We lost our home to a fire last year. I had to learn real fast that all those belongings are just stuff. It turned out to be one of the most important lessons in my life. My family is all that matters!!!

Back in the 60's my parents moved us from west texas to southern New Mexico. Ugh the water was awful and we were told you may get sick but you'll get used to it. All my family got sick except me. I think it's better there now? Sorry florida is that way too.

The water where I am tastes great (North FL) and I think it's because ours comes from the Floridan Aquifer, the largest source of fresh water in the US, which comes from deep under ground. This supplies most of the water for north to central FL. But I have been to other areas (coastal western FL panhandle areas, and south-central to south FL), where the Floridan Aquifer doesn't supply the water, because those areas are too far south or west, and the water there is horrible-tasting. Even smells like sulphur!

My cardiologist recommends 2300mg of sodium a day....those TV dinners in the freezer are off limits....seriously ...Linda, we have to protect Jerry at all costs. ALSO- The newspapers at the Villages are no-joke, my sister lives full-time at the Villages, she brought 1 of their newspapers up here (northeast US)... HUGE newspaper, and it wasn't a Sunday paper.

For anyone who needs to downsize, I recommend a couple of books: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margaretta Magnusson and Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K White. Swedish Death Cleaning is about freeing yourself and your children from all that stuff. Swedish Death Cleaning also talks about ways to pass important things on. Jerry and Linda make those lovely boxes for the grandchildren. Imagine giving your child or grandchild some kind of sentimental family heirloom in a lovely presentation box or display frame along with a card explaining why the item is important for your family. Sometimes the "stuff" survives but the story and reason why it's important don't get passed along. So pass things on in a meaningful way where they won't be forgotten. Dana K White made me think differently about decluttering and made it much easier to declutter things I do not need and REALLY look at what I use and what I do not use - and probably won't ever use. Both books really helped me make those tough decisions.

Villages Grown - the vegetable grown in the greenhouses also sells in Publix. We moved here in 2020 and they were greenhouses - and they have steadily added to them!! Love it here!!

the problem with insulating the garage door: - adds extra weight to the door, taxes the garage door motor (check ratings), extra weight bends the over/side support bars. IT is not a simple fix. Causes extra issues you may not think of when one first installs it.

Your bloopers crack me up ! Thanks so much. You are so therapeutic in this day and age.

Love you two!! I live in Wisconsin… northern part… on a little lake (Dowling Lake)… love our 4 seasons too, so will never leave here! But sure enjoy your show! Thanks!!

Once lived in Orlando. Water cause me plenty of GI issues for about a month. Its due tonthe high sulphur content... reason for bad smell H2O. Good show

It will be the same for us 3800sf home 2 car attached and a detached as big as the home (all full). We have a small lake cottage 800sf with a two car detached garage but it doesn’t afford us much space to move things too. We have started to declutter and prepare to downsize. Luckily we have our youngest preparing to move out with nothing to get started. We plan to set up his apartment with a lot of our furniture and overflow household items that we will not need. It’s all so very overwhelming. BTW We too are Hoosiers.

We like the waiter at Red Sauce with the man bun. He said he is expecting a son in June and is very excited.

Ya gotta watch that Amazon...last Christmas I ordered our youngest great grandson a dump truck which the kid in the picture was sitting on and when it arrived I was stunned! The kid in that Amazon picture must have been a teeny tiny munchkin! What a disappointment! Thanks for sharing...you two are the reason I look forward to Mondays! God bless.

I have a whole house filtration system. I never drink water out in public!

My dad had a green thumb too. The tomato’s we could pick off the vine, and eat, no pesticides, just water and when God decided to water for us, so tasty.

I could just see Jerry getting home from the ABBA tribute concert and be dancing around the house to "Dancing Queen". Then finding out about the freezer and then switching his tune to" The GFI takes it all" I'm sorry to make fun of your loss. Laughter helps to heal.

I have lived in my home for almost 40 years as you, we also had a growth chart on one of our walls. This past December we had the house inside repainted and we were not at home and the painters painted over my chart!!!!! OMG my husband my kids my grandkids we are all broken hearted. I forgot all about the chart and forgot to tell the painters to not paint that area so it’s my fault I guess. The worst part of it was my grown kids were on the chart with their children and my son-in-law passed away January 3, 2024 and it’s just a precious memory that is now gone. 💔

What caused the power interruption to your freezer.? I've reviewed that portion of your video twice and still haven't been able to identify the cause of your problem. I'm glad that you have the freezer working again.

