OUR LAST MOVING SALE!: We're Moving to Mexico!

Downsizing, Simplifying, and Moving to Mexico!

Our Sign May Not be Fancy, But it Worked!

     We have decided to become expats! I used to wonder what that really means. Now I have it figured out and we are ready to do it. We have decided to move to Mexico! Our primary home would no longer be the United States of America.
     But we still had two storage units full of stuff. A year ago, we packed all of our stuff into two storage units and moved into our 32 foot Southwind motorhome. We traveled and lived for six months in Mexico (See www.HealthyLivingandTravelinginMexico.blogspot.com ), traveled for a few months in the U.S., then decided to return to Mexico and explore the idea of purchasing a home in Sayulita. We found our dream casita (tiny home) and made an offer. After weeks of negotiations, we had a contract to buy our home. We were so excited to begin our move. Now we had to return to Oregon to deal with all of our stuff in storage.
     A 10 X 30 foot unit was crammed with furniture and boxes of household goods. Another 10 X 10 foot unit was packed with Jon's tools and workshop "furniture". Very little of that was going to fit in our motorhome, so we had to sort everything and decide what we would haul with us and what we had to sell or give away. This was the last moving sale we were ever going to have. But we were finally ready to let go of our beautiful Stickley furniture and antiques. The dilemma was where to arrange the items for showing so we could sell them.
   Thank goodness, our daughter, Michelle, and her husband, Chris, allowed us to move into their rental home for six weeks to stage our furniture to sell and unpack boxes of treasures. Jon started handyman repairs on the house to earn our "free rent". I started posting Craig's List Ads, answering email and phone inquiries about our items for sale, and selling our stuff. 

SOLD! Our Stickley Chairs Went to a New Home

     With limited time before we had to be back in Sayulita for the closing of our sale, we reduced prices weekly to "move the merchandise". September and October weather was sunny and warm, perfect for our weekend garage sales. As I unpacked a box of stuff, I sorted out what would go with us in the motorhome to Mexico, what we would give to family members, and the rest went out on our garage sale tables. What a relief it was to let go of all of this excess stuff! 

Moving Sale Eliminated Excess Stuff (NOT the RV!)

     I was so busy unpacking boxes, sorting stuff, loading the motorhome, and selling furniture that I didn't have time to babysit the sale of things I displayed on the driveway. I made price tags like the one below, with price points from 25 cents to $50 and stickered the merchandise as I put it out on the driveway. It was fun to see how much money showed up under our door mat. It showed that the majority of people are honest and would pay for whatever they took. The best part was I didn't have to haggle over prices!

 Our Unattended Moving Sale Price Tags

     It was so great to be living near two of our children and their families during this six week downsizing marathon. We were able to spend lots of time with them and get to know our two youngest granddaughters better.

Precious Time with Daughter, Michelle & Granddaughter, Juliet

Halloween Costume Shopping with Granddaughter, Brooklyn

      We knew it was going to be hard work to clearance our excess stuff, but we weren't prepared for how exhausting it would be, both physically and emotionally. Yet, it was all worth it. Every time a large piece of furniture was sold, we knew we were one step closer to simplifying our life. Soon we would be trading our expensive and chaotic life in the U.S. for a relatively inexpensive and tranquil life in Mexico.

This Nice Couple Bought Our Stickley Dining Room Set

Gary Purchased My Beautiful Roll Top Desk

      Michelle and Chris helped us even more by purchasing our Stickley Prairie Bed. Yes, we sold it, rather than give it to them. Each piece of furniture represented dollars we needed to retire in Mexico, and they understood that. (We did give them a nice discount on our bed and threw in several other pieces of furniture as a small "Thank You" for allowing us to live in their rental home free of charge.)

Chris, & Jon Load Our Stickley Bed into the U-Haul Truck

     Finally, the only furniture left in the house was a sheet of plywood across two sawhorses, doubling as our desk and dining room table, and two yard chairs that Michelle and Chris had loaned us. We knew it was time to clean the house, climb in our motorhome, and head for Sayulita, Mexico!

Our Table & Desk--A Sheet of Plywood Across Two Sawhorses

     Jon strapped an extension ladder, a step-ladder, the two sawhorses, and a fire pit that Michelle and Chris given us, to the top of the motorhome. He attached two more ladders and our bikes onto the back of the R.V. and proclaimed it ready to roll. I joked that we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies headed to California in their loaded jalopy truck. On October 24, we were on the road, moving to Mexico, just in time to avoid snow on the passes! 

Motorhome Loaded and Ready to Roll, On The Road to Mexico!