The Clutter Fairy Weekly Survey #164 Results
Moving Experiences, Feelings, and Challenges
To Move or Not to Move
We asked our audience members to select from a list of statements the one that best describes their future plans with regard to moving.
Note: Hover over any piece slice to see the name of the category and the number of respondents who selected that answer. (Mobile users: Click on the slices for details.)
Responses to Essay Questions
To view the detailed survey response from any respondent, click on their name in the table below. (You may also find it easier to read long responses in the detailed view.)
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Please select the statement that best describes your future plans with regard to moving. | Describe any thoughts and feelings that the idea of moving invokes for you…. | If you had to move from your home in a short timeframe, what would the greatest challenges be? | If money, logistics, citizenship, etc., were no obstacle, where would your ideal place to live be? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous user | I just moved into my forever home | I kept items in storage for years as I didn't know where I would end up but didn't want to part with my belongings | What to keep from family heirlooms | Cute little three bedroom home on the west coast near the beach and forest with hiking trails and a big backyard for my dog to play and I could have fruit trees |
| Julie | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Past moves, the kids' help pack their own boxes. They chose somethings to keep in their backpacks that stayed with them. That helped them emotionally. | Craft room and computer/office & books | home with a backporch looking out to the woods in Kentucky. |
| Marygrace | I am in my forever home and have been here for 41 years | When i move from my parents house it was very easy. just cloths and four storage boxes. When we moved to our forever house we had furniture and a bay to move it was more time consuming | We would never be able to move quickly. too much stuff | I would live in a community that took care of every thing |
| Katharine | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Excited to create new memories. Our sleep is off, family’s behavior is out of sorts. Trying not to feel so overwhelmed with the packing & the disruption of our home. There’s a loss in leaving & concerns starting over. Learned having one box with the TP, basics to shower, sleep, eat, and cleaning made the first day or two much easier. It stayed with the family (not the movers). Moving is late nights, artwork on boxes with fussy adults, kid & pets. It’s excitement, frustrations even with checklists, research & knowing in your heart it needs to happen. After moving day, getting settled in with new atmosphere is exciting, draining & overwhelming. It’s hopeful for better opportunities. | Finding trustworthy movers to load & unload. Give myself permission to rest & not fret about every decision. Trying to stay organized, on task, not feel overwhelmed by decisions or visual clutter. | Cottage with a sewing room, garage space for motorcycles & fitness trails nearby. |
| Kristin | I plan to move within the next year or two. | Positive because now I rent but I am working on savings for a down payment on a house. Negative because moving is a huge pain in the butt | Finding the time to pack. I work full time. | I would like to live somewhere quiet with enough land to have a beautiful flower and vegetable garden and a in ground pool. |
| Anonymous user | I plan to move within the next year or two. | 35 years, Four bedroom house to two bedroom senior living. Aaargh. | Downsizing. So much stuff. Do I really just donate? | |
| Alexis | My responses will apply to assisting my older brother in moving in the next two years. | My brother and l came up with a readiness plan to assist him in improving his current life in his apartment while preparing for a move in the next two years. We began last summer and worked a plan set for three, three day sessions, with one session each in June, July and September. We called our project the Care Conference and prepared for each session with a meeting and notes for methods how we would meet our goals. We live in different cities, about two hours apart, so our prep time included us arranging resources in his area we would be utilizing in his town. We utilized charity services, Task Rabbit, local libraries, recycling centers, paper shredding services and trash pickup which his apartment manager allowed us to augment for a small additional fee. I stayed in a hotel close to his place so we would each be rested for long project days. It was a lot of fun even though we were each pretty tired by the third day of each of our project days. The most fun of the three sessions was the mid summer session. Within 10 minutes of beginning of our work on day one, power went down in about two thirds of his city. His apartment had big windows, good air flow and cold running water. We decided it really didn’t matter and we just kept working. I think that experience really boosted our confidence, or fantasy, that we knew what we were doing.🤣 The power finally came back on a week later. My brother completed additional micro projects over the winter and we are set for three more sessions this summer beginning in May. My brother and l owe a debt of gratitude to Gayle and Ed for all the fantastic training supplied through their YouTube videos. Thank you so much. ‘ | The uncertainty of fully knowing what the reason for moving may be, and what type of situation may prompt a move on a short timeframe. As l am helping my brother to prepare for a planned moved, this uncertainty has promoted us to take a pretty minimalist approach to his possessions. He is an active professional writer at 70 years of age so we are focusing on the quality of his work station, proper lighting, good quality chairs, a reduced personal library, a safe and functional bathroom, no stairs in a space that is easy to maintain for himself or a cleaning service as needed. He is highly rational and focused on life quality and this is helping him move forward with his plan in quick order. His main difficulties in accomplishing his goals on his own involved some physical limitations and that is why we are working together and utilizing may community services. | My brother loves botany and would love to live in or visit more subtropical and tropical locations. |
