Even though H and I live in a very urban area we have the beach and nature close by and as long as we continue to be healthy (knock on wood) we travel a lot in the winter time all over the western US and as of tomorrow Canada to ski.
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Well, I have a possibly OT comment and a hopefully on track question. First, going back to the topic of Japanese movers, our apartment was packed up last week for our upcoming move to France. This time, we were very careful about the trash, but this morning I realized they must have packed up our dry cleaning basket, including a couple of things I was planning to use over the next couple of months and a bunch of hangers I was planning to return to our dry cleaner. Oh, well . . . Now, for the question - for those that have undertaken a move, which is the worst part? Packing up and moving out of a beloved longtime home or unpacking and moving into a hopefully soon-to-be-beloved new home where you have no idea where anything should go? I think it must be the former, as packing up/tossing out was really grueling after 18 years in the same apartment, and at least we have a couple of months to recover before the ship arrives in France, but how do people feel about unpacking and settling in a new place? For us it seems most likely our stuff will arrive just after we return to France from our sonās graduation in Ohio, i.e. jetlagged.
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I thought the worst was the packing of the old life. Itās sad, you are saying goodbye to that chapter. And friends you have.
The new home is your new chapter, it feels promising.
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I love the unpacking and setting up of a new home. The packing up is always much worse for me.
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I too think the packing up and saying goodbye is worse than setting up in a new place.
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For me, the packing up was the worst.
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I actually hated the unpacking. Figuring out where things should go (and never getting it right the first time. Wondering WHY I bothered to pack some of the stuff I packed. Thinking some things would fit perfectly in the new placeā¦when they actually didnāt.
When I move againā¦.if I doā¦I will pack way way less, and hope that at least I donāt have a ton to unpack on the other end.
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I like to āpurgeā things I no longer need/use so getting rid of a ton of stuff and then packing up the things we really wanted to take was therapeutic for me. We have been in the new house for almost 11 months and still need to hang some artwork, arrange bookshelves, etc. I do not enjoy doing that kind of thing.
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I can think of dozens of New England small towns that have all this. But they do have winter. 
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DH and I have already started discussing how/what we will move in our next move (hopefully our final move).
We are planning on purging most stuff before the move so all that goes to the new place is the stuff we really want. Like, right now there are only 2 pieces of furniture we currently own that we are planning to move to our next home - our dining room table/chairs and DHās office desk.
We also have a few pieces of art that will definitely make the move to new place as well as the china, but almost everything else is going to be donated or distributed to the kids. And we arenāt planning on living somewhere big enough to store the kidsā odds and ends, they are going to have to take that stuff when we move.
Basically, we are looking at doing Swedish Death Cleaning before we get to the final house. Iāve been dreaming of living in a minimalist household ever since weāve had three children and all the accompanying detritus.
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beebee3 - same. We arenāt planning to move for a bit but I have been really excited over the past year or so to continuously donate and sell items we no longer need. I wasnāt a minimialist at all before - but with one kid fully launched and another on her way - Iām really into it.
And - as you said - thinking about what I DONāT want my kids to deal with after I pass. Donāt want them to go through what my brother and I did with a houseful of stuff dating back to the early 1960sā¦ 
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Just talked to a friend at church today who has house on the market, condo being built. There is good possibility they will need an interim place, but she said they did such a good job getting rid of stuff (theirs and parents, both passed away last year) that they could rent a 2BR and use 2nd bedroom for storage. She is soooo happy to be ātraveling lightā, said she has no regrets at all over all the give-away items.
I was inspired, but alas still too sentimental to do deep purge when we still have so much space. (I have been big on some purging, organizing, and a āputting like things togetherāā¦ for easier deep purge someday.)
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Iāve probably posted this here before, but weāve said we need to pretend weāre downsizing/moving and get rid of stuff. Then we will be really happy with the place we have.
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We will always have a home here. Itās like SF: leave and youāre not coming back.
But I donāt want to be here 12 mos / yr. The cold doesnāt bother me; but the stretches of grey skies do. I need a break. But I agree it is a great place to live.
I have one, maybe two, who will settle in New England. Iād love a second place in the north shore area of Mass.
Iād leave the country before moving to the southeastern US, excepting so. Fl and coastal Carolina.
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I DREAD DREAD DREAD packing up. Weāve been in our home nearly 35 years. Far too many memories to leave.
Weāve said repeatedly that we will not move unless we find a place we are excited about moving to. But we also feel we āshouldā downsize, or simplify to a townhouse. Weāve been looking for a long time, and the more time that passes, the harder it becomes. Iām assuming weāll be one of those who unfortunately takes a life change to force the decision.
I think I may have previously mentioned (but have been on CC too long so forget): I have a dear friend who did downsize because she thought she āshouldā. Her family also pushed that scenario. She regretted the move every day - for many years - constantly longing for the before. She was always a positive thinker, seeing the glass half full, so it was especially sad.
I donāt want that either.
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We have lived in this house over 30 years. When we moved her, H said this is the place where I plan to live until I die and Iām sure he was and is sincere.
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I was thinking about the packing/unpacking business the other day as we hope to move as soon as we find the elusive home weāre looking for.
Honestly, I feel like unpacking would not be too bad in any of the MAIN rooms. Kitchen, bathrooms, living areasā¦most of that will go right into the new similar rooms in a new house. I also have curated what we own in the main rooms so I feel like besides furniture, the boxed up stuff would not be excessive (minus the kitchen - but the kitchen stuff obviously will go in the new kitchen!).
The main cumbersome step will be the storage areas (thanks H who has WAY too much stuff he wonāt sort/discard). I think we will need a moving truck load simply for the attic, basement and garage!!! I think you can really get bang for your ālesser stuffā buck by reducing your footprint in storage areas.
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100% about the storage areas! My rule of thumb is that if itās in storage and hasnāt been touched in 24 months, itās time to let it go. Iām better at that than my H. Finishing our basement was super helpful in doing a purge because we knew we were needing to compress what we had into a much smaller space. My H was more motivated when there was a dumpster out front too because it made purging easier.
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We currently are visiting friends who are temporarily living in a 2BR/2BA apartment in DC. Interesting to think about. Some great amenities here, including a 2x/monthly housekeeping service and concierge to receive packages and a fitness center. Right next to a Metro stop. Seems awesome but I donāt think Iād retire to this situation. Lady next door has a yappy dog. Lots of ambulances going by. Metro buskers of varying talent but who are all really loud. Also, itās pricy, but his work is paying for it.
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Weāre still in the midst of this, and the end is not yet in sight. H recently emptied out his second storage unit and kept very little of the contents after paying rent on it for over a year. He also packed way too much stuff weād used for entertaining. Thatās not our lifestyle any longer. Unfortunately, much of that he put away here without consulting me, so now we have to pack it again to donate and then rearrange the kitchen, pantry and laundry room.
My problem was failing to visualize the new space when planning furniture placement. It doesnāt help that the builder screwed up and some rooms are smaller than planned. Supply chain problems have complicated things. I expect it will take us another year to get settled.
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