Thanks for another fun video. And depending on how it was wired initially it might be easy to have the freezer wired on a dedicated (single) none gfi receptacle. This way you wouldn’t have to worry about it happening again. Thanks again

I had a chest freezer where I would store about 10 turkeys where they go on sale after thanksgiving.. For some reason the safety switch on the plug went out and when I went to grab a frozen dinner I opened the freezer and almost passed out.. All the liquid from the frozen turkeys drained out and was fermenting for several weeks.. You can buy a power alarm you plug your freezer into and than plug in power alarm .. It saves you hundreds of dollars. in wasted food .

It was minus 15 here the other day. Wish I was back in Florida!!!

I am looking so forward to the recipes ☺️ especially the meatloaf recipe sorry to hear about your troubles with the freezer. Thanks 😊 for the lovely videos. You are both adorable

Even down here in Naples it was cold. Always check dimensions before ordering.

Ever since Legionnaires outbreak decades ago- hospitals, hotels and restaurants had additional chlorination.

Ha ha! I love you definition of Bubble Rap! Thanks for the great insights and information again!

Hi Linda and Jerry

An easy life hack around the matter of GFI outlets in garage and risk of losing contents of fridge/freezer ... use an extension cord that has two outlets on it. Into one of the outlets plug the appliance ... into the other outlet plug in a gadget that will beep if power is lost - these are readily available Amazon, Lowes, Home Depot (uses batteries and will constantly charge while power is on). So, if the GFI outlet trips you will be alerted by the loud beep sound (especially the next time you walk out to garage). We live in Florida Panhandle and due to frequent thunderstorms this has been a life saver on many occasions.

Absolutely loving the new Bubble Rap segment!

Hi you two… I know the feeling of losing things in freezers, we just had a freeze out here at Oregon coast, something that really, don’t happen here very much. We were without electricity for 3 days. Lost everything in both freezers. We were so stocked up, well what can you say. That’s life. I don’t write you much, but listen to all your videos. Even living here we all learn from each other. Have a great day, good blessings!😊❤

We had a ton of snow here on Friday, my husband ended up taking the day off from work. Wish we cold've made it to the Abba tribute show. The movie "Muriel's Wedding" did a lot for the resurgence of Abba music, and introduced the world to Toni Collette. Absolutely false advertising with the dino truck! Unless there's MAJOR assembly required. I love it when Ted calls me "Baby Doll." When it comes to downsizing, we don't want to downsize, we just want everything on the first floor. I do like the idea of taking photos of everything you're getting rid of. Ted and I were both widowed when we met at 45. We each kept (and still do) our own accounts. I'd like to add a joint account where household expenses get paid from, though. He both have TODs on our accounts to each other. WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF YOUR ELECTRICAL OUTAGE? Whenever we're Outside of The Bubble, we refer to it as "real Florida", LOL My son sings in his college's a capella group, and he also sang in his high school's group. My dad sang in a barber shop quartet, and managed his local branch of SPEBSQSA, (society for the encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet singing in America!) both in Massachusetts and in New Hampshire. The BarberShoppers got together and performed at his memorial service, it was pretty spectacular.

We started the decluttering process about a year ago and I'm so glad that we started when we did. We had a lot of stuff and still do but after making a few passes through each room it's getting easier to prioritize and select what we're keeping. Jerry's point about keeping the jars of nuts/bolts and the other little things makes a lot of sense. Paring your possessions down is definitely a process but I keep my eye on the goal of getting downsized into an easy maintenance home with a fun, active lifestyle - I have to get rid of things to make that happen.

We just had the same disappointment with an activity toy! The picture shows what looks to be at least 18 inches it is about 6! More shrinkflation and false advertising!!

Thanks for the video with the legal and garage insulation spots! So sorry to hear about your freezer! Sounds like someone needs to build some garages just outside of the Villages and rent them to storage challenged residents.

Havent had a killing frost here in Homosassa yet but it is colder and wetter than normal!

Morning, did you ever tell us what caused your freezer to stop working? I heard you say you used electrix but then you switched to insulation. I must have been sleeping. Have a great week.

Thanks for the videos, very informative and entertaining! BTW, if you are gonna be a prepper, next time get more of that Walmart beef stew in a can!

Good Morning. Great show. That was crazy regarding g the dinosaur truck! I definitely would have sent it back but I hope your grandchildren enjoy it anyway 😊

Mabe the garage doors are bewitched, lol!!!! Hey, I like the idea of filling people's trunks with stuff before they leave. Great idea!!! What a surprise when they get home! I was just thinking that I could go visit people and take them things.

