Last year, my wife and I separated after 20 years of marriage, and I found myself moving out of our 2500 square foot home into a shoebox of an apartment covering a whopping 800 square feet. It was an adjustment to say the least. Now I am in the process of buying a home that covers around 1500 square feet, and while it isn't the same as living in a house that I would have considered a mansion as a kid, it does provide the opportunity for some streamlining in my lifestyle.
For starters, while the big house was nice, what it basically provided was a lot more space to store things, making the home an enabler for uncontrolled clutter. I still stop by there to pick up certain items and as I poke through the basement I find myself wondering if I will ever be finished.
The new house I'm moving into has none of that. There is no basement, which means I will have to get rid ofa a lot. There are no unused rooms, which means I can't end up just stacking boxes any old place I choose. The situation almost forces me to become more organized and efficient (that will most definitely be two "firsts" in my life).
And more and more Americans are discovering this concept, with the housing crash we have seen over the last two years, many people are learning to make do with less, and adjusting their living quarters accordingly. Some people have just decided that the big house isn't worth it, and they want to find a way to simplify their life and lose much of what they would otherwise have to maintain. Statistics show that the average square footage for homes is shrinking, and the latest data, according to the National Home Builder's Association, show the average size of a new single-family home built in 2010 shrunk from 2,438 square feet to 2,377 square feet.
It is usually a good idea to go through your home and purge about every three months or so. That helps to prevent clutter from gaining a foothold. Some families report being able to get rid of up to two thirds of their possessions. They also discover that life does in fact go merrily on.
Now granted, coping with a smaller space may be difficult at first. My two bedroom apartment looked plenty large enough when I first waljed through it. That was before living there with two of my kids, my mother who helps me out two days a week, and frequent visits from the girlfriend. The perfect apartment became a crowded shoebox very quickly, forcing a change.
You also need to decide what will stay and what will go. I have a CD collection that is darn near the eighth wonder of the world, and while that may have been impressive at one time, I'm looking at converting all of them I want to keep to Itunes, then selling off the hard copies. A computer hard drive takes up far less space than a couple of CD towers or shelves.
You should also consider furniture. A small house means that you may have to carefully measure things before buying the new sofa or fridge. I bought a very nice dining room table on sale ($750 marked down to about $300) which fit my small apartment very well, but also could be expanded for a larger room, which means I will be able to use it in my new house as well.
Fortunately you can pick from smaller refrigerators, washers, dryers, pretty much anything you need can be had in a much smaller form to accommodate smaller lodging. Determine the best use of the space you are now going to have.
I'm learning to do with less, not only the loss of a considerable income that my ex-wife had, as well as the loss of a very large home, but I am looking forward to the challenges of not only making my way strictly on my own merits and ability, but also learning how to live with less. None of us relish the idea of becoming a slave to our homes, working tirelessly just to make sure the beast is well fed and cared for, so to speak. So we learn to make do with smaller portions.
This is, I believe, a fundamental step to take when it comes to enjoying life. Now go therefore and live well....
Billy D. Ritchie
Director Of Content
Leadsbyfone, LLC
For starters, while the big house was nice, what it basically provided was a lot more space to store things, making the home an enabler for uncontrolled clutter. I still stop by there to pick up certain items and as I poke through the basement I find myself wondering if I will ever be finished.
The new house I'm moving into has none of that. There is no basement, which means I will have to get rid ofa a lot. There are no unused rooms, which means I can't end up just stacking boxes any old place I choose. The situation almost forces me to become more organized and efficient (that will most definitely be two "firsts" in my life).
And more and more Americans are discovering this concept, with the housing crash we have seen over the last two years, many people are learning to make do with less, and adjusting their living quarters accordingly. Some people have just decided that the big house isn't worth it, and they want to find a way to simplify their life and lose much of what they would otherwise have to maintain. Statistics show that the average square footage for homes is shrinking, and the latest data, according to the National Home Builder's Association, show the average size of a new single-family home built in 2010 shrunk from 2,438 square feet to 2,377 square feet.
It is usually a good idea to go through your home and purge about every three months or so. That helps to prevent clutter from gaining a foothold. Some families report being able to get rid of up to two thirds of their possessions. They also discover that life does in fact go merrily on.
Now granted, coping with a smaller space may be difficult at first. My two bedroom apartment looked plenty large enough when I first waljed through it. That was before living there with two of my kids, my mother who helps me out two days a week, and frequent visits from the girlfriend. The perfect apartment became a crowded shoebox very quickly, forcing a change.
You also need to decide what will stay and what will go. I have a CD collection that is darn near the eighth wonder of the world, and while that may have been impressive at one time, I'm looking at converting all of them I want to keep to Itunes, then selling off the hard copies. A computer hard drive takes up far less space than a couple of CD towers or shelves.
You should also consider furniture. A small house means that you may have to carefully measure things before buying the new sofa or fridge. I bought a very nice dining room table on sale ($750 marked down to about $300) which fit my small apartment very well, but also could be expanded for a larger room, which means I will be able to use it in my new house as well.
Fortunately you can pick from smaller refrigerators, washers, dryers, pretty much anything you need can be had in a much smaller form to accommodate smaller lodging. Determine the best use of the space you are now going to have.
I'm learning to do with less, not only the loss of a considerable income that my ex-wife had, as well as the loss of a very large home, but I am looking forward to the challenges of not only making my way strictly on my own merits and ability, but also learning how to live with less. None of us relish the idea of becoming a slave to our homes, working tirelessly just to make sure the beast is well fed and cared for, so to speak. So we learn to make do with smaller portions.
This is, I believe, a fundamental step to take when it comes to enjoying life. Now go therefore and live well....
Billy D. Ritchie
Director Of Content
Leadsbyfone, LLC