There are many shows about how to get a smaller home. From designing and converting school buses into homes, turning transforming shipping containers, and creating homes that can travel like some of the homes in Tiny House Nation. Being an avid fan of these houses, I believe there are many benefits to living in a small home. They have all the essential things but just on a smaller scale: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living space. So, today's post talks about the benefits of living in a smaller home, broken down into four main categories.
Jump to:
- 1st benefit of living in a small home is Saves You Time:
- 2nd benefit of living in a small home: it helps You Not Procrastinate:
- 3rd benefit of living in a small home: it saves you money:
- 4th benefit of living in a small home: it's great for the environment:
- Who would benefit from living in a smaller house?
- Tips for living in a small home
1st benefit of living in a small home is Saves You Time:
- You can do other hobbies more often. If you like to hike, travel or even be able to relax more and work less.
- It takes less time to clean the different rooms since each room is not too large to clean in an hour or two.
- Less upkeep of the smaller home means less lawn mowing, unless you enjoy mowing the lawn.
- If you like to mow, it will take less time to mow if you have a smaller lot.
- Less gardening unless you enjoy gardening.
- You will have time to complete all the tasks you have to do since they are not that many.
- You will have a simpler life.
2nd benefit of living in a small home: it helps You Not Procrastinate:
- You need to take care of the clutter now. If you keep clutter around, you won't have room to move.
- You can buy smaller closet systems to customize the closets resulting in a more organized space and no need to procrastinate when putting clothing away.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate), and at no additional cost, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase.
3rd benefit of living in a small home: it saves you money:
- You can save more money for retirement. The less you have to pay for your mortgage, the more you can add to your savings.
- The tasks you need help with around the house are much smaller than in a larger place.
- You don't need as much money to live, so you can make less and enjoy life more.
- It is cheaper to heat and cool your house than a larger place.
- Maintaining a smaller place is much more affordable than keeping a larger one. You can probably get an affordable cleaning service to clean your home.
- Utility bills will be lower because you have a smaller home.
- You don't need to decorate the home as much, resulting in savings there too.
- You can buy items of better quality that are multipurpose, which means you will shop less often.
- And you will improve your carbon footprint since you don't have a large space to heat or cool.
- Multipurpose items can minimize the need for unitaskers in your home.
Here are just some Multipurpose appliances I found on Amazon (affiliate):
Air Fryer + Convection Toaster Oven, 8-1 Oven Cuisinart
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KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield KSM150PS,Aqua Sky
Buy Now →(affiliate)
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate) and at no additional cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase.
4th benefit of living in a small home: it's great for the environment:
- A small house means you will have a smaller environmental footprint.
- You will most likely generate less trash in a small house. Fewer people living with less stuff will result in less waste.
- Being in a neighborhood with several small homes, you will likely get to know your neighbors, fostering a community environment. In a larger home, you may be separated from your neighbors, resulting in acquaintances but no personal interaction.
That's a lot of benefits. But who can benefit from a smaller home?
Who would benefit from living in a smaller house?
People who live this lifestyle usually love being outdoors, enjoy spending time with friends and family, and prefer not to do a lot of chores when it comes to caring for their house. So, living in a smaller place is ideal for them.
People with smaller families, like a couple or a couple with one child, live comfortably in a small cozy home.
Tips for living in a small home
When living in a small home, there are some healthy habits that you may want to adopt to make the experience more enjoyable.
Spending time outside
Walking daily, reading a book outside, and spending time outdoors will help you feel less Closter phobic if you are home all day every day, especially if you work at home too.
Ensure you have a purpose for each room in your home.
Each small room may have several purposes. Knowing them before you move in will help minimize stress during the move-in process.
You can easily create zones in each room to help keep the smaller space organized.
Maximize your hidden wasted spaces.
Places under the stairs and in a wall bump-out can help store items. Visit our HOW TO FIND WASTED STORAGE SPACES IN YOUR HOME for more tips.
Use multipurpose furniture.
