MissEdithKeeler,
You are truly an inspiration. My husband will be leaving his job at the end of January. He is leaving voluntarily. When so many people in the Big Apple are very afraid of losing their jobs, I cannot wait for my husband to leave his. This man works 12 hour days and he is 65 years old. His hard work has not been rewarded. No pats on the back. No raise last year. But the CEO took over 20 million dollars in compensation!
We live in a very expensive area. Thankfully we have not lost any money on our apartment but with the brokers fees and other fees associated with owning an apartment here, we will break even. We are grateful for that. We will be able to buy a small house in a small New England town with a small mortgage! I will have a yard and we can get a dog again. Groceries are much cheaper where we are going and there are lots of warehouse stores in the area (Sams Club, Costco, BJ's.)
I actually look forward to downsizing in every way, housing, food, etc. We had so little money the first 10 years of our marriage and I have never forgotten how to get blood out of a stone.
Thank you for your post. You sound happy!