Reasons to Live Small

We live small. We own one vehicle. We live in a two bedroom, 900 square foot, basement - that's more like an apartment. We have the blueprints to add the top on someday, but part of me doesn't want to. I enjoy living small and here's 6 reasons why and 4 tips for doing it well, which equals ten.

1. It takes much less time to clean.
2. Lower utility/energy bills.
3. Less debt. Let's face it - generally, the bigger it is the more it costs.
4. Family time is a little closer.
5. Less spending. Let's face it - the more places you have to put stuff the more stuff you buy.
6. Forced efficiency. When you have less space, you're forced to be more organized.

7. Speaking of organizing: go up! You'll be amazed how much room even the smallest places have when you use shelving.
8. Build storage spaces. Sometimes it's tempting to let the room be a little bigger and forgo the closets, but closests are key to living small. We have seven! You can even put 'rooms' in the closets. Our office and laundry rooms are.
9.Use lots of color. When you live in a small space, you don't want to feel like it's an assylum. Paint the walls!
10.Let the sunlight in. Open, large windows let light in, mirrors reflect sunlight. All of these create the illusion of more space.