Comments on: We’re downsizing our home

By: JoeJoh

JoeJoh — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:09:23 +0000

Check out this 330 square foot elegantly designed Craftsman Bungalow. It’s gorgeous. I’ve got my plans
and can’t wait to build.
http://www.welovesmall.com

By: Mar

Mar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:13:46 +0000

Two nights before we are “downsizing” from a 3,000+ home to a 2,000 something home. Man, the stuff we’ve gotten rid of!! Took probably 90% of it to thrift shops rather than toss. I think I’m lighter by a third but we still have to maintain two full offices for a home business. One of the three bedrooms will be one office, and mine is going to be in the unfinished basement. That’s a downgrade for me, but the rest of the house is beautiful and charming and everything we’ve wanted in a house – it just came in a smaller package.

By: Worker Bee

Worker Bee — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:38:14 +0000

I think this is a wonderful exercise even for people who aren’t planning to move.

By: Brynn

Brynn — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:57:53 +0000

we’re in a smallish 200-year-old city rowhome at 1200 sq ft, 600 sq ft of which totally goes to waste. love the neighborhood, and i have renovated SO much. this home probably cost me less than a new place half as big in the same neighborhood. therefore, though it’s more than we need, we’re probably staying put.

recently i did start selling off stuff we don’t use – i unplugged my laptop and took it on a tour of the house, listing stuff on amazon.com as i went along. i’ve already made a hundred bucks off odds and ends i haven’t touched in years! highly recommend this method.

By: tammy

tammy — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:57:34 +0000

we moved into a condo with slightly less than 1000 square feet about 3 years ago. it’s me, my husband, and our youngest child who is still living with us while finishing college. it’s plenty of space, and we even have friends over all the time. it’s not the number of square feet, as much as the layout, that makes it a great place.

there’s 2 bedrooms, a large bathroom, and the rest is all one room – combined kitchen, dining, living space. we can comfortably have 8-9 people here for an evening.

and our heating bill is rarely over 100 a month, even in cold ohio winters.

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:47:26 +0000

You don’t even want to hear my story. Just recently moved from a 5500 sq ft home to a 2800 sq ft home. Tough to get used to but also thinking how ridiculously big the last home was. It was abnormally big. I understand people do it but it was excessive. Electric bill hit $1000/mth. I know…I smartened up (or down ) Now I get the sad look from my friends as if something tragic happened. Too bad for them I guess…or maybe I should have given them my electric bill so they could have helped. I haven’t yet been able to feel the financial relief since it is so current but I am imagining it will be a nice load off. Great blog.

By: Melisa

Melisa — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:42:38 +0000

My husband and I have a larger older home, but many of the rooms are not very big and separated from one another by many doors, we opted for a Murphy bed in one of our guest rooms. It was both cost effective and a practical solution, considering I was able to put a treadmill in the room as well.
We made our purchase from Old Creek Wall Bed Factory. Their staff was great and our bed was here before our guests arrived!

http://www.wallbedfactory.com

By: Brooks

Brooks — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:51:04 +0000

My wife and I did something similar. We sold our 3000 square foot house and moved into a 1600 foot townhouse. Everyone of course thought we were nuts, but we have never been happier. The reduced space has not been a problem in the least.

By: Megan @ Disorder2Order

Megan @ Disorder2Order — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:12:42 +0000

Thanks for this post Matt. We are trying to sell our home and have been looking for a new one. With two small growing boys, I kept thinking we needed more space. The more I look, the more I have come to realize is that we really don’t need a bigger home at all. It’s amazing how our society keeps dictating the need for big giant homes… not for me! Thanks for sharing… best wishes on your transition!

By: praise_in_ohio

praise_in_ohio — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:59:54 +0000

Contgratulations on this wise move. I did it myself in February. Cut my electric bill in half! I would encourage you with he bed situation to stick with the futons instead of the hide a beds they are much more comfortable,even a daybed with an extra mattress underneath if possible. I also slid a mattress under the twin bed in my grown son’s room. I need to have places for my 8 grandbabies to lite when they come visit so tucking beds here and there was a necessary challenge to my creativity! Just keep on organizeing yourself and you can make what you need to fit and simplify, simplify, simplify…

By: jason

jason — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:02:39 +0000

Craigslist is awesome for big items that require local pick-up. Be careful though face-to-face transactions always bring a bit more of a safety risk than electronic/mail transactions.

By: partgypsy

partgypsy — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:58:48 +0000

Don’t count out the sleeper sofa! There are some good one’s out there, but you have to pay for them. We got one from Workbench and upgraded the mattress that came with it, and have had no complaints from even older folks. Granted, it cost $1200. On the other hand, stay away from Jennifer convertibles.

By: Petar

Petar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:30:40 +0000

My wife and I also “traded up” recently, into a smaller apartment… but I say “traded up” because even though we moved into a smaller place that costs more than our last apartment, the location is much better… and that’s made a HUGE (positive) difference on our quality of life!

Bigger isn’t always better (and it’s harder to clean).

By: haslin hj

haslin hj — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:21:55 +0000

@ Hayden Tompkins, yeah…i like the idea of that space saving bed, just wondering where to ‘buy’ or did you custom-made it?, i’ve never seen any (in my country)

By: Leigh-Anne

Leigh-Anne — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:59:28 +0000

I’ve found air mattresses to be terrible in my experience. I’m still a student so I go back home to work for ~4 months in the summer and air mattresses make so much noise and are way too soft. I spent 3/4 months last summer sleeping on the floor and got a much better sleep that way.