A couple people have read between the lines of my recent posts and wondered what is going on with my life. Short answer: we are selling our house of 17 16 years in northwest Austin and renting a place closer into town. Downsizing is hard. Feels like the right time for a major change. 🏡

@manton that’s awesome. That may be me in a couple years when the kids move out.

@manton That's a big change! What neighborhood will land in?

@manton We did it 12 years ago. From a large 3 bedroom house in the north part of the island (Waimea) to a small 2 bedroom condo in Kona town. It wasn't easy, but no regrets looking back. We have way less stuff and way more $$$ in the bank.

@manton Man, we’re just behind you on life’s train and I’m thinking of upsizing. How challenging was it for you to manage the “stuff” part of downsizing?

@johnchandler Mueller. I think it's going to be a good fit for us. Shorter commute for Traci and more walkable for me.

@hawaiiboy Nice!

@bjhess We have so much stuff it's ridiculous. My weakness is that I don't get rid of any books, so we have probably thousands. Also a bunch of junk. We've donated away a lot.

@manton Meuller is nice. Hope it's too noisy and raucous on the weekends or late at night.

@pratik @manton Sorry, I confused it with Domain 🤦🏽‍♂️

@pratik Yeah, some parts of the Domain, like Rock Rose Avenue, have a bit more of a late-night bars vibe.

@manton We did that in late 2017 - sold the DC suburban McMansion and rented a smaller place 60 miles south in Richmond. We are finally just now buying again, but about 1/3 of the square footage of the last home we owned. Have never regretted it.

@manton I did the same a couple of years ago and am going even further this year. It’s a weird feeling letting go of the stuff you’ve carried around for years. But it’s just stuff and you can keep the really important things with you.

Marie Kondo the crap out of it!

@manton That does sound challenging! I imagine it will feel lighter in the end, but it sounds very hard. 😬

@manton 17 years, impressive. The longest I've ever lived in one place was 10 years, average around 7 years.

@manton but downsizing can be very liberating and satisfying. (My 5 acres to a motorhome may be extreme, but any amount is great.)

@manton I hope the process goes well and you’re able to love the new place even more than the old place!

@Ddanielson @manton that's impressive; I can't imagine being in one place that long. Buy a motorhome and go everywhere!

@manton But why rental and not buying a condo?

@pratik Answering that is complicated. 🙂 Long story short, not totally sure where we're going to be in a couple years.