Page 2 | Moving after 30 years in our family home is breaking me

Cazsaztaz · 2026-05-12T16:39:55+00:00

We have lived in our home for 30 years and bought up 3 children here. God at times it’’s been tough ~ family life and marriage, but somehow we made it. Anyway grown up kids all live fairly close and visit the ‘family home’ often. I’ve recently been diagnosed with some health problems and have to think about if I can’t drive…we are in a tiny village/ hamlet with nothing and near nothing. We really have to be sensible and move, and if I’m honest, I’m bored being in the same place now. Before we lived here, for forever, my life had been spent moving between so many homes. So it makes sense , it’s a bit exciting ~ but I am floored by the emotions and the memories I’ll be leaving behind. Literally I cry every time I think about the children as babies and toddlers and all the events and parties we have had over the years. Them on the primary school bus, playing in the Wendy house….it’s endless. I actually have nightmares about the first night in a new house realising I’ve made a mistake that I can never put right and never get back to this house. I cry when I think about another family here, who won’t know what all the rooms, and garden and things meant to us and what happened in them. In the rest of my life I love challenge, work in a difficult job and think I’m pretty resilient ~ but this just makes me fall apart. I’ve faced illness, nearly getting divorced and family members dying young ~ I can face things ~ but his is actually making me ill. Has anyone left a family home they were really attached to, and how did it go? Xxx

Original poster

Cazsaztaz · 12/05/2026 20:33

@Balloonhearts fabulous idea - we’ve got a gorgeous tree that I planted when the children were born hoping they could climb it. It didn’t grow fast enough! But I cross my fingers a family might mive in and their children will play in it. I will miss that tree and a paiting of it would be a lovely memento. Thank you for the inspiration. Even hearing kind thoughts from kind people makes me feel more hopeful x

OP posts:

TemperanceWest · 12/05/2026 20:37

@UnfortunatelySo that was the loveliest post I have read on this site. Perfectly written ❤️

MikeRafone · 12/05/2026 20:47

when my parent died, my other parent lived int he house for about 3 years and rattled around. So sold it and found somewhere else. They'd lived in the house for 36 years, and they were the longest resident in the house over 130 years. The people that brought it were also a family with tiny children - they still live there and the children have finished university and its been a happy home for them. They've changed some parts etc

What I will say is once all the furniture was placed in the new home, it felt like home. Th house needed a lot of work - which didn't get done for 12 years, but was done eventually. The unpacking of 20 moving boxes in the garage - that wasn't done for 19 years. Although a lot of furniture was given away, sold and stuff taken to the tip - there was still a lot of items to fill a garage.

Now reading your post - I can't imagine living in the previous house or having any attachment to it. Happy memories, but no real desire to return

ClearFruit · 12/05/2026 20:50

UnfortunatelySo · 12/05/2026 18:02

My mum chose to move after living in the same house since 1965 (over 40 years). She was finding the garden maintenance too hard; I was too far away; and the house had so many memories - the recent ones of my dad and my mum’s brother dying (my mum cared for them both through terminal illnesses) were very hard to bear.

I think I fretted about the move than my mum did!

In the end she was fine because she was irrepressibly forward-looking. She was of course incredibly sad to lose the place that sheltered and triggered so many memories of a long and happy family let life. But she knew the time was right to move.

She was determined to downsize and she moved to a house near my own. It was utterly perfect and we had six happy years “in each other’s pockets” before she passed away.

Downsizing is tough because you do have to make “keep or chuck” choices. I did absolutely love going through everything with her - lots of tears and laughter over the silly and surprising things she’d kept. A lot of stuff she’d forgotten about herself! It was cathartic for mum though, to go through all these things with me and linger over memories that could be half-forgotten or clear as day - mundane, beautiful or painful to recollect .

