5 Reasons I Love Living in a Small House

First off, for a little background, I’m no stranger to tight quarters. Till I was eighteen, my family lived first in an apartment and then in a 900 square foot house (all 7 of us). My mother was, and is, a master organizer. In addition, a comfortable level of orderliness and purging was the order of the day.

So now (and not to say I don't love looking at and dreaming of visiting places like

this

or this,

or that if we have a large family and decide to build someday we might not plan something bigger), but, since getting more of a handle on my own organizational plan in this second year of marriage/seeing how the work I put into the house in the first year is paying off, I’ve come to personally really appreciate a small floor plan.

So here are 5 reasons why I love living in a small house:

1. There’s the obvious plus of more inexpensive heating and cooling. And changing/playing around with interior design elements is less of an investment -- i.e. your $100 worth of paint goes a long way.

2. Cleaning. Cleaning is WAY faster. It'd be misleading to say it's easy peasy (it most definitely isn't and I do not in any way have my cleaning schedule down pat yet), but because it’s smaller there just is LESS. Fewer windows, less floor to sweep/vacuum/mop. One bathroom.

3. It forces you to purge.

4. It’s easier to keep track of everyone. You don’t have to shout. And you can hear what the baby or toddler is up to.

5. First for a quick proviso, this is NOT to say you can’t have a close knit family in a mansion (I’m not saying that A’TALL), but, by nature, living in a small space does tend toward creating close knit bonds (between parents, parents and children, and child and child). Of course, it can all very easily turn sour, too, so it’s really and always God’s grace granting the fruits of the Spirit to each and every member, but living in a small place can definitely facilitate/be one of the means He uses. You’re bumping elbows all the time and it forces you to keep short accounts. (Note: I’m not against corners and reading nooks and quiet places either – on the contrary, it’s one of the first things I’ve been thinking about when rearranging things in the house.)

Now since everything’s happening in the same areas you do have to stay on top of things or everything will quickly start falling to pieces. The mess is right there under foot, and you can’t close the door on it and just move to a different area of the house. No, one must simply gird up ones loins and just do something about it. ;D But then, when it's all tidied up and you can see the floor again it's such a very rewarding feeling.

So there you are! What are some of the reasons you're thankful for where you are -- large or small? Would you like some organization posts sometime? :)