I’m currently living is a modest three-bedroom home. I found it for a great price in a good neighborhood. The timing was right. So I bought. But I’m looking forward to downsizing my home. I’ll explain why…
Big houses are overrated. Why would I want to spend more money and do more work, simply to have a place to lay my head and eat?
Over the years, I’ve lived in variety of situations: everything from trailers to apartments to 2000+ sq. ft. homes. I’ve decided that smaller is better.
Currently, I have a 1400 sq. ft. house. But it’s more than I need and I’m looking forward to downsizing when the time is right.
10 Reasons I Look Forward To Downsizing My Home
- Price: Whether renting or buying, I’ll spend less money on my monthly payment. So I’d not only be downsizing my home, I’d be budgeting, too.
- Smaller mortgage: Although there are some things I hate about being a homeowner, there are some advantages to buying. In the future, I hope to buy a place half the size of what I currently own. That equals less debt.
- Less furnishings: When I downsize to a home half the size of what I have, I’ll only need half the furniture. I use old vintage furnishings, so it will cost very little to furnish a smaller place.
- Lower utility costs: The bigger the space, the more it costs to run heating and air-conditioning. I’ve paid as much as $300 a month for larger spaces and as little as $25 for a smaller space.
- Less decor: Okay, I’ll admit to enjoying decorating. In the past, I’ve probably bought too much decor. I look forward to the day when I have a simpler space with less decor.
- Easier to clean: It takes me a full day or more to fully clean my current home. During college I lived in a 350 sq. ft. studio apartment. I could clean the whole place in an hour.
- Less yard work: If I buy another house, I’ll be looking for a smaller yard. But I might opt for a condominium. Yard work and outside maintenance take a lot of time and money.
- More freedom: By downsizing into a smaller space would mean less maintenance. I’d save money. If I choose a condo, I’d have even less maintenance. This all adds up to more freedom.
- More time: Less cleaning and less maintenance add up to more time. Plus, if my monthly payments are smaller, I could even cut back to part-time work. That would allow me to do more writing, more music, and more travel.
- Easier to move: I hope to find a place where I’ll stay for a good amount of time. But if I ever decided to move again, there’d be less stuff to deal with.
Staying On Track And Not Getting Stuck
You might ask, “Why not just downsize now?” Believe me, I’d like to, but I still have a kid living at home. I want to provide her with the consistency and security of growing up in one place. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t downsize if a good situation presented itself. I would.
In the meantime, to ensure that I don’t wind up stuck with too much, I’m continually downsizing my stuff. Life is uncertain. But even if I wind up staying here, I won’t wind up with a houseful of crap.
