There have been 10 life lessons I’ve learned through the act of downsizing. We began moving last year. Because for a short time, we still needed to own our home, it has been a slow and gradual process; one that allows for contemplation, exploration, and realization. I have written so much about our downsizing process. If you’re interested, there are about a dozen articles here.
As we have moved to a much smaller space (4,000 sq ft to 1,300 sq ft), there have been a lot of decisions to make, items to sell, and so much more to donate. It’s actually be very freeing. Which leads me to the ten life lessons I’ve learned in a year, since we started downsizing.
Lesson One: Less is Absolutely More
Less is absolutely more – in my humble opinion. Thirty three years ago we started out in a 636 sq ft apartment, upgraded to a 1,000 sq ft ranch, then a 1,700 sq ft two-story, then an almost 4,000 sq ft two-story walk out. Each home suited our needs, and our growing family perfectly in each season. Then, as our children grew into adults and began their own adult journeys, we no longer needed 4,000 square feet, four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, or a large lawn / garden to maintain.
When the opportunity to move to a nearby town two hours south of ‘home,’ we jumped at the chance. These luxury apartments were more like a resort, and truthfully, we needed a respite. We needed a fresh start, a new beginning, and a brighter outlook.
Less is more meant exactly that, for us. Less space to maintain meant more time to enjoy other activities. Less maintenance meant more money saved on repairs and upkeep. Less surplus things meant more of what we loved and needed. All of this less meant more time to relax, to take walks, to sit by the fire pit, or lounge by the pool.
Downsizing lesson one is that having less meant having more of the things we wanted, and less headache, stress, and overwhelm.
Lesson Two: A Place for Everything, etc.
“A place for everything, and everything in its place.” I’ve heard it my entire life. Living in a smaller space has a way of allowing this life-lesson to really shine. We had to think about our use of limited space in light of functionality, accessibility, and usability.
Because our apartment has vaulted ceilings over 12 feet in height, most closet spaces and kitchen cabinets have very high storage availability. However, just because it’s there, doesn’t mean it’s functional or accessible on a daily basis. Yes, we can store whatever we need in these large chasms of space, but they require a step stool in order to reach them when needed. And so, while we still have storage needs for excess pantry items, or household goods, we did not need to use more accessible areas for these extras.
One solution we found is using shelving units in our upper closet spaces really extended our storage ability of extra items, and freed up usable closet and cabinet space for the daily use items we needed more regularly. In that same vein, we found that using a small rolling cart in our laundry closet was a more efficient way for me (because I’m short) to access my cleaning and laundry needs instead of reaching way overhead to the high shelf above. It’s been a game-changer. And an added bonus, I can wheel my little cleaning cart with me as I clean the apartment, and have everything I need in one place.
Lesson Three: What You Need & Love
One of the downsizing lessons I’ve learned in the last year has been to only keep what you need and / or love. At first, the thought of downsizing our belongings was overwhelming. What would we keep, what would we sell, what would we donate, what would we pay to store? One day as I walked from room to room trying to make these decisions, it felt completely overwhelming to me: Until I changed my thinking from what to get rid of to what did we absolutely, without question, want to keep. I wrote a couple of articles about this whole process here, here, and here.
When we looked at a room filled with belongings, furniture, artwork, and decor accessories, contemplating which items to keep was much easier than deciding which to get rid of. Let me explain. We had some questions to answer:
- Are we, or can we, take this and use it in our next location? Can we move it ourselves?
- Is it an heirloom or have sentimental value?
- Would we be sad to let it go forever?
- If we pay to store this for the next ten years, will it still be in good condition, in current style, or will we still want to use it in our home…. ten years from now?
Once we answered those questions, we found we were left with only what we needed, and truly loved. That allowed us to cull our belongings, begin selling furniture, and hauling donation after donation after donation to the local charities. Finally, as we moved into our new apartment, we only had what we needed, and only what we loved… and it was a beautiful, freeing, and stress-relieving thing.
Lesson Four: Finder’s Keeper’s
“Finder’s keeper’s – Loser’s Weepers,” or so the saying goes. This next downsizing lesson rides the tails of Lesson Two: A Place for Everything, etc, (above), lesson four is a positive consequence of having less square footage. Because there are fewer places to place items, stash them, store them, hide them, or lose them, there’s really relatively less likelihood of misplacing items to begin with. We have a lot less weeping these days, let me be honest.
Kitchen drawers stay organized because there are fewer things to store, and because organization has been well-thought out and implemented. Clothes closets stay relatively tidy because of simple strategies used to maintain them. When an item has a place, and there are few other places that item can be, it’s very easy to put it back where it belongs without too much thought or decision.
Lesson Five: Easy Routines
One of the downsizing lessons we’ve learned is to put routines into place. For example, an entry table has two drawers. One drawer holds keys, wallets, sunglasses, etc. Whatever gets emptied from pockets as one walks in. The other drawer holds coupons for restaurants. As we leave the house to grab a quick bite to eat, they are easy to access, easy to remember, and they are always right where we put them.
Another daily routine that is quick and easy to follow is to reset our space to neutral. That means, after my morning coffee, and generally after I’m back from my walk or the gym, I reset our spaces; living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathrooms back to neutral. In the living room, pillows and throws are replaced to their rightful spot, in the kitchen, the dishwasher is unloaded, in the bedroom, the bed is made and nightstands are cleared of clutter. The bathroom is also reset with towels on their pegs, the counter cleared of daily use items, all shower items are put back in the closet. It’s a simple, twenty-minute task that resets the day in a fresh, clean light.