| Anonymous user | I would like to move, but circumstances prevent me from doing so. | It stresses me out so much. We have way too much stuff. I’m trying to declutter now. It’s just takes a lot of energy. We are getting new carpet. So, we’re trying to declutter some stuff in the bedrooms now. We did move a daybed out and my daughter took it to her place yay! But,we have so much more to go. Such as boxes of books, from my daughters. Plus, move our clothes from the bottom rack out, temporarily. | Physically move items. Hub has a bad back. And, I have issues physically at times. We just can’t move much heavy stuff. | Where the weather is nice. No floods, tornados, hurricanes. No driving on ice and snow! |
| Lisa Beth | I plan to move within the next year or two. | Label, label and then label. I labeled what goes in which room and if there was a closet or shelving specific enough to get what you want when you get there. Label the rooms at the new location. Label the stuff that you need to get to that first night or in a medical emergency. | The furniture that is over 8 foot tall. I've lived in a home with high ceilings since I was in Jr High with my parents. Craft supplies, I'm a creative one and retired teacher who loves to do crafts with my kids and granddaughter. | Within minutes of my kids and grandkid. I love my Victorian with a big yard for gardens and a red gabrel barn as an art studio. I want to bloom where I'm planted in West Central IL. |
| C | I would like to move, but don’t have any specific plan. | The place we would move to would have to be so much better than what we have here, or the need so great, that we would likely be here as long as we can still manage the long walk and 14 steps up. | Discarding things. Probably halving our acquisitions of the past 40 years. The decisions involved with what goes where and also who inherits which family heirlooms. What do we donate where and, as always, what to keep just in case. | On Madeira, where the water and food is delicious and the weather is almost all year round agreeably spring time like. The people are warm and joyful too. |
| Charity | I plan to move within the next six months. | We are currently downsizing to move to from 1500 sq. ft 3bdrm, 2 bath, double garage + workshop to a 2bd, 2 bath, den 1300 & storage room set up. Two sets of stairs are killer for the knees and we want to live mortgage free. Our vision for living well is to not take anything we have not used since fall of 2020. Setting aside to keep things that have multi function use with the mindset we love to be out and about exploring. Cleaning and maintaining things is not where we find joy anymore. Our last move we got rid of so many things we have not missed at all! | Boxes of books are heavy. Kitchen stuff is awkward to pack. Liquids need to be used up as much as possible! Convincing my partner to just give things away and not try to sell it. | Some where with a view. One level living with easy commute times to work. Roll out kitchen drawers and pantry space. Gas fire place and great neighbours. Lovely easily maintained landscaping. Easy access to lying in the sun, a pool, and nature trails. |
| Anonymous user | I plan to move within the next six months. | Excitement, anticipation, too much work, too much stuff | Moving the furniture | Luxury condo on the beach of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Ed and I can dream! |
| Karen | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Having to make quick decisions on what to keep and what to toss stresses me out. | Packing up the kitchen. | On the beach in Barbados so I can watch the sunrise and sunset every day |
| Anonymous user | I plan to move within the next six months. | I just want it over! I am clearing out 30-years of stuff in my attic and keep losing energy and enthusiasm for the project. Some precious items/memories are embedded in boxes of mostly junk. I am having a hard time letting go of things that are half way between precious and junk. I need to be more ruthless in limiting what I keep but I am haunted by having let my brother put an engineering notebook of my father's in the trash, a notebook that would have provided provenance for my father's yard long ivory slide rule. | Precious stuff mixed in with junk. | |
| Barbara | If I don't die in this apartment, eventually I will be in a much smaller place with more assistance. | I moved in December 2021. 4 bedrooms, full basement, one-car garage to 1075 sq ft apartment in a senior living community. This was a planned move, not forced upon me. After 11 years of decluttering, my stuff finally fit in my house. And then in 3 months, I had to do it all over, only faster. And I was 11 years older. I got a lot of help from my daughter, my sister and my friends. But I was shaking with exhaustion those last few days. My advice: tackle those storage areas now. And be realistic about your energy level. | If I were unable to live independently, I'd have to leave my apartment. Challenges: all the stuff that defines my life. Photos, papers, some of my books. The "hard" stuff. | I like where I am but a pied a terre in NYC, Chicago or Paris would be lovely. |
| Jeanne | I would like to move, but circumstances prevent me from doing so. | I miss my home of 13 years ago still. Although I have made the best if it here, I dislike this house, but love the garden I have created. | My home is well maintained and minimal. I would sell out since transport is costly. I would only take my kitchen and linens., clothes. | I would time travel to my childhood home back in MD. |
| Hila | I plan to move within the next year or two. | Afraid of place that not best for me than the previous. It will be difficult because fatigue to pack my stuff or new stuff like kitchen device will be too expensive I organized my paper to digital files and I afraid of internet problem. | To find furnished apartment . Without to buy new stuff. To organize important document of the authorities | Tiny house in wild |
| Evelin | I would like to move, but don’t have any specific plan. | the greatest challenge would be that I would have to downsize and maybe reduce my stuff (about -25%) | a beach hut surrounded by turquoise water (think Bora Bora or Maledives....) | |
