Benefits of Living in a Small Space

It has now been three months since we moved from our home in Connecticut to this rented home.

My living space has decreased by 4/5. Yes I said 4/5. New calculations on the interior space of this home reveal that it is not 2/3 smaller as I thought. My storage space has reduced by over 3000 square feet (plus an attic I barely used) down to one hallway closet. We can't park inside the two small garage bays as we are using that to store stuff. We are paying for two storage units that are holding things until we can buy a new home that will be larger than this but smaller than the Connecticut house.

Here is what I have come up with for benefits of living in a small space. I am trying to think positively about this situation.

1. You are forced to own less stuff. It is easier to talk yourself out of buying something if you have nowhere to put it. Thus, you also save money.

2. It is easier to organize a small amount of stuff. I have never felt so organized in all my life.

3. It is easier to take out and put away the things you need when the space is small. You don't have to  walk far to get to it and you don't have as many places to have to fetch it from.

4. It is easier to clean a smaller space. There are less toilets to scrub and less surfaces for dust to accummulate on. I hate house cleaning anyway. Also, the cleaning is do-able so I am not even tempted to pay someone to do it.

5. On the rare occasion that something is lost it doesn't take long to find it since there is hardly anyplace it could be.

6. There is less indecision as there are less choices. Need a raincoat? Oh! I only own one now! It doestn't matter that it doesn't match my outfit, it is the only one I own so I have to make do. I only have two pocketbooks here so the fashion choices for accessories are limited.

7. I have more free time since I got rid of material possessions relating to hobbies since I had nowhere to put the stuff. Now I can't do that fun thing, but I have time on my hands to do whatever I can with what I did choose to keep.

8. It is easy to not let clutter build up as in a matter of a few days it can get ridiculously crowded. Tidying up and getting rid of stuff happens every day. Doing a little each day makes the work light. That stack of unread newspapers is too high? Guess I'll never get to them, put them out to recycle now. Kids outgrew those clothes, give them away immediately as I have nowhere to store what I do want to use in the future, let alone storing stuff we are done using.

9. We save time and money by not entertaining. We have nowhere to put people so we can't invite anyone over. (Although that's a shame as I do like to have friend over. Also, I've never lived so neat and tidy. If anyone ever does come over I'll not need to clean for them, it looks great just as it is. No more rush to tidy up before the person gets here...)

10. I don't step on LEGOs or trip over toys because there are none. There is no room for them, they are in storage. My kids have been forced to graduate from toy playing to spending their time doing schoolwork, reading books, listening to music on MP3 players, watching TV, playing video games, web surfing, Skyping, and using Facebook. They also ride bikes, play sports, and do Boy Scouts.