How To Downsize And Simplify Life !

[eonflux]

That garage/home is so awesome

[swatty]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Is my room ready?

It’s been ready for two years Paul

[vman]

Hickory, NC is a beautiful place! Also, I wish more people realized the same thing as you have - no one cares about your impressive home that requires a ton of maintenance. The 4,000SFQ monstrosities that owners can't fix themselves are nothing by time and money drains. Looks like you know where your heart is, so kudos to you!

[lsupcar]

Thanks for bringing this back. I never saw it originally. It would be perfect for me. I want the blueprints. haha

[gabrielnovar]

This. I get anxiety is a large house with too many things.

I can pack up and leave with just 1-2 suitcases a nice painting...and call it a day.


Its liberating to literally own nothing and be financially free.

[DLRIDES]

Old thread revival in honor of @MrGoat and his Alaska thread ………………………..


My love of Wyoming changed all life plans, which is something I never do !

Retired a little early (two weeks ago) and not going to waste healthy/active years, live in WY April to October, and winter in NC. The garagedominium is on the market and I’m building two smaller versions in WY and NC ! lol The plan is to travel on motorcycles as much as possible and fly fish at will.

This place changed my life:
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=836866

Current place:
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...9_M54930-98797


The NC location will be complete this week, and the WY version shell will go up in three weeks. I’ll build out the WY interior myself this fall and spring of 2025, and the current WY tiny house will be a rental/friends/family/vacation/Paul quarters.

#1 of 2









I’ve checked out !


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[shaunylw]

Congrats on the retirement. That place is awesome!


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[ecmgbob]

This has been such a great thread to read through and then arrive at this awesome "ending" (beginning?) Hats off to you for doing what you have done at this stage in your life. I will be 60 in the fall and have another 5 years of high impact (read cost) parenting until my youngest graduates from college. At that point, it will be time to do a barndominium on a few acres somewhere and streamline everything. Your designs are giving me lots of new ideas for sure. Best of luck to you!

[MrGoat]

Originally Posted by DLRIDES

Old thread revival in honor of @MrGoat and his Alaska thread ………………………..


My love of Wyoming changed all life plans, which is something I never do !

Retired a little early (two weeks ago) and not going to waste healthy/active years, live in WY April to October, and winter in NC. The garagedominium is on the market and I’m building two smaller versions in WY and NC ! lol The plan is to travel on motorcycles as much as possible and fly fish at will.

This place changed my life:
https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=836866

Current place:
https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...9_M54930-98797


The NC location will be complete this week, and the WY version shell will go up in three weeks. I’ll build out the WY interior myself this fall and spring of 2025, and the current WY tiny house will be a rental/friends/family/vacation/Paul quarters.

#1 of 2









I’ve checked out !


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Outstanding Don!! I can’t wait to find mine!!


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[DLRIDES]

Update of sorts ……………….

Finished the NC garage house, slept in it in four nights, drove my truck w/trailer full of tools, equipment and dog to the sold house closing, signed paperwork and then straight to Wyoming !

Worked daylight till dark almost every day on the WY garage house, and it’s about 60% complete. Weather started cooling dramatically in October, and since the little house only has heat capacity for May - September(ish),I headed back to NC for the winter. I’ll go back sometime in April and do plumbing, electrical, insulation, interior wall covering, cabinets, etc. hopefully by mid June. I did take time to ride the bicycle down the road a few times to fly fish and take Clover on a few picnics in the Winds. Once the house is finished and I’m all settled in, headed out for a month or so to the Yukon, ride the Canol Road, and then down to Hyder AK to camp beside Salmon Glacier.

Extremely hard to leave the mountains of WY and my adopted little town, as I consider it “home” now. It’s like living in a western movie set with postcard views. Can’t wait to get back !

BTW - Glad I retired at 62, I can’t imagine going back to work now ! Wish I had been more financially savvy in my younger years and retired earlier !!!!

PS - I didn’t start this thread for recognition or accolades, but to show others how they can simplify and enjoy their life to a greater degree. I have friends and acquaintances in their mid sixties still working sixty hours a week that are miserable, mostly to maintain their big home home/cars/lifestyle, enable their princess wife to impress her friends, or support their grown spoiled children. Their life is a facade of big incomes, but yet, they’re broke as hell. Every healthy day you spend supporting said lifestyle, is a day you will never get back ! IMO, go full scorched earth on the liabilities and remove them from your life !


NC



WY








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[MrGoat]

Originally Posted by DLRIDES

Update of sorts ……………….

Finished the NC garage house, slept in it in four nights, drove my truck w/trailer full of tools, equipment and dog to the sold house closing, signed paperwork and then straight to Wyoming !

Worked daylight till dark almost every day on the WY garage house, and it’s about 60% complete. Weather started cooling dramatically in October, and since the little house only has heat capacity for May - September(ish),I headed back to NC for the winter. I’ll go back sometime in April and do plumbing, electrical, insulation, interior wall covering, cabinets, etc. hopefully by mid June. I did take time to ride the bicycle down the road a few times to fly fish and take Clover on a few picnics in the Winds. Once the house is finished and I’m all settled in, headed out for a month or so to the Yukon, ride the Canol Road, and then down to Hyder AK to camp beside Salmon Glacier.

