How To Be Happy In A Small Home

The house I have lived in for almost 22 years now, is literally less than one-third the size of the home I grew up in. It’s less than 1000 square feet with one bathroom. Yet, I’ve learned to be happy in a small home.

I have to admit, I have not always loved living in this small house. There was a time we had way too much stuff. When you have little ones in a small space, they can honestly trash the whole place in all of about ten minutes.

However, through simplifying and decluttering we have all come to love our little home and are quite content.

Of course, there are days when I wish we had an actual linen closet or pantry. I don’t think a day has gone by since my kids hit the teen years that I haven’t longed for a second bathroom! But the truth is I am so thankful for what we have, and I am so happy to have raised my family in this cozy, little house.

Here are some of the benefits I’ve discovered over the years that have allowed us to be happy even in this small home!

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1. You’re Selective With What You Bring In

Living in a small house necessitates being intentional with your choices. Less space means less place to store unnecessary items.

Knowing where you’re going to put something before deciding to bring it into your space ensures you’re being intentional and thinking through what you bring in.

Those things that initially seem like a good deal will make you pause when you realize you have no room for that waffle maker, even if it is 50% off. A small space makes you really evaluate every purchase!!! This results in truly loving what you own.

A small home allows YOU to be intentional in choosing to own only what is useful or lovely. And that’s a good thing. When you love what you own, you will naturally be happy in a small home.

2. Forced Decluttering

When you live in a small space, it’s easy to see your biggest problem as not having enough storage space. However, the problem isn’t a lack of sufficient storage, it’s that most of us have far more than we need or even want.

A small house means you just can’t have as much stuff, plain and simple.

When your house is small, there are limited surfaces for placing things on, so anything not properly put away makes your space feel cluttered and messy.

But here’s the thing, do you really need three sets of dishes and 35 coffee mugs? Or 15 towels? Or a closet full of clothes you don’t even wear? What about all those toys your kids never really play with? Sell or donate what you don’t need and you’ll be amazed at all your new found storage space!

Removing unneeded items allows you to create more space.  Honestly, I can’t think of anything that I got rid of that I later regretted. And without a doubt the benefits I gained in contentment in my home far outweighed any value I was receiving from all that stuff.

Never keep something just in case. If the item is not useful or loved, donate or toss it.  If you’re not sure what you should keep, here are some helpful tips on how to identify clutter.  Decluttering is a sure way to make you happy in a small home.

3. It’s Easier To Clean

A smaller home does mean there is less space to clean. However, when my house was overrun with clutter, Saturday cleaning marathons were a regular part of life. Granted, I did spend fewer hours on that marathon than if we had a large home with multiple bathrooms. But today, I can honestly sweep, vacuum, and dust the entire house in under 15-20 minutes.

The truth is I no longer clean the entire house all in one day, but if I did, it wouldn’t require marathon hours. I deep clean one room each day and take about 15 minutes each day on the upkeep of the rest of the house.

What allowed me to do this was eliminating so much clutter. You can drastically cut down the time it takes to clean your home when you eliminate all the unnecessary clutter.

If everything is picked up (which takes a lot less time with less stuff), I can do a quick clean without it taking my entire day. This saved time allows me to focus on what matters most, like spending more time with my family.

Our home is far from perfect, but it is so much more relaxing to live in a clean uncluttered space.

Related: 10 Simple Habits That Will Make Your Home Stay Clean

4. What You Own Serves Multiple Purposes

When space is at a premium, you learn to invest in multi-functional pieces, which in the end makes life so much simpler.

I have these footstools which house all of our extra sofa blankets. They also provide extra seating when we have guests. I invested in quality capsule wardrobe basics that allow me to mix and match a few pieces to create many outfits.

I eliminated many single-use appliances and countless kitchen gadgets. Be truthful, how often do you really use that egg slicer or garlic peeler? Other items you have will do the same job.

By eliminating all the unnecessary kitchen clutter, you will no longer have to dig out several appliances or stacks of bowls to find what you need, since so many of my items serve multiple functions.

Being able to easily get to what you need and having things you use often will help you be happy in a small home.

5. It Creates Close Family Relationships

If you have friends or family that live in a much larger home, you know that the kids are often in their own rooms down the long hall or up the stairs.

On the other hand, when you have a small space you are literally close to your family all the time. There is just less space for everyone to spread out and hide.

With this kind of physical closeness, you have to learn to get along. Because my kids have always shared a bedroom, they learned how to work together and become friends.

There is no room for anyone to isolate themselves doing their own thing. We see a lot of each other and while sometimes the introvert in me longs for a little more space, more often than not, I love that we’re all together.

6. You Save Money

Living in Southern California summers last half of the year. It is not unheard of to have 80+ degrees in the middle of December. What this means is that the air conditioning runs a lot.

I have a friend whose home is a little more than twice the size of mine and her electric bill runs between $600 and $800 per month due to air conditioning. This is a fraction of what it costs to cool my home.

Our overall utility costs are so much less, thanks to our small home.

A smaller home also means a smaller monthly payment.

Another added benefit is that when you have a small space, you can afford to spend a little more fixing it up. Home improvements will naturally cost more to upgrade a larger space. When it comes to furnishings and decor because you will buy less you can actually have higher quality items.

Finally, because you don’t have the space to fill your home with a bunch of needless items, you save a ton of money by avoiding shopping for things that you really don’t need.

All of this extra disposable income can now be used to pay down debt, save for cash purchases, or even plan your dream vacation. You can be happy in a small home knowing it allows you to focus on what matters most!

7. A Small Home Encourages Simplicity

A smaller home encourages you to live with simplicity and purpose. There is a limited amount of space, so you naturally put a lot more thought into what you keep around and why you keep it.

This allows you to be intentional as you consider what matters most to you and your family. Because you are not a slave to caring for your home and its contents, you get to choose how you spend your time and how you take care of yourself and your family.

This extra time also frees you up to know who you are and what’s important to you. Now you have the freedom to make choices that line up with your values, your goals, and your dreams. What’s not to love about that!!

Having a small home makes things much easier. You see I’ve realized what is truly important to me about a home. It’s the space that home has for creating memories.

Small doesn’t have to mean cramped and cluttered. Even a small home can reflect who you are and what it is that matters most to you!  When you focus on these benefits you too will be happy in a small home.