Why I Chose A Smaller Home

I purchased my home almost 17 years ago.  As I look back it is hard to imagine that much time has passed already.  We live in a two-story, two bedroom, 1½ bath townhouse – 990 sq. ft.  It is the first home I have ever owned.  My goal was to purchase a home at the age of 30 and in January 1995 I was able to do just that. 

At the time my son was 8 years old and two bedrooms were all we needed.  We moved in and made ourselves at home after a lot of elbow grease, blood, sweat and tears.  Believe me I shed some tears on occasion.  Over time I have taken our 1979 home with its original décor and breathed a whole new life into her.  She wasn’t the prettiest shack on the block but she sure shines now. 

My criteria when I purchased my house was simple: 

·         Most importantly I had to be able to afford my mortgage payment.  Even if I lost my job and had to work at McDonalds.

·         It had to have two toilets.

·         It had to be something that I could live in when I retired. 

The layout is nice in that we don’t feel cramped and closed in.  Our dining area, living room and my home office are in one large space.  We have a separate laundry room with the ½ bath located down a nice wide hallway.  The upstairs bedrooms are both nice sized with ample closet space. 

There are a lot of bonuses to having a smaller house: 

·         Smaller mortgage

·         Lower utility bills

·         Maintenance is manageable

·         You won’t have to downsize once the kids have grown

·         You collect less stuff

·         You can clean it faster

·         You know where everybody is 

A smaller home does have the advantage of forcing us to spend more time together and when dinner is ready you certainly don’t have to holler too loud to get everyone to the table.  It’s warm and cozy and suits us just fine.