This blog has been a great platform to share the ways I decorate and creatively use space in our small home. I know that tiny home living is all the rage right now and even though we don’t live in a “tiny home” per se, living small, within our means and making it a space we love to be in is a passion of mine.
When Stacy asked me to join this Small House Tour, I was very excited. I think so many people put too much emphasis on having more, living large and keeping up with whoever their “Joneses” are. Life is too short to keep chasing after something that will not make you happier. Enjoy where you are right now and find the positive in the space you are in.
For me, there is one reason why I love living in a smaller home.
Freedom.
That may sound funny, but there are so many ways that living in a smaller home gives us freedom.
Freedom from a lot of debt.
It goes without saying that living in a smaller home costs less. Our mortgage payment is smaller and the utilities cost less every month, but one thing that was important to us was that the taxes and insurance be low. Matt and I moved into this home thirteen years ago. After we bought our first home and saw how much we were paying in interest over the 30-year mortgage plan, we made some major decisions and changes when we bought this house.
We are set to pay off our mortgage very soon and after we do, we will not be paying an arm and a leg in taxes and insurance every month. What is the point of working your tail off to pay your mortgage off and then still have a tax and insurance payment every month that is as high as a mortgage payment?
Freedom with time.
Now, don’t get me wrong……. I wish there were more hours in the day and more days in a weekend so I could get more done, but living small means that I am not spending a ton of time cleaning a big home or maintaining a huge yard. Living small is easier to take care of all around which in return, gives us more freedom to do the things we want to do.
Freedom to spend more time together.
Living in a smaller home means were are together a lot. Not that you aren’t together in a bigger home, but in a smaller home, no matter what room you are in, your family is always very close by. Our kids are still young so I wouldn’t want it any other way. I can’t imagine all the great conversations I would have missed out on with my kids if we all had our own bathrooms.
Some of our best talks happen around the bathroom sink getting ready in the morning. I wouldn’t trade that for a master bathroom any day (at least while they are still young).
Freedom of clutter.
This is a big one for me. I have a OCD issue with cleanling and being organized. Having a clean and organized home is important to me. I also love decorating and redecorating all the time. Living in a small home makes us keep only the things we love and use and get rid of anything else. I can’t hoard a bunch of things in our small home. We don’t have the space for it. Smaller spaces keep me purging and reorganizing on a regular basis.
Freedom to be creative.
This is another big one for me. I would be very bored and not very happy if I weren’t creative. I thrive on it. Living in this home challenges my creativity all the time. I am also looking for creative ways to live better in the space we have. This blog was started on a lot of those ideas and has only expanded from there.
Freedom to experiment.
In a smaller home, a makeover doesn’t cost a ton of money. Our rooms are small so even an entire room makeover doesn’t cost as much as a bigger home would. Since I have a tendency to change things up a lot and like to experiment with new things, I can do it in a smaller home more often.
Freedom to live cozy.
Living small is cozy. Rooms are smaller. Furniture is smaller. Everything about it lends to a more cozy feeling and atmosphere. One that embraces you and makes you feel at home.
Do you live in a smaller home? What are your favorite things about living small?
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Make sure to check out all these other small home tours from these amazing bloggers:
February 25thStacy Risenmay – Not Just A HousewifeJessica – Mom 4 RealAbby – Just a Girl and Her blogJennie – Craft-O-ManiacJanel – Nellie BellieVanessa –Tried & TrueFebruary 26thLindsay – My Creative DaysJennifer Rizzo – Jennifer RizzoShannon – AKA DesignJessica – Decor AdventuresDoreen – Hymns and VersesKristi – Balancing HomeMagan- Balancing Home
The farmhouse is small or cozy as I like to call it. 🙂 I like that I have to be creative with using my space and am glad it forces me to keep clutter to a minimum. Interestingly, our city house is considered small by some (1850 sq ft) but to me it’s large. Guess it depends on your perspective. I’d rather have a small, cozier house than one where everyone can disappear. Your home is charming. You’ve made it look so welcoming.
Thank you so much Cecilia!
I know this might sound strange, but I am in love with this post! We too live in a small house, and for awhile, I had to think about what I wanted, especially as most people I knew were moving out of their “starter home” (that was the same size as mine!) and upgrading to bigger, “better” homes. I soon realized that I love our home, and the reason that resonated with me most was the freedom to spend time as family. To me, having a bigger home meant more physical distance between my family members, and that’s something I’m not okay with. I love brushing my teeth with my girls in the morning, too. 😉
Jenny! Thank you so much for your comment. I am glad this post struck a chord with you. I love living small and would miss those morning routines in the bathroom! 🙂
Cute house. I like your playful touches in each room. I’m a little confused about your mortgage. We, also, paid our mortgage off early to save money on the interest payments (our lender allowed us to do that without penalty). It was a big savings for us. But I don’t understand what impact paying off your mortgage has on taxes. You still pay taxes on your house, alas, forever, regardless if you have paid off the mortgage. In fact, you get a break on your taxes if you’re paying off a mortgage. That little break disappears when you finish paying it off. As for insurance, lenders do require homeowner’s insurance, but it would be foolish to drop it once your mortgage is paid off. There are ways to reduce the costs but still have coverage for a catastrophic loss.
I didn’t say we didn’t have to not pay taxes after paying off our home. Living in a smaller home makes our taxes a lot less so even when we pay off the mortgage, I won’t have a hefty tax bill to pay every month. Does that help with the confusion? I wish we could get rid of taxes! 🙂
I love this post! It echos my own feelings so well. We bought this as our starter home but have decided to stay long term. We love it and the freedom it affords us. After suffering from layoffs, I love the security of knowing that even in REALLY lean times, we can still make our mortgage payment. Security and freedom are more important to me than square footage 🙂
Exactly!!!!
Love cozy your small home is! Fun being on the tour with you!!!
Thanks Jennifer! You too!
I love your cozy home LIndsay but I love your philosophy and passion for living small even more. Great tour!
Thanks so much Kristi!
I think I have finally found the house that works best for me! I’ve lived in condos, average 4 br home, huge house with pool and big yard and none have made me happier than my 1400 SF ranch. The two main reasons are its easy to keep clean and cozy! I also find myself staying busier around this house simply because going to my bedroom to grab my purse or throwing in a quick load of laundry seems so much simer here. My son recently called my new home “efficient” and that’s how I feel here! We, as Americans, have too much STUFF!
And if we aren’t careful that STUFF can take the place of real life!
YES! I couldn’t agree more MaryAnne!
My home is 1100 sqft., and we are a family of 4. My husband and I love you little house for all the reasons you gave. Even so, I’d like a wee bit more room, but then again, children grow up and move out – – hopefully. Thanks for the inspiration!
Your welcome Heather! #livingsmallforthewin! 🙂
awesome job!!! Love that You love your home, it shows
I completely agree! Our home is 100 years old and about 1500 square feet. We love it. It is so cozy, we cannot hoard, and between a decent sized yard and an enclosed wraparound porch, we have just enough room to spread out. Saving money on the mortgage means we can make the repairs old houses need, and we aren’t killing ourselves every weekend maintaining an estate.
YES!!!!!
We lived in a small cottage 27 years ago when we were first married, moved out when the children got bigger and ended up in a big house with acres and a pool. Both the children were married within a month of each other and we have now returned to our original marital cottage which we had rented out for all those years. We couldn’t be happier. I’ve totally redecorated it shabby chic/country/farmhouse and look forward to spending our twilight years in this cosy/cost effective/quick to clean home.
Great story!