A lot has happened in the past year. I changed jobs, experienced a hurricane (and power outages), quit jobs, and moved to a new town. As I write, it’s been a year since I moved into my new home, going from 1600 square feet to 1000 square feet. It’s not a “tiny house” but still much smaller than any house I’ve lived in during the last few decades. At first, it was difficult to find room for everything despite the major decluttering I had been doing for several years. I felt like a minimalist imposter. However, I continued to declutter as I unpacked and eventually found a place for everything.
Hurricane Irma brought down a tree onto my back porch.
The yard is bigger than I wanted, but that’s the way many homes were designed in the 1950s—small house, big yard. Older houses in my area use a septic tank system in the back yard, which I needed to replace because the original was starting to crack. (Oh, the joys of homeownership!) The previous owners were not interested in lawn maintenance or gardening, so I found myself with a large, weedy yard. It will take a few years to get it into good shape, but I’ve started, slowly but surely, to clean up the mess and add more flowers. Overall, I’m quite content living in my smaller home.
It’s a jungle out there!
New septic tank system
Why live in a smaller home? Here are a few advantages:
- less to clean
- lower utility bills
- easier to maintain
- renovations cost less
- less furniture needed
Are there downsides to living in a smaller home? Sure, here are a few:
- less personal space
- less storage for stuff
- sharing a small bathroom
- little elbow room in the kitchen
Is a smaller home the right move for you? It all depends on your perspective. Sure, it’s a drag to share a bathroom, but it’s also less to keep clean. How much personal space you need is up to you. When I had teenagers and many pets, I was grateful to have a larger home. Now that I’m an empty nester and down to one pet, I need much less. It can be challenging when my adult children visit, but so far, we’ve survived sharing one bathroom and a much smaller house than in their teen years. Sharing a smaller living space means you need to work harder on keeping personal relationships good and treating personal boundaries respectfully.
Living in a smaller home reduces your carbon footprint, and if you’re lucky enough to live in a location that is walking distance from shops and parks and other amenities, you’ve hit the green living jackpot. I feel fortunate to live in walking distance from a grocery store, a couple of drug stores, a large park, a few restaurants, and medical facilities. I don’t always walk, especially when I need a lot of groceries with heavy items or can’t bear the heat (life in Florida), but the drive is very short.
Much as I enjoy watching tiny house shows, I wouldn’t want to live in one, at least not for a long time. But I also know that I could never go back to a large house. I want to live as green and simply as I can. Minimalism isn’t just about downscaling or living with as little as possible. It’s about eliminating the unnecessary to focus on the meaningful essentials for you. It’s rightsizing your life. I’ve found the right size for me at this time of my life.
Before
After – New accent colors, adding flower gardens
RESOURCES
Hutchison, Katie The New Small House
McKeown, Greg Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Ware, Ciji Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most
For more resources, go to this page: Resources
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My Minimalist Home: Hurry Up and Wait!
My Minimalist Home: A Few Steps Backwards, A Few Steps Forwards
Minimalist Space: Finding White Space in a Smaller Home
One Bathroom: Most people can’t imagine this. I’ve had one bathroom for 25 years for a family of four in an 1100 sq. ft. ranch house. My husband & I always said we would add on, given the huge 1/2 acre yard, but just never did. Eventually the kids moved out, leaving just the two of us. Here’s how we managed: Each person had a basket with their supplies.The basket contained a toothbrush, favorite soap & face wash (I raised girls…), razor, and anything else needed for the bathroom. The rest was on a desk/vanity in their room to finish getting ready: hair gel, blowdryer, creams, lotions, makeup, etc. Each person had a designated bath time with about 45 min. to take care of washing, shaving, toothbrushing, etc. before going to their room to finish. If someone slept in & missed their time, they either had to finish in the remaining time or wait until everyone else finished. My husband started the rotation at 5 am since he was first to wake up for work. Before entering the bathroom, we would ask if anyone had to use the toilet first so they didn’t disturb our time. A powerful fan eliminates any unwanted odors in 5 min or less, avoiding the need for toxic sprays. This can run while a person gathers their clothing and basket of supplies. That’s the plan we still do today for the two of us. It works and is what my mom did when we were little in a house with four people & only one bathroom. My mom was a little OCD & knew how to manage a house. Times were non-negotiable. If it was your bath time, that was it. Less stress, less fighting, and far less to clean! Enjoy.
It’s definitely easier to go small and down to 1 bathroom as a single empty nester. My kids were pretty good about sharing when they visited, but I’m not sure how that would have worked when they were teens!
Your house is awesome! I love mid-century mod homes(Open, light and airy). I agree with you going tiny is not my thing either. It’s kind of a safety thing too with all the crazy storms we have. Keeping the clutter under control is my focus too. I love that I am always ready for an unexpected guest. Less stress:)
My house was built in 1953, but it’s not as open as I’d like. I’m slowly changing as much as I can, but I like the size. It’s also a cinder block house (with aluminum siding), so the house is very strong in resisting hurricanes and other storms!