downsizing your house

I recently looked into downsizing my house. This idea came into my head for many reasons, which we can visit another time. I decided to do a little research and see if this was feasible. First, there’s a few things you should know about where I live.

Frisco, Texas
Population: 122,000+
Average income: $101,000+ (over twice the national average)
Average house size: 3,100 sq. ft.

My house is less than 1,800 sq. ft. I won’t get into my salary here, but I’ll just say God has a great sense of humor having me here in Frisco… for many reasons. Still, I decided to look into downsizing my home, just a little bit.

My options were slim to none. I could buy a foreclosure, a smaller sized one, but by the time you add in the repairs (new house and existing house), realtor fees, cost of moving and the emotional toll on my kids, it’s just not worth doing. I have seen a few people downsize their house, many of them upsizing again.

This whole process intrigues me. I want to know more about it. Who downsizes? Why? I’m doing some research on this topic and I would love your feedback.

Have you ever downsized your home, or anything else?
What were the costs?
Were there any unexpected results?
In the end, did it accomplish your financial or simplification goals?
If you looked into downsizing, but it wasn’t a good option, why not?

If you hate typing, but would be willing to answer these for me, please contact me.

2 Comments

Patti on September 2, 2011 at 6:03 am

Hi, to answer your question, we’re in the process of downsizing now. We’ve downsized a few times, but this is the “grand-daddy” of all downsizes for us! We originally started with a 4800 sf home in Roanoke, VA which we downsized to move to FL into a 2100 sf home, then a 1700 sf home, and now we’re selling just about everything we own in order to become full-time RVers. I personally feel more free with less stuff. Stuff ties you down and prevents you from living life. We had a hard time at first with some family antiques and such, but you come to a realization that these items are just that….items. What’s important is the memories of your life, your family, the people who owned the items, etc. With each item we sell, I feel more and more liberated! We are waiting for our house to sell, and then we will more into a small apartment for about a year in order to save enough money for my husband to retire which will allow us to live our dream of living in an RV and traveling across the countryside. We are very fortunate in that my husband collects a military retirement after serving 28 years in the Navy. He currently has a job, but in about a year, he is going to give that up so we can live our dream.

Minimalism isn’t for everyone, but I think everyone should try it. It sure helps you to save money not to have to covet every new item that comes on the marketplace and to appreciate what you do have and do use.

Hope this can help you a little in your research.

Patti Stone

jody wissing on September 2, 2011 at 8:55 am

Thank you SO much for your feedback. I like what you said about minimalism not being for everyone, but everyone should try it. I agree with that because if I had not tried it, I would never have known all of the great benefits of it. The great thing is that you can downsize, or live minimally, based on your lifestyle and your personality. I love art, so I tend to have a little more in the way of art supplies, but I’ve drastically downsized my home decor and personal belongings. I live in a minimalist way with automobiles, holidays, gift giving, food and other things. Everyone needs to do what works for them individually. If I didn’t have young kids, I would probably already be living in a vintage Airstream! :)

Thanks again!!!

Patti on September 2, 2011 at 6:03 am

Hi, to answer your question, we’re in the process of downsizing now. We’ve downsized a few times, but this is the “grand-daddy” of all downsizes for us! We originally started with a 4800 sf home in Roanoke, VA which we downsized to move to FL into a 2100 sf home, then a 1700 sf home, and now we’re selling just about everything we own in order to become full-time RVers. I personally feel more free with less stuff. Stuff ties you down and prevents you from living life. We had a hard time at first with some family antiques and such, but you come to a realization that these items are just that….items. What’s important is the memories of your life, your family, the people who owned the items, etc. With each item we sell, I feel more and more liberated! We are waiting for our house to sell, and then we will more into a small apartment for about a year in order to save enough money for my husband to retire which will allow us to live our dream of living in an RV and traveling across the countryside. We are very fortunate in that my husband collects a military retirement after serving 28 years in the Navy. He currently has a job, but in about a year, he is going to give that up so we can live our dream.

Minimalism isn’t for everyone, but I think everyone should try it. It sure helps you to save money not to have to covet every new item that comes on the marketplace and to appreciate what you do have and do use.

Hope this can help you a little in your research.

Patti Stone
- jody wissing on September 2, 2011 at 8:55 am
  
  Thank you SO much for your feedback. I like what you said about minimalism not being for everyone, but everyone should try it. I agree with that because if I had not tried it, I would never have known all of the great benefits of it. The great thing is that you can downsize, or live minimally, based on your lifestyle and your personality. I love art, so I tend to have a little more in the way of art supplies, but I’ve drastically downsized my home decor and personal belongings. I live in a minimalist way with automobiles, holidays, gift giving, food and other things. Everyone needs to do what works for them individually. If I didn’t have young kids, I would probably already be living in a vintage Airstream! :)
  
  Thanks again!!!