Recently, my parents bought a smaller house. And this past week, 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 (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 was written… my first post co-authored with my mother.
12 Reasons Why You’ll Be Happier in a Smaller House by Joshua and Patty Becker (I get top billing because it is my blog).
People buy larger homes for a number of reasons:
- They “outgrow” their smaller one.
- 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 because no one 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 in a smaller house.
So, in an attempt to break the silence, consider these 12 reasons why you’ll actually be happier in a smaller house:
- 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.
- Less time spent cleaning. And that should be reason enough…
- Less expensive. Smaller homes are less expensive to purchase and less expensive to keep (insurance, taxes, heating, cooling, electricity, etc.).
- 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?
- 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.
- Less environmental impact. A smaller home requires less resources to build and less resources to maintain. And that benefits all of us.
- 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.
- Encourages 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.
- Forces you to remove baggage. Moving into a smaller home forces you to intentionally pare down your belongings.
- Less 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).
- Less decorating. 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.
- 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.
Your home is a very personal decision that weighs in a large number of factors that can’t possibly be summed up in one 700 word post. This post was not written to address each of them. 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.
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I moved from an 800 sq ft home to one with less than 400 sq ft. The living, dining and kitchen comprise one room of less than 100 ft. Best part is, I don’t buy stuff because it will look cute. Every purchase I make has to be carefully considered because there’s just no room.
It’ been great and the rent couldn’t be better!
We moved our office home and moved two people into 480 sq.ft when the recession hit. I love the size of the home for the most part although I do think 150 sq ft more to 200sqft more for two adults and an office would be ideal. What I miss most. A washer and a dryer. What I discovered is all the things listed on the above list far out weigh having a washer and dryer. Our little house is tucked away in the woods and is about 2 hours from the city and what I miss more than anything is the city. Dr’s appointments are four hours on the road. (other than that and car care we have found you can get everything online so you end up missing the city for two things healthcare and car care.
Again two things that I am okay with but I have learned to give these things of convience up for a lot more money in the bank.
My mother keeps nagging us to move into a bigger apartment because ours is “too small”. I always reply “it’s fine! we just have too much stuff!”
The only downside of this place, size-wise, is that there’s no storage for off-season things like camping gear, gardening supplies, skates and skis (we actually use that stuff). So we have to stash it all around the apartment in trunks and closets. I would happily live in a teeny tiny place if we had a small storage room for that kind of stuff.
I feel your pain with the storage problems.
My husband and I live in a 300 sq ft studio apartment.
For the most part, it fits our needs just fine. However, there are certain things like camping gear, surf boards, bikes and emergency kits that I wish could be placed in a storage area that wasn’t the main living area.
I found a self storage located near my home for all of these items for $25.00 per month. I have it fixed up like a room and I can easily locate what we need quickly and the $25.00 per month is a great price for this type of storage. Christmas Tree, Roasting pan for /Turkey at Thanksgiving, camping etc….
We had a small apartment with a new baby…although we had a very large walk in closet and our patio there was a small closet for “extra storage” we decided from day one to rent a small storage unit – $25 a month. We are both minamalists so to speak (we dont keep stuff thinking “oh maybe I can use it tomorrow”). The $25 didn’t break the bank and it was priceless to be able to keep out off season clothing, large tools, etc. in the unit and out of our apt. We are now homeowners and ended up living in the apt. for a little over 2 years and never once have we regretted having rented a storage unit. We saw it as a necessity.
Ahh, so easy to say when you live in a place with affordable housing. I would LOVE more space. But then, I’m part of a family of soon-to-be 4 living in an 850 sq. ft. apartment. Possible? Absolutely. But definitely a challenge when guests come to visit, among other drawbacks. And small doesn’t equal cheap here. To buy an equivalent place we’d spend over 300,000 plus condo fees.
That said, our dream home is a three, maybe four bedroom house with a small garden and garage/storage shed (we need a place for those bikes!) that is a luxurious 1400sq.ft. I could easily have a third child with a place like that. That is my idea of big house!
We’re in the same boat. Housing is nuts here! I have no desire to go into a half million dollars debt to buy a cardboard shack.
My dream home is a small house with a backyard for our dogs to enjoy, a vegetable garden, a shed for bikes and gardening supplies. That would be perfect.
“My dad said whiskey is made to sell not to buy” This is true of so many things.
We live in the midwest where housing is inexpensive compared to most of the country. Our house is 2400 sq ft with 5 bedrooms worth about $230K. Our youngest of 5 children will graduate from high school next year and we will happily sell and move to a smaller, 2 bedroom house with a tiny yard! We can hardly wait! The kids all ask where everyone will stay when they come for the holidays. I tell them to pack a sleeping bag and bring money for hotels. :)
I have always told my children if they truly need to come home they are more than welcome they will have to make do with the living room.
#1. Rule to guest they tend to stink after three days (grown children who need time to stand on their own two feet / guess what if you make them too comfortable they never want to leave/ so don’t ! / watch the movie failure to launch/ don’t keep spare rooms for the “what ifs” it is cheaper to rent them later and have a wonderful vacation together if need be or blow up the air mattress and let them sleep on the living room floor they will have jobs in less than 3 months! and be out and on their way.
my wife and I live in a 1400 sq foot home with a large back yard. We are just begenning to deal with the “stuff” we have accumulated over the years and we are intriegied with ” Minimalist’ we move slowly. Lets see how it works.
