Downsizing and Other Preparations

It's a few weeks into the Trump term. Let's not kid ourselves, we have a dictator. And a racist one at that. We have states and courts, so it is not like we do not have some way to maintain democracy at the state level. Trump has little power over my basic freedoms at this point. But he has power over my income.

Congress is not doing much. The GOP is not resisting Trump at all. All their actions indicate we are headed to a US with no elections at all. Trump and Musk will then eliminate Medicare and Social Security.

This is where we get to downsizing. I have STUFF. I am keeping material on family history for about 70 years, pictures and all. And I have interests in retirement that made me buy books, mostly. My music collection has mostly stopped. These are topics that interested me for 10 years:

History, science, a bit of psychology. Those books and the stack behind them are not going. But I have college texts on many topics that I bought for less than ten dollars each. Those are all going. You can imagine a two car garage with recreational stuff. Only the newest supplies will survive. Camping gear will be reduced to the minimum for two. No cooking gear.

The Other Preparations

There is now some thrift in all our spending. I bought rather expensive bifocal glasses last fall. They will need to last two years. The frames certainly will. I do not use Medicare Advantage plans that give you "free glasses." The health care part there is an HMO.

Trump has been in power a few weeks. His thinking is mostly revenge and appeal to his base. The continuation of a Trump dictatorship in some groomed successor is unlikely. He may be thinking of his legacy, but those things are spur of the moment things. He won't bother with it till 2028. But even with that hopeful thinking, the damage Trump will have done will not return the federal government to its 2024 level.

On my part, it is quite clear we seniors will lose a lot. I am not in the worst group. Those are the ones renting and the ones on expensive medication. Losing social security payment will make them homeless.

I own a  house and a car. Presumably I can survive with those for two years and the income from withdrawals from retirement savings. Past two years,  the house is likely to go. We will be renters and since I own the house, the funds will get me 5-10 years. If one of us gets medical bills in the 5-10 years that go over 10 000 each year, then it will go quicker.

There is a bit of an advantage to downsizing first and then waiting to see. If you have less STUFF, and are renting, you can more quickly move to a new state or other place where you find more benefits remaining.

The downsizing will start this year. I will need to go through family history and minimize the materials. Slides can be scanned. But since Trump is forcing me into this, it will not be the fun wintertime activity it was supposed to be.

Will I afford to travel? I have flown overseas twice in the past ten years. Also one shorter trip out of the USA. I will need to really shop for routes and so on, maybe Iceland Air for most it. If things settle down by 2026 and the steam runs out for Trump as he loses the house, this will be a posssibility. If social security is completely gone, as opposed to reduced, it will still be difficult.