The Joy of Less: Downsizing Tips for a Simplified Life
Are you longing for a change in your life? Are you beginning to feel like all the stuff you own is making your life harder rather than easier?
If so, it may be time to downsize and simplify your life.
Downsizing can mean different things to different people. Some may pare down their belongings until they fit into a 400 sq ft log cabin in the woods, such as the ones we sell at Lancaster Log Cabins. Others may opt for a modest 2-bedroom home half the size of their current house.
No matter your downsizing goals, we’d love to help you in your journey! Keep reading to discover the benefits of downsizing and determine if it’s right for your situation.
Table of Contents
What Does it Mean to Live Simply?
What truly matters in life? What gives you joy? What makes you feel fulfilled?
Many people find that the hectic, consumeristic, complicated modern world is full of drawbacks. We buy things at the store instead of making them with our own hands, and we end up with so much more than we need. We have so many modern conveniences, but somehow, we end up with much less free time.
Because of this disconnection, a growing movement of people have committed to living as simply as possible. This more toward simple living includes:
- Thinking carefully about what you buy and prioritizing quality over quantity
- Spending time on the things that matter to you
- Connecting with nature
- Making things with your own hands
- Prioritizing meaningful connections
The movement to live simply often involves downsizing. Moving to a smaller dwelling gives you more time since you have less to maintain, forcing you to go through your possessions and decide what you truly need and need to part with.
Should I Downsize?
When trying to decide if you should downsize or not, here are some questions to ask yourself:
What phase of life am I in?
People are often drawn to downsizing when going through a significant life change. If you’re an empty nester, are experiencing financial strain, are recently retired, or have experienced a death or breakup and feel you need a change of pace, downsizing is likely a great option.
On the other hand, downsizing can be a lot of work, so if you’re in a phase of life where you’re caregiving or going through something stressful, it might not be a great time to downsize.
How much of my space and items do I currently use?
Take a careful look at your space and items. How much of it do you use? Be honest with yourself; if you haven’t used your home gym yet, you probably aren’t going to start.
On the other hand, if you love to host out-of-town family and friends, you’ll probably be disappointed in a smaller space that doesn’t have much hosting capacity.
Am I spending my energy on the things that matter?
Make a list of what you spend most of your time doing. Then, make a list of your values.
How well do they align?
If you spend most of your spare time cleaning and doing lawn maintenance but rarely have time for your hobbies or to spend quality time with your loved ones, it’s time for a change!
Four Benefits of Downsizing and Simplifying Your Life
People have many reasons for opting for a smaller, simpler life. Let’s look at some of the benefits you can expect from downsizing.
1. Financial Benefits
Moving to a smaller place will save you a significant amount of money. Simply put, smaller places cost less to rent or buy, helping you get out of debt quickly and make better financial progress. You’ll also have less to maintain, reducing maintenance costs.
2. Environmental Concerns
Over-consumption is terrible for our planet, polluting the air, filling the ocean, and depleting the earth’s finite resources. By being careful about what we consume and only letting the things we need into our lives, we make the world a better place for future generations.
3. Freedom and Flexibility
Downsizing gives you a tremendous amount of freedom. Think about it—less space means fewer things to maintain, which means you have time to do the things you love!
4. Simplicity and Clarity
Finally, when you’ve pared down your life to the essentials, you find a renewed simplicity and clarity. Without the encumbrance of all that stuff, you’ll discover that you have all kinds of newfound clarity to focus on what matters.
Three Ways to Ease Into Downsizing
While downsizing your home has many pros, it also has cons.
First, it can be a daunting undertaking. With so many years' worth of memories in the place you live, how will you ever sort through and pare it down enough to fit into a smaller space?
And what if you get rid of something, only to regret it later? Or move into a smaller house only to long for more hosting space or a bigger kitchen?
Of course, anything you don’t sort through now will become someone else's burden after you’re gone, and that’s not a legacy you’re eager to pass on. But if downsizing seems daunting, here are some ways to ease into it or try it out before fully committing.
1. Focus on downsizing your belongings at your own pace
Some people downsize by moving to a smaller space, which forces them to sort through their belongings. But for others, that’s too much pressure, as they’re afraid of tossing things they’ll regret later.
If you’re in the latter category, it may be best to spend a few years sorting through your belongings little by little. Divide your home into twelve spaces: the living room, attic, spare bedrooms, kitchen, etc. Every month, go through the items in one space and get rid of the things you know you don’t use and never will. If you’re on the fence about an item, keep it.
After a year, you’ll have gone through your whole house, and it’s time to repeat the process! This time, you may eliminate some items you kept the previous year because you realize you went a whole year without using them.
Eventually, you’ll have a better idea of what items you use and whether or not you can fit everything into a smaller space.
2. Rent a smaller home as a trial run
If you’d like to try downsizing but aren’t sure you want to commit, rent a smaller home for a few years and see how you like it.
Put your extra furniture and belongings into a storage unit.
If you love having a simpler life, wonderful! You can purchase a smaller home and sort through the things in the storage unit. But if not, that works, too!
After all, it’s difficult to know the actual pros and cons of a downsized life until you try it.
3. Build a cabin as a downsized retreat
It may sound counter-intuitive to build a second dwelling as a path to a simpler life, but for some, it may be just what they need.
After all, many of the simpler things we desire aren’t about space; they’re about nature, peace, and tranquility. To that end, one way to attain a simpler life is to build a cabin in the woods that you can retreat to whenever you need a break.
When you’re not using it, you can rent it out or offer it to friends and family who may also need a break.
You may find that cabin living suits you so well that you take steps toward moving in permanently. Or, you can stay in your current home while appreciating the convenience of a part-time downsized life.
How Lancaster Log Cabins Can Help
If you’re looking for a high-quality, real-wood log cabin to downsize into, Lancaster Log Cabins would love to help!
Our park model cabins are a fantastic choice for downsizers. Not only are they made of premium materials, but they’re entirely turnkey—you can walk right in, and they’re ready to go. Finally, although they function as tiny cabins, they’re technically classified as RVs, making it easy to get financing!
If you’d like to know more about park model cabin living, we have plenty of blog posts to help you out, including:
- Park Model Cabins: What They Are, and How to Use Them
- Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions about Park Model Cabins
- 14 Features to Look for When Buying a Park Model Cabin
- Creating a Cozy Interior: Interior Design for Park Model Cabins
If you’re interested, call us today, send us an email, or stop by and see us!
We look forward to hearing from you.