Monday, May 23, 2011

Living in a Small Place

As you saw here, our home is not what you'd call large. There are times when we really struggle with this, like tonight. The kitchen is overflowing with dirty dishes. The refrigerator door doesn't open all the way due to the radiator being in its way, causing the fridge to be packed to the gills because I can't get very much inside the fruits & veggie drawer. The living room floor, all 10 square feet of it, is covered with baby things. The couch is full of papers & such that used to be on the kitchen table but were removed from there so we could eat dinner. Sigh.

But perspective is everything, right? So I'm going to practice seeing the glass half full and share all the positives of living in a small space.

1) It takes very little time to clean. John & I can have the place spic & span in less than 45 minutes. That's going from the description above to an apartment that has everything put away, swept floors, a clean kitchen and a clean bathroom.

2) It helps us to be content with what we have. Knowing that you'll have to literally find a space to put anything that you buy prevents you from purchasing new things.

3) Not only does it help you be content but it also shows you that you don't need as much as you think. When deciding what would go in our storage unit and what would stay in the apartment, I very carefully packed some boxes to stay in the apartment to be used as an extra counter for the kitchen. We have gotten into those boxes once in the last eight months - to find the clippers for a haircut for John. We've not been in the storage unit at all.

4) It's gotten us closer to the living arrangements of so many others in the world. Closer, yet not there. We're still better off.

1 comment:

Jacob and Sanna said...

good on you for learning to live in a smaller place. When or if you move into a bigger place, it will feel like a palace!!