Even deciding to get rid of the huge family dining table was traumatic - my newly-wed parents had bought it for £5 in the 60’s and then restored it. Every ding and scratch on that table told a story - every birthday party, Christmas dinner, Sunday lunch, Monopoly game, homework crisis, and annual tax return argument - they had all played out on that table.

I took photos of absolutely everything. The garden at dawn. The view from the kitchen window. Every angle of my little childhood bedroom. The workshop where my dad’s tools were kept (everything in the workshop had to go).

I took cuttings of soooo many plants for my own garden! And I sobbed for an hour when, a year after my mum died, my dh accidentally pulled one up believing it to be dead (it was March; just waiting for spring).

I wish I could have bottled the smell of my mum cooking marmalade, the sound of the push-mower in the garden, the musty smell of sawdust wood in my dad’s workshop.

I wish I could have kept everything.

I wish I could have saved my mum from her distress about the “flip” that the new owner did on the property prior to selling it for a profit. (My mum was so upset and annoyed!)

But neither mum or I regretted the move in the end. It was time to move on. I thought it would be an Epilogue to her long life, but really it was a new chapter and after the years of grief and stress she thrived.

My mum settled into her new home, planted some fruit trees in her new tiny garden, charmed her new neighbours , joined the Church and an art class. She got a bus pass and relinquished her car. She came round to me for dinner almost every day. During covid lockdown we had the pleasure of seeing her regularly (would have been impossible if she was in her old home).

So it worked out for the best.

The tears are normal OP - the feelings of loss and the fear of change are normal too, especially as we get older. But just think about what a move might offer if you approach it with hope and optimism. It doesn’t have to be an Epilogue to your family life; it can be that new chapter. Who knows what it could bring?

This is one of the loveliest posts I've ever read on here.

BeKookyExpert · 12/05/2026 21:01

UnfortunatelySo · 12/05/2026 18:02

My mum chose to move after living in the same house since 1965 (over 40 years). She was finding the garden maintenance too hard; I was too far away; and the house had so many memories - the recent ones of my dad and my mum’s brother dying (my mum cared for them both through terminal illnesses) were very hard to bear.

I think I fretted about the move than my mum did!

In the end she was fine because she was irrepressibly forward-looking. She was of course incredibly sad to lose the place that sheltered and triggered so many memories of a long and happy family let life. But she knew the time was right to move.

She was determined to downsize and she moved to a house near my own. It was utterly perfect and we had six happy years “in each other’s pockets” before she passed away.

Downsizing is tough because you do have to make “keep or chuck” choices. I did absolutely love going through everything with her - lots of tears and laughter over the silly and surprising things she’d kept. A lot of stuff she’d forgotten about herself! It was cathartic for mum though, to go through all these things with me and linger over memories that could be half-forgotten or clear as day - mundane, beautiful or painful to recollect .

Even deciding to get rid of the huge family dining table was traumatic - my newly-wed parents had bought it for £5 in the 60’s and then restored it. Every ding and scratch on that table told a story - every birthday party, Christmas dinner, Sunday lunch, Monopoly game, homework crisis, and annual tax return argument - they had all played out on that table.

I took photos of absolutely everything. The garden at dawn. The view from the kitchen window. Every angle of my little childhood bedroom. The workshop where my dad’s tools were kept (everything in the workshop had to go).

I took cuttings of soooo many plants for my own garden! And I sobbed for an hour when, a year after my mum died, my dh accidentally pulled one up believing it to be dead (it was March; just waiting for spring).

I wish I could have bottled the smell of my mum cooking marmalade, the sound of the push-mower in the garden, the musty smell of sawdust wood in my dad’s workshop.

I wish I could have kept everything.

I wish I could have saved my mum from her distress about the “flip” that the new owner did on the property prior to selling it for a profit. (My mum was so upset and annoyed!)

But neither mum or I regretted the move in the end. It was time to move on. I thought it would be an Epilogue to her long life, but really it was a new chapter and after the years of grief and stress she thrived.