DJ Jazzy Jerry and Lovely Linda 🎶🎙🎤🎧📻. Great show kiddo's. As far as a pet name for Linda I think you could use sweet pea, beautiful and especially Sunshine. She always brightens up everybody's day.

Great video as always Jerry and Linda! It's called "Villages Grown", those green houses in The Villages and they supply the restaurants, Publix and Winn Dixie. Microgreens are the vegetables at the beginning stages of development. They are chocked full of nutritious vitamins! They are low in calories and high in nutrition! I had that problem also of my garage door opening, so now I keep it locked. I'm sorry you lost all that food in your freezer, but I have to agree with Mike-108_v_ about those TV dinners! They are sodium loaded! Thank you Peter for the garage door insulation info!❤❤

Always interested in your downsizing advice. I downsized belongings when I moved, and it's pretty much ongoing because let's face it, for the majority of our stuff, the kids don't want it! It's difficult when memories are attached and some things we'll always miss, but I think about my kids coming in here when I pass away and it makes tossing stuff a whole lot easier. Don't want to burden them! Be sure to leave a review on the dinosaur truck... that will be helpful for others. I have started looking at measurements and weights, in addition to reading reviews. The pictures are definitely deceiving!

Great show. When I went to Hawaii, long time ago now, I stocked up freezer for daughter so she could easily fix meals for self. Well got a call just a couple days into vaca and she did not shut the door tight and everything went South. Just like yours. Well being so far away she did have to fend for self. HA Lesson learned ... (by me) Never again did I stock just for her convenience....... Love Ya

Enjoyed your video today from Eastern Oregon. My husband passed six months ago, and I’m in the process of clearing out all kinds of accumulated stuff, including a large shop full of things. It’s quite the process, one I’m realizing is going to take me longer than I ever thought. I’m heading your way in April to visit my son. He does a lot of shopping in the Villages, so I’m sure as a senior I’ll be taking it all in.

I lived in Orlando and Tampa, water is disgusting in FL lol. You either need a quality filter at home or buy bottled.

Getting a smaller item happened to me too. I ordered a set of hardcover toddler books for a present. My grandkids already have this set so I knew what to expect, or so I thought. When I opened the box, I started laughing. It was the same set of books but in miniature size. No wonder it was a good price. Went back on Amazon, & it was my fault. I didn’t read the size description. I knew that price was too good to be true.

I’m in central IL and we’ve had bitter cold here the last couple of weeks. Today it was 34°. Tonight it’s freezing rain. Brrr!!🥶 Love you both!!❤️

I agree with you about downsizing but I found the best way to downsize is to keep the home from up north and live here 3 months or buy and rent out your home here “I rented for 9 years” 3 months at first, but now I own ( I’m a widow) and go home in the summer and stay here in the winter 🤔 my children love visiting and the people are so friendly 💝

Hi Jerry and Linda. Great show as always. Missed the word scramble, though. I read that TV amenities fee is going up to $195 per month.

Fun show. Seeing all that food wasted brought a tear to my eye. 😥

The question about the water in the Villages is a good one. My niece has a house in then Spanish Springs area and her water taste terrible to us. Getting a filter system was at the top of our list of things to do to our new home. However, the tap water in our home in the Village of Lake Denham is very tasteful even without a filter system. I actually prefer the taste of our tap water over bottled water. Unless there is a big change in taste for some reason, we are going to forgo the expense of getting a water filter system

Pineapple upside cake!!! Looking forward to seeing that.

Here is a GREAT tip... save the U-shaped wires out of your political yard signs, they are wonderful to stick in the ground when you have to cover plants, they are like ready made tent poles.

That freezer had so much food I would have cried too!! 😂

I am also impressed that you have not been using your heat. I have been using our heat over here in Mount Dora since the 3rd week of December. It's COLD!! I hate it. That is why I am here in Florida. Of course my husband from Minnesota just laughs at me. But the struggle is real.....real cold.

OMG! We had the same thing happen with our freezer, but we caught it in time! Every time I drive into the garage, I can see a little green light under the freezer. I now look to make sure that’s on every time I go into the garage. We’re on the carnivore diet, so we have lots of meat from Costco in there! 😲💰 Sorry you lost all that food!

We have bought beautiful lettuces grown in the Villages, from a health food store in Gainesville. Good price, too!

Did you check with your homeowners insurance regarding coverage for the loss of your freezer items? Had a similar incident several years ago due to losing electricity during a hurricane in the panhandle. Insurance covered the cost of the groceries with no deductible!

