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:
Anna says
I think there is one huge advantage of living in a small house – it is full of life. We cannot really hide in our bedrooms for too long, and the family spends more time together. This gives us more precious time together.
S Murphy says
One thing that I considered in purchasing my current home was my elderly mother who lives with me. I have a ranch, 3 bedroom, 2 bath (one is my office), sun room, living, dining and kitchen: it is approx 1700 sq ft (after renovations). We upsized from a ~ 1300 sq ft cape. While smaller would have been lovely, we needed to easily maneuver a walker/wheelchair which limited which homes were feasible. Doorways are now 36 inches wide and the washer and dryer were moved to the main floor. I grew up in a home that was less then 700 sq feet with 5 people. Very few people realize the privacy you give up in smaller spaces when there are more then 1 or 2 people. Also, you must be diligent about cleaning as anything you do quickly becomes a mess. I love smaller homes; however you need to bear in mind while some things become easier, others become more challenging – which is true of every situation.
S Murphy says
Correction: One of the bedrooms is my office, not the bathroom.
Mike says
That’s what I also read bathroom as an office and a workable workspace Lol.
Kathy says
We sold our home 2 years ago when we retired and traveled in our RV for 2 years. Next week we’re closing on a 1200 sq ft, 2-bed, 2-bath home. We’ll put a Murphy bed in the second bedroom (office) for guests, and also use the RV for guests to have their own space. We’ll still travel but I’ll be happy to have a small home base.
Arshad says
I truly agree with you on this as living in a smaller home is beneficial in many ways like its very cozy, cost effective, low maintenance and helps you to be more closer to your family. Thanks for sharing this article!
DE says
My husband and I just moved into our first purchased home with our 3.5 month old. Our situation was a bit different. Our landlord sold out from under us and we had two months to find a new home (yes with our premie son in the mix). Average rent in our area was starting at $1750 for a one bedroom, so it was actually cheaper to buy and build equity! Eventually we will end up moving to a bigger place as our family grows (also because our HOA mandates you can’t have more than 4 people living in our condo). We definitely don’t want to move into a huge house, but a small home with a yard in a good neighborhood. Anyway, we were shocked at how much stuff we still had even though we’ve subscribed to a minimalist lifestyle for several years (it hides in the depths of the closets). We got rid of a lot and it feels great. Future dream after the kids go off the college- tiny house living!
Wendy says
On principle, I agree with purchasing a home you can afford. We have always done that and it has worked, however, I wish we would have purchased as our first house a house that would have caused us to stretch a BIT financially because 1. my family doubled in size of over the years 2. We planned to move and buy a slightly bigger home, but housing prices outpaced our increases in income. 3. The pain of moving is real. So I would say, look to your future needs and buy the best house you can, then buy once and stay put.
Susan says
Wendy, I seriously thought that I was the only one who felt this way. I also wished we had stretched a bit when we bought our first home, especially knowing that we are the type of people who like to stay put. (And indeed, we are still in our first home that we bought in 1991.) Our house is just over 1,740 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths. My husband and I live here with our two daughters, 23 and 25, and my 25 year old’s husband. We also have 2 cats and 2 dogs. This is a situation that I am very bitter about, never wanting my daughter and her husband to be living here, now going on 3 years into their marriage and no end in sight. My husband and my son in law especially have so many hobbies and interests, and the house and two car garage are bursting at the seams. The mantra of minimalism is, you DO have enough room if you just get rid of the clutter, but the reality for me is, there simply is not enough room for all of the stuff that people want to keep. If and when my daughter and son in law move out, my house will be just perfect for the three of us (my 23 year old is on the autism spectrum and could very well be with us for a long time, if not forever.)
Karolina says
We have repeatedly tried finding a house with a smaller square footage. It seems that with a certain square footage also come other features that may or may not be desirable for the homeowners. The neighborhood is a big one. We live in about 1,500 square feet for a family of 4. We think it’s just right, but we could also be happy in less. However, houses much smaller than ours tend to be in more run down neighborhoods where neighbors don’t seem to take a lot of pride in ownership. Or there are no sidewalks for us to enjoy family walks together. Or there is not enough yard for us to garden and let our young kids enjoy some safe independence. So as much as we’d love to downsize, staying put and helping my husband to resist upsizing is the best we can do :)
Kari Maddox says
I love reading all these comments! We decided to stay in our starter house from our 1993 marriage, and now I am so glad we did. It is the most cozy house at 1200 square feet. We just put out air matresses for guests. It’s been so nice to have a cushion in our budget as our kids are heading to college, too. We have been able to make some nice upgrades, in cash. We always have money to go on at least two vacations a year. We have realtors calling us daily making insane offers on our home, but we are not selling. Where would we go? I am so glad we didn’t move up like everyone said we needed to. And yes, my country blue countertops are staying because I love them!
May says
Good call! My aunt & uncle bought a comfy little 3×1 in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, surrounded by farms for $17k. Paid it off and stayed put. 40 years later, it’s inner-ring, established, & worth about 3/4 of a million.
Joquim says
I totally agree with you on this. There’s no doubt that small homes are seeing a resurgence as people realize how cozy and cheap they can be. Smaller homes just feel good and living in one makes it easier to be close with your family. Plus, the cost-savings of smaller homes can really add up over the long term.
Dan Marshall says
My wife and I live in a 1440 sf house, and are quite happy with it. We have no kids, so don’t need anything bigger. I told a friend of mine who sells real state and has never seen my house that it is 1440 sf, and her eyes lit up. “I wish I had some of those to sell!” I go for long walks every day through mine and surrounding neighborhoods, and most houses are bigger than mine. I realize how people must feel obligated to work hard and earn a lot of money just to afford their mortgages. This is not a wealthy area, but prices are rising rapidly- I am so glad we bought out house in 1997 when housing costs were much lower. I feel real blessed.
Lisa says
♡♡♡♡I Love this!!!! My Husband and I and 4 cats.. We live in a 1,390 ft² house.. I absolutely love it! It’s very cozy. I’ve had thoughts of wanting to dime size to something even smaller like a 1000 ft²…. But the Way the market is right now.. We will probably stay put for a while….. Besides our interest rate is at a very low fixed rate.. We are very happy here