Comments on: The High Life On Less: What Can You Afford To Live Without?

By: fern

fern — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:54:26 +0000

I would really like to downsize from my smallish home to a smaller condo; about 1400 sf would be perfect. Untl the real estate market picks up, i must content myself with feeding my declutter urges doing other things, lilke cleaning out my closet and just not buying much stuff anymore.

By: Fabulously Broke

Fabulously Broke — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:54:29 +0000

That's a really good point – I don't like narrow spaces, so I guess if I looked for a very small bachelor's apartment, the layout would have to be good, with slightly higher ceilings (I hate feeling cramped and BF is 6' tall).. So I guess I have SOME filters, but in terms of straight square footage, a small place of 700 feet or even 500 feet would be OK for us. We barely move around in our apartment, nor need so many rooms. However, once the kids come.. it may be a different story, as we'd want a backyard to BBQ in.

By: Gingerlatte

Gingerlatte — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:17:07 +0000

Ive always admired this aspect of your life. Dont mind me, still battling house whore tendencies over here. I think about it all the time. Our first apartment as 900 sq ft and that was a 1BR. It times called for it I could easily move back. But for whatever reason Im at a point in my life where I want space and a back yardy uncle's home is 10,000 square feet, we even got married there and planned a large scale outdoor wedding for 150 people. Im used to having a large home but Im able to downsize if we had to.

I just have NO tolerance for a 1200 sq ft townhouse that's narrow has hell, I'd rather be in a 1 BR apartment LOL You'd have to see it to understand, it's just frustrating to move around in them. After looking at rentals last month Ive grown to hate them. Just give me a 1BR/studio and im good. Less space but more open.

By: Fabulously Broke

Fabulously Broke — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:29:51 +0000

A lot. We could cut down our apartment into a third and still be comfortable. We don't need a separate bedroom, just a decent kitchen and a separate bathroom.

I also decluttered a LOT of my wardrobe and stuff, so everything fits into 3 big suitcases and 2 carry-ons. I'm good to go anywhere and live. I'm sure I could cut down even more, but I think I've reached a happy balance that I'm comfortable with for now.

I've actually grown to hate furniture because when I vacuum I always have to be careful. It's so much easier with almost nothing around the apartment, and I feel totally calm.

By: Slinky

Slinky — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:10:03 +0000

I do live in about 700 square feet! And it's true, we don't have a ton of stuff and furniture. We actually measured the entire apartment and used visio to map out whether or not everything would fit before we committed to the place. (Just barely!) We could afford a bigger place, but we plan to stay in our tiny apartment for the next few years. We want to skip right past the bigger apartment and starter house and go straight to an awesome house. An extra couple years paying cheaper rent will go a long ways towards that.

By: JLenoir

JLenoir — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:08:07 +0000

I have downsized this year. Moving really helps you reduce, but I wish I had done so proactively. I choose to give a lot of gently used items to area shelters (they get a lot of garbage, so we give good stuff). So many families have had to make drastic changes. I seldom throw things out, I give them away or sell… We declutter once a month now.

By: JLenoir

JLenoir — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:00:04 +0000

I have a book issue, too. I love the way they smell and how they are always waiting for me, inviting me to another world. There are digital solutions. Still not used to e-reading, but I have about 26 books on my iPhone (they don't use much memory) and now considering a Kindle. Digital formats are a lot less expensive, most at about $9-10. We shop for books as a family at book fairs and exchanges. Books make a room warmer and more inviting to me. I even saw (on HGTV) how they were used as the inspiration for a downsizing remodel of a living room and grouped by color. Fascinating. I'm obsessed.

By: Budgets are Sexy

Budgets are Sexy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:01:59 +0000

That guy is AWESOME. and he also stole one of my top 3 jobs to do one day in you're interested in knowing the others, and i know you are, they are to be a banker, and own/work at a thriftstore.

By: Miranda

Miranda — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:51:48 +0000

We've been working on de-cluttering. My biggest hurdle, though, is my book collection. I love books. I love to have books. I have more books than any one person needs. I need to get over that and move on.