A little white house in two hands

5 Ways To Smaller Spaces

Once upon a time I had a pretty big house. It was a 4-bedroom colonial, with a full basement. Then, after some time living in New Hampshire in a beautiful 150-year old home which is a bed and breakfast, (and was 6,000 sq. ft) we moved into a 1500 square foot home. Then, three years ago, we moved yet again into a 1300 square foot home. That’s certainly one way to get to smaller spaces.

Blue truck loaded with stuff on moving day

That’s not all . . .

When we were planning our move out of Pennsylvania, we actually rented a small dumpster for a month, and threw a lot of STUFF out. You know the things, curtains which I had absolutely no use for anymore, decrepit old file cabinets and small bookcases, things that had been squirreled away in closets for years and never looked at, and old tools, appliances and junk that had been accumulating in the garage forever.

Then there was the excess knitting yarn which I gave away to a second-hand shop, and dishes and books which I gave to my kids. Even once we got where we going (back to NJ), I STILL had stuff to give away.

Even today, I look around and say, there is SO MUCH MORE that I could let go. But, some of it has been around for 40 years or so, and I’m really not looking to part with it. But, every closet and drawer is still stuffed to the gills and that’s not exactly what I had in mind.

Because if you’ve been paying attention, there is a movement going on. It’s called the Simple Life. And you can read more about that right here. And it’s to

SMALLER SPACES

I don’t know where you live, but here in New Jersey, there are homes which are between 3,000 and 5,000 square feet. There are communities that revel in this kind of living. So, tell me

how do you heat or cool such a big space?

As you grow older, TRUST ME, you will not want such a big space. First off, just the thought of cleaning it will make your stomach churn. It’s so much nicer to

SIMPLIFY

I LOVE my smaller space home. I have a living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a covered front porch, an enclosed back porch and a one-car garage. It’s perfect for just my husband and I. And do you know what?

It’s perfect for everyone!

Why do I say this? Because when I was growing up, EVERY home on the block was about 1000 square feet big. That was it. You had a cellar and an attic; neither of which was finished. Of course, there were people who did finish basements, but they were few and very far between.

And my memories of our house on Cherry St. are wonderful. I never thought to myself, that the house was too small or the kitchen was not big enough, or how are we going to fit everyone in for Thanksgiving dinner. We just did. And it worked fine.

Why are smaller spaces so good?

5 ways to smaller spaces makes piggy happy

Think about your mortgage or rent.

For a large home or condo, you’re probably looking at $2000. a month OR MORE for your payment. That’s insane! You work and you work just to pay for where you live. Is it any wonder, that many people have big houses with barely any furniture in them?

Who can afford furniture, when you have no extra money? Even to put it on a monthly payment plan is often not feasible. With a smaller home, comes a smaller mortgage and that means

MORE MONEY FOR YOU!

Shelves overloaded with junk falling all over

Organizing your smaller space is easier than ever.

There are ways to keep the clutter out of sight with useful furniture items which double as storage space and there are closet organization systems which will transform the way you keep your clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry and more.

You will be less likely to be a HOARDER. Because there will be the tendency to buy LESS. And if you don’t think you can do that, hold on. Yes, you can and it becomes easier the more you do it.

Less money spent on decorating.

Think about that! Who wants to keep spending money on curtains and window treatments that are always SO EXPENSIVE! And you’ll most likely have to shed some furniture, too. That’s a good thing, because it forces you to think about exactly how to use a room.

A smaller space is less time to clean.

Doesn’t THAT sound good! Right there, you should know that you won’t be spending your weekends organizing rooms, cleaning baths and super-large kitchens, vacuuming and cleaning floors, because you won’t have all those things. Trust me, you won’t miss them either!

You’ll have your life back.

Because if all you ever do is pay bills, rent, mortgages and the like, that is not living your life the right way. With a smaller home, you’ll have the extra money for that vacation you’ve been dreaming of, or for dining out once a week without worrying about it.

No, we don’t need to become like Thoreau and live in a one-room cabin on Walden Pond. But, we can begin to assess our lives and make some tough decisions as to what is working and what is not.

I have sinks, beds, couches, rugs, appliances, paintings, chairs, lamps, blinds, wicker, clocks and everything else someone in a 6,000 square foot house has. It may not be gold-toned like you find in the Trump Tower, but it works in exactly the same ways.

5 Ways to Smaller Spaces

is EXACTLY what you should be considering. Especially if your kids are older and not living at home anymore. (And you really don’t them back. 😉 ) OR if it’s just the two of you , anyway. Living simply is actually all about doing what you want your way. It’s got nothing to do with SAYING you’ll do this or that; you’ve got to DO what you say, in order to be trustworthy.

So, take it from me, the used-to-be-innkeeper-turned-part-time-worker-turned-freelance-writer-and-blogger, that

SMALLER IS BETTER!

Small red house set in a green forest

Your home is your sanctuary. Or at least it should be. A place to come after working or playing or being away on business or a vacation. When you open the door, it should be all inviting and all yours.

“Homekeeping Solutions for Crafting Your Best Life!”

They don’t get any better than this!


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