Downsizing?

So my wife and I are getting ready to move……we are “downsizing”.  Which I think basically means that our finances, in one way or another, are “prompting” us to take evasive action!  We are going to go back to apartment living – twenty years later.  This has me somewhat concerned and has gotten me to take a closer look at what motivates me.  It’s interesting to summarize this move as a financially driven action that is strategic in nature – but true.  The reason why I say this is that we could stay where we are at and probably be just fine.  And we wouldn’t have to face “moving backwards” in our lifestyle.

But lately we have another agenda….

We want to have a simpler life and have more freedom in our bank account.  Freedom to give, freedom to play, freedom to sleep at night and not worry about things we can’t control – like the economy, or the job market, or what if my car breaks down.  That is part of our motivation – but only part.

One more thing that we are beginning to notice in our lives is that we have more than we need.  We have sold a lot of things that we worked so hard to accumulate.  We always thought somehow that life was about what we sat on, or what we drove.  I know it sounds like greed or arrogance maybe – but I think it just makes us normal.  We can admit it now – a lot of people out there can’t yet.  But our “things” motivated us, even if only slightly, they still moved us to do certain things and spend our money a certain way.  Having stuff seemingly made us safe.

Usually we chase after that…..thinking that somehow having more than we need puts us out of reach of the troll that lives under the bridge and loves to suck the middle class life out of you.  But it didn’t – it doesn’t – it can’t. So we embark again on change….. wish us luck!

How about you?  Do you have more than you need?  Think about it…..