In November 2020 we published a post called “What’s It Like To Downsize” after living in our smaller home for six months. That piece covered the immediate highs and lows—owning less stuff, saving money, and the early challenges of paring down and finding storage solutions. We still stand by everything in that post, but now that we’ve lived in our downsized home for over 4.5 years, we have some longer-term observations and added perspective to share.
To avoid repeating the full backstory (you can read our full explanation elsewhere), here are the highlights:
- We left a 3,150 sq. ft. home in suburban Richmond, Virginia.
- We now live in a 1,400 sq. ft. house a few blocks from the Gulf of Mexico.
- Our home has six rooms total and only one bathroom.
- The lot is roughly one-tenth the size of our previous yard.
- We don’t have a garage, attic, or basement, but we do have a pool, hot tub, and firepit.
- We wanted a walkable neighborhood and can now stroll to shops, restaurants, and the beach.
- Our family motto has been to “live with less & be outside more” (or: “spend less time cleaning & more time in the pool”).
After 4.5 years, downsizing remains one of the best decisions we’ve made. We spend far less time, money, and energy on homeownership tasks—maintenance, renovations, furnishing, and cleaning—so we have more time for family, hobbies, nature, and better work-life balance. Financially it’s been advantageous as well (a smaller footprint is easier and less expensive to heat and cool). You can find a breakdown of our savings in our original downsizing recap.
We’ve also lived in this house longer than many of our previous homes, so this lifestyle isn’t a short experiment. If downsizing hadn’t been a good fit, we would have changed course by now.
After many years of living smaller, two opposing but related thoughts stand out:
- It’s easy to forget you downsized.
- It’s easy to be reminded you downsized.
Both speak to the mental side of downsizing, a pattern we’ve noticed in conversations with friends and neighbors who made similar moves.
Forgetting You Downsized
Most days we don’t think about having less square footage. We’ve fully adjusted—mentally and practically—to 1,400 square feet. What once felt unconventional now feels ordinary, to the point that it’s almost hard to describe what makes it unusual. That normalization is a good thing, and we highlight it for two reasons.
1. Transitions Are Temporary
If you’re facing a downsizing transition, know that the difficult parts tend to be temporary. Like other life changes—college, a new job, having a child—the adjustment phase is often the hardest. For us, paring down was manageable and even enjoyable, but it took two to three years to fully figure out furniture layouts and install the storage solutions we needed, such as closets and built-in cabinets. Once those practical pieces were in place, living in a smaller home became largely autopilot.
2. It Was The Right Move For Us
The fact that downsizing has become so ordinary for us is evidence it was the right choice. We still host guests—our pool and proximity to the beach are big draws—and we spend much more time outside as a family. Weekly cleaning is quick and shared, and the simplicity of fewer rooms and possessions has given us peace and time. Limitations do exist, but they’ve prompted creative solutions rather than feelings of real loss. For example, instead of storing large Halloween props in crawlspace, we chose smaller, foldable decorations that are easy to tuck away and still bring joy.
There’s a calm confidence in saying “nope, that won’t fit” and letting things go without long internal debates. The trade-offs have felt worth it: less clutter, less maintenance, and more money and time for the things we value.
Being Reminded You Downsized
Even though downsizing becomes routine, you still get regular reminders that your lifestyle isn’t the norm. Those moments often come during conversations with people who couldn’t imagine living without a guest room or a double garage, or when visiting a friend’s much larger house and noticing features like multiple closets or a huge laundry room.
Comparison is natural and not unique to downsizing. You might admire a grander home and feel a brief desire for more space—that’s normal. The important part is distinguishing fleeting envy from a deeper, persistent longing. If grander homes spark only momentary appreciation, downsizing may still be right for you. If it provokes ongoing dissatisfaction, take time to reflect before making a move.
We often tour bigger open houses for inspiration and then happily return to our cozy home. Seeing other homes helps reaffirm our priorities: living with less means needing less money, working and maintaining less, and gaining more time for family, friends, hobbies, and nature. For that reason, larger homes rarely tempt us enough to change direction.
One caution: if you’re likely to experience strong house-size envy, a neighborhood with a wild range of home sizes might make downsizing harder. Our area includes everything from cottages like ours to lavish waterfront estates, and while that variety doesn’t make us regret our choice, it could affect someone who feels insecure about living smaller. Know yourself and choose a setting that supports your decision.
Would We Still Choose Downsizing?
Yes—absolutely. After nearly half a decade, we remain convinced it was the right move. Early on we focused on logistics and finances, but the long-term mental and emotional benefits have proven meaningful as well. The novelty is gone and what remains is a sustainable, enjoyable way of living that aligns with our priorities.
We’re happier with the clarity downsizing has brought. Simplifying and paring down can become almost addictive in a healthy way: less stuff, less upkeep, more life. Sure, we sometimes miss big props like enormous skeletons, but even those small desires can be solved with creativity and usually turn out fine.
More Posts About Downsizing
If you want to read more about our experience downsizing, here are additional posts from our archive:
- Making The Decision To Downsize
- We Did It! The Realities of Downsizing
- The Rooms We Don’t Miss After Downsizing
- 4 People + 1 Bathroom: How We Make It Work
- 6 Smart Layout Features For A Smaller Home
- Tips for What To Get Rid Of When Downsizing