My mum settled into her new home, planted some fruit trees in her new tiny garden, charmed her new neighbours , joined the Church and an art class. She got a bus pass and relinquished her car. She came round to me for dinner almost every day. During covid lockdown we had the pleasure of seeing her regularly (would have been impossible if she was in her old home).

So it worked out for the best.

The tears are normal OP - the feelings of loss and the fear of change are normal too, especially as we get older. But just think about what a move might offer if you approach it with hope and optimism. It doesn’t have to be an Epilogue to your family life; it can be that new chapter. Who knows what it could bring?

Gosh. You should be a writer

Outoftheblew · 12/05/2026 22:09

Cazsaztaz · 12/05/2026 20:14

@Outoftheblew we sound like were at the same sort of life stage. Family raised, we have very elderly pets and will be leaving the memories of many others who lived here with us. And retirement isn’t so far off. I need to get my head into a place that is full of possibilities and new adventures not looking back at what has been. I’ve even had that thought that if the exact perfect house doesn’t come up I’m not going! But I know I should and I am trying to be grateful that me and DH are fit enough now to do this. Wishing you good luck. Trying to channel @TheyGrewUp in knowing it’s not really the house, it’s relationships and memories and families x

Thank you, good luck too. We also feel it’s time to do it before we get too old to bother. I just hope we find something that makes our hearts feel as content as this house does. It’s been a wonderful family home for us. X

Original poster

Cazsaztaz · 12/05/2026 22:20

@MikeRafone thanks for the words from someone who has done this already -and taking some of the pressure off that it doesn't have to happen all at once and be sorted immediately ~ if we take ages to get sorted that’s ok, and what’s the rush anyway - sure i’ll have boxes in any new garage for years!

OP posts:

Jasminealive · 12/05/2026 22:26

God some people over think. How do you live your lives?! It’s a house. You’ll go and someone else will move in and so on and so on.

TheWildZebra · 12/05/2026 22:34

Only the warmest thoughts for you - it’s such a gut wrenching feeling.

we’re going through the same thing at the moment with my parents house which they moved into a few months before I was born, 35 years ago.

the size of the property, the costs of repair and the distance from family are the pragmatic things making the move easier, but there have been a huge number of tears in the process from all sides.

mum was given a moving date for a few weeks time and now, the emotional fear of letting go has really just been replaced by the stress of knowing there is a ticking clock and everything must be sorted, cleaned and boxed in the few hours we have left in the place.

I like the PP’s comment about taking photos of everything from all the angles. I think I will do the same before everything gets packed away completely.

sending you lots of hugs

TheWildZebra · 12/05/2026 22:35

Jasminealive · 12/05/2026 22:26

God some people over think. How do you live your lives?! It’s a house. You’ll go and someone else will move in and so on and so on.

Why is this a necessary comment? Do you lack capacity for empathy?

I’m just sorry you’ve never found a place that makes you feel at home in the way others are describing it.

Mintine · 13/05/2026 07:07

UnfortunatelySo · 12/05/2026 18:02

My mum chose to move after living in the same house since 1965 (over 40 years). She was finding the garden maintenance too hard; I was too far away; and the house had so many memories - the recent ones of my dad and my mum’s brother dying (my mum cared for them both through terminal illnesses) were very hard to bear.

I think I fretted about the move than my mum did!

In the end she was fine because she was irrepressibly forward-looking. She was of course incredibly sad to lose the place that sheltered and triggered so many memories of a long and happy family let life. But she knew the time was right to move.

She was determined to downsize and she moved to a house near my own. It was utterly perfect and we had six happy years “in each other’s pockets” before she passed away.

Downsizing is tough because you do have to make “keep or chuck” choices. I did absolutely love going through everything with her - lots of tears and laughter over the silly and surprising things she’d kept. A lot of stuff she’d forgotten about herself! It was cathartic for mum though, to go through all these things with me and linger over memories that could be half-forgotten or clear as day - mundane, beautiful or painful to recollect .