| Anna | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Moving influences me to my core, I always have trouble handling the feelings connected to a move, even though it goes smoothly and feels positive. I think it may be linked to how I experienced my first move at the age of six. I was sent away to stay with relatives and nobody talked to me about my belongings. I just came home to a new home and adapted to that. Somehow I felt like the act of having to move my things for me had been a burden on my parents, so I didn't ask about the things that were no longer there. I was called spoilt for having too many things and asking about where the rest had gone felt rude. I always have this feeling of shame whenever I move. The last time I moved was when my husband and I moved in together and that felt extremely positive, so a move today will be considered a good thing, I just have to let it take some time. | Sorting through all the stuff I inherited in the last few months when my mother was moved to a care facility and her house was emptied. Some things I would have liked was donated before I had a chance to say I wanted them, and the things that were sent to me was not exactly what I wanted, so I will donate some of it and save the best. But it feels like my arms have the same weight as a big mountain, each, when I try to start sorting through the boxes. It's generally all the emotional stuff that is the difficult bit. | Yes, we can all dream! I have a dream about a cottage near the sea with a lush garden with almost no commute time for my husband to travel to his work every day... It would have a wood fired stove and a whole room for crafty activities. |
| Intignia | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Moving is extremely hard work. The more stuff you have the harder it is. Every time we move I vow that I'm not going to accumulate so much stuff so it will be easier next time. And every time we move we have just as much stuff as before if not more. I don't know how to stop accumulating more. Big sigh. | My hobby things.. I have down-sized everything else to the barest minimal that we can comfortably live with. | In a large home with servants to take care of everything. I am old and tired, worn out from taking care of homes and others for fifty years. It would be so nice to have someone prepare healthy meals for me and do all the housework and walk around a lovely cultivated garden. |
| Catherine | Other | Enormous fatigue, anxiety, etc. I like where I am right now but I don’t know what the future will bring. | I am currently overwhelmed from having a lot of things from my mom’s place so I could move quickly if I threw money at the problem but the very thought of it bums me out. Challenge would be organizing / deciding / packing, among other things. | I live in NYC and I hope to live here forever. The best. ❤️ |
| Jane | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | I have too much clutter but am gradually discarding it with the help of your videos. | Discarding the clutter and keeping only what supports my life now. | Travel around the US and Canada in a small RV or Campervan with my dog and visit National, State parks and National Monuments. |
| Marsh | I would like to move by this coming Fall 2023... | Riding huge roller coaster, front seat; as it slowly climbs up only to drop suddenly back down around many curves n twists to bottom. Suddenly, I am still facing the "exit strategies" for my move. I feel deeply saddened. Where is my final forever home? What can I afford with in my physical and financial abilities? My brain keeps finding the nearest “exits” with chronic exhaustion. Yet, learned so many helpful steps here in Clutter Fairy just making decisions; I’m able to keep creating 1% flow forward as I keep clearing my home. | Greatest Challenges: Affordability within my physical and financial means. Finding help to pack/move outside of just myself. Dealing with the powerful feelings of “assault”?. (tho not presented in survey question... Where to move?) | (Ed GO for it...I say!)(Maybe even on a vacation..you are worth it and so deserving!) Easy Peasy...10+ healthy, level acres of land, preferable in the Pacific Northwest (with views of the snowcapped mountains) that has established grass pasture and fruit trees of Cherry, WA Apple, Plums, Pears and fully fenced...Add an old style barn for some mini goats, rescued horse or two along with safe water sources from our glacier aquifers. Simple, accessible; one story stick built home and ability to grow veggies to share @ local farmers markets. |
| Becky | I plan to move within the next year or two. | I am dreading it as I hate the idea of having to pack everything up and the feelings of not being settled. | Determining what is not worth moving for example my dining table as it really needs to be replaced with a larger size | A house on beach but not in a tourist town |
| Anonymous user | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | I've only moved a few times and although it wasn't a bad experience, it wasn't one that I enjoyed. | My husband's hunting equipment/supplies and all the outdoor items in the shed. | I am happy where we live now. We're only 2 minutes from my parents and from our daughter, and only 6 minutes from my husband's parents. I would just like to travel more. . .not move. |
| Kathy | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Age related living in country, by self, dependent on help for tasks increasingly more difficult to receive. Costs of living in country increasing with living on fixed income. | Will someone purchase my home can I afford next space. | Condo with view of sunrise and sunset. |
| Anonymous user | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | New beginning, overwhelm, anxiety, exhaustion... | Reducing furniture and decluttering some stuff because I would downsize. Organizing the move, getting enough help, not getting sicker than I already am. | In a small town with all my friends and wonderful infrastructure around, in a small house with wonderful neighbours and a babbeling brook at the end of my garden and lots of birds. I'd need a gardener and a lot of help. |
| Anonymous user | I plan to move within the next year or two. | Having trouble getting motivation for the family to start the move | Cleaning and packing and choosing what to throw away | Switzerland , Scotland |
| Patty | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Moving is a great way to get rid of stuff that you didn’t know you wouldn’t miss. I call it the “driveway test”. I moved to my forever home in 2015. It was just a 125 mile move and we had both houses overlap for a few months so I moved all the breakables , art work, and small furniture in my suv. As I loaded each piece, they each came out of my dark home onto the bright sunny driveway. Was I surprised how many things looked drab, worn, and not fit to earn a place in my new home. They were then stored in the garage until I made my weekly goodwill run. Saved a lot of stress, work, and gas! I sometimes take stuff out of my new sunny house out to the sunnier patio and do the same test. Moral of story. Just because you have had something a long time doesn’t mean it is still earning its place in your home. | Deciding what to keep. | I love where I live now in Ocean View Delaware but wouldn’t mind having a second house in Scotland or Italy |
