Welcome to the Weekend: Lifestyle Update
Happy weekend ladies! I was thinking mine would be a quiet one but a lifestyle decision has kicked us into high gear. If you’ve followed me for a while you know that we’ve hunted for a place to live in retirement. We now live within commuting distance of both Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Because my husband is retired and I can write my blog from almost anywhere, we no longer need to battle traffic and pay higher prices for everything.
We’ve found many great and not so great places but not the one. So with no decision on the horizon, we decided to pack our belongings and move. It seems ass-backward but the market is high and the interest rates are threatening to go up which would make our home harder to sell.
We’ve decided to rent a home in an active retirement community. We’ve been fascinated with their concept and this is a great way to try it without the commitment of buying.
We spent a day there last week and got increasingly excited. It feels like heading to summer camp. Lots of friendly people to meet, all close to our age and at the same stage of life.
This place has 2 lodges, 2 indoor and 2 outdoor swimming pools, Bocce courts, tennis and pickleball courts, softball diamond, golf and miles of walking trails. It has several restaurants, 2 fully equipped sports complexes, a lunch spot, every kind of group and club you can imagine plus a summer concert series in their amphitheater.
The best part? It’s 20 minutes from my grandson! That’s the biggest score for me.
If we like the lifestyle we’ll check out homes to buy next year.
I’m already packing my brains out and wondering why I own so many things! I’ll keep you posted on our progress!
And now for some retail therapy. Here are some of the great sales this weekend:
Ann Taylor is giving 40% full priced tops and sweaters with the code TOPSTYLES.
Chico’s is giving 40% select styles and buy one, get one 50% full-priced tops, jacket, and sweaters with the code 81876
Banana Republic is giving up to 40% off “must have” styles, no code needed.
J.Crew Factory is giving 40-60% off select with the code DETAILS.
Macy’s is giving an extra 20% off with the code WKND25. Now is the time to get another color in this awesome denim jacket because it’s down to $38.39!
Loft is giving $25 off full price pants and jeans.
Have you thought of living in an active retirement community?
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Hi Jennifer! Well apparently we live not too terribly far apart. I live in Dublin. The housing market seems to stay on fire here. When we came 5 years ago it was the most stressful thing we’ve ever done. Trying to buy a home around here is CRAZY. Hopefully the market will continue until we are ready to cash out and head back to the south. Good luck with the move. I know it’s hard when you’ve been in a place for a looong time and trying to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Exciting days ahead! OH! Did you hear about the house in Silicon Valley that broke a record for price? It was unreal…maybe it was yours????
What an exciting time! We have several years until my husband will be ready to retire. But I know we have to go somewhere smaller, one floor, with no responsibility for a big property. Renting is my preference, so we can get away wherever we want for as long as we want without worry. Although I’m on the East coast, I’ll be very interested in hearing how you do. You’ve given me the motivation to keep getting rid of excess stuff – that’s going to take me a while!
I have lived in a adult community for twelve years now, there are pros and cons to any place. The hardest part is leaving your friends and long term community. If we could have found a one story house that was new, we would have stayed where we were, but all the new builds in our area were two stories , or for a family. So I guess that’s why we had to go farther. I would love to live in a downtown loft, and walk everywhere, you never know, maybe I will someday, I love an adventure. So Jennifer, try things on, and see if it fits! Maybe “ location diaries “ will be on your blog along with dressing room diaries, you have a great blog, I love it.
So happy for you guys, Jennifer! You have so much energy and will enjoy all those amenities. Of course, the biggest one will be being closer to your grandson…he’s going to be one happy little boy!
Best wishes on your move!!! We live in the same town as our son, daughter-in-law, and grandaughter and grandson and also our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandsons and two grandaughters so we won’t be moving to a different area. We will downsize when we can no longer care for the hosue, yard, and pool. At this point, we are barely not under water in our house price so it may be a long time before we can sell. The large house, yard, and pool work out well for having the family over. Eager to read about your move as well as future rv trips.
That sounds lovely. Smart idea to rent. What an adventure! Xx
Sounds like a wonderful way to go about things. We sold our farm and downsized to a temporary house while we began the process of building a new house. During that time we came to understand what was too small for us and build a bit bigger than the temporary house but smaller than the old farm. If we hadn’t had this time in a smaller house we might have downsized too far and regretted it.
We have a lot of stuff packed away in storage. Things that I didn’t think we would need for a year or two, or was seasonal or sentimental. I now know what I have missed and will be pleased to see again and what we can further dispose of. Perhaps if you have items that you still feel a tug towards and don’t want to throw out then rent some storage while you rent the house and see if you still want and need it a year later.
