Why We Made The Decision To Downsize

Eight years ago, my husband and I began building our second home in Lexington, Kentucky.  Four bedrooms, large kitchen,  and open floor plan in a very desirable area of town. We could finally entertain our family and friends and no one would be on top of each other as they were in our first starter home. The location put us only 15 minutes from our families in another city and closer to our friends. I loved our home from the beginning stages of pouring the foundation to the day we walked in after closing.  There was no adjustment to a new house and where everything was located. It was simply home. Everything fell into place.

We had plans for this home. There was hope for at least one child and the guest bedroom could be for a friend who could nanny for us and later our mothers. There is an elementary and middle school within walking distance and although never spoken, we expected to stay here for at least twelve to fourteen years. We even discussed adding a dog to join our two cats.

Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. 

There were multiple failed infertility treatments. After our last miscarriage, we debated upon more and stopped at the last moment. Within a month, my Mom was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer and would be gone in four months. Four months after that my Nanny would be gone also.

This house cocooned me during my season of grief (that went on much longer that this grief counselor every expected). The formal living room became the space where I began my blog and was often were I would journal in the early morning hours. I wrapped myself up with one of my Nanny’s quilts and cried at 2:00 am in our guest bedroom when I couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to disturb my husband. The kitchen allowed me the space to learn to cook differently when I began to cook gluten-free. My yard became home to plants that were passed down.

We learned to live again after our losses in this house.

Recently, my husband and I both acknowledged that despite loving our house, it no longer fits our needs. With over 2500 square feet, there are spaces that are rarely used. Despite the significant space, I have never been able to create my own space other than a chair. We have rooms that are simply there to be seen and a storage closet where we simply continue to put more stuff. The truth is, this house is meant to be a family home. It doesn’t fit two adults and now only one cat.

After meeting with my real estate friend Amanda, we realized selling our home first was a good step. The real estate market in Lexington is so tight that multiple offers are made on homes and having any type of contingency (such as selling a home) could halt a seller from choosing a prospective buyer.  As we are not sure what type of house we want next and if we will buy or build; we made the decision to put the house on the market and rent for awhile.

Once Amanda listed the house, as we expected, we had multiple viewings and offers. We signed our contract to sale within less that 48 hours. We are now awaiting the steps of the closing process with a tentative move out date the middle of May.

Now we are faced with where we will temporarily be moving. We are questioning what we want this next step to look like for us.

We are also taking a look at what we have. Like many, we are fortunate to truly need no material items. The reality is we have much more than what we need. This is something I have been considering over the past few years and an issue I am much more in tune with as we begin the moving process.

I invite you to come along with me on this journey. However, let me be clear that I have no intention of being a minimalist and we will not be moving to a tiny house. (I am in love with the bungalows in our town but am not ready to change my furniture and lifestyle to fit into a bungalow.)

What you will find me doing is questioning what and how much do I need. Many of the decisions will be easy but I know there will be others that may be tough. I have already found it cathartic to clean out boxes that had simply been placed in storage and not gone through. These boxes were holding up space for no reason whatsoever. I would like to use that space for other things and that is what I intend to do.

Are there areas of your life that you need to downsize?