Big Changes Are Afoot

It's been a bit quiet around the CNI blog/website for the past month or so, and with good reason. Here's the latest:

• We are selling our house. This has been in the works for a while but I really see no end in sight to the real estate downturn so I figured now is as good a time as any to get out of real estate (if my crystal ball was a bit clearer I would have done this about three or four years ago and I would have been, let's just say, much wealthier).
• We are selling nearly everything we own. I am on a minimalist kick which means I don't want to be weighed down by my possessions any more. When I see relative's homes that have 30+ years worth of accumulation that their kids are going to eventually have to clean out, I get the heebie jeebies.
• We are "homebasing" ourselves out of a relative's attic. Considering said attic is in the ginormous new home of a relative who is single and travels often, it will actually work out quiet well. Super low rent, very nice space, and the opportunity to be "off the radar" so to speak since we won't have a single bill in our names.
• I am ratcheting back my business considerably which will equal lots less "must do's" and much more time to work on projects that have been on the back burner for a while.
• We intend to travel for the next couple of years. Not a non-stop-around-the-world kind of travel, but extended stays at some of the places we enjoy around the globe with the occasional stay at our "home base".
• Preparedness will still be the center of my life. Actually I get many of my preparedness ideas from those who are anything but "rooted". I can learn more about survival from a homeless guy, illegal immigrant, or itinerant artist/student/worker than just about anyone else simply because, in many survival situations, you don't have the luxury of having every tool known to man at your disposal. You have your wits, your knowledge, and your ability to think on your feet. These are the skills that are critical to survival.
• By scaling back our lifestyle, we will be, more or less, financially free. There is something to be said about not having the "overhead" of the typical American lifestyle to free up lots of cash.

Finally, I feel there is too much uncertainty in the overall socio-economic, political-industrial complex that is America (and in turn, the world) to not be optimally portable. Does this mean everyone should be ready to bail? Not really. Each person has to determine what is most important in their life. When the kids were growing up, being firmly rooted in a community was of the utmost importance. Now that they are grown and spread out all over the world, we don't have that responsibility. And while we are sliding towards our retirement years, we aren't there yet. I do know quite a few people, however, who say "when we retire we are going to do X". Unfortunately, by the time they actually retire they are too old, sick, broke, or stuck in their ways to do what they once dreamed of. And I don't want that to be me.