Downsizing: Millionaire edition
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is selling his ski villa in Utah and a home in Massachusetts. He’s downsizing from four properties to two. (The Utah home is pictured at right.)
The reason for this downsizing? From a Salt Lake Tribune article:
“The Romney children are all grown up with families of their own, and Mitt and [his wife] Ann have more space than they need,” spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom said Monday. “So they are simplifying and downsizing.”
By cutting his property portfolio in half, former Governor Romney has indeed downsized. Holding on to two large properties on each coast of the United States could hardly be considered simple living, though. But it’s a first step.
Like many Americans, we’re always fascinated by which celebrities choose to live simply. Check out our “Celebrities” category to see who is hip to simple living.
12 comments posted
Posted by John of Indiana - 03/12/2009
Bet his smallest bathroom is still larger than my whole flat.
This arouses about as much sympathy in me as the news that “Kenny-Boy” Lay had to unload his homes in Aspen when he imploded Enron.
Posted by Peter (a different one) - 03/12/2009
Man – I wish I had this problem. With the housing market the way it is, how much is he losing?
Posted by Matt from Minnesota - 03/12/2009
John of Indiana, I don’t believe that “sympathy” was asked for. As the author pointed out American’s are voyeurs when it comes to celebrity lifestyle. I could be wrong but I do not believe the author was trying to make a political statement on success.
Your bond between the business achievement of Mitt Romney and the criminal activity of Ken Lay is bias and unwarranted.
Posted by BriAnna - 03/12/2009
The house in Utah is about 15 hours from a coast. Just saying.
Posted by Sue - 03/12/2009
BriAnna, the house in Utah is one of the 2 he in selling, not one of the 2 he is keeping. The keepers are an oceanfront home in California and a lakeside home in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire home may not be ocean-side but N.H. is generally considered part of the east coast. Just saying.
Posted by Springpeeper - 03/12/2009
Ha! The article says that they’re selling two of their houses and keeping the two others, but they will soon be buying another house in Massachusetts! It will be smaller than their current Massachusetts home, but the net result will be (only) three houses down from four!
Downsizing: Millionaire edition, indeed!
Posted by SavvyChristine - 03/12/2009
I’m trying to have some perspective and not mock Romney for having four houses. It’s good he’s downsizing to three (net) homes. It’s GREAT when you consider John McCain didn’t remember how many houses he owned during the election. Still slightly ridiculous? You bet.
Posted by Gayle - 03/12/2009
Not everyone is going to agree with my logic, but bear with me:
If one believes that everything in nature is balanced, or attempting to come into balance, then for every one of your spare bedrooms there is a person with no bed to sleep in.
It’s not just millionaires. How many spare bedrooms do you have? How much food is in your pantry that you don’t ever get to using? How many clothes hang in your closet that you never wear?
I believe that if everyone used only what they need, there would be a lot more resources to go around. And if that is what you’re already doing, then applause to you!
Posted by Karyn - 03/13/2009
Gayle, I largely agree with you. I’m living well in an inexpensive studio apartment which, if I recall correctly, has about 240 square feet total space: a main room, a galley kitchen on one side of the main room, a seven-foot hallway connecting main room to front door, and a bathroom on one side and a seven-foot closet on the other side of the hallway. There’s also a small storage cubby in the laundry room, which means I don’t have to keep seasonal stuff in my main living space.
The only down side is that I have no space to host guests. And that’s one reason I might want to have another room or two, eventually: the ability to give someone a place to stay, short term, should the need arise. In an economy in which women’s shelters and homeless shelters have to turn people away, having the abundance to share is one way to “balance the scales” in society. When we look at our own lives and say, “I really have enough, and then some; I am content,” we then have the choice to look beyond ourselves and see whom we can help.
Of course, we don’t have to wait until we are millionaires with three homes to do that.
Posted by Gayle - 03/13/2009
@ Karyn… Yes, I do hear you on the spare space for a guest. I have a small 2-bedroom home for my 3-person family. It would be nice to have a room to fit a spare bed. However, trying to live frugally, guests have to either sleep on the couch, the floor, a cot we have, or – until recently – the unused bunk in my son’s room. Or they can get a room at the hotel down the street.
I think I am reacting to this, “the economy problems are all the rich people’s fault!” talk I’ve been hearing. Well… define “rich”. I’m incredibly wealthy when compared to someone living in a cardboard box under a bridge.
Charity is the giving of our excess resources. And when I look around, there is much excess. What can you give today? A dollar? an hour? a can of peas? a smile?
Posted by Battra92 - 03/13/2009
I like Mitt, I really do. I’m glad he’s not leaving the state (we could sure use him back now.)
If I was as rich and successful as Mitt is (I mean the guy basically made Staples IIRC) I can see needing 3 houses in the same way I can see Warren Buffet needing a private plane (or the president needing a fleet of cars and private jets.) It’s all relative to your needs.
Also put me down as another one who isn’t buying the class envy rhetoric out there. I think the goal of being uncluttered is also to not clutter our lives with hate or envy of those with more. In fact I’d just rather unclutter this country of the politicians who want to stir up that mayhem and foolishness.
Posted by tod - 03/16/2009
I’m not sure this (selling 2 of 4 houses) is a good example of celebrities living simply. I’m just sayin…
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