Even deciding to get rid of the huge family dining table was traumatic - my newly-wed parents had bought it for £5 in the 60’s and then restored it. Every ding and scratch on that table told a story - every birthday party, Christmas dinner, Sunday lunch, Monopoly game, homework crisis, and annual tax return argument - they had all played out on that table.

I took photos of absolutely everything. The garden at dawn. The view from the kitchen window. Every angle of my little childhood bedroom. The workshop where my dad’s tools were kept (everything in the workshop had to go).

I took cuttings of soooo many plants for my own garden! And I sobbed for an hour when, a year after my mum died, my dh accidentally pulled one up believing it to be dead (it was March; just waiting for spring).

I wish I could have bottled the smell of my mum cooking marmalade, the sound of the push-mower in the garden, the musty smell of sawdust wood in my dad’s workshop.

I wish I could have kept everything.

I wish I could have saved my mum from her distress about the “flip” that the new owner did on the property prior to selling it for a profit. (My mum was so upset and annoyed!)

But neither mum or I regretted the move in the end. It was time to move on. I thought it would be an Epilogue to her long life, but really it was a new chapter and after the years of grief and stress she thrived.

My mum settled into her new home, planted some fruit trees in her new tiny garden, charmed her new neighbours , joined the Church and an art class. She got a bus pass and relinquished her car. She came round to me for dinner almost every day. During covid lockdown we had the pleasure of seeing her regularly (would have been impossible if she was in her old home).

So it worked out for the best.

The tears are normal OP - the feelings of loss and the fear of change are normal too, especially as we get older. But just think about what a move might offer if you approach it with hope and optimism. It doesn’t have to be an Epilogue to your family life; it can be that new chapter. Who knows what it could bring?

This is so wonderful.

Roselilly36 · 13/05/2026 07:46

It’s a big move I know. Do you think you are ready for it?

I can only speak of my own experience, we downsized DH and two DS (19 & 17 at the time) and relocated after 18 years, our sons grew up in that house, very happy memories and a few very sad ones too over those years. But I was so ready to move, for many reasons, the house was too big, tired of the small town, my disability was one of the main drivers of the move, stairs were becoming difficult. We sold quickly, but at every stage of the move I kept thinking to myself, can I actually do this, I kept thinking, will I change my mind when viewings started, we got an offer etc. but the further we got down the line, the less the house felt like our family home, as we packed up, pictures down etc. The day we completed, it felt very surreal to walk through the empty house once the movers had left, I didn’t feel any sadness I was excited to start the journey to our new home, in a new city.

I will say it did take me around 3 months to fully settle, whilst my husband and sons settled very quickly, we moved 3hrs away from where we used to live.

We have been here 5 years now, and I can honestly say we have no regrets whatsoever, downsizing has been a blessing on so many levels. Where we live now is so convenient, everything on our doorstep, I have made so many really lovely friends here. I no longer drive, due to my disability, but that doesn’t limit me here. I spend a lot of time in my bungalow and the layout is just perfect for me.

I rarely think about our old house now, life is here.

Wishing you the very best with the decision OP.

AllyMacbealmyarse · 13/05/2026 07:57

UnfortunatelySo · 12/05/2026 18:02

My mum chose to move after living in the same house since 1965 (over 40 years). She was finding the garden maintenance too hard; I was too far away; and the house had so many memories - the recent ones of my dad and my mum’s brother dying (my mum cared for them both through terminal illnesses) were very hard to bear.

I think I fretted about the move than my mum did!

In the end she was fine because she was irrepressibly forward-looking. She was of course incredibly sad to lose the place that sheltered and triggered so many memories of a long and happy family let life. But she knew the time was right to move.

She was determined to downsize and she moved to a house near my own. It was utterly perfect and we had six happy years “in each other’s pockets” before she passed away.