You guys are great! Some many topics, so little time! In addition to Mailbag Monday, perhaps you can add these informational segments to the bag franchise: Join us for tea on Teabag Tuesday. Travel with us on Pack Your Bags Wednesday. Get rid of your sagging eye bags on Cosmetic Surgery Thursday. And get helpful house cleaning tips on Garbage Bag Friday! Seriously, you guys rule! "You've got the questions, we've got the answers!" G-d bless you! :)

It’s Monday morning, got my coffee, so it’s time to visit with Jerry & Linda. Thanks for another great video. The dinosaur car was such a great thought but omg, I’d have been frustrated too. We had to cut our heat on, down on the Treasure coast this weekend too. Surely it’s going to get warmer & stay that way soon😛. Y’all have a great week, see you Thursday😘

When ordering from anywhere now you need to read the description & look for actual dimensions, not just look at a picture. It’s goi g to get worse now with everyone using AI generated designs and pictures.

Awesome show Jerry and Linda...loved the weather report at the beginning! BRRRRR!

I bought the same truck! So small compared to picture; however, my 3 year old grandson loves it!

Great show! 💫 But where is our puzzle? ❤️

In regard to Peters segment - I would assume they sell garage doors that are insulated with tinted windows? I have no need for one currently but am curious….

Regarding decluttering/downsizing/organizing, the best system is the KonMari method, developed by Marie Kondo of Japan. Another helpful tip: When it comes to deciding what to keep, every single item must pass this 3-question test: 1. Do I love this enough to take it with me? 2. Will it fit in my new home - either physically or from an aesthetic point of view? If you don’t have a home yet, do you imagine it will fit? 3. Is it cheaper to replace it than to ship it?

Much easier to have an insulated garage door installed. Well worth it.

It’s sweet that Linda is the reason you get out of bed in the morning. I have a good retort to that but decided maybe it’s best that I don’t say it out loud. LOL.

I'm 27 and am about to be closing on our home in Middleton in February. I love watching you guys and look forward to meeting you very soon ❤ see you when we get there!!!

We are closing on our house in TV on 1/30/2024. I know trash pickup is twice a week in TV, is there a place you can take trash if it isn't close to one of those pickup days. The reason for my question is you wouldn't want the rotten food from the freezer breaking to sit in your garage for days, especially in the summer. Thanks for all the vids.

There's a dome over the Villages?

Thanks!

GM Jerry & Linda. Happy Monday. It’s 24 degrees right now in NY feels like 15. That windchill is no joke. Last week was horrible with windchills of 5. My friend in Georgia posted 18 degrees with windchill of 9. At least yesterday and today sunny. No rain or snow. Wow Jerry. Poor advertisement indeed. Guess gotta look at the actual dimensions 🤦‍♀️. That’s terrible. All of us has the same reason to get out of bed😂 🚽. That garage door opening by another remote unsettling. But if the water in the restaurant is unpleasant; isn’t that the same water used for sweet or hot tea and coffee? Maybe boiling it makes a difference. 🤷🏻‍♀️. I’m a bottle gal bout 40 yrs but now plastic an issue. We just can’t win. Ohhhh. Your freezer in the garage. This is what you were talking about on the live show last week. That was a lot of food lost. Sorry you went through that. Peter is such a natural speaker. Thanks for the tip. I’m better at downsizing items, clothing and shoes than my husband. Hard to let go. Bloopers 🥤😂. Wow. Lots of shows coming. Wonderful. Oh wow. Clay Akin and Rubuen Studdard in NY about now. Lovely sweet. Right Jerry. The salty comment is everywhere. Always appreciate the shoutouts. Hi Petrina. Isparkle. Very nice. That $3000 would definitely come in handy for books 📚 etc. Great job. Always love the PICC of folks you’ve met. Thanks for a great show. Have a great week and see you Thursday 🤗

Great show, y'all. Home Free is the best!

Linda, when you're talking about the bathroom maybe you shouldn't say you're number two!!😅😂

hi Jerry & Linda, Dave kozak, I met you today at the lighthouse, my new wife Terry Wakefield, we've been watching the for years now, maybe next time Terry will be with me next time we bump into you

I would enjoy to see a video with a tour of the greenhouse. I think that it would get you many views

This episode was just what I needed, when I needed it. The house goes on the market in a couple of weeks. I have been cleaning, clearing, packing, getting rid of, donating, selling............it is hard. I can't believe ALL the stuff we have, that basically, we do not NEED any more. You are right when you say get rid of something that means a lot, then the rest is easier. I still think we are bringing a LOT!! It looks like a lot. I sure hope we have the room in our new house! (I think the perfect nickname for Linda is "Sweetheart")❤

It got to 42 here in Fort Myers, having water front living made it colder

Another great show. I also cannot wait to tour Villages Grown. I’ve heard lots of great things about it. Sorry about your freezer … bummer!

