Get Rid Of ALL Your Stuff BEFORE Moving!!!

By Melody Schafer - YouTube Vlogger Subscribe http://LivingFreeForever.com

No matter if you plan on studying abroad, traveling the world, or just moving to another state....downsizing should be one of your first steps. Decluttering and getting rid of most of your stuff will make your life so much easier for the next stage you have planned in your life.

The more you travel or the more you move, the more you will see that all that STUFF is just getting in your way and not as important as you once thought it was. You either have to pack it, store it and also have to PAY to have it moved and/or stored. It's just not worth having STUFF.

I can see why minimalism or becoming a minimalist is becoming so trendy these days. Younger people see how their parents are bogged down but STUFF and are afraid to travel or move because it is just too much work to even think about because what will they do with all their belongings? Many younger people are thinking ahead and want to live "light" so they can have more freedom to do what they want, such as travel.

This video gives you a little insight on my thoughts on this topic. Free yourself! Declutter! Downsize! Minimalize!

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT! Planning Stages

By Melody Schafer http://LivingFreeForever.com

Ric & I are YouTube vloggers, own our own business, homeschool our son while our daughter attends college.

We believe in following our dreams and goals. We enjoyed living in the country in Ohio for 10 years then we decided to downsize and move to Florida for a little sunshine. We have now been here in Southwest Florida in Sarasota County for 7 years and ready for our next adventure. We have absolutely LOVED Florida and we may be back one day.

What is this next adventure? Downsize MORE! and travel the world carrying only one carry-on each. Where we will end up? We are not exactly sure. We do have family in Spain so that will be one of our destinations. We are going with the flow or "Swaying With The Palm Trees" as my father used to say.

We believe in living life to the fullest and when our time is up in this world we don't want any regrets.

Watch this video for full details of our plans. We will be vlogging our planning stages along with our travels. We would love to have you join us on our journey on YouTube Channel at http://LivingFreeForever.com

Rent or Sell Our Home While Traveling The World???

By Melody Schafer http://LivingFreeForever.com

Listen to the pros and cons of renting and selling our home in Southwest Florida. What would you do, if it were you?

Renting out, selling or just leaving a home empty is a very difficult decision to make  if one owns a home (without a mortgage), but wants to travel the world. If there is a mortgage on the home, I would think that decision would be much easier to make.

Those ae the 3 options I can think of. Keep the house empty while one leaves for a year or more to follow a dream of travel and pay for the maintenance such as getting the grass cut, making sure it is secure so as not to get broken into, pay for utilites that won't be used, but necessary to keep the property maintained and pay taxes and insurance on the property. I suppose if one is not on a tight budget, one might be able to afford to keep the house empty AND travel the world. That would be the IDEAL situation.

Another option would be to hire a management company to rent out the home, collect rent and make sure all is well. One would think that is the best option and it might be IF one can find an excellent management company. Of course if the owner of the home is on the other side of the world this is VERY IMPORTANT.

One needs to look at how much profit can be acquired after all expenses if renting the home out. Is it worth it? If the owner of the home gets lucky they will have a super management company who finds an awesome renter and all goes well. The worst that can happen is that a company that one thought was great turns out to be less than stellar and in addition finds a not so stellar renters that destroy the property. I suppose this is what insurance and deposits are for but still is a big decision.

I'm sure most experiences fall somewhere in the middle, but it's a decision one needs to think about carefully...are they willing to take a gamble? Some would say yes, take a chance...those are the people who become millionaires. Or does a person who prefers peace and tranquility and less stress over the possibility of riches take that chance in order o earn extra income? At this time, I don't have the answer. I've heard pros and cons to renting out property...anywhere from something like a story out of Nightmare on Elm Street to everything being just wonderful.

Of course selling the home is the 3rd option. Yes, it is easy enough to sell a home in a hot real estate market in Southwest Florida, but is that really the best option? One needs to consider where to invest that money? Is there a better investment right now than rental property? I am not an investor, so I don't know.

I have asked around and researched which would be the best option. I have talked to financial wizards, accountants, realtors, maintenance companies, people who have done all 3 and ALL of them had different answers. So I don't think there is a right answer for any one person. That answer can only be answered by the person in that particular situation. I only wish I knew what that answer was. I am sure it will come to us when the time comes.

Stay tuned to find out what decision will be made in our near future :)

Traveling The World & Finances

By Melody Schafer http://LivingFreeForever.com

If you haven't seen yesterday's video, please watch it first at https://youtu.be/gADuiE54_rI so this video will make more sense to you.

In today's video I discuss things I'm needing to think about when traveling the world...such as finances. What credit card is best for a traveler? What bank should I use for my checking/savings account? How much cash should I carry in case the cards or ATMs don't work? Lots to think about. I'd love to hear what you think. Comment below.