Monday, January 17, 2011

'Living small' and our new home!


I'm entering my second year of LIVING SMALL and frankly I really like it. If someone had told me 5 years ago that I would someday live in a home that was 10 times less in size.. I would have thought it unbearable. But, here I am and we're as content as can be! God has given abundant grace and we have found great peace in not only living with less but also with LIVING SMALL.


Here are a few things I like about LIVING SMALL:


  •  LIVING SMALL demands less of my time to clean which allows more time to invest in eternal priorities.   
  • LIVING SMALL forces me to make the most of the space that I do have. Our new little cottage has less storage than we previously had so it forced me to consider and evaluate each item I own (literally). That is a good thing because it helps me to narrow my priorities in what I own! Less stuff equals less to take care of.
  • LIVING SMALL helps to harness the shopping bug (a.k.a. GREED). I used to enjoy browsing the stores which generally ended up in another purchase. But no longer! I just don't have the room for anything else unless I get rid of something.  I honestly have lost all desire to window shop which in the long run is saving me money and helping me to live more comfortably on a very limited budget.
  • LIVING SMALL has helped me to focus more on my important relationships than on STUFF>

It's possible that someday we may LIVE LARGE(r) than we are living now but I believe that our lives will be forever effected by the drastic challenge of LIVING SMALL. At least I hope so!

So here is a tour of our new little cottage.


This is our main living space. Our kitchen is on the left.
 I've stored our canned food out in the garage in cabinets.
My 'office' is to the right of this picture in the lower left hand corner.



Same room just from a different view. The door straight back
is the laundry room which we share with our little lady plus
a bathroom. The hall leads to her home.
My 'office'. The closet holds half of our clothes. Our little lady
(Mrs. A.) has been gracious to allow us the use of an extra closet in
her home. I really think we could get by with this one closet if
we had to. Maybe I'll downsize our clothes this year.


Our bedroom. Our bed just barely fit. We had less than a foot
at the end but lots of space on the sides. Our BB (beloved pet)
sleeps on the pillow next to the bed.

We are also blessed with a 2 car garage which has helped tremendously. I've stored extra cleaning products along with canned foods, an extra fridge, large cooking pots and appliances and extra toiletries.
I'm determined that we COULD live in just the space given minus the garage and extra closet. We would just not be allowed the luxury of a stocked pantry.

We have everything necessary to maintain our household.. plus a little more. Isn't that amazing?

12 comments:

  1. Ilove your little place. So simple yet so very beautiful. btw - I've posted another frugal quilting and there will be another one tomorrow. Hope it helps you. Hugs

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  2. So happy to see your new accommodations and also read about your contentment. I bet the "little lady" loves having you there along with your caregiving. You must love being closer to your family as well. How does DH like the new arrangement? The LORD is indeed good!
    Hugs,
    Carol

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  3. It is a lovely, cosy little space. You are blessed.

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  4. You have a very nice space and are certainly making the most of it. Blessings to you.

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  5. I love your attitude and I think your little cottage is beautiful. You did a great job of making the most of your new blessing. Thank you for the tour.
    Blessings

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  6. You have made a lovely home in a simple place.

    We have lived in our RV for extended periods of time when we have had to wait for housing when moving to a new duty station. We manage just fine and have realized we can live without all the "stuff". I am looking forward to our next move (not sure when) so we can downsize into a smaller home. We do not have a huge home, but it is bigger than what we really need.

    May you enjoy your new home.

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  7. i so love your posts! They encourage and challenge me!! We still have not moved and i am still de-cluttering. Several years ago we (the 3 of us) had gone fishing in N. MN with my hubby's uncle who was a fishing guide. We stayed in a little bitty cabin on the lakeshore. There were 2 tiny bedrooms, a tiny bathroom and a larger living area ~ combination kitchen/living room. i loved it!!! i told my husband that i could live there; if i didn't have all of the stuff i had at the time. And i truly meant it!! Less truly is more!

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  8. Your new space is great! We're in a small spot now too, I like it for the most part. I keep trying to decide if I want to bring more things here from our house but since I know we will move again in the fall, I usually decide against it. We had 3 foot tall plug in Christmas tree and I brought just some of my art supplies here. Other than that nothing. I'm not stocking up like I used to--which I wonder about since inflation is a concern--but I guess we'll just have to trust Providence for that and take things as they come.Gather that manna. :)

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  9. I love your new home! You have everything looking organized and cozy..... who could ask for anything more..... God is so GOOD!
    I love your blog....it's very positive/uplifting!
    Hugs,

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  10. I think you live to your space, the more you have the more you need to fill it with 'stuff'

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  11. Hi Georgene, I am so glad that things are working out for you and your family. You new living space is very pretty and cozy looking. It is nice that you will be close to family again. Gerry

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