How Far Down Can You Downsize your Life?

When I voluntarily left my corporate job two years ago, in the midst of this recession, I knew I was taking a chance. And I also knew I would have to live lean, but I wanted the freedom to pursue my dreams. See, I happen to believe that my real life is just beginning. It took me 60 years to get to this point.

So, how lean can you go? I’ve lived large (3950 sq. ft home), and now I’m living small (approximately 900 sq. ft. cottage), complete with fenced yard, fruit trees, garden area, and great neighbors, and not a care in the world, except, how do I pay my rent next month. Well, it’s not quite that bad, but it is a concern as time goes by. A friend of mine suggested I get married. Please, at 61? I’m hardly going to relinquish being the captain of my own ship. That’s why I left the corporate arena.

Before I found this cottage, I considered several options: manufactured home, RV, and converting my Mother’s garage into a guest cottage. But, I just happened to look on Craigslist, and found a one bedroom house for rent at a reasonable rate. I’d never seen or heard of a ONE BEDROOM HOUSE. I called, and went to check it out, and fell in love. It had been totally remodeled, and had everything I needed in a compact size. It has a tiny bathroom, a really compact kitchen, nice sized living/dining room, a deck and patio. It was meant to be. Within 24 hours, I had the keys.

As great as this “cottage” is, I was missing my home office. Fortunately, I am great a creating space with little exists. The laundry room is quite large, so that’s where I set up my office. It took some creativeness, but now it works perfectly. I had my brother-in-law build a counter over the washer/dryer so I have a large counter for crafting, and storyboarding. My landlords even bought me a new front-loading washer and dryer for greater convenience. I had an L-shaped desk, but eventually figured if I removed the center piece, I’d gain a great deal more space. The office/laundry room has a separate entrance, and it receives great natural light. I’m pleased with the results.

There are things that I no longer have, but I have what I need. I downsized prior to this latest downsize, and in the past, I have rented a room. Each time, I have discarded more and more unnecessary items. It I have a lot of space, I fill it with a lot of stuff. If I have a smaller space, I don’t have a lot of stuff; makes life simple. I’m not a slave to my house anymore. I remember when I had the big house, my mother and I set about cleaning. Six hours later, we still weren’t done. I ended up hiring a housekeeper. Of course, that was back in the day when I was “living large”.

Today, many people are faced with downsizing. It’s in the paper everyday. But I have never seen anything quite as small as the “tiny house”. What a great idea.

We all know that America has an economical struggle ahead in the near future, and with the global economics and outsourcing, the struggle is likely to last well into the future. It's an opportunity in the making--a chance to simplify your life.

I spoke with a gentleman this week who really "gets it"! He told me he has definitely had an attitude adjustment. "I haven't brought a dime into the household in four years"... Every dollar he makes is going into holding on to commercial real estate. By the time our meeting ended, I wanted to hug this guy. His attitude was so positive and strong. He hadn't lost his sense of humor, and his marriage has gotten stronger as a result of the changes his family made to cope with the recession. "Hey, I figure you can sit around and moan and groan; whoa is me, or you can keep putting one foot in front of the other. You have got to get out there and help yourself."  This man had traveled the world, and he says:  "According to what he has seen, this is a piece of cake."  He left me with this thought:  "It is no longer a right to have a job, it's a privilege!"