My husband and I left NYC for two years, abandoned 90% of ours and lived in 10 cities.

When my boyfriend asked me to move in with me in 2017, I said no. We were dating for a year, and both were about to expire in New York City leases. He said we would save a lot of money if we lived in just one place. But I was in panic.

Our lives felt very boring. We were on track to follow the traditional relationship playbook. Next we will get married, then we will have children, and before we know it, our iron-covered routine led us directly to the nursing home.

Instead, I insisted that I should do something different. We sold 90% of our belongings, kept the rest in our parents’ basement and moved each month to a new city (sometimes longer staying, sometimes repeating destinations).

For two years I found short-term rentals through Craigslist, Facebook Group and Airbnb. He lived in a total of 10 cities, including Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Austin.

Now we are back in Brooklyn. We are married and have a daughter. But the lessons we took from this adventure are what sparks how we live today.

I have always placed sentimental value on my own. It was tough for me to give me clothes that no longer bring or remove books, letters, or other key cakes. However, for a simple trip around the country, we each brought one check bag and one carry-on suitcase.

We packed items like winter coats and family memorabilia, leaving them with our husband’s parents. The rest we donated, tossed or sold.

Saying goodbye has been tough so far. Sometimes I still wanted to have the items I gave or two clothes, or a stack of birthday cards I threw. But those emotions faded quickly.

When we returned to Brooklyn to start a family, I became an ultra minimalist. I rarely bought new ones, but I’ve found myself cleaning my closet and drawers several times a month to make sure we didn’t hold on to things for no reason. The less crowded the space, the better you feel.

Before doing this, we walked the same path every day from work, ate in the same place in the rotation, and alternated 2-3 weeks of weekend activities.

But when we began living in a new place, we had no chance to form a routine. We wanted to see as much as we could, so we didn’t intentionally walk or run the same route to the place.

It was uncomfortable at first. But from surfing to going on a date at the state fair, I was forced to try something new.

This is hard to implement on a daily basis, but you’ll create a seasonal bucket list of things you want to do in New York City, plan a unique date night each month, and switch between weekend dinner spots.

It may seem like a financially irresponsible decision to abandon your home and travel around the country, but we actually saved money along the way. In New York, we both paid for different living spaces. Additionally, our monthly expenses included gym memberships, impulse purchases and more.

When we traveled, we shopped less. There was no space for new clothes or accessories, but I found a low-cost rental I shared.

We invested more money in mutual funds and the stock market so when we finally returned to Brooklyn we were able to pay rent for a one-bedroom apartment that would otherwise have been out of price range.

By then, we were used to living less and less, so we began following a budget that would help us continue to save.

I had only known my husband for a year now when we decided to go on this adventure together. Each of us knew of other versions that had long-standing routines in familiar cities.

Once we started moving, we began to learn about different aspects of each other. For the first time, we dealt with the stress and challenges of navigating a new city, wondering where to live, and coming up with things that we don’t know others.

I had to find a way to build my life in these new places. We were able to take up individual hobbies, go to separate industry events, plan one solo night out each week, come back and talk about the various experiences we had.

This not only made our relationship stronger, it also made our sense of self. I started to become like me. The person I used to work 9-5 and was lost to living multiple times on the same day. It helped me to find and accept the adventure.

Despite being happy with her 2-year-old daughter in Brooklyn, this is definitely something she’s starting over with her before she turns 18.

Jen Grants is the founder of Bridesmaids for Rental, author of “The Bride: Find Love After Walking the Aisle of Everyone else” and creator of the Pick Me Up newsletter. Follow her adventures on Instagram @jenglantz.

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