As you know, we are forever trying to use our condo space more efficiently, and Lindsay and David's space is even smaller than ours. They are an inspiration! They make it look easy.
Lindsay recently started her own blog, My Wild Idaho, chronicling her family's tales. I'm a fan. And I love the name. Read her post below, then read her blog, and then like her Facebook page!
She's also publishing one of my posts to her blog today so check it out here. Enjoy!
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My husband and I are raising two
young boys in 714 sqft. of space (plus a 12x8 storage unit). We love it and
it’s challenging!
The background to this: When we got married we fell in love
with a certain area in Boise, so we found a 450 sqft. basement apartment to
rent. Neither of us owned much when we met, but moving into our tiny apartment
required further downsizing. We loved our place but finally grew tired of
living underground and “throwing our money away” on rent. We found a beautiful
condo to buy in the area.
In the
meantime, the economy tanked and we stumbled across a Dave Ramsey book. While we were
already frugal, we started incorporating more of his financial advice into our
lives. Living in our condo started out as a short-term plan but has become a
longer-term plan. We changed our 30-year mortgage to a 15-year and have been
making it work ever since. Side note: condo
living is not typical for most Idahoans. Idaho isn’t exactly short on space.
Don’t tell anyone though. =)
How we make it work:
·
We are realistic about what we actually use and
value.
·
We don’t frequent yard sales, thrift stores, store
sales, or even Craigslist without a list.
·
Instead of storing unneeded items we sell them,
donate them, or find a family that needs them more than we do.
·
We stay organized, using our space wisely.
·
We don’t own seasonal decorations other than
Christmas ones, and we don’t own China dishes (or other lesser used items).
·
We get our light beige carpets professionally
cleaned every year (very important to our sanity).
·
I do laundry often instead of buying lots of
clothes.
·
We recently sold our TV (for many reasons) and
made room for a play kitchen for the boys (the boys are playing with it/using
it as a jungle gym right now.)
·
We have a queen blow-up mattress and complete
bedding set stored under our bed. We can still accommodate those brave guests.
=)
·
We even shop at Costco (an ever-increasing list)!
(We just stagger the bigger purchases.)
·
We purge toys before Christmas/birthdays and
keep only the boy’s favorites.
·
We purchase less and purchase smarter (quality
over quantity).
·
We have a “give away” bag ready. When we don’t
want an item it goes in the bag. Every couples of months we distribute the
items where needed: thrift store, consignment, another family . . .
·
I use books to decorate. I already own them, I
love them, and they have to go somewhere.
·
We practically live on our porch in the summer
(Literally this summer. We plan to camp on it once in a while.)
Don’t get me wrong. We sometimes
dream of an extra room, decorated in earth tones, where guests can stay, rest,
drink the world’s best cup of coffee, and have great conversation (ha). We
dream of a backyard where we can throw the boys the boys can play; where
we can raise a puppy, build a tree house, grow a garden . . . (We do plan to
grow some killer tomatoes on our porch again this summer). We dream of a big
dining room where we can fill our family and friend’s bellies. A pantry. An extra
freezer to participate in an organic beef share (Hello Scott Family). Maybe
even a garage to park our car in (seems so extravagant!) and a desk to put our
laptops (kitchen counter) and printer on (storage ottoman, not the most
convenient to print something).
The benefits to small space living:
It forces us to keep life simple; more family and friend time, fewer projects (all painting I did before having babies). No lawn to mow or
yard to take care of. We have less space to heat, cool, clean, and decorate. It
helps us value relationships and experiences more than what we do or don’t own.
It also keeps us closely bonded, as we have no choice but to be in each other’s
space. Our home is our haven.
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| Main living space |
 |
| Different angle |
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| Our bedroom |
 |
| David and I share a standard size closet. |
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| Laundry |
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| Bathroom |
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| Boys' room |
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| Boys' room |
Thank you so much for sharing this awesome post with your readers.
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