| Ellen in W Michigan | I plan to move within the next year or two. | I am a bit overwhelmed at the thought of moving. I'm not young and have some physical disabilities. My sons will probably move me (about 30 miles), but they are not terribly patient with my wish/need to do everything in an planned order. If I had the ability, I would rather pay double rent for one month to do the moving in stages, taking care of things as they are moved. I am having trouble deciding what order I can do things and how far ahead I can do them. This is partially driven by my disability and the remote area I live in, which limits some of my options. | Deciding priorities. I have pared down a lot, and hope that I won't find that I've moved much I don't need or have room for. But, given my physical and energy limitations, how do I pack and move so that I can do things at a pace that I can maintain? I have also become a bit obsessive about having my things arranged in a way that works for me, yet doubt that will be attainable during a move without a lot of extra work at some point. I see some ways that I might be able to make that work better, but they would cost more money, which worries me as well as my only income is S.S. | Though I've often dreamed of travel (I would love to spend a few months in Ireland), and strongly dislike Michigan winters, the most important thing to me is family. So, if I had all the money in the world, I'd buy acreage and build a family compound where all my kids and grandkids could have the kind of home (and shop buildings) they wanted and it would be easy to visit, though perhaps not close enough to see everything the others were doing for the sake of privacy. Right now, my family is anywhere from 15-100 miles from me in at least three completely different directions. Maybe a winter vacation place in Hawaii? |
| Laurie | I don't plan to move unless my health declines to the point that I have to. | I feel negative about moving again. When my husband and two children moved out of our first house, where the kids spent most of their childhoods, we moved to a house that was almost twice the size of the first one. I was sad to leave but the new house was so much nicer, so I was excited about the move overall. The next move was to the house that I grew up in after my dad passed away. This move was difficult as I liked the house we were living in and torn whether to stay or go. My husband and I have lived in the house I grew up in for twelve years now and have spent the time repairing and remodeling the house to our liking. The problem with our house, though is it has stairs, and we worry about our ability to climb them one day, our bedroom is on the second floor and the laundry room, in the basement, is two flights down from the main level. So, I feel the next move will be a necessity, not something I look forward to; we are in our early sixties. | Getting our foundation repaired. We have a basement wall with cracks in it which allows water to come in when it rains. My husband and I have been putting off this repair for years and we bought the house knowing this was a problem and would be a large expense. Otherwise, I have been diligently paring down my belongings for the past four years which includes the belongings that I inherited when my dad died, so it would be a matter of speeding up the process of decluttering if I had to move in a short timeframe. | For now, I would like to stay in the area because I have a four-year-old granddaughter and want to be a big part of her life. Plus, I think I would feel lost if I lived in an area that I wasn't familiar with. I have a hard time navigating new places! |
| Anonymous user | I would like to move, but don’t have any specific plan. | Need to Declutter more than I have planned. | ||
| Debra | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Stress! anxiety about forgetting something (usually having to do with the paperwork side of it, which government agencies or utility suppliers have to be notified and when, etc.) fears of a last minute rush despite all the preparation, the stress of coordination of helpers/movers/people to dismantle furniture, feeling alone—no one to share the tasks and burdens with, who is equally invested, i.e. partner. Concern about the many financial costs of moving (here the kitchen isn’t included in rentals, so you have to buy a kitchen and have it fitted, although the apartment flooring is included, unlike in the Netherlands where you get the concrete slab) Relief: moving in, the first night there. Pleasure: unpacking and deciding where everything goes. This is my favourite part! I love figuring out where things will go to look charming and be efficient too. | I can’t think of anything specifically in terms of a category. Probably more the practical aspects of finding reliable movers and people to disassemble my furniture, chandeliers, washing machine, etc. down very tight spiral stairs. Also, since I don’t have a car, assembling materials such as boxes, tape, labels, wastes a lot of time and takes a lot of effort. I prefer to avoid Amazon when possible, although it’s not always possible! For many years I have had 3 moving lists of what I could take: 1) within the city: can take plants and foodstuffs plus everything else. 2) within Europe: not bother with plants, would probably keep bed and non-Ikea furniture, ditch old mattress and have a new one locally delivered upon arrival. Would keep soap making supplies as they’re costly to replace. 3) back to Canada: very few pieces of furniture, only books my friends have written, second hand goods are readily available there unlike here so I wouldn’t take anything that could be replaced easily. All electric goods would be donated here. Major purge of winter clothing, as winter isn’t as cold there (Vancouver). I know that’s not really the question, but there’s not one category I have to excess, although I do seem to have a lot of clothes and shoes. They all get worn though. | The rainy west coast of southern BC, with a very specific style of craftsman house with a huge loggia overlooking the ocean. And a pied—à-terre in London. And another in Rome or Naples (grimy but enchantingly edgy) and another somewhere tropical with the sea and palm trees. Is that too many? |
| Fe | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | So much stuff to organize and to get rid of | What to pack and what to get rid of | I’m not sure |
