Back when I was in my early 20’s my grandparents were forced to move to an assisted living home due to my grandpa’s Parkinson’s and increasing blindness and my grandma’s Alzheimer’s. My aunt asked if I would want to take on the project of hosting the estate sale and decluttering all of their belongings. I imagine going through her childhood home would have been too difficult and she also had a full time job. I happily accepted as I had always loved my grandparents and their house had been a second home to me. I wouldn’t be lying when I say that I truly loved going through each and every piece of their life. However, I had a few major realizations throughout the process as well.
I recently hosted one of my live decluttering sessions where I was given the chance to do some one on one coaching. Mid way through our session, my client, Haley, referenced a stress ball that she struggled to get rid of. This is the same old struggle most of us face when it comes to decluttering. We have an item that we don’t really use but we try to convince ourselves that we will or that it might come in handy one day. Here’s the cold hard truth about those un-used items that you might need someday.
Two years ago we moved into a whole new house. A house with 2,000 less finished square feet than our previous house. Our plan was for a new beginning, a fresh start, and a simpler way of living. We never could have imagined the big time changes that were about to take place in our home and in our lives. In the midst of this massive minimalist movement, a lot of people are asking themselves, “Is it worth it?” “Will I regret it?” These are the thoughts I know I had. I craved a downsized life, but, was it worth it? Do we regret it? Let’s talk downsized and how our family of 5 is doing after 2 years.
After our family moved from a townhouse into a large 3,400 square foot home we never could have imagined that this big upgrade in life would actually start tearing us apart. Today I want to reflect after a year and a half, get really honest, and break down for you exactly what has changed in our lives for the better since the day we ditched the big house for a tiny “starter home.” Basically how downsizing helped our family overcome depression, avoid divorce, and reunite us as a whole.
If you have been dreaming of a downsize into a smaller house, I’m here to lend some words of encouragement and let you know that it is totally possible! Back in 2015, our family of 5 began the process of downsizing from a 3,400 square foot home to a 1,400 finished square foot starter home. It changed our lives in the best way! The thing is, I get that it can be totally overwhelming for people to even know where to start. In this post, I will break down the step by step process we went through to smoothly transition into a smaller house with three kids in tow!