You never told us exactly what was wrong with the freezer before the electrical guys fixed it.

microgreens are just small lettuce and brocolli etc types of baby plants creation sandwiches or salads

Nice job on this video! Have a wonderful week!

I am here visiting since Christmas from RI and haven’t seen you guys . Awww wait it’s been too cold 😂hope to see you before I go up north freezing🥶

We don’t have assessments here in The Villages. We have amenities fee but no assessments. And most Villagers have no mortgage- we use the proceeds from the homes we sold when we move here and buy the new home for cash!! Everyone who buys a new home will have a bond, whether they know it or not. Either the bond is rolled into the proceeds of the home or it’s separate. Sumter county is the 4th lowest property taxes in Florida. He’s grumpy but why wouldn’t he be- he doesn’t live in The Villages and that would make me grumpy too

I always value the info Amy gives to The Villagers. Her info also applies to people outside The Villages.

We are so sorry about your freezer failing and completely sympathize. You had some yummy looking items in there. During the "shut-down" in 2020 our refrigerator (and freezer) quit on us and it was a crazy process to not only find a new refrigerator, but someone who would actually come INTO your HOUSE to install it! Adding to your 'check each day to see if it works' list.🙄

Jerry and Linda, Do many people have freezers in their garages. Have you heard how well they perform or is it not worth the effort to bring one to The Villages.

Great show! Bubble wrap tip good idea! See ya Thursday

Once again you guys brightened my snow ❄️ stormy Monday here in Ontario Canada lol. I always enjoy watching and listening to what goes on in your lives in Florida so thank you both for sharing your time with us, I sure appreciate it and can’t wait for the next one!! I hope you have a great week and enjoy each others company💕 ❤️❤️ Tina ❤️❤️

They sell The Villages Grown greenhouse greens at Publix

So why did your freezer go out? Did we miss that? Sorry about that anyway. We do enjoy Bubble Wrap. Keep up the good work!😊

The Villages Grown also sells vegetables and herbs to Kroger delivery.

Wow…such a great show! Thanks again for the time and work! I so enjoy MBM!

We like the water here in TV, we do not have a whole house filter system. My test of water is, wash car, let dry, if little to no water spotting it is low in TDS. Our Fridge does have a filter in it. Reminder up north of 466 our lawn sprinklers are potable water. We pay a sewer bill on all water used including sprinklers. Enjoyed our coffee this morning watching you. Jake and Lynette in Del Mar

You didn't say what the Electrix Company did to restore the electricity in your garage and what the problem was. I would be interested to know.

I want to downsize and move from NH but since kids and grandkids here will have to snowbird. Also hubby cannot part with his garage,tractor,tools at the house we built. Will try rental to convince him🤞🏼

Great Show. I was wondering how the ABBA concert went. It was sold out when I went to get tickets. There is a tribute band playing at the Mount Dora Community theater in March. I also have tickets to see Rich Little in February. One of the things I love about the Villages is the entertainment. I love that you two talked about downsizing. I started to send you a video about it. Yall should do a bit about it. I am only a hour away and would have to do some major downsizing to move to the Villages, and at the moment I am trying to downsize my parent's home of 40 years. Wowza. Maybe have a organizational person be a guest and talk tips. It's a real concern. I think you are right though. The first step is the hardest. One thing that would be helpful for the bit is to list a place for people to donate and who picks up items. Linda, my husband calls me Honeybee....its the bibical or greek meaning of Melissa...I looked up Linda. There is not biblical meaning, but Linda is of Spanish/Portuguese orgin and means beautiful or pretty. Whatever you choose, I would pass on the Puddin. lol Thank you for the show. Love ya both. Oh, also loved Jerry's breaking news voice. haha.

Linda, I'd be glad to share my husband's name for me with you... P Nut. After all, you are just a bit of a thing, how fitting! Love you guys.

Nice video 👍, although I must’ve missed the solution to the tripped GFI outlet I also had a similar situation where our garage door wouldn’t open and turns out that a GFI outlet in the golf car garage was tripped and it affected the main garage door. Just have to know where these outlets are located by putting a neon colored sticker on them 😅. Good job on this video 👍👍

Oh Crap! I am sorry your freezer went off. That is a lot of food to loose. I am having a sympathy Whaaaa Whaaaa Sniff.........for you.