| Sandra | I will eventually need to move when I’m no longer capable of living in my current home but I don’t know when that will be | I will be extremely sorry to move as it will mean a drastic reduction in my living space and others will have to do the work of packing and moving me which is totally different to my previous moves when I did the majority of it myself as these were before my disability and the move will be not of my choosing but because I’ve deteriorated too much to remain here it will more than likely break my heart at the amount I’d have to get rid of as I’d be moving to a bungalow or flat best case scenario but more likely to a single room in an assisted living facility or care home | Arranging/paying for enough people to come and do it for me and having to make quick decisions on what can go with me (as a move would be to a much smaller living space flat or bungalow if I’m extremely fortunate more like to a single room in sheltered living or care home | In a nod to my disability a little bungalow with a sea view in a quiet seaside village if I wasn’t disabled then I’d like to live on a Scottish island called Iona and grow fruit and vegetables to be fairly self sufficient food wise and be able to see lots more stars and hopefully the milky way and the aurora borealis as there would be no light pollution |
| Cynthia | I plan to move within the next year or two. | I always have more work to do at the end than I think. I get so tired and I have to keep pushing. | Getting rid of things I like but don’t need | I’m right where I want to be except I’d like have a second small home in the mountains. |
| Brigitte | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Our last move was enormously stress - yes traumatizing - as we had to keep all balls in the air, concerning Hubby’s work as a male nurse, and my business organizing a course for a foreign teacher ánd hosting him, We left a rental house of 135 square meters behind and got an apartment of 83 square meters. I remember both of us crying our eyes out when the last hours lasted for ever and the deadline came closer and closer… | Thank God after decluttering for 4 years now, MY challenge would be véry reasonable. Hubby’s stuff would be of another quality 🥹 BUT the last 2 days at least I managed to declutter Hubby’s paperwork, which feels like a huge relief. | As boring as it sounds - I would stay here and use the money to travel to the Toscana in Spring, to Sweden in the Summer, to Blackwood Forest in Autumn and to some warm and safe pacific island 🏝️ in the winter… |
| Tami | Other | Thanks to TCF weekly I’m all set both to move easily or drop dead:) | Just hiring moving men for furniture. | Spain, in a villa with my dogs and a cat. |
| Margaret | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Overwhelm at having to change my address with so many creditors, utility companies, doctors, etc. | Trying to finish cleaning out so I don't have to move everything, getting things in labeled boxes so I'll know what is where, and mainly how to handle my three cats during the move. THey are indoor-outdoor and have only known this woodsy area where I live. They are three neutered males who do not like each other and would not get along if contained in the same small area. | A place like where I'm living now, with woods nearby and minimal traffic where my three cats can enjoy roaming. Also I need to be near enough to town so I can get groceries, prescriptions, doctor/dental care etc. without traveling far. I currently have no car. |
| Linda Kay | I would probably move closer to family if I was widowed and requiring more help with things. | Past moves were usually positive. They were work transfers with new opportunities . The last move seems totally overwhelming and impossible to control. There is so much stuff that is not in order. Things of great value mixed with so much that will be unnecessary. I will need to get rid of most of it. Much of it is my husband's and I don't know what is important or valuable. The physical part sounds impossible. I hate to waste things, but know much will just need to be given away or junked. | The volume of stuff. The difficulty of making so many decisions. The random way things are stored. The physical challenge and mental exhaustion. | I would like to live near my son in a senior community and have my own small home. |
| Anonymous user | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | IF I move again it will be for getting care... so someone else will help take of me (sounds good) | Basement and garage have too much stuff., lots of sentimental and way too much Christmas! | Winter: Florida or Arizona. Other: closer to family in an active senior center. |
| Michele | I plan to move within the next six months. | Overwhelming. Fear and excitement. Trying to look forward and not hold on to the past. Deciding what items serve me, comfort me, define me and letting go of so much. Hoping to not make mistakes. | Parting from or moving [perceived] valuable furniture and collections. | I love that! Our dream is to afford retirement and to live in peace. To that end, we bought our condo in Portugal last year and it waits for us. But first (for work/the “afford” part)) we have to move from beautiful waterfront condo in PNW to a small apartment in Virginia Beach immediately. |
| Tammy | I would like to move, but don’t have any specific plan. | Since I left home 54 years ago, I have moved 23 times. Only a handful of times were by movers the rest we did ourselves. Moving is a lot of work and expense. Although it can be an exciting adventure, I’m just not up for more than one more move. And that would be from our rental townhouse to our own home. We know exactly what type and size home we want and the place. We are still looking and hoping to find that perfect place. In the meantime, I am decluttering my things. I just need to convince my spouse to do the same so that we can be paired down and ready to go. | In 2 of my moves I had less than 2 weeks notice so moving quickly isn’t really a problem as long as we would have movers to do the heavy lifting. The most challenging aspect would be hubby’s things as he is still not convinced that decluttering is something he needs to do. The biggest challenge would be keeping our cat calm as any disruption in her routine causes gastric upset. | My ideal place would be a peaceful sparsely populated area on a hill top so I could see all around me with forests below the hill and a beautiful lake. I would also like to have a train station not too far away so when I get the traveling bug, I could hop on a train and go. |