Downsizing is tough because you do have to make “keep or chuck” choices. I did absolutely love going through everything with her - lots of tears and laughter over the silly and surprising things she’d kept. A lot of stuff she’d forgotten about herself! It was cathartic for mum though, to go through all these things with me and linger over memories that could be half-forgotten or clear as day - mundane, beautiful or painful to recollect .

Even deciding to get rid of the huge family dining table was traumatic - my newly-wed parents had bought it for £5 in the 60’s and then restored it. Every ding and scratch on that table told a story - every birthday party, Christmas dinner, Sunday lunch, Monopoly game, homework crisis, and annual tax return argument - they had all played out on that table.

I took photos of absolutely everything. The garden at dawn. The view from the kitchen window. Every angle of my little childhood bedroom. The workshop where my dad’s tools were kept (everything in the workshop had to go).

I took cuttings of soooo many plants for my own garden! And I sobbed for an hour when, a year after my mum died, my dh accidentally pulled one up believing it to be dead (it was March; just waiting for spring).

I wish I could have bottled the smell of my mum cooking marmalade, the sound of the push-mower in the garden, the musty smell of sawdust wood in my dad’s workshop.

I wish I could have kept everything.

I wish I could have saved my mum from her distress about the “flip” that the new owner did on the property prior to selling it for a profit. (My mum was so upset and annoyed!)

But neither mum or I regretted the move in the end. It was time to move on. I thought it would be an Epilogue to her long life, but really it was a new chapter and after the years of grief and stress she thrived.

My mum settled into her new home, planted some fruit trees in her new tiny garden, charmed her new neighbours , joined the Church and an art class. She got a bus pass and relinquished her car. She came round to me for dinner almost every day. During covid lockdown we had the pleasure of seeing her regularly (would have been impossible if she was in her old home).

So it worked out for the best.

The tears are normal OP - the feelings of loss and the fear of change are normal too, especially as we get older. But just think about what a move might offer if you approach it with hope and optimism. It doesn’t have to be an Epilogue to your family life; it can be that new chapter. Who knows what it could bring?

You’ve made me cry! Such a lovely post 😊

MagpiePi · 13/05/2026 08:19

I've recently moved from what was my childhood home and then became my grown up home where I raised my children.

It took me about 5 years between deciding I needed to move to actually moving; there was a LOT of stuff to sort through and de-clutter but I think this time meant I was sure that I was doing the right thing and was emotionally prepared for it.

I think you have to accept that you will have mixed emotions and that it is perfectly fine to feel positives and negatives.

For me the positives were having a house to move to that I really liked (it still isn't 'home' but I am getting there), the knowledge that the old house was going to a really lovely family who would be raising their children there - the house is big and needs a family rather than a lonely old woman rattling around by herself, they had the money and will to do all the maintenance and improvements it deserves, it released a massive amount of equity, some of which I have been able to pass on to my children now when they need it, and which also allows me to get my new house how I want it, spend some money on myself and still have enough to give me a more comfortable retirement. Clearing through all my and my parents belongings, while hard at times, has also been a weight off my mind as I don't have literal tons of 'stuff' around.

I do miss the location and space that I had but I don't miss the heating bills, the maintenance costs, the fact that housework and gardening took so much longer because it was such a big property.

Original poster

Cazsaztaz · 13/05/2026 08:22

Thanks @TheWildZebra for both your posts…family have literally been born and died in this home ~ so like for most of us, it’s not just a building ~ it’s a timeline of our lives. I love the idea of photos and paintings and plant cuttings so I’m planning all that now. Hope things go well for you mum, and I guess and pressure and stress of actually doing it might almost be a relief from thinking about it. Truly hope her move goes well and it helps thinking about everyone out there like your mum going through the same and getting through it - hopefully to loads more happy time and memories to make.

