Downsizing our home in retirement was always one of our plans. Before we retired we knew our home was way too big and really unsuitable for us as we aged. We, in a way, had outgrown the house. It no longer suited our needs as Darby and Joan, home alone. So, downsizing our home is actually one of the few retirement plans we followed through on.
Please note – this blog post is merely reflecting our personal experience. We are not making any recommendations for others in regard to retirement and downsizing.
Here Are The Reasons Downsizing Was An Easy Decision For Us In Our Retirement.
Our Home Was Way Too Big
Our home was really a family home. Yet, the family no longer lived at home. The house was fantastic when our five children were at home. But the children grew up and moved away.
With four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas, a large kitchen and dining area, the home was perfect when family visited. But, prior to retirement, more often than not, we were at home alone.
The Home Was Built On a Steep Hill
A home built on top of a steep hill equals fabulous views. This is one of the reasons we bought the home.
Yet… there were six different levels of lawn. The lawn mower had to be lifted from one level to the next. Plus, the driveway was incredibly steep.
All this was fine when we were younger. But, we knew this home was unsuitable for us as we aged.
We Wanted To Live In A Warmer Climate.
We lived in Goulburn, on the Southern Tablelands of NSW. The winters in Goulburn are cold and very long. We agreed years ago that we would move to a warmer climate upon retirement.
We Retired, Sold Our Home And More Than Half Our Belongings.
One of our first steps after retiring was to sell our home. We knew we didn’t want to rent out our lovely home. It would break our heart to see our home neglected and deteriorate.
Not only did we sell our home, we got rid of more than half our belongings. We either sold or gave away many of our possessions. The rest of our belongings we put into storage. This was an incredibly freeing experience. We then set off to travel Australia.
Our Retirement Dream – Travel Australia In Our Caravan.
Our retirement dream was to travel to the Kimberely Region in Western Australia. We thought this trip would take us 6 months. What we didn’t plan was living a nomadic lifestyle and travelling Australia for 2 years!
So, I’m sure it’s no surprise that after 2 years living in a caravan, our thoughts about the type of home we needed had changed.
We Became Minimalists (To a Degree).
Travelling, and living in a caravan for 2 years, really changed us (to a degree).
Travelling taught us to appreciate experiences over objects. And, living in a caravan for 2 years, we learnt we could survive very well with minimal “things”.
Therefore, a big home, and a lot of “things” no longer appealed to us.
We Still Have The Travel Bug
We decided 2 years travelling full time in a caravan was enough. We were ready for a home base. Yet, we both want travel to remain a big part of our lives. The reality is we still have a good dose of the travel bug.
Our Priority – Freedom To Travel
Our goal is to be free to travel, while having a home base to return to.
This meant we had to review our priorities and finances. We agreed we wanted a home base. Yet, we no longer wanted to put a huge amount of money or energy into a home. Plus, we wanted funds available for travel. To achieve these goals we decided a small, low maintenance home and garden was our solution.
Downsizing To A Small, Low Maintenance Home
When thinking about retirement we decided to buy two investment units on the South Coast of New South Wales. Yet, prior to our retirement, we never ever thought of living in one of the units. But now we do!
Buying another home costs a lot of money. Plus, we didn’t know where to live. So, we simply decided to live in one of our units and see how we went.
The fact is, after living in a caravan for 2 years, we feel our 3 bedroom unit is very spacious and we are very happy with our choice.
In Conclusion…
Downsizing our home in retirement ended up being a simple decision for us. A large home is no longer a necessity, nor a want for us. We have made a choice about what our priorities are.
We are really pleased we travelled for 2 years, and that we did not rush in and buy another home – like we originally planned. In hindsight, after retirement, we really needed time to decide what our priorities were.
What are your thoughts?
Has retirement changed you and your priorities / goals? Are you considering downsizing your home? What factors are influencing your decisions?
Please leave a comment. We would love to hear your thoughts.
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Best wishes from Estelle & Greg – Retirees Enjoying Travel
Great blog post! It is indeed so very liberating to downsize then store it all in a storage shed and start to travel. I also really like the extended time that you gave yourselves to make your choices about a home base. With time comes perspective. Well done 🤗
Hi Dave and thanks for your comment. Downsizing to travel is indeed liberating. In fact, for the 2 years we travelled full time, my word was FREEDOM! And, in hindsight, the extended time really worked in our favour. You are correct, with time comes perspective. 🙂
Ditto to all of the above. After backpacking for 2 years, now caravan living, we are still living minimalistic and it’s so liberating! We too have the rest of our stuff still in storage. Probably needs to be cleared out and get rid of yet more!!
Hi Linda and thank you for your comment. Liberating, and incredible freedom!!! And, I believe this whole experience has freed up my thinking in general. Linda, in regard to your items in storage – you will probably get rid of a large proportion. We got rid of over half our belongings before the rest went into storage. Then we got rid of a heap more once we got it all out of storage, and are still getting rid of items – slowly.