| sara | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | I grew up as a military brat and we moved constantly. I moved into my house 32 years ago (read: mortgage is paid!) and I never want to move again. Even when the queen left me Balmoral in her will I had to say no thanks... | Having to let go of many items I love but have no need for...and the internal fighting with myself about it. | Someone once said if they were incredibly wealthy instead of buying one big house they would buy tiny apartments in cities all over the world. So Akaroa, New Zealand; Kyoto; Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia; Buenos Aires; Helsinki; St. Petersburg; Bucharest; Vienna;, Susak, Croatia; Chicago; Big Sur...still looking for the place with the world's best fried chicken, though! |
| Sandy | I plan to move within the next six months. | I feel overwhelmed by all of the planning and preparation that will be necessary to make this move, but happily look forward to being close to the grandkids. | We do not have any "swing space" to sort through and pack our belongings because we have our daughter and her husband living with us, and the garage is half full with the boxes we have already packed. | I'm a city girl so my ideal place to live would be San Francisco -- but my son and his family are in Alabama! |
| Kathy | I plan to move within the next year or two. | I’m a little nervous that I will be able to get rid of enough since we are downsizing. I do not want to take too much and have to get rid of more on the other end. I’m concerned I will know what the “right” things are to take. Although I am excited about the idea of owning less. Strange dichotomy. | Deciding what to take. Which books, which videos, which clothes. I want to get rid of things and am looking forward to it but how to decide…… | Like Ed, Italy would be amazing. I would also like to have a house on any Carribbean island. |
| Lela | I would like to move, but circumstances prevent me from doing so. | I envision a fresh beginning and freedom from this chapter of my life as a 20-year caretaker for my MIL. I envision a potential opportunity to talk my family out of some of their unused clutter. Very aspirational, I know. Ha ha | Heavy items that I can’t handle with my bad back & lack of funds to hire movers. | I still love Arkansas, but would enjoy a place outside city limits with lots of privacy & less noise & swamp land. |
| Kara | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | A lot of work! However, there’s also something exciting about a move - a new start - a new challenge. New surroundings. I moved to a townhouse three years ago and I don’t know when I will move again. I did like downsizing, and having an “excuse” To get rid of things and start fresh. That was very invigorating! | The garage I think! Letting go of equipment that I used to use more than I do (a road bike, fly rods, camping equipment , craft supplies and equipment) | Oooh lala! How fun! I’d like to spend time living in Norway, also perhaps Amsterdam. How about a place on the Pacific Ocean on the California coast? |
| Noreen | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | I'm trying to routinely go through my house and trash/donate/sell things I am not using. This way I hope to have a lighter load to pack. | Too many sentimental items to pack | In the mountains of NC in a luxurious cabin. |
| Lenette | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | My moves have always been local with the help of friends and family. My next move will require hiring help now that I'm a widow and in my 60s. I think that will actually make it easier! | I still need to purge the barn of my deceased husband's 30 years of filling it. Also still need to deal with a huge tree that came down in the last hurricane. | Maybe north Georgia or Carolinas. Somewhere with rolling hills and fall leaves. I've lived in flat Florida my entire life. |
| Mim | Moving will be inevitable as hubby and I age. Hoping to never move again since we moved 1.5 years ago. But know this is unrealistic. | Moving is definitely a stressor. I moved my Dad three times in three years. Even with fewer earthly possessions it was tough work. He was still packing the morning of his first move despite promises that he would be ready. Each move meant fewer items. And by the second move it was only bare essentials and a few sentimental items. The same moving company were smiling at me for That nice instead of muttering under their breath. | My 39 plus totes in the basement still unsorted would be an issue. Rest of the house is good to go since we just moved and drastically decluttered. | Someplace closer between Indy and Detroit where our kids live. |
| Ginger | I don’t plan to move ever again… unless aging & health require it. | I don’t recall prior moves being too onerous. Perhaps because I was younger then and hadn’t accumulated as much. We’ve been here for almost 40 years. | ▪️Inside our home: the kitchen and my craft supplies closet. Both need to be whittled down more. ▪️Our non-living spaces are another matter. Our huge combination garage and workshops have more square footage than our living spaces. Plus a barn. All full of tools, equipment and stored stuff. | I’d stay in Texas. Perhaps into the Hill Country. More land. More distance from neighbors. Lots of trees. Great outdoor patio with lots of plants and flowers. Perhaps on a lake or have a private lake. |
| Susan Marie | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | I never want to move like I did the last time - everything was disorganized and too much stuff and I was in terrible pain bone-on-bone in my R hip so my packing was sloppy, my energy very low, etc. | Downsizing if I were moving into a smaller place. Also, there’s few family or friends who could help much as were all seniors and havephysical problems. | I’d like to live up in the mountains in VT or NH, near a stream or lake, w a picturesque town nearby where I could easily shop (or receive delivery from), and have excellent medical facilities not to far away from. I’d have several dogs, maybe even be a temporary foster placement for dogs who are looking for their forever home. I’d have an art studio room where I could create to my hearts content. |
| Jean | I would like to move, but don’t have any specific plan. | I like to move! A fresh start! Out it goes if I’m not using it! | Getting my spouse to part with a million things from 1965. | I would like a place in Chicago area and one in New Mexico and one around Yosemite. Studios, rentals are ok! I want to wander. |
