Photo by Letícia Alvares
I’m about to have an empty nest…again. I’ve been blessed to have my kids boomerang back and forth since they left for college years ago. Both my kids have been back and forth between going to college, graduating college, moving into apartments, and saving for their own places. Nick bought his own place about a year and a half ago and in less than two weeks Michael will be moving into his own place. Now that they’ll both be in their own homes, I’m guessing it means I’m permanently facing an empty nest.
Y’all know me, I have to have a plan to keep me busy with this change. Change is not in my comfort zone. First order of business is to figure out how to best utilize the extra space I’m finally going to have. In the past, I’ve still had some of their “stuff” at my place while they were in their dorms or apartments. Now though, since both of them have places larger than mine (how did that happen??), I’m going to make sure they take all their “stuff”. In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, maybe I can pawn off some of my stuff…hmmm….
We’d converted our dining room to an office years ago and that’s how Michael and I have been using it this last year. We both have our desks in there so I’ll just rearrange that once he moves his stuff out. Maybe make it a little more feminine chic.
The big question is what to do with the second bedroom now. I’m leaning towards making it a reading nook. I’m thinking either a small sofa or perhaps a plush, oversized comfy reading chair. I currently have a small writing desk in my bedroom so that can go in there as well. Maybe an accent wall and definitely some new artwork. May even get one of the retro-looking record players. A nice little zen room for me to relax in.
I’m still paying off my cruise and otherwise focusing on paying off debt but I think I can make these changes with a minimal budget. Creating a relaxful, zen little nook for myself will hopefully entice me to stay home more often as well. Staying home more helps with the debt payoff so win-win.
What other empty-nest activities will keep me busy? I think I’ll dabble with some new recipes. A little more travel is definitely on my bucket list, although I have to keep that budget friendly for now. Definitely more writing time…maybe I’ll finally get that novel finished.
I’m crazy proud of my kids and obviously, I knew this would be the end result. You’ve spent a lifetime preparing them to fly the nest and do their own thing. It’s still tough on us parents though, and maybe especially hard on the single parents when the house is suddenly very empty and quiet. Thankfully, both my kids are still close by. Yes, I know, I am totally spoiled that they’re both still in the same city as me and I don’t take that for granted. They’re also great about calling me daily and even hanging out with me on occasion. And since they both have better laundry rooms now than I do, maybe I’ll just make it a point to drop in on them weekly and spend an hour or two harassing them as I do my laundry there. Just kidding guys…mostly…
Any tips for the seasoned empty-nesters out there?
