Welcome to the Weekend: Lifestyle Update
Happy weekend ladies! I was thinking mine would be a quiet one but a lifestyle decision has kicked us into high gear. If you’ve followed me for a while you know that we’ve hunted for a place to live in retirement. We now live within commuting distance of both Silicon Valley and San Francisco. Because my husband is retired and I can write my blog from almost anywhere, we no longer need to battle traffic and pay higher prices for everything.
We’ve found many great and not so great places but not the one. So with no decision on the horizon, we decided to pack our belongings and move. It seems ass-backward but the market is high and the interest rates are threatening to go up which would make our home harder to sell.
We’ve decided to rent a home in an active retirement community. We’ve been fascinated with their concept and this is a great way to try it without the commitment of buying.
We spent a day there last week and got increasingly excited. It feels like heading to summer camp. Lots of friendly people to meet, all close to our age and at the same stage of life.
This place has 2 lodges, 2 indoor and 2 outdoor swimming pools, Bocce courts, tennis and pickleball courts, softball diamond, golf and miles of walking trails. It has several restaurants, 2 fully equipped sports complexes, a lunch spot, every kind of group and club you can imagine plus a summer concert series in their amphitheater.
The best part? It’s 20 minutes from my grandson! That’s the biggest score for me.
If we like the lifestyle we’ll check out homes to buy next year.
I’m already packing my brains out and wondering why I own so many things! I’ll keep you posted on our progress!
And now for some retail therapy. Here are some of the great sales this weekend:
Ann Taylor is giving 40% full priced tops and sweaters with the code TOPSTYLES.
Chico’s is giving 40% select styles and buy one, get one 50% full-priced tops, jacket, and sweaters with the code 81876
Banana Republic is giving up to 40% off “must have” styles, no code needed.
J.Crew Factory is giving 40-60% off select with the code DETAILS.
Macy’s is giving an extra 20% off with the code WKND25. Now is the time to get another color in this awesome denim jacket because it’s down to $38.39!
Loft is giving $25 off full price pants and jeans.
Have you thought of living in an active retirement community?
Affiliate links within this post may generate income for AWSL.
Hi Jennifer! Well apparently we live not too terribly far apart. I live in Dublin. The housing market seems to stay on fire here. When we came 5 years ago it was the most stressful thing we’ve ever done. Trying to buy a home around here is CRAZY. Hopefully the market will continue until we are ready to cash out and head back to the south. Good luck with the move. I know it’s hard when you’ve been in a place for a looong time and trying to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Exciting days ahead! OH! Did you hear about the house in Silicon Valley that broke a record for price? It was unreal…maybe it was yours????
What an exciting time! We have several years until my husband will be ready to retire. But I know we have to go somewhere smaller, one floor, with no responsibility for a big property. Renting is my preference, so we can get away wherever we want for as long as we want without worry. Although I’m on the East coast, I’ll be very interested in hearing how you do. You’ve given me the motivation to keep getting rid of excess stuff – that’s going to take me a while!
I have lived in a adult community for twelve years now, there are pros and cons to any place. The hardest part is leaving your friends and long term community. If we could have found a one story house that was new, we would have stayed where we were, but all the new builds in our area were two stories , or for a family. So I guess that’s why we had to go farther. I would love to live in a downtown loft, and walk everywhere, you never know, maybe I will someday, I love an adventure. So Jennifer, try things on, and see if it fits! Maybe “ location diaries “ will be on your blog along with dressing room diaries, you have a great blog, I love it.
So happy for you guys, Jennifer! You have so much energy and will enjoy all those amenities. Of course, the biggest one will be being closer to your grandson…he’s going to be one happy little boy!
Best wishes on your move!!! We live in the same town as our son, daughter-in-law, and grandaughter and grandson and also our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandsons and two grandaughters so we won’t be moving to a different area. We will downsize when we can no longer care for the hosue, yard, and pool. At this point, we are barely not under water in our house price so it may be a long time before we can sell. The large house, yard, and pool work out well for having the family over. Eager to read about your move as well as future rv trips.
That sounds lovely. Smart idea to rent. What an adventure! Xx
Sounds like a wonderful way to go about things. We sold our farm and downsized to a temporary house while we began the process of building a new house. During that time we came to understand what was too small for us and build a bit bigger than the temporary house but smaller than the old farm. If we hadn’t had this time in a smaller house we might have downsized too far and regretted it.
We have a lot of stuff packed away in storage. Things that I didn’t think we would need for a year or two, or was seasonal or sentimental. I now know what I have missed and will be pleased to see again and what we can further dispose of. Perhaps if you have items that you still feel a tug towards and don’t want to throw out then rent some storage while you rent the house and see if you still want and need it a year later.
Good luck with the move. I can’t imagine living in a retirement community but it will be interesting to hear how you get on. My house & yard are too big for me but I’m in a quiet neighborhood a few blocks from Lake Michigan so I love it, snow and all!
Thanks! That does sound heavenly Janet. Having grown up on the east coast, my husband and I both love the snow.