| Cathie | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Used all of your advice for 2019 move, which was just after inheriting my parents' stuff. We had nine months to prepare & did OK. BECAUSE of your tips. I used graph paper to plan the furniture for rooms at new house, sorted everything before boxing/binning up all the small items like clothes & dishes, etc., & used pros for the big heavy items. Salvation Army still picked up at that time & they filled the entire truck full of ours & my parents' possessions. In that frame of mind, downsizing continued after the move, but at a gentle pace. Tweaking for a nice balance, and to create pretty calming spaces. Now, husband's health means we move again in a few years. So, even though there are empty spaces in this house, things keep going out the door. I don't want to go, but needs must. Making a move easier now will lessen heartache when I must give up this lovely home. | 1) Finding a local mover, in this small town. 2) Getting my husband to let go of stuff. Easy for me--I've been doing it for over 4 years now. 3) Resetting banking, cable services, and changing addresses for credit cards, licenses, etc. 4) Physical strength--I was only 63 last time, but will be 72or 73, maybe older next move. | Oh. Here. It's why we chose this town. |
| Kat | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Never ever EVER moving again. NOT HAPPENING. Over my dead body! Best was an interstate Defence force uplift where they packed everything they even wrapped the garden rake. Worst another interstate where we tried to save a few$100 and discarded decluttered every thing we could because we could always get more at the new city. Enter Covid to Melbourne longest lock down city of the world. All those craft ,sewing supplies , fabric discarded I needed and couldn't replace. I have so many regrets about family ornaments I got rid of. All because I was in a must purge must declutter everything must go mentality made worse by having a time deadline . The outcome - It cost many $100s more than I saved. And those regrets will be there forever. So while following your decluttering methods has improved my life so so much. (Looks down and can see floor🙂). I suggest that people be careful about going crazy with pre move purging. | Clothing. The too big, the too small, what if I ever go out somewhere, what if lockdown happens again. | Maybe some where tropical where I could snorkel every day. But as our last and final move was to a rural beachside town I think we are blessed to be here. |
| Anonymous user | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Negatives: stress, loss, downsizing Positives: smaller bills, one floor, non-flooding neighborhood. | Closets. Lots of stuff that needs dealing with. | Happy where I am. Weird, right?! |
| Cee | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | Flashbacks of moving from trailer after 5 years. Brought a reality of how fast things accumulate. Can only imagine after in house 30 years. Moving makes you not want to bring any unnecessary stuff home ever again. | Too much stuff. Having to sort and not move unnecessary items. Lack of enough time | Customized RV travel home |
| Christine | I plan to move within the next year or two. | have not moved in over 3 decades. am dreading the work. but have been decluttering with you as inspiration, the last few years. still, a lot of work | everything seems to be a challenge... the furniture, the paper files | two tiny houses... one next door to one grown son and his wife and kids, in one city . and a second tiny home next to my other son and his wife and kids in another city. |
| Sandra | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Sadness leaving family and place of birth | Difficulty with the physical aspect of actually packing and moving stuff | A small apartment/house near amenities for senior living , near my family, in my home province so I could still do genealogy research |
| Ria | I plan to move within the next year or two. | Stress. Fear. I will likely move out of my high tax state and unsure where to move and how much support I’ll have there. My last real estate sale was riddled with unscrupulous agents so I went through three sales contracts which delayed me a year and cost me dearly. It was also a time like this with sellers’ market (though not for my condo) and lots of homes with deferred maintenance to pick from and bidding wars to get them. At least this time my belongings are thinned down and anything rickety is being moved along now. | My kitchen and bath need updates and that’s time consuming. If not done, it slows the sal or drastically lowers the price. | I’d like to live in England—not sure where in the countryside yet. But that won’t happen |
| Anonymous user | Overwhelm by the size of the task and its deadlines plus fear that I won’t be able to find things or that I will discard things that I later miss or find I need | Facing old papers and the feelings about going through them again… | On water, in nature, but also easily accessible to shared resources and walkabilitu to restaurants and shops | |
| Becky | I would like to move, but don’t have any specific plan. | Giving up the familiarity of my present place. Excitement about a new place and experiences. | Getting rid of the clutter before packing. | Somewhere where hurricanes and strong storms aren’t likely |
| Diana | I plan to move within the next five years or more. | Moving is always chaotic. I did get rid of a lot when we moved three years ago. I’ve gotten rid of even more since we’ve lived here even though this house is 30% bigger than the old one. I hope that if/when I have to move again, it will be easier because of all the decluttering I continue to do. | My husband is now 82 years old and he won’t let me go through the rooms that have his stuff. So they don’t get decluttered. | I would want one home in a temperate area of the United States, although it’s hard to tell where that would be with the changing climate. And I would want a second home in the southern hemisphere, perhaps New Zealand, where I could go when the weather is better there. |
| Paula | I plan to move within the next year or two. | Moving doesn't phase me as I downsized substantially and moved 2,000 miles to a new state last year. I was at a turning point in my life and relocating was the right move. I'm currently renting and anticipate moving again at some point. Sure, it's a pain to box everything up but I have way less stuff than I used to so it's all good. | Getting enough boxes without spending a lot on them. Hopefully Freecycle would come through for me. | I'd be in a highrise apartment overlooking, and listening to, the ocean. Maybe two, one in San Diego with the Pacific and one in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the Atlantic. |