Good post Estelle. I totally agree we don’t need a lot of “ stuff “ as we get older . Simplicity and minimisation is the way to go
Hi Erica and thanks for your comment. Simplicity and living a more minimalist life has been so freeing. We certainly don’t need all that “stuff”. When working I think I bought “stuff” out of habit, without a lot of thought. It’s been a great habit to break!
Although I’m still a few years off retirement I can relate to so much of what you write here. And I can see that down the track we’ll be doing something very similar. As campers we already appreciate the minimalist lifestyle and each time we come home I feel as though we have way too much stuff that we don’t need. Plus we also live in a large multi level home on a large block and we’re only left with our 18yo at old. So yes, I can very much relate. Enjoy your lifestyle, it sounds fabulous and freeing.
Hi Miriam and thanks for your comment. We were probably in your situation about 10 years ago, with young adults still at home. Freedom is truely the word for us! And fabulous too, of course. In hindsight, the fact we had a large home, on multiple levels, was a good thing. We were resigned to selling our house on retirement. Whereas, many people keep living in their large home, as there is no trigger to set the ball in motion. Anyway, selling our home was simply the start to many other changes. And we both agree the changes have been for the better. So, don’t be afraid of selling up and moving on with the opportunities that arise, when the time is right.
No, I certainly won’t be afraid of selling up when the time’s right Estelle. My hubby already talks about sailing around the world! Not that we’d do that (I’m a poor swimmer!) but I can certainly see us travelling even more than we are now and spreading our wings.
Hi Miriam and thanks for your comment. By the sounds of it you have incredibly exciting times ahead. While you may not be sailing around the world, spreading your wings more suggests heaps of wonderful travel adventures to enjoy. I’m excited for you both 🙂
I really enjoyed your post Estelle, packing up and downsizing is something I can identify with. Our own retirement and downsizing have been the best “big changes” for us and far better than I could ever have imagined.
Hi Sue and thanks for your comment. I bet you can relate to the packing up & downsizing to travel. I agree with your comment about retirement and downsizing being the best big changes. And, for us, it has also all turned out far better (and very different) to what we ever imagined.
A very interesting blog, well written with good information. I’m thinking going from a larger home to a caravan could either by quite scary or an adventure, it seems it was the latter for you and would be for many people if planned properly like you did.
Hi Elizabeth and thanks for your comment. Yes, going from a large home to a caravan was a leap of faith. But, we only planned to go for six months – a big holiday adventure for us. So it wasn’t scary at all. Yet living and travelling in a caravan most definitely is not for everyone 🙂
Great to read your story Estelle! You’ve set it out very clearly and sharing your experiences like this can only help others who may be in a similar situation. All the best in wherever you travel to next. Life certainly is one big adventure and retirement means freedom in so many ways!
Hi Debbie and thanks for your comment. I appreciate your feedback about how I set the blog post out. I’m so pleased you found it clearly set out. As you say life is one big adventure. Surprisingly, retirement has been one massive adventure for us. We never knew it would bring us so much freedom and fun. While we planned for our retirement we never knew what retirement would bring, not until we retired. This is one message I hope others take away. Until people retire, retirement is an unknown. We may surprise ourselves with our decisions, with downsizing being merely one.
Another great post and a thought provoking one! It certainly feels good to down-size, de-clutter and have the storage option. I don’t know if I will live in a caravan full-time but I would certainly do so if I am embedding it with travel plans like you did. Very interesting post and enjoyed reading it. Gonna keep-up with your retirement lifestyle…
Thank you Georgina for your comment. So pleased to read you found this a thought provoking post. LOL, we didn’t know we would live for such a long time in our caravan either. Most definitely not a plan. Travel became the big influence and passion. We are so happy we decided to give caravanning a go. Downsizing is another decision that has worked for us. Who knows how our retirement lifestyle will pan out? Keep watching this space.
Oh boy can I relate to your story!
It took us a few years and a few life transitions and home sales to get to the same point. I think we moved 7 times in 5 years, including a move across country from California to Maryland, as we positioned ourselves to permanently retire. It was exhausting but it was also super exhilarating!
In answer to your question, the biggest factor guiding our decisions these days is our grandbaby!
Life has such a way of leading us to where we’re supposed to be, doesn’t it?
Hi Patti & thanks for your comment. I’m so pleased to read you related to my experience. Certainly immediately after retiring was not the right time to make major decisions about where to live. We are very fortunate we went travelling for 2 years . This gave us time to settle. Moving 7 times in 5 years sounds exhausting. Well, we were exhausted after selling and packing up once. We wish our grand babies were all in one area. I’m can totally understand you deciding to move close by your grandchild. And I agree that life has a funny way of leading us to where we are supposed to be! 👍😀