Trying To Live Minimally

We do not live completely minimally. But we have adopted some of this lifestyle's techniques. It wasn't until the other day that I realized how long we've actually been doing this and as the days pass, we continue to change more things that help us adjust.

Let me first say, that there are 5 in our family. We are were used to living in homes that were about 2,000 square feet. If you aren't quite sure what that means, I'll give you an idea. We had a full dining room, kitchen, a decent size bedroom with his and hers closets, three additional bedrooms, and 2.5 baths. Along with a garage and a large living room and storage closet! We now live in a home that is about 1,000 square feet. Still have the same number of people. I forgot mention we also have animals... Starting to feel a little claustrophobic yet?

We fist took a small step towards minimal living when we moved from one side of the country, to the complete opposite. We decided we were no long going to have cable or satellite television. This decision was made partially because we were tired of spending so much money on it, for only a few certain channels. That's when we decided to instead, get an online movie/tv series service for just $8 a month. That was nice and made the adjustment pretty smooth. We missed our shows, but learned to like "new" ones online. We decided to spend some money and get a digital antenna for our tv. It's good, but not the greatest. Depending on your location, is how many channels you will have access to. We
generally only have two or three. Makes me laugh when I compare to what we had with satellite. Then I remember how much we are saving and just like that, I'm fine with it ;) We also have more free time, since we aren't glued to the tv.

Then we made a big step... We moved again, nearly cross country... (to the 1,000 square foot home). And we decided we would continue to live without cable (this makes 3 years without cable. That's a savings of at least $2,300. I couldn't tell you what we were paying for cable, to be honest. I don't remember the exact amount. But I do know that number I put in to get this amount was indeed, less that what we had been paying. So, I can bet we've saved much more than that.) We also decided that we would not get internet. *gasp* I know!! How ever will we survive without it. It's like we would be living in the old days. No cable... NO internet! Have we lost our minds!? No! We are doing just fine without it. Now, I won't lie, I want it. I am always looking up local deals and such. And we can afford it. But, just choose not to have it at this point. We also have some great family members that allow us to mooch off theirs, when need be. I thank them for this! Don't worry. We still have our smartphones! So, internet is accessible through those as well.

Since I mentioned smartphones, I'll tell you about our most recent step. We stopped using the nationally known carriers and went with a small, pay as you go company. For less than half the amount, we have more data, unlimited calling and texting, and the service has been great. We have talked for a couple years about taking this step, but have always been very hesitant about it. We finally bit the bull by the horns and went with it. I'm very happy with it and especially happy with my bill!

Let's get back to the 1,000 square feet. My oh my was this quite the adjustment. We had so much stuff. Going through everything took a couple months. Most of our things were in the garage, boxed up, for a long time. It eventually got to the point where cars were filled and a utility trailer was packed and it all went to a drop off center, just to get it out of the way for us to breathe. I'm so glad I agreed to it. I don't like getting rid of our things. But, it's been quite some time now and I don't miss any it! We chose to stay in such a small home, due to finances. The payment is extremely affordable for us and we love it. We don't feel trapped. It's a nice home. You can view some of the projects we've started, by visiting here, here, or here.

Adjusting to our space truly took some time, but now we don't feel bothered by it, and I'm so grateful. When we have a lot of company over, it can get packed inside, but if the weather is nice, we like to be outside. The yard is much bigger than we are used to and we fully enjoy it. Every day I'm learning that less truly is more. I don't NEED cable. I don't NEED to have a brand name cell phone company. I don't NEED internet... Now, I will say it will soon become a need. So, we may come out of our box, but it's okay! Life changes and we will take the necessary steps to accommodate the changes.

I think I'll stop here and add more detail later on ;)

-T


Photos were saved from a search engine site.