| Bonnie | I am in transit, buying the place I'm renting and selling where I've lived for thirty years. | Leaving my home of thirty years is gut wrenching. I think of this home as a work of art, and as the holder of many happy memories, of family and friends who are gone, pets who are gone, roses blooming, Christmas trees twinkling, great cooking smells, concerts with friends, playreadings, family gatherings, recovery from cancer, and recovery from some other things, too, the place I've been coming home to for thirty years. I am sorting it out and storing over zoom from 6000 miles away and it is uncomfortable and sad. I wish I could sound more upbeat about it.... | Getting rid of thirty years of stuff. Files, books, records, artwork, musical instruments, art supplies, cooking equipment, holiday decor, two offices full of paper and notebooks, the list is endless. I don't know any place that would fit all this stuff. Sorting is very hard for me. | My main place would be a fully decorated flat in central London, a bit larger than I have now, a second home a residence in Canyon Ranch, Lenox, and a pied a terre in Paris for quick weekends. As I'm California born and bred, this answer surprises me. |
| Celina | I'll be moving overseas in 2 months yay 😀 | this is the first time I'll be moving overseas and not just from a town to city or from one flat to another within the same city as I've had thus far. So it's something entirely new. I'll also do it in three stages: first my brother will tae something in his station wagon (and the car will be partly transported by a ferry). Then, I'll take my things in a large suitcase and fly. After a couple months, I'll just drive there. I'm scared, excited, stressed about immigration (and the stereotypes that I owe to some of my compatriots), happy (I'm moving out of the city where everything reminds me of my ex), curious and it's truly "mixed feelings" that I'm experiencing 😀 | Well, I've been listening to Gayle discuss moves for literally years, so I knew I had to start early. I began in February and I've already sorted through the majority of my things and I've decided what stays in my home country at my mom's place (but with a termination deadline of one year) and what goes with me and what goes to trash, buy nothign groups, friends or gets sold. I once did this experiment with packing just my dolls into my peugeot 107 and it turned out I really have to set my priorities right. if I've been in the doll hobby for 10 years, then it's important, evidently. A simple notebook, a stained t-shirt, worn out tights are NOT. I will use them up for the next two months, but I promised myself not to carry the "bearable" clothes overseas. Just take only the good stuff. Also, not take things I can easily replace or rebuy for little money. So I guess being reasonable about the worth of the items and the difficulty of replacing some is the struggle. Like... it's not economical to transport some things, but it's not economical to rebuy them at the new place either, so my biggest challenge is to decide if I ultimately like it so much that I'd miss it (be it a doll, a duvet or a favourite frying pan I got as a birthday gift) or I can let it go (a pair of knickers, bed linens, plants, printer, etc.) and just rebuy it on the other side. | I'd stay in my home country (Poland) and I'd live in Gdansk by the seaside. Not to far away from the city centre (15-20 minutes drive) not to far away from the shore, but still in a small, old, multi-room estate. Like a very small villa with thick and tall walls. And a small conservatory to host people for a cup of tea among my plants. 4-5 rooms in total would be totally enough. |
| Granny | I don’t plan or expect to move ever again. | I feel tired thinking about moving! We have moved 10 times in 46 years and that’s enough (within cities, between cities and between countries). Our last move took a day, most of the night (till 3am!) and some of the following morning. We’re very happy where we are. We could, one day, install an elevator to get luggage up and down the stairs. | Can’t see any great challenges. It would depend on the size of the next home, though… | That’s difficult…. I’d love to have access to an aeroplane at a moment’s notice so I could visit my children, grandchildren and family whenever I felt like it. |
| Anonymous user | I plan to move within the next six months. | I've recently been hired for a new job that starts the 1st of May and having to start packing and figuring out moving so quickly is very stressful. I was in the middle of vacation when I found out about being offered the job so that cut into some planning time and was actually cut short so I could go in person to do some onboarding things. I also struggle with adjusting to new environments and have experienced pest problems in the past when moving to a new space so my anxiety immediately goes to something going wrong. I worry it is a bit PTS related at this point and it's triggered when I'm moving into different apartments. I'm hoping that one day I can just own my own stand alone house so that I can help alleviate some of that anxiety and finally have one place i can call my own. I've lived out of my car before and off people's couches so I know it's something I can manage but have trouble reminding myself of. For this move I'll have a double lease for almost 2 months so I do have time to do some weekend trips back and forth to get belongings. | Packing quickly and having a comfortable means to move from one place to the other | Honestly I would love a house just outside a city so it's not too quiet, not too loud. The luxury of big city living with the comfort of coziness in my own space |
| Ros | I hope not to have to move but feel the need to always be ready to move | it is hard, distressing. Even though I lived in my last place for eight years I feel like a nomad. | emotionally. everything I own fits in the back of an SUV, if I had to move with only a couple suitcases it would be hard to make those decisions but I am thinking about what could be shed quickly. | (not to Ed - are fluent in Italian yet?) A few miles north of where I am - in British Columbia - to escape trump |
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Please select the statement that best describes your future plans with regard to moving. | Describe any thoughts and feelings that the idea of moving invokes for you…. | If you had to move from your home in a short timeframe, what would the greatest challenges be? | If money, logistics, citizenship, etc., were no obstacle, where would your ideal place to live be? |
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