All across the world millions upon millions of people have chosen to opt in for the downsized lifestyle, and for a number of good motives. In this post we’ll be investigating the top reasons why so many people in the modern world are deciding to live smaller.
You’ll also discover some key reasons why downsizing just might be the right option for you, enabling you to live a freer, more hassle-free lifestyle.
Money, Money, Money…
Very likely money, or improving one’s financial position, is the most common reason why people decide to downsize where they’re living.
Downsizing doesn’t necessarily mean going from living in a standard 4 bedroom home to living in a tiny house. The term “downsizing” applies to any form of living smaller than what you already are.
The biggest purchase most of us will ever make is a house or apartment (unless you can afford to buy a jet or luxury yacht). Even when it comes to renting, often the rent is the largest weekly or monthly bill by far.
To reduce debt or increase the level of disposable income, it only makes sense to first look at your current living situation and work out a way to make that cheaper overall.
Everyone’s financial circumstances are going to be different, but generally speaking, when you downsize where you live, you also downsize the amount of money housing costs in the process.
For example, you might sell your 4 bedroom, spacious home and purchase a cheaper 3 bedroom house, or a smaller 4 bedroom house. Depending on what you owe on your mortgage, the difference between the 2 could end up getting you out of mortgage debt (or at the very least taking a huge chunk out of that debt).
It can be the same with paying rent. Instead f paying $2000 a month, a smaller place might only be $1200 a month, giving you an extra $200 a week in disposable income.
In the modern world money, or a lack of it, is one of the biggest causes of stress in our lives. People constantly worry about where their next dollar is coming from, how they’re going to pay the bills and on it goes.
Downsizing your home can vastly reduce your money worries and stress levels.
Enjoy a More Simple Life
This is another big one.
The larger the home, not only does it cost more in paying back a mortgage, rent and upkeep and maintenance, but there’s usually more work to be done around the home as well. The house is bigger and probably the yard is bigger too.
Often weekends can be taken up with doing mundane household chores – indoors and outdoors – and possibly some repairs.
Cleaning a big house thoroughly takes a lot of time, whereas a smaller home will be much quicker to clean.
If you downsized from a stand alone house to an apartment, then you won’t have any yard maintenance to take care of, as the body corporate or caretakers and management will handle all of that.
People who own larger properties will find there’s so much to do outdoors all the time, that they have very little time for a social life or indulging hobbies outside of work and home maintenance. That’s hardly an ideal lifestyle, unless mowing lawns, tending to gardens, trimming trees, raking up mountains of leaves and so on is something you’re really into on a regular basis.
You Get To Declutter Your Possessions and Your Life
Living smaller will likely mean you have to get rid of some stuff first before you can make the transition. It’s a process of elimination and decluttering.
This isn’t all about getting rid of obvious accumulated junk that may have no value. You might decide to free up space for your new home by selling off larger furniture pieces or other items of value that you no longer want, need or desire to keep.
Other stuff, such as children’s toys that the kids have grown out of, could be given away to family, friends or a charity organization. You could also hold a yard or garage sale and move some of your stuff that way and make some cash in the process.
The most organized way to perform decluttering is to go from room to room and make a list of everything in there to get rid of. Split the list up into sections of stuff you can sell, things you will give away, and anything that really needs to simply go in the trash.
There is also something very therapeutic and liberating about the decluttering process. As you do it and free up the space in your home, mentally it also seems to clear the head in a positive way. It’s a good thing all round, but just make sure that what you do get rid of, you can genuinely live without.
Less Stress
We talked about financial stress earlier, but downsized living can actually reduce stress in a number of ways, freeing you up mentally so you can get more out of life and truly enjoy being alive, rather than a slave to the dollar, house upkeep, or simply worrying about things in general.
Downsizing your living also downsizes your levels of stress.
You’ll find you have both more time and money to get out and do stuff. Living in a smaller home can actually make you more determined to get outdoors more, exercising, exploring places in your area, or indulging in a sport or hobby that you’ve been putting on the backburner for years.
Life is meant to be lived, not cluttered up with constant responsibilities, tasks to do and money to find. That’s not truly living. That’s just living life according to a never ending “to do” list.
The Takeaway
This post has merely touched on just a few of the major reasons why people are downsizing and why it makes sense to do so.
There are definitely many positives when it comes to downsizing your home. What does downsizing mean to you, and how do you think you’ll benefit from it?
Feel free to leave answers to those questions in the comments below.