This could be a coffee table (affiliate) that converts into a dining room table. Or, an ottoman (affiliate) that stores blankets and shoes (affiliate). Visit our COFFEE TABLE WITH STORAGE YOU WILL LOVE FOR YOUR SMALL HOME post for more ideas!
Paint with light colors.
I have painted our walls with dark and light colors over the 25 years we have lived in our home, and I found that the lighter colors unify the spaces better than the darker ones. An accent wall on one focal point wall works well for a splash of color.
Keep in mind the "one in, one out" rule.
My rule of thumb before buying anything is to use the "one in, one out" rule. When I go out, the items I purchase must either be replacement items or multipurpose items that allow me to eliminate several unitasker items. Using this rule, I stay on a budget more easily and don't feel guilty when I make a purchase.
I hope this post highlights the benefits and enables you to move forward with your plans to simplify your life.
Do you have a small house? What are your reasons for living in a small house? Please leave a comment below.
Visit some of our other posts for tips on small home living:
- How to Customize Ikea Cabinets for a Small Space
- 10 Clever Small Kitchen Organizing Tips
- 7 Book Storage Solutions For Small Spaces
- Solutions to Hide Clutter in Your Small Home
- Helpful First Time Off Campus Apartment Tips
- The Best Ways to Organize Shoes in Your Home
- Upcycled Springtime Soup Can Craft Ideas
- Crafty Over the Door Hanging Organizers to Maximize your Kitchen Space
Janet Scheisl says
I definitely believe there is no room for clutter in a tiny house. Everything has its place so I agree for some this can be ideal. To be honest I can't imagine raising my kids in one though. Ahhhh. I'd need to escape to the outdoors most of the time. Hahaha! They remind me of the commercial for SheSheds! 🙂
Julie Bestry says
I was perfectly happy living in a small, single dorm room because I only *had* to sleep and groom myself there; I could study, socialize, and dine elsewhere. Every apartment I've had since then has been, if I'm honest, larger than I need. (I'm not being extravagant; they're always 1-bedroom places; but I'm just not that big and I don't have THAT much stuff! But this one has one entire extra room, intentionally meant as a library, and I do use it as such. A required luxury!)
I could never live in a tiny home, per se, but you are smack-dab in the right zone for the benefits of living in smaller spaces. Easier/faster to care for, cheaper, cozier, and better for the planet. And your explanations of the essentials for accommodating life in a smaller space will help people do so!
Jonda Beattie says
I love the way you explain the benefits. I especially like the bit about less procrastination and therefore less mess. I have two sons and when they were young, we moved quite a bit. When there were choices in bedrooms my older son always wanted the smaller room. Why? Because it was easier to clean and if he and his brother played together, they would play in the larger room (where the mess would happen). While I am not yet ready for a "tiny" house, I do like the smaller one that I live in now. When family visit, we have room for meals together and visiting but then they go to hotels.
Linda Samuels says
One of my fantasies is to live in a tiny house. Last summer we stayed in one to see what the experience was like. It was incredible, but it was hard to imagine living in one that tiny full time. My husband said we'd need two tiny homes...or maybe just something a bit larger.
But I love the idea of living in a smaller home for all of the things you named. For now, we are very happy in what I consider our 'right-sized' home. It's not big, but wouldn't qualify as a tiny house. My goal is to continue pairing down so IF we were to consider tiny house living, we'd be ready for it.
Diane N Quintana says
I really like the way you explained the benefits resulting from choosing to live in a small house. Finding hidden storage spaces and buying multi-purpose furniture and appliances would be really important.
Seana Turner says
I joke that I would love living in a small home most of the year. I don't take up much space. Mostly just need kitchen space, a bed, bathroom, and a place to relax. I agree that it would make life simpler, cheaper, and just overall less stressful.
However, a couple of times during the year, I need a big home, when the family comes. What I really need is a smaller home that can morph into a larger home for just a couple of weeks a year. I'm open to suggestions on that one LOL!
Sabrina Quairoli says
LOL, I understand, totally! It is usually just us and then, three times a year, it becomes a huge crowd.