My wife and I met this morning and we are moving foreward slowly. But the idea is so good and timely. As our economy shrinks and utilities increase we are all are going to try ways to find ways to economise. We need to learn that stuff is not only of no value it can be a negative value. Watch out for the pitch man!!
I’m really enjoying your blog. :-)
My sister and her husband bought a very large house a few years ago. He died suddenly this winter, leaving her alone in that big house. She’s finding it difficult keeping up with all the cleaning and regular maintenance by herself, and because of the expenses, she’ll have to find a roommate in order to afford to stay there.
My husband and I live in a small 2-bedroom ranch. After watching what my sister has gone through, I’m happy to stay right here. If something happens to my husband, at least I’d be able to stay here by myself without a roommate, unless I choose to have one.
Yeah. I’m totally agree with that 12 reasons why I’m much happier in a smaller house. Specially the #8. It encourages a family bonding. In our house mostly my brother and I won’t see each other because we had a big house and we had a different work schedule.
Thank you for this thoughtful post, Joshua. I agree with the premise completely. Bigger is most definitely not always better. In fact, my husband and I are gearing up to move from our 1,789 square foot house…into an RV…to travel the USA and help people…with our two little girls in tow! We can’t wait. :)
We are planning to ‘move home’ to the upper midwest next yr, leaving a costly exurban McMansion in FL behind & moving to a family-friendly urban neighborhood (walking distance to grocery, shops, dining, parks, bus). Our current home simply chokes me – too far from everything, too much stuff, unused space, too much time, money & energy to maintain. My dream is to get my family in to a smaller, affordable & more manageable home in a fabulous urban location next yr. After having our first child in 2008, I quickly realized I don’t need much in life but my husband, baby girl & pets – and knowing we’ll soon be in a smaller, beautiful urban home thrills me beyond words.
We have 10 kids in a house with less than 1200 sq. ft, and I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with all 12 reasons. While another bathroom and bedroom would be nice, I truly love my modestly sized home and the mechanics of our large family.
I have what most of my friends consider a “tiny” home. We have 1200 square feet (3 beds 2 baths 1 car garage). It is a great size for us, but because we have 4 children we are constantly being told that “one day when you can afford more you’ll want a bigger place.” We could afford more NOW, we just don’t want more.
A lot depends on how the home is designed. My home, and one of my friends’ homes, were built by the same contractor, about the same time.
Now while my home comes in at about 1,000 square feet and hers might technically be 1,100 square feet, my home is certainly more livable in terms of the layout and storage spaces (which are not included in the living space.)
As a family of 8, we lived in a 1200 sq ft home. Made two rooms in the basement, and everyone was fine. We’re now a family of 6 in a 1100 sq ft home, although, I think someone fudged the meausrements, and it’s actually smaller.
With a family, I think it is important to have different areas where people can at least get away from each other, which this house has. It’s a raised ranch, which means the “downstairs” isn’t like a cellar, and is very pleasant. We also have a garage for bulky storage, and an attic for smaller storage. We have a covered (unheated, uncooled) back porch, which is a very popular place to escape to when the house gets to noisy.
Even though this is the smallest house our family has ever lived in, it is ideally laid out, and if my older kids ever need to move in, and even one set of parents, there is room to do it, without undue hardship.
And I like that a single gallon of paint will paint a whole room, and two or three boxes of tile will cover a whole room’s floor.
Mary
I really think the days of large homes is coming to a close. If you have 5 kids, maybe ok – however – 2 / 3 people. I and many people I know would rather have something about 1250-1400 sq feet with a little bit of property (that doesn’t need much maint) and no HOA.
Now that I have read this article, I am considering buying a small home.
I agree heartily. Before my family of 5 moved to the Palm Springs, CA area we lived in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath 1400 sq. ft. house. Now we live in a 2000 sq. ft. house where we feel disconnected and often find ourselves “holed-up” in the master bedroom enjoying time on Dad and Mom’s bed… We have house full of new furniture and we still find ourselves in the breakfast nook eating at our “old table” enjoying laughs like we did at our “old house.” Oftentimes I long for the smaller house and the smaller life. The only reason we live in the home we live in is due to my profession, where we have multiple people over for dinners and fun – 2 to 3 times per month. The smaller house is something I miss and does anyone have a tip on where to live in a smaller place with good prices?
After graduating college I plan to move into a small apartment. After that I plan to save up and move into either a small house (less than 1000 sq ft) if I have a family, or a Tumbleweed house. Honestly, the idea of living in 100sq ft or less doesn’t bother me. The idea of living in less than 100 sq ft honestly doesn’t bother me. I don’t have much. I have a ton of books, but plan to get rid of/sell most of them, and get a Kindle ereader instead.
We just moved into a new big house last week and I’m feeling a little sad about it. I was so excited to have a new, spacious renovated home, but I do feel sad about losing the coziness we had at our old house. During the day I am happy here, but at night I feel like I have lost proximity to my children. It sort of breaks my heart. I know that it takes time to adapt to any move, but I hope we didn’t just make a “big” mistake, because moving is such a lot of work. I sense my kids are ok with the move but I am feeling sad, sad, sad – and this is such a beautiful place, it’s a little crazy, I so hope that in a few months I will feel much better.
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.
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.
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