm very lucky to have married such a great women who doesn't mind living simply.

 

So just to clarify, you're a polygamist?

[paulskirocks]

well, i currently live in a 1300 sq ft house on a tenth of an acre... i will be downsizing to an 1100 sq ft home i recently purchased... but... it is on 10 acres! all i want now is to convert the 400 sq ft work shop to my studio and build a 1200 sq ft barn! screw downsizing! well, actually i will have a smaller mortgage, and that is the kind of downsizing i'm into...

 

paulski

[paulskirocks]

quick note, though... when it comes to stuff, i love getting rid of crap... but my tools and materials will never be downsized... finally my wife realizes that every surface in the house doesn't have to be a place fo hundreds of knick knacks!

[Dylan Walters]

Originally posted by UstadKhanAli So just to clarify, you're a polygamist?

 

. I barely can afford one wife, let alone two. Damn my poor grammar (woman) .

[kylen]

Originally posted by coyote-1 I ...congratulate you on having a woman who's willing to downsize!

Ain't it the truth...we've downsized a bit. Our living quarters are a lot smaller but we now have storage sheds. Argh!@#$ Would someone please hit me in the head with a hammer

[object.session]

having less stuff is nice, but there is also value to having empty space. right now i live in an apartment which has a whole extra room. it's a huge schock for someone who, just a couple years before, had a bedroom that literally someone else's closet. with usable space including a desk (with no leg room), a chair, about 3 feet of a shelf (one level), two drawers, and exactly enough room for a bed. so what's that, about 40 feet? (before that, i stayed in a room that was three feet high. hmm . . . )

[Dylan Walters]

Originally posted by jamesp Just another hippy in the Hawthorne district here. Welcome to the inner city! I'll look for your stuff on Craigslist.

 

Man, I LOVE the Hawthorne district! Talk about some expensive real estate! You'll definitely be seeing some of my stuff on Craigslist!

[seclusion]

Hey Dylan, I can totally see what you're wanting to do.

My wife and I adopted 5 kids after about a year, my fulling functioning recording studio sat idle more than it worked. I made a tough decision to turn it into an jam/ song writing room. I traded about $45K worth of gear, most of it outdated stuff, nothing vintage, and purchased smaller more versitile stuff. So from a dual Tascam DM 4000 32 channel digi boards to a Tascam 1884 controller/soundcard. 1 controller keyboard with plugins and Gigastudio instead 5 keybaords. I'm finding even though the room doesn't have a 1000 lights flashing nor that wow factor, I actually have more control over what I was doing (more so ITB) and the wife and I share the same space, so the kids have more space. As well because I only have $20K or so invested in my room now, I just have normal house insurance is cheeper, I find it easier to use, more productive as I don't have to repatch 100 things from someone else who just finished their session. As long as I have some toys to "make noise" with I'm happy. Even though my wife and I have to have a large house for all these guys, we miss our "row house" in downtown Toronto. 15' wide, 500 square feet per level. We could clean/renovate each level quickly, cheeply and with higher quality stuff. But ya where ever i live I will always have a space for some gear. I know some of the condo styled apartments limit what can be done inside the condo, if I could soundproof a condo that will be something I do after the kids go because doing house chores a lot of times gets in the way of what I want to do.