As your family grows, you might be wondering if you need a bigger house. However, getting one might not be the best idea. A bigger space means paying more and paying more can mean working more. This can take important time away from your family, and the tradeoff may not be worth it. Yes, it is tempting to get a bigger space as your family grows. But before you do that, consider some of these tips to make the most of your smaller home.
Learn to Live with Less
Most people live with far more than they need. One obvious culprit is clothing: is there clothing that you own that you haven’t used in a month? How about a year? Often getting rid of the things that you don’t need can leave you feeling less stressed. Whether that’s because you have fewer outfits to sort through in the morning to get dressed or you don’t have to find a place for the sandwich maker you never use or you’re not tripping over that extra basket. Before you purchase an item, think about whether you really need it. Getting rid of possessions you don’t need can be intimidating. It’s okay to start small. That way you can feel accomplished about what you have completed, and you can use that accomplishment to push you forward.
Maximize Your Space
Even without a major remodel, there are plenty of ways you can make better use of space. You don’t have to be limited by the layout of the home. A common problem is not having enough storage space. If you do not have enough storage space, make more storage space. You don’t have to be limited by the layout of the home. Creating more storage space can look like finding furniture that doubles as a storage container. This can be a couch with cushions you can remove to reveal chests. This can be a bed that you raise on stilts to make more room underneath for storage containers.
Maintenance
It is hard to stress the importance of consistent maintenance enough. It is almost always cheaper to fix something up so it doesn’t break, then to fix it or replace it after it has broken. Good maintenance practices can also help you better insulate your home and reduce utility bills by making your heater and AC units more efficient.
Staying in a smaller home as your family grows isn’t always the most obvious solution. But hopefully these tips help make it a feasible solution. It’s not just that you may not need a bigger home for your growing family—a smaller home could be better for your family.
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