Living an Independent Mobile Lifestyle Questions and Answers

I wrote about the many people, stories and events that have led me to consider living an independent, mobile lifestyle in today’s Dreaming Café newsletter. (If you’d like to read the whole article you can find it HERE.)

I ended that article with a list of questions to consider before launching an independent, mobile lifestyle and promised to share my answers as a blog post.

Questions and Answers:

What are you going to do with all your stuff?

We are in the midst of decluttering. It is a HUGE process. Three rooms of tools in the basement, twelve pallets of books in the basement, a few more hundred books upstairs, closets full of clothes, the piles seem bottomless.

At times it’s overwhelming.

I felt the same way a few years ago  when we remodeled two of our spare bedrooms into his and her  home offices.  It took about nine months to sort through twenty-five years of accumulation, clean, paint, etc, but we did it. I know we can do it again. We just need to take it one room, one closet, one pile at a time.

What stuff is important?

Books. But, I know we will need to donate, sell or recycle most of them.

Photographs. These too need to be sorted and pared down.

If you own your home today is it a viable option to sell now?

It’s not an option today due to both personal and economic reasons, but we are preparing for a future sale.

Where do you want to live? In the city? In the country? In the mountains? By the ocean? Are you considering a mobile home or RV? Apartment? House? Cabin?

Our options are wide open at this point.

The thought of living in different places, experiencing different climates, social and cultural environments and meeting new people is very exciting. I think it would be fun to live by the water for a bit, maybe North Carolina’s outer banks or the Florida coast; in the city, maybe Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Austin or San Francisco; in the mountains, update New York, Colorado or California’s Big Sur area. I’d also love to live and experience the rainy Pacific Northwest.

What amenities are important to you? Good schools? Access to public transportation? Parks or recreation facilities? Lots of trees?

Farmers markets or grocers that sell organic, fresh, natural foods; bookstores; college or university; racetrack (horse); outdoor recreational parks; excellent WiFi or other internet connection; excellent medical facilities and healthcare providers, especially as related to cardiac care.

If you are self-employed, how easy is it for you to pick up, move and continue to make a profit?

My work is evolving, but is highly mobile. My husband is retired.

If you are not self-employed what type of work do you want to do, what is your skill set, where are the best jobs and who is hiring?

N/A

Who will be affected by your mobile lifestyle? Family? Friends? In what way?

Currently family obligations prevent us from moving in the near future.

Other considerations – leaving my nieces and nephews ages 7-13, and my sister whom I am very close to. But, as the kids get older they will be able to come and stay with us and being mobile will allow me to visit for holidays and special occasions and take family vacations together.

It is important to me to be available to support them and encourage them as they grow up and for them to know I will always be there for them.

Creating an independent, mobile lifestyle is a family affair. Is everyone on board? What are their concerns or fears? What are they looking forward to? What are the benefits they are expecting from an independent, mobile lifestyle?

It takes a lot of energy and effort to get rid of decade’s worth of accumulation and leave behind everything that is familiar, and not having our family just a call way will take a bit getting used to.

I’m looking forward to the experience of living in different places and meeting new people. I believe the experiences will help me grow as a person and as a writer the experiences will give me more to write about.

Moving out of New Jersey has lots of benefits…but, going into all the issues we have with the state is an entirely different article.

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