Extremely hard to leave the mountains of WY and my adopted little town, as I consider it “home” now. It’s like living in a western movie set with postcard views. Can’t wait to get back !

BTW - Glad I retired at 62, I can’t imagine going back to work now ! Wish I had been more financially savvy in my younger years and retired earlier !!!!

PS - I didn’t start this thread for recognition or accolades, but to show others how they can simplify and enjoy their life to a greater degree. I have friends and acquaintances in their mid sixties still working sixty hours a week that are miserable, mostly to maintain their big home home/cars/lifestyle, enable their princess wife to impress her friends, or support their grown spoiled children. Their life is a facade of big incomes, but yet, they’re broke as hell. Every healthy day you spend supporting said lifestyle, is a day you will never get back ! IMO, go full scorched earth on the liabilities and remove them from your life !


NC



WY








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Don, you’re living one hell of a life my man!! Keep enjoying it!! You’re an inspiration!!


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[DLRIDES]

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[East Bay Rider]

More inspiring than you know.

[Flex368]

One of the best threads on TRF.

Enjoy!

[1st amg]

What a ballsy move you did a few years back. I admire your decision and your happiness that comes with it. You did what few of us cannot do. God bless Don!

[TRS1]

Amen and well said!

[Calatrava r]

Super nice photos.

[JasoninDenver]

Excellent work.

A good friend did the same downsizing thing and loves living in a quarter of the space he used to have.

[brandrea]

Don, sincere congratulations on this milestone

I totally agree with your overall philosophy on debt and simplifying life. I still have work to do on simplifying … but I’m getting there (down to three nice watches ).

We’ve been debt free for many years now, and that in and of itself is a very satisfying feeling.

Thank you for posting this update. It’s truly inspiring

[Speedbird-1]

Great photo’s Don, I can almost smell the pines and the clear air off the mountains.
It must be be very quiet and dark there. The night skies must be magical. Are you hooked into the electrical grid, or do you have a ‘genny’?
Have you been tempted by solar panels?

[DLRIDES]

Originally Posted by Speedbird-1

Great photo’s Don, I can almost smell the pines and the clear air off the mountains.
It must be be very quiet and dark there. The night skies must be magical. Are you hooked into the electrical grid, or do you have a ‘genny’?
Have you been tempted by solar panels?

I’m on the outer edge of town with city limit at my driveway, only 1.5 miles to town square and a paved bike/walking path to town. No suburbs there, just town then ranches, it’s common to see a horse tied up at the grocery store. A small ranch of 2,000 acres borders my property. They do not hesitate blocking roads to move cattle !

We’ll be getting a hospital soon, scheduled to open in 2025 ………….. first one in the county !


This cattle drive passes two miles up the road from house, and it’s a big deal locally !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqoy2t-L9fY

Albert Sommers in the video is the House Speaker in WY, he’s a good guy that just hangs out at the Wrangler Cafe just like everyone else. I was at the Sommers Ranch back in September for a cookout honoring a couple of local cowboys that were inducted into the Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame, was a great time !






Done a little fly fishing on the ranch while there !

[Blansky]

Such an incredible lifestyle change story, Don. I'm glad you're loving it.

I'm a bit too citified to adjust lifestyles that much but have certainly decluttered and downsized in housing. Down to 1800 sq ft.

It's funny I lived in that type of location for 34 years by Calgary Alberta and was ready for the "Beachy lifestyle" instead.

Everyone has their own journey.

Good for you for not being afraid to follow your dreams.

[1William]

This one of my favorite threads.

[m j b]

Originally Posted by mountainjogger

My hat is off to you Don. I absolutely agree that impressing others with a home accomplishes absolutely nothing.

Originally Posted by 1William

This one of my favorite threads.

I can't remember if it was also Don, did we not have another thread about building a little house in WY?

Anyway... I do not have a large fancy home to impress anyone. We simply bought it because we needed the room and I wanted a 3 car garage, and to do that you have to buy XX sq ft. and building something wasn't what I wanted to do and we wanted to be in the city that we're in, etc. etc.

So, we've had friends over for dinner and parties, and those invitations are never reciprocated. The wife mentioned that to a friend, and she replied that they were intimidated by our house and were embarrassed to have us over to their hovel. Which is ridiculous.

Anyway, yeah, if I were single I'd def build a place(s) like Don did, although I'd have to have a wood working shop separate from the garage.

[DLRIDES]

Originally Posted by m j b

I can't remember if it was also Don, did we not have another thread about building a little house in WY?

Yep, there is another thread.

Many things changed since that thread, with the decision to retire, sell house, build two houses, move to WY, etc., the last two years has been a frantic circus to make all this happen.


https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=836866