Do you find yourself dwelling on how much stuff you have and spend your days wishing you didn’t have the best of everything? My guess is, probably not. My mindset certainly wasn’t revolving around the “less is more” motto a few short months ago. But now, everything has changed for me and my family, and I would like to share how downsizing with a family could be one of the most freeing decisions you ever make.
OUR STORY
When we sold our 3000 square foot house in town we were actually on the hunt for more. We wanted more outdoor space for our four kids, and we got it. 2 1/2 acres in the country stole our heart. The house on the property wasn’t a dream, however, being a 1000 square foot manufactured home. So we got to thinking, “no big deal, we’ll cram all six of us into this place temporarily while we build our big beautiful dream home.”
We didn’t realize when we downsized with our family how much our minds would be opened to a new way of life. Even more surprising is how much we love small home living.
Unexpected Outcomes of Downsizing With a Family
Now one might be thinking, “So what makes downsizing with a family great?” I have experienced only 6 answers to this question although there could be more.
LESS TO CLEAN
Now this might be the most obvious outcome of buying a smaller home. There is just a lot less space to take care of and clean. With four messy kids in my house, this has made a big difference for me. Cleaning or home will take only about an hour, where as before, this always seemed to be an all day endeavor.
LESS STUFF
Less space means less stuff. The process of getting rid of things may seem daunting, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I for one, am not someone who loves “things,” so this process wasn’t all that difficult for me. Not only did we get rid of stuff, we are also not tempted to buy more stuff resulting in a home that is much easier to keep tidy and a fuller wallet.
Less DEBT
When we sold our larger home for a smaller one, we were able to pay off quite a bit of debt. Even though our bigger house was sold for a little less than what we purchased our new property for, we had built up a sizable amount of equity that we were able to invest in debt payoff and a down payment.
I also realized through this process that there was space in our last house we were paying for and not even using. If you are paying for space that you are not using, this is a big waste of money!
Here is a great resource for people looking to rid their lives of debt.
MORE FLEXIBLE INCOME
Now, obviously if you downsize with a family, pay off your debt and move into your new smaller home you will find you have a more flexible income. Why wouldn’t you want to have some of the money you work for at your disposal?
Money can now go towards the things that our family really enjoys. Maybe you that would be traveling, or just being able to do the extra activities that you couldn’t before. For us, it means having the money to turn our property into a super fun place for our family to hang out and entertain others. We found in our smaller house we already cut out $120 a month in energy bills alone or $1680 a year as opposed to the $3120+ a year in the old house.
MORE FAMILY TIME
Having more family time wasn’t on my radar when I was working over all the possible outcomes of downsizing as a family. The quality time we are now able to spend as a family has been a pleasant surprise. Home projects, cleaning and the maintenance of stuff is requiring far less of our day. Time is unfortunately one of those things we can never get back, and I’m glad to have more of it to spend with the ones who matter most.
EASIER TO DECORATE AND REMODEL
This might not be a big deal for some people, but it was for me. I spent five years struggling with all the space in our old home I felt I had to fill with…something. I tried to decorate and we even remodeled a few spaces to make them more usable, however, in the end we were still dealing with space we didn’t need or use.
In a smaller home where we are utilizing all of our space, any time and effort we put into decorating and remodeling will be well used and worth the investment. See some of the progress we have made so far here.
The Most Important Result
The biggest take aways from this whole experience have been unexpected yet fabulous at the same time. When all of the little benefits of downsizing with a family and moving into a small home come together, they make one big benefit. Having less stress, more money to spend on fun things, and getting more time as a family are worth the sacrifice of having less stuff and space.
All this new way of thinking doesn’t change the fact that a picturesque farmhouse in the country gives me all the feels, but I have learned that sometimes I have to turn off the feelings and let the brain do the talking.
How Anyone Can Downsize With a Family
Now, clearly to downsize with a family doesn’t always involve moving to a new house. There are ways you can downsize with a family in whatever space you find yourself. Living small can be more of a mindset than a physical situation and revolves around learning to be content with what you have. Once you reach this point, you are more free to enjoy your life.
We may have forced ourselves into this mindset with our move, but are now happy to embrace it. Debt and excess stuff are things we can work to remove from our lives no matter what our situation is. Start the process of eliminating junk or even responsibilities that keep you from accomplishing the things that truly matter in life, and live with less stress and regrets.
