10 Things I Will Bring When We Move to Paradise

Do you have an ultimate goal? My ultimate goal is to acquire a piece of land in a nice tropical location where I can build the RB40 villa. We’ll build several small and environmental friendly huts for vacation rentals. It will be like a luxurious campground where family and friends can have a reunion or conduct a yoga camp. Readers will get the discount rate, of course. 😉 I’ve had this dream for about 5 years and I think Mrs. RB40 is slowly coming around to it. We are city people so this would be a big adjustment for us. Mrs. RB40 is getting tired of the craziness, though. I might convince her to move to a tropical location yet.

We visited the Big Island of Hawaii in 2014 and we loved it. You can acquire a home with 5 acres at a somewhat reasonable price. We probably won’t go off the grid because we need the internet. Hawaii is nice because it is still in the US. There are differences, but it’s a lot more familiar than, say, Costa Rica. Anyway, I was thinking about what to bring when we move to our retirement paradise. Of course, we’d bring all the necessities like our laptops, old photos, documents, clothes, and such. I’m thinking more along the line of things that aren’t completely necessary, but I just couldn’t bear to leave behind. Check out my list.

*Updated 2023. I wrote this post in 2016. My move to paradise is on hold until RB40Jr graduates from high school. However, my dad is going to build a beach cabin for his retirement in Thailand. It isn’t Hawaii and the land is pretty small. However, this might be closest to living in paradise for me. I still would like to live in Hawaii. We’ll see how it goes. As for the rest of the post, let’s see if I change my mind on what to bring with me. 

10 Things I Will Bring When We Move to Paradise

1. My Stereo System

I love my 2-channel stereo system. I got a Harman Kardon 2-Channel Stereo Receiver

and a pair of AV123 X-sls tower speakers. I got this setup for under $500 about 15 years ago and I love listening to music on it. If I get rid of these, I’d probably spend $1,000+ on a better music system.

My stereo is still going strong after 15 years! We use it almost every day for music, TV, and movies. 

2. My Ukuleles

Of course, I’ll have to bring my ukes to paradise, that’s a no-brainer. I can’t leave my custom-made Glyph ukulele behind! I got it about 17 years ago when Glyph, a one-man shop by Dave Means, was relatively new. His shop is closed now and this is one of the few Glyph ukes in existence. I heard he made around 200 in total. This is my one and only collector item. I would also bring my other 3 ukes. They aren’t primo ukes, but sometimes it’s fun to play a different size. If I had to keep just one, it’d be the Glyph.

Unfortunately, I don’t play my ukes much anymore. I’ll have to get back into it when I’m in paradise. 

3. Kitchen Knives

I’d bring our 6-Inch Chef’s Knife and 5-Inch Santoku Knife. These are nice knives from Calphalon. We used them almost every day for years and they are still in great shape. If we ever lose these, I’d probably upgrade to Wusthof. Oh, I’d bring my cheap Chinese cleaver while I’m at it. I don’t use the cleaver very often and it is easily replaceable, but if I’m packing the knives, I might as well take it along.

I still love these 2 knives. 

4. Asian Tea Sets Collection

What can I say? I collect tea sets. My grandfather used to drink tea all the time and that’s my image of him. I have tea sets from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and Japan. The one I use the most is the teapot from the local museum store (top left.) I really like the small Chinese clay teapots. It’s a great way to enjoy tea.

My tea set collection is a bit worse for wear. The museum store tea pot is chipped, but still useable. The delicate Chinese tea set from Taiwan (lower right) has a crack in it. 🙁

5. DSLR Camera (Cut)

My Canon Rebel T1i and lens are great. I plan to take a photography class someday and I’d need a serviceable DSLR camera. For lens, I have a Sigma 30mm fixed lens and a Canon EF-S 15-85mm zoom lens. Whoa, the fixed lens cost $499 and the zoom lens cost $799 new at Amazon. Surely, I didn’t pay that much for these lenses? Unless my photography skills improve dramatically, these are all the lenses I’d ever need.

I still have this camera, but I haven’t used it in years. I don’t think this item will make the cut anymore. The cellphone camera has improved so much over the last 7 years. 

6. Artworks

We have a few nice pieces of artwork and we’d take them with us. Mrs. RB40 is very attached to her Snoopy lithographs and would never leave them behind. No change here. 

7. Snorkeling stuff (cut)

We both got a set of prescription snorkeling masks. They make a huge difference when you have strong prescriptions. Snorkeling is a lot more fun when you can see the sea life.

I lost my prescription snorkel. 🙁 We don’t go snorkeling often enough to justify getting a new pair. 

8. Tools

I would take most of my tools. It has taken a long time to build up my small collection of tools and I don’t want to start over. I’d probably give away some of the old cheap tools, though.

My tool collection grew over the years and I still plan to take it with me. You always need tools to fix stuff around the house. I guess I’ll hire someone to do everything at some point. But that’s far into the future. 

9. Dad’s Buddha collection

My dad used to commission and sell these bronze Buddha statues when he was younger. These are much nicer than the mass-produced gift shop Buddha statues. They were made by craftsmen and are worth around $500 to $1,000 each to the right buyer. I don’t know where to sell them, though. These statues are for veneration, not decoration.  We have 10 of these around the condo. I’d probably take just one and leave the rest with my brothers. They are pretty heavy.

10. Weber Propane Grill (cut)

I love my Weber Propane Grill, but I haven’t used it much lately. Grilling is no fun when the weather is cold. I’ll grill more in the summer. However, I cook the food inside before finishing on the grill. It’s just so much easier and healthier. We are trying to eat healthier and grilling means carcinogens. These days, I cook the ribs in the oven and then give them a quick crisp on the grill. I probably can cut this item from my list.

New additions

• Old family photos. What can I say? I’m more sentimental as I get older. Those old family photos are priceless.
• ???

Material Things Can Bring Happiness Too

This list actually took me a few days to compile and I almost didn’t get 10 things on the list. I’m not very attached to material things so I don’t mind getting rid of 95% of our possessions. Our stuff isn’t heirloom quality. Most of them are just functional. These 10 material things bring a lot of pleasure to me. Who says things can’t make you happy? 😀

Mrs. RB40, on the other hand, is very attached to her stuff. She’d probably want to bring her childhood piano and a ton of other things. Her piano is a solid walnut Wurlitzer upright. She already shipped it from California to Oregon. Oh, man! Shipping to Hawaii is going to be expensive.

What would you bring with you if you have to move and can’t bring everything? What material things bring you the most happiness?

Image by Olga Osadcha

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Joe started Retire by 40 in 2010 to figure out how to retire early. After 16 years of investing and saving, he achieved financial independence and retired at 38.

Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects across the USA so check them out!

Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital for DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.

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