OP posts:

Original poster

Cazsaztaz · 13/05/2026 08:30

@MagpiePi your post is so helpful. I’ve been putting off sorting the ‘stuff’ that fills every room - but to start now and have time to process the things in real life and in my head sounds like a great idea. It will really help me accept this is happening and also give that massive relief of decluttering. And seeing you list the advantages of doing this - releasing much needed equity, being able to get a new place that is right for my age now, letting this home free to another family and all their adventures, feels very comforting. You’re right I’m sure there will be things I miss too, but like you, I feel more positive that there will also be loads of stuff I like more. Well done to you, your task getting to where you are feels massive - and you’ve inspired me to order some boxes and get sorting x

OP posts:

MabelAnderson · 13/05/2026 09:05

I also moved a lot as a child. I hate moving, I get very attached to places and houses. The move to my current house, almost twenty years ago, was a wrench and I felt adrift for a long time. Soon we will be moving again. At the moment I am not thinking too much about it, but I know when we actually leave this house I will be sad and worried about the change, leaving my garden and being in a new place.
But staying still, with things the same as they were, isn’t possible for any of us. Change is what drives us forward, as others have said, we carry our memories with us.
When I cleared my parents’ house, there were a lot of things that I couldn’t bring to my own (much smaller) house, so I photographed some things and I wish I had photographed more. Take lots of pictures OP, and maybe make a beautiful photo book of them, a book of the house that your children can also have. I saw a floor recently, in a friend’s new house, that is the exact floor of our kitchen when I was very small. It was such a visceral memory, a picture can bring a room back into your mind with all the sounds and the smell of the rooms.

WhatAboutSecondBreakfast86 · 13/05/2026 09:26

I usually hate the 'first post nails it', but this one really does. just beautiful!

MagpiePi · 13/05/2026 09:33

Cazsaztaz · 13/05/2026 08:30

@MagpiePi your post is so helpful. I’ve been putting off sorting the ‘stuff’ that fills every room - but to start now and have time to process the things in real life and in my head sounds like a great idea. It will really help me accept this is happening and also give that massive relief of decluttering. And seeing you list the advantages of doing this - releasing much needed equity, being able to get a new place that is right for my age now, letting this home free to another family and all their adventures, feels very comforting. You’re right I’m sure there will be things I miss too, but like you, I feel more positive that there will also be loads of stuff I like more. Well done to you, your task getting to where you are feels massive - and you’ve inspired me to order some boxes and get sorting x

I took cuttings of some plants that were dear to me - ones that my mum had planted and I have planted some of them in my new garden now which makes it feel more mine.

Being able to set your own timetable for moving is a huge bonus IMO. It must be awful for people who are in a much loved home that have to move out ASAP. Taking my time to find a house that I knew was the one for me as soon as I walked in made a huge difference. Prior to that I remember sitting and weeping because I didn't want to leave and move to somewhere that was only OK.

I would say, be prepared for decluttering to be an iterative process. There will be things that you think you can't bear to let go, but when you look at them again in a few weeks or months you will realise that it is something that someone else could use, or, it is just old tat that has fulfilled its purpose and it is time for it to go in the bin. Also remember that you are allowed to keep things just because you want to!

Nofeckingway · 13/05/2026 09:50

I am in the midst of doing this . I hate the thoughts of downsizing even though it makes sense . Happiest times in this house that we moved in from new . Everything I look at seems cramped and small . But I know it makes sense . Getting too much for me to even keep on top of the cleaning.The maintenance needed here is too much and expensive. Selling means low maintenance, release of cash and no moves again as I get older.
Read too many accounts on here of parents becoming unsafe or living in not great conditions worrying their kids @UnfortunatelySo great post has given me inspiration.

Bristolandlazy · 13/05/2026 09:56

UnfortunatelySo · 12/05/2026 18:02

My mum chose to move after living in the same house since 1965 (over 40 years). She was finding the garden maintenance too hard; I was too far away; and the house had so many memories - the recent ones of my dad and my mum’s brother dying (my mum cared for them both through terminal illnesses) were very hard to bear.

I think I fretted about the move than my mum did!

