Moving to a much smaller home has been a rewarding experience that has resulted in a more peaceful life. It really is a journey or a process to begin downsizing. For me, it took time, even with careful planning.
We now live in a home that is almost half of the size as our previous homes. Now that two of our children are adults, we only have one college-aged child living with us. We feel like empty-nesters, because this child is pretty much independent.
Living in a smaller home means that a great percentage of our furniture wasn’t needed. Much of the extra furniture was offered to our children. Whatever furniture they didn’t need was donated to someone else who could use it. This made our moving to a new state so much easier.
Downsizing is a sure way to lower your utility bills, too. With less rooms to heat and cool the electric and gas bills are lower. We downsized our wardrobes, and that makes less clothes to store. I like the way the closet isn’t so crammed, and I don’t keep clothes that I will not wear. Donating the extra clothes gives someone else the chance to use.
Having less clutter in the cabinets and drawers makes me feel more peaceful. Cabinets crammed with items that I might use once or twice is wasteful and frustrating. It makes me unhappy to need to unstack and move everything to get an item from the back corner. Again, we donated unwanted items.
I’m less likely to buy more stuff, when there is no place to put it. That not only keeps clutter away, but saves the bank account. Being retired, there isn’t an ever-growing bank account. It has been much easier to get and stay organized when I have less stuff.
Downsizing has helped me to be more creative. As I decided what furnishings to keep, I re-examined my personal style. Selecting furnishings that made me truly comfortable and cozy has created a look that I love.
Downsizing and simplifying our home has made me feel like my mind is more clear. When I look around, there is less of a mess. I’ve only kept things that are beautiful to me. Quickly putting excess paper into the recycling box means that it’s out of sight.
Time is so valuable, and downsizing means less time spent on things I don’t love. I don’t like to do housework (who does?) and now there is less house to clean. There is less flooring to vacuum or mop. There is less furniture to dust. You get the picture. There’s also less grass to mow. (we’re renting temporarily, so there’s no grass to mow).
Have you downsized or are you thinking about downsizing? In 2019, many baby boomers are choosing not to downsize. There are pros and cons to everything, but I am very happy with the choice we’ve made. The benefits have been perfect for me and my family.
@2019, copyright Lisa Ehrman
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- Lisa has been blogging since 2013, and loves sharing resources and ideas for living a simple life. To get free printables, bonus words, and more - sign up for the newsletter.
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Great article. The older I get and the worse I feel most days downsizing is the way to go.
I’m sorry you aren’t well. Poor health and age are the main reasons we decided to downsize. God bless as you try to make this decision š
I like the idea of right-sizing our lives. For me that means a smaller house and larger studio.
Happy Fall,
Kippi
Ps. Please share this post on my site at the You’re The Star Blog Hop
Ah, you’ve got your priorities straight š
Thanks for the invite. I just shared on the Blog Hop!
Iām right there with you. My husband and I live in a 578 sq foot condo. Housework is quick and simple. Because we live in a condo we have no yard work to do. The cosmetic remodeling we did when we moved in cost less than remodeling a bigger space, and so we were able to afford to exactly what we wanted. Excellent post!
Now, that’s really downsizing! I love that you got to remodel it exactly how you wanted š Thanks for sharing!!!
I moved into a townhouse & don’t miss having a garage. It was a catch all for all the junk.
Garages are definitely useful for that! Not having one sounds like a great motivator for keeping clutter under control.
We just bought our first home and it’s a bit small but it’s the perfect size for our little family! My sister has a much bigger house and there’s definitely a difference in her utility bills and ours
Oh, you’re right! I love the smaller bills š
I love the idea of downsizing to have less to clean and lower utilities.
It helps as I’m getting older and we’re retired.
Awesome post! Most days my house doesn’t feel too big but as I get older my priorities have changed…I am no longer interested in housework and yard work…I want to spend my remaining years doing what I WANT to do…not what I HAVE to do. I am not wealthy but I am comfortable so I just might hire someone to do those things for me…then I can keep my house and not have to do those things…win win for me
That is definitely a Win-Win š
Thank you for the information. š
You’re very welcome, Deb š
Always good to consider, it’s an option many have done before.
Yes, you never know what you’ll want to do at some point.
I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff a few years back, but now that I’m renting my own space, I’ve got to be careful of the clutter creep. This article reminds me it’s time to take a look at what else I can downsize!
It’s really amazing how the clutter sneaks back in! I fight it every day at my house, too š
Read your downsizing article with great interest. I have always lived in small places, so downsizing is not an issue; however, hoarding is. I’m always looking for inspiration to help me “clean up my act!”
My mom died a few years back, and I’m still downsizing because of all her stuff