Recently, my parents downsized their home to a smaller house.
While on vacation in South Dakota (yeah, I vacation in South Dakota), I got to see it for the first time.
During our stay, I was surprised at how often my mother commented that “they just love their smaller house.” I wasn’t so much surprised that she felt that way about living small (I am a minimalist after all), but I was surprised at the frequency. It was a comment that she repeated over and over again during our one-week stay.
Toward the end of the week, I sat down with my mom and asked her to list all of the reasons why she is experiencing more happiness in her smaller house. And this post is the result.
Some people decide to start living small once they find that there are many advantages to downsizing. A smaller home means smaller bills and a smaller set of responsibilities.
People buy larger homes for a number of reasons:
- They “outgrow” their smaller home.
- They receive a promotion and raise at work.
- They are convinced by a realtor that they can afford it.
- They hope to impress others.
- They think a large home is the home of their dreams.
Another reason people keep buying bigger and bigger homes is that nobody tells them not to.
The mantra of the culture again comes calling, “buy as much and as big as possible.” They believe the lie and choose to buy a large home only because that’s “what you are supposed to do” when you start making money… you buy nice big stuff.
Nobody ever tells them not to. Nobody gives them permission to pursue smaller, rather than larger. Nobody gives them the reasons they may actually be happier if they downsize their home.
Here are 12 reasons why you may be happier if you downsized and bought a smaller house:
1. Smaller homes are easier to maintain. Anyone who has owned a house knows the amount of time, energy, and effort to maintain it. All things being equal, a smaller home requires less of your time, energy, and effort to accomplish that task.
2. You spend less time decluttering. And that should be reason enough.
3. Smaller homes are less expensive. Smaller homes are less expensive to purchase and less expensive to keep (insurance, taxes, heating, cooling, electricity, etc.)
4. Living small means you go into less debt and less risk. Dozens of on-line calculators will help you determine “how much house you can afford.” These formulas are based on net income, savings, current debt, and monthly mortgage payments. They are also based on the premise that we should spend “28% of our net income on our monthly mortgage payments.” But if we can be more financially stable and happier by only spending 15%… then why would we ever choose to spend 28?
5. Owning a smaller house is mentally freeing. As is the case with all of our possessions, the more we own, the more they own us. And the more stuff we own, the more mental energy is held hostage by them. The same is absolutely true with our largest, most valuable asset. Buy small and free your mind. That’s one of the benefits of minimalism.
6. Smaller homes have a smaller environmental impact. They require fewer resources to build and maintain. And that benefits all of us.
7. You free up more time. Many of the benefits above (less cleaning, less maintaining, mental freedom) result in the freeing up of our schedule to pursue the things in life that really matter – whatever you want that to be.
8. Smaller homes encourage family bonding. A smaller home results in more social interaction among the members of the family. And while this may be the reason that some people purchase bigger homes, I think just the opposite should be true.
9. Downsizing your home forces you to remove baggage. Moving into a smaller home forces you to intentionally pare down your belongings.
10. Smaller homes lessen the temptation to accumulate. If you don’t have any room in your house for that new treadmill, you’ll be less tempted to buy it in the first place (no offense to those of you who own a treadmill… and actually use it).
11. You’re less obligated to decorate. While some people love the idea of choosing wall color, carpet color, furniture, window treatments, decorations, and light fixtures for dozens of rooms, I don’t.
12. Smaller homes are in a wider market to sell. By its very definition, a smaller, more affordable house is affordable to a larger percentage of the population than a more expensive, less affordable one.
Downsizing your home and living small is a very personal decision that weighs in a large number of factors that can’t possibly be summed up in one 800-word post.
This post was not written to address each of them nor was it written as a “how to downsize your home” article.
Only you know all the variables that come into play when making your decision.
I just think you’ll be happier if you buy smaller—rather than the other way around.
Useful Resources:
Ally says
A few months ago, I felt as though we were outgrowing our house. We ‘needed’ more cupboard space, more bedrooms. Then I began reading about minimalism and de-cluttering. In that time, I have donated and disposed of bags and bags of ‘stuff’.
We weren’t out growing our house. We were filling it with too much stuff! I now feel content here. I have shifted my perspective, and I have accepted that we have enough space. It is very freeing.
Joe says
Great article. Unfortunately, I came across it about 2 years too late. I’m new to the minimalistic mindset. My wife and I live in suburbia and always dreamed of moving from our townhouse to a single family home. This was achieved last year. We are doing well financially so we could afford it comfortably. However, buyer’s remorse has been poking me ever since. “What would you do if one of you get sick/laid off” and “Think of what you could have done w/ the extra money you’re now paying towards a larger mortgage” are the common incantations. I’m starting to become at peace with it though; perhaps that’s why I’m looking at all my “stuff” and either selling it or giving it away to family/friends. Possibly trying to compensate for buying too much house. BTW, real estate agents are evil!
Gill says
Hello! I’m in the UK, just north of London. We have ‘downsized’ to a little cottage, mainly for financial reasons – the recession has definitely hit our pockets. I love it but my partner doesn’t – he misses the space, and his commute doesn’t go very smoothly. Being a natural hoarder I am having a LOT of trouble getting rid of things, but managing slowly, slowly. I do think it’s important to have a storage space for items already mentioned, like Christmas decorations, camping things, suitcases, spare bedding for guests and so on. It’s difficult to achieve that calm, minimalist look but I’m determined to do it!
Tammy says
I live with my 8-year old daughter in a 650 sq ft apartment. I think it’s too big compared to our 500 sq ft we lived in a couple of years ago. I am happy though with the amenities such as an elevator to our 3rd floor, a trash chute down the hall (priceless), central air, heat included in rent, very clean complex, excellent management, optional garages, and a small storage locker.
I rented a 700 sq ft house for a year before our current apartment, and it was SO much work!! And I had no privacy from the neighbors. Too much to take care of.
I have MS, so I have continued to simplify my life since my diagnosis 10 years ago. I simplify my environment, my job, my schedule (including family gatherings and extra activities). I have learned to say “no”. Life is too short.
And I am obsessed with tiny houses on uTube!!! I love watching them. They make me smile and keep me minimalizing every day.
Melissa says
Thank you so much for writing this! People need to hear this!
Traci Nix says
LOVE this blog! Thank you for writing it and reading my mind!
unhappy says
I am ready to move, however the housing market makes it impossible. I knew the house was too big when we bought it. The spouse was of the opposite opinion. I have a mental checklist of what goes (china, crystal, dining room table, living room furniture on central level, a bed, a vanity, a bureau, 6 folding chairs, extra skis). The list is so so long. I need my spouse to get on board at this point. I am beyond ready for smaller, but the financial penalty is too steep.
Alicia says
Our family is moving now because hard times have hit. It’s still difficult to cope with. However, after reading this, I think I am finding more happiness than sadness in moving to a smaller house. Thanks. This helped a lot. :)
eliza says
We are moving into a much smaller house. We are a blended family with 6 kids aged 2-13. i am worried about the noise and feeling overwhelmed. It has one small living area, boys room, girls room, our room and a tiny office where my partner will work during the day. The bonus is lots of storage seperate from the house so we can keep thing uncluttered in the house. Another benefit is we can walk to everything, schools, cafes and the beach.
Jessica Janes says
I love your list of reasons to live in a smaller home. Suburbia has gone to such an extreme, where everyone thinks they need 3500 square feet to have a good life and “enough space.” Fortunately, the awareness of smaller is better, with greater efficiency, is growing.