In the end she was fine because she was irrepressibly forward-looking. She was of course incredibly sad to lose the place that sheltered and triggered so many memories of a long and happy family let life. But she knew the time was right to move.

She was determined to downsize and she moved to a house near my own. It was utterly perfect and we had six happy years “in each other’s pockets” before she passed away.

Downsizing is tough because you do have to make “keep or chuck” choices. I did absolutely love going through everything with her - lots of tears and laughter over the silly and surprising things she’d kept. A lot of stuff she’d forgotten about herself! It was cathartic for mum though, to go through all these things with me and linger over memories that could be half-forgotten or clear as day - mundane, beautiful or painful to recollect .

Even deciding to get rid of the huge family dining table was traumatic - my newly-wed parents had bought it for £5 in the 60’s and then restored it. Every ding and scratch on that table told a story - every birthday party, Christmas dinner, Sunday lunch, Monopoly game, homework crisis, and annual tax return argument - they had all played out on that table.

I took photos of absolutely everything. The garden at dawn. The view from the kitchen window. Every angle of my little childhood bedroom. The workshop where my dad’s tools were kept (everything in the workshop had to go).

I took cuttings of soooo many plants for my own garden! And I sobbed for an hour when, a year after my mum died, my dh accidentally pulled one up believing it to be dead (it was March; just waiting for spring).

I wish I could have bottled the smell of my mum cooking marmalade, the sound of the push-mower in the garden, the musty smell of sawdust wood in my dad’s workshop.

I wish I could have kept everything.

I wish I could have saved my mum from her distress about the “flip” that the new owner did on the property prior to selling it for a profit. (My mum was so upset and annoyed!)

But neither mum or I regretted the move in the end. It was time to move on. I thought it would be an Epilogue to her long life, but really it was a new chapter and after the years of grief and stress she thrived.

My mum settled into her new home, planted some fruit trees in her new tiny garden, charmed her new neighbours , joined the Church and an art class. She got a bus pass and relinquished her car. She came round to me for dinner almost every day. During covid lockdown we had the pleasure of seeing her regularly (would have been impossible if she was in her old home).

So it worked out for the best.

The tears are normal OP - the feelings of loss and the fear of change are normal too, especially as we get older. But just think about what a move might offer if you approach it with hope and optimism. It doesn’t have to be an Epilogue to your family life; it can be that new chapter. Who knows what it could bring?

Your post touched my heart, what a beautiful life you all had in your family home. What a wonderful post.

Original poster

Cazsaztaz · 13/05/2026 14:05

@MabelAnderson I know you’re right - life is always changing and staying still in anyway, permanently doesn’t help you to grow or experience new things. Thank you for your kind words. Your idea about a book is genius! I’m going to combine pictures and your book idea to make something lovely the children can look back on. They are lucky they’ve had more stability than I did, but it’s time to literally move out if my comfort zone. Even if I cry, I’m sure there might be fun out there as well.

OP posts:

Original poster

Cazsaztaz · 13/05/2026 14:08

@MagpiePi you’ve helped me to feel grateful that I have the time to do this, and I’m not being forced out to someone else’s timetable. That’s a blessing. And because of all your comments I’ve ordered some packing boxes this morning! And your advice to have a look a few times if I really need something - I promise tomgive it a go and hopefully declutter properly! Thank you x

OP posts:

Original poster

Cazsaztaz · 13/05/2026 14:11

@Nofeckingway good luck with your search! All the same reasons as you - it makes sense - money, time, energy. I’m trying to be grateful that I’m doing it now and then older years might be easier and no more moves. And more time and money to enjoy those years we work so damned hard for through life. Doesn’t it go in a flash - feels like days ago my children were playing as toddlers in the garden…

OP posts:

Thecows · 13/05/2026 14:26

The first post is so lovely but could people possibly stop quoting the whole thing every time.

OP I totally get it, I cant understand how people don't fall in love with their homes especially if you've brought up a family there, pets etc.