Good luck with the move. I can’t imagine living in a retirement community but it will be interesting to hear how you get on. My house & yard are too big for me but I’m in a quiet neighborhood a few blocks from Lake Michigan so I love it, snow and all!
Thanks! That does sound heavenly Janet. Having grown up on the east coast, my husband and I both love the snow.
Hi, Jennifer. I am very interested in retirement communities. I have been looking in Arizona and New Mexico. I am excited to see what all you share with your readers. Good luck with the packing and selling. I enjoy your blog. Thanks for your hard work.
Thanks Linda. I will let you know the good, the bad and the ugly that we find. Thanks for being here.
How exciting Jennifer! We are planning the same although the real estate market is no longer hot here after being on fire early last year. I just want to rent while we wait for that right home and location. In the meantime we are still working long hours in our careers. It’s hard to do it all these days and retirement sounds great . Until then I look forward to hearing about your adventures!
We have not rented for almost 40 years so this will be interesting. I hope things open up for you Janet. Those fires were devastating for those who lost homes and those who lived near them.
Our neighbor told us the key word when you move. Ruthless. When you are packing and donating and discarding and selling all the stuff you acquire over the years, you need to be ruthless. If one of us hesitated over an item, the other one would say ruthless, and out it would go. My mother was a hoarder. I don’t ever want to do that to my children. And I have never missed any of the stuff we got rid of!
So true Pam. You and I know this but my husband is still struggling to let go of stuff “we may need later”! In fact, he packed the packing tape inside a box today:))
Exciting times!Hope your packing goes well and I bet there is an element of relief in your decision.Who knows what you mind find!
There is relief in deciding this. I was so stressed not knowing what we should do but knowing that we had to do something:)
Congrats! We are packing and putting our house on the market soon, too. Not going to an adult community–but getting closer to a couple of my granddaughters. Good luck to us both. Change is a lot of work, but so exciting!!!!!
Awesome Beverly!! It is stressful but the rewards will be so fabulous for both of us! Good luck
Congratulations! I echo your interest in an active retirement community. It sounds like college all over again but with out all the studying. I just moved so I understand the fatigue and constant decisions of what to put where. We downsized to a smaller house as we house hunt. I also want to congratulate you on the relocation to a spot closer to your grandson.
Great analogy. It does seem like college without the stress! Downsizing is stressful but ultimately a smart move for us.
Good luck with the move! How exciting. And smart to move while the economy/interest rates are good. We’ll eventually have to do a move, but we’re hoping it’s not for a while yet.
Thanks Laurel!
Good luck to you! We are in a similar position but not quite ready to move just yet. Being closer to the grandchildren though is a great motivation!
It was not our original goal but we’re thrilled it’s working out this way.
I wish you both the best with this decision and renting for a year should help with your final decision. Personally, I can’t imagine moving from my home of 52 years. I still have two single adult sons living here, but it’s definitely more like housemates than mom and sons. We share the expenses and responsibilities. We all have busy schedules, and I can be gone for days or weeks at a time since I can also run my Avon business from anywhere . I love not having to worry about anything when I travel. There’s always someone around the house to do the yard work, do minor house repairs, and care for the pets. I honestly feel like I have the best of both worlds, an independent semiretired widow and a mom/grandma who loves spending time with her family.
Retirement communities are a nice option for many and I hope you learn if it’s what you want.
It sounds like you do have the best of both worlds Norma! Way to go.
My grandson is less than ten minutes away so I know how much it means to you having your little guy closer! Renting is something we are contemplating seriously. I don’t foresee any issue selling our current house as it’s in a highly desirable urban area of our city. It’s just that we don’t want to ‘settle’ on any condo available because a new owner wants us out ASAP! My husband is the kind of guy who really values home ownership so renting even for a short time might be a stretch. Also #2 is still home and has two more years of University so proximity to that is important. Once he leaves the nest we could consider a condo in a suburban neighbourhood but our plan is to only keep one car and walk as much as possible and I love living in the city!
Gosh, so many decisions! Wise to clear out all your ‘extras’ now!! My two brothers and I must now wade through the hoarders nest that was our 92 year old parent’s townhouse now that they are ensconced in a retirement home….
Good luck weeding through your parents’ things Alison. That’s such an emotional time. We will be renting a single family home because my husband won’t consider anything smaller. I’d be fine in a condo but he wants a house. Being closer to my grandson will be the greatest joy!!