Our Minimalist Lifestyle
This morning, I was talking to a few women at church and we were discussing the finer points of living in a minimalistic fashion. The conversation, was basically them trying to get a grip on how we live and trying to convince themselves that it would be good for them too, if only they could do it.
Let’s back up for a minute. As some of you might know, I grew up in Memphis, TN, in a 5 BR house. My husband, grew up in a 3 BR condo in Macedonia. He migrated to the US as a high school exchange student and moved into a big house just outside of St. Louis, MO. While he was doing this, I was starting college and dorm life in my tiny room. I believe this is where it all changed for both of us.
I love all things tiny. I take after my Grandmother, Lessie that way. That said, I have always felt very cozy in my small dorms and after that, my tiny studio apartments in NYC. Come to think of it, I have not lived in a house since graduating from high school in 1993! Even when I lived in the Chi-O house at Ole Miss, I stayed in my room, which was the tiniest in the house, and didn’t use the rest of the mansion in which we lived. Tiny spaces are home to me.
Fast forward to 2019, and my husband and I are happily raising our three children in a 2 BR condo just outside Washington, DC. We have what we would call the perfect set-up. We are literally on top of the Metro, walkout patio with covered dining space, garage parking, a pool just downstairs, two on-grounds play grounds, a picnic area with grills, and a vest nature area with two ponds! These are just a few of our favorite things about living in condo life.
The best thing about condo life for us, is that we get to spend our weekends and time away from work, doing what we love and not what we HAVE to do in order to maintain a property. We get more family time, and that is by far the best thing this home has to offer.
Growing Up Means Going Up
You might ask yourself where we put a family of five in a 2 BR condo. Well, we have, since the day the twins were born, used our space as efficiently as possible.
When the twins were born, we used our large walk-in closet and had them in Moses baskets on the floor. Once they were 6 months old and rolling out of the baskets, we moved them to a crib and they shared that bed until they were 18 months old. From there they moved to three cribs with the sides down, to make toddler beds. They were small and all fit beautifully in their bedroom.
After they outgrew the toddler beds, we bought triple bunk beds. This has been the best room improvement thus far. They love it and it’s saved tons of floor space. All of these things help us to milk this space we have for as long as possible.
Less clutter and better use of space makes all this possible. Every season change, I go through and change all the clothes out, and donate what can’t be worn. If you don’t stay on top of this with three kids, it becomes unmanageable.
To Sum It All Up
The key to happy life is figuring out a reasonable enough point. Once we stop focusing on our wants and are happy where we are, we become happier individuals.
We have an old car, an old motorcycle, and a 2 BR condo but we are happy with what we have. We have enough to perpetuate the lifestyle we enjoy and anything more is not going to bring more happiness.
Compromise? Let’s say “it is”, however, it put us in pole position to have more time. A resource that money can’t buy.
What is your enough point? Are there areas of your life where you could cut some excess, save money, or improve your overall satisfaction?