Evening routines are similar. We put any dishes in the dishwasher and run it right as we turn in for the evening. The coffee pot is filled and prepped for the morning, and any outstanding clutter on the counters or kitchen table / island, are put in their rightful place.
This downsizing lesson has been easy because we have a place for everything, we know where everything belongs, and we follow these simple routines every day.
Lesson Six: Life Simplified
It is amazing to me how life is simplified by living in a smaller space. I don’t think it’s only the smaller space, but the new location and the actual community we live in as well. I was a bit concerned when we first downsized to the apartment. I didn’t know how it would be living in a small space again, but we are fortunate to have nine seven-foot windows in our kitchen living room combo. Each bedroom has two large windows, and so we have an enormous amount of natural light. That and the high ceilings really help the space not feel too confined.
There is a true simplicity that comes with living small, though. I have fewer cookware options than ever before – and I find that I don’t miss the things I don’t have. I can’t actually remember the last time I used many of them. Some things, like our full-sized blender, we downsized to a smaller, single serve model. It still works the same, has more power, and takes up so much less space.
Having fewer things – like a rarely used waffle iron, and two coffee grinders – means having fewer things to maintain, or keep track of. I don’t have to try to squeeze in the crock pot because I have a blender, a waffle iron, and two coffee grinders. I wasn’t using those items, and now, I actually have a place to easily store the item I was regularly using.
Lesson Seven: Capsule Wardrobes
I have been a fan of capsule wardrobes for a very long time now. But it has also been one of the 10 downsizing lessons. I never kept to the 10-item wardrobe theory; I’m too much of a fashion lover for that. However, I have found that having a smaller, more concise capsule has provided me more space in my closet, and less headache around dressing for occasions. I wrote about my Fall Capsule Wardrobe here. And my travel capsule wardrobe here.
The main lesson is that when you only have a core foundation of colors and pieces that mix and match well together, your outfits are endless because everything goes well with everything else. It saves time, it saves money, and it saves – or rather – expands your limited space.
Lesson Eight: Shopping Experiences
Shopping had become a pastime. If I was bored, I ventured to the nearest Hobby Lobby or Home Goods. Most of the time, I brought home things I didn’t need, struggled to find a way to use them, and then the next season, would end up donating them because they weren’t my style. When I think of the literal money I wasted – you know what…I don’t want to think about it.
An unexpected downsizing lesson has been that shopping is now an experience. We live about an hour north of Nashville, and there is some serious luxury shopping in Nashville, Tennessee. Let me tell you. There is a whole mall of high-end luxury stores. Not that we’re in that price category by any means. In any case, it is so much fun to have an excursion day, or a side quest as we call them, for a day of window shopping and day dreaming. Throw is lunch and suddenly, it’s an experience all it’s own.
Here are some places we visited on a day trip to Nashville. Crate and Barrel, West Elm, & RH (Restoration Hardware).
Lesson Nine: A Cohesive Home
Creating a color palette is an easy downsizing lesson to learn, and to stick to. In fact, the outcome lends itself to lesson six above; it simplifies the look of your living spaces. When we first started gathering items for our move, we determined a very neutral color palette. I’ve talked about it here.
We knew a few pieces we were taking were taupe, dark brown, black, gray, and cream / white. All neutrals. But the options that opened up to us were endless. In the spring I can add in blues, in the summer, greens, in the winter months, and for holidays, rich browns and burgundy. Because most everything is our living space falls into these categories, we can easily rearrange furniture from room to room, throw pillows, art work, and decor pieces.
It also means most storage items can double as decor pieces, like baskets in our kitchen hold linen and cloth napkins. They do double duty as storage, and yet, they look beautiful on a shelf. The same goes for the live edge wooden salad bowl and serving spoons. They are used almost daily, but can be stored as decor on open shelving. The color of these items fits our palette and overall aesthetic. Even the things that are in every day sight can double as decor when a space has a cohesive look and feel.
That is one of the downsizing lessons I’ve learned this year. When on a shopping excursion, I know what items will look out of place in our home, and which will work beautifully. I know which ones will do double duty, and which ones will end up clutter. It’s a valuable lesson that saves time and money.
And speaking of spending money…
Lesson Ten: A Penny Saved
The biggest and best downsizing lesson we’ve learned is that a penny saved is a penny earned. Ole Ben was right. It is amazing how much it costs to heat and cool a 4,000 sq ft house. Also, the water bill for 3.5 bathrooms. But it isn’t just the logical, common-sense things. No. It’s the every day, “why didn’t I realize that?” that sort of things.
Like food storage: We have a smaller refrigerator in the apartment than in our house. That means I have to be selective about fresh fruits and vegetables. Our pantry is much smaller at the apartment, plus, I don’t have the overflow space of a basement storage area. That means, what I buy MUST be used and eaten. Because I’m buying less, I’m saving more. It also means that because I’m buying less quantity, I’m paying attention to better quality.
Because we aren’t spending on frivolous items, we have more money to spend on experiences and activities – like going to a local baseball game, or car festival. It also means that since we aren’t spending money on heating and cooling bills, we have a little more to use to invest in quality furniture pieces we can take with us as we move from place to place.
These 10 downsizing lessons have been life-changing.
I thought I knew what to expect when we downsized. But these downsizing lessons have taught me so much about myself, my routines, my priorities, and how I choose to spend my time. This has been life-changing for me. So much so that even when we decide to settle down again (maybe one day), I can’t imagine going back to any other way of life.
Yes. Less is absolutely more!
