Feeling in the Minority - Page 3

[chely7425]

It is very reassuring to know that I am not the only one baffled by the "OMG we NEED a ton of space" mentality!!  We uh... just found out we are expecting our 4th.. so I guess we will be 6 people in 1300 square feet come January :)

[laohaire]

When I was a teenager, my parents lived in a couple of pretty big houses (lol, not at the same time, they had one then moved to another). I don't know how big they were, honestly, as a teen I didn't ask square feet, but I'm guessing 3500 sq ft maybe, both of them.

They were nice, yeah. Very fancy, especially compared to the houses we'd lived in before and since. But both houses eventually had their upstairs abandoned. Oh, stuff got stored up there, but nobody lived upstairs. There were toilets that just never got flushed (who needs FIVE toilets for a family of 3 whose teen goes to boarding school??). In one house there was a living room and a den; the living room was formal and never got used. The same house had a formal dining room that got used maybe twice during the 2 years we lived there. The other house had what was called a "bonus room" (a lot of houses in Charlotte, NC, have those; I haven't heard of them in other places) - a room that could be a game room or an extra bedroom or a studio or office or whatever you want to do with it. It was a really large room. We stored boxes in there. Lots of them.

I currently live in a 1100 sq ft house, 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. My mom thinks it's impossible to live with one bathroom, but so far we have just never had a problem with it. Perhaps because nobody in our family spends really dedicated time in the bathroom - nobody is doing their hair or makeup for hours. We're just in and out. My house does not feel really large to me, but not small either. If we had a second child, we wouldn't worry about the space either. If a genie came to me and offered to build me an addition, I MIGHT consider a little room for our home gym (right now we have a gym instead of a living room). Or I might not. (I'd definitely go for a greenhouse, though!).

We do have some clutter that we keep working on, but we definitely feel like the problem is the stuff and not the space. The clutter would not suddenly become useful stuff if we had a 3000 sq ft house. It would just be junk shoved away into drawers or into boxes in the "bonus room." I'd rather just be rid of the junk.

our neighbors are a family of 4 in about 900 sq ft. They wish it was bigger but they are ok. They think our house is huge.

[tinybutterfly]

I have no idea how many square feet our house has. I guess it's medium sized?

We have lived in several apartments and houses over the years, both small and large.

I have enjoyed both the smaller sized spaces and the larger spaces for different reasons. And right now, with a teenager at home who brings friends over and they are in the basement making music, I sometimes wish for a bigger house! lol!

It does make a difference, at least to me, how old the kids are and also how comfortable everyone in the family is with being around people all the time. Some of us NEED quiet time alone and get cranky when we don't get it. All four of us in our family need some space and time alone, apart from each other sometimes. Shrugs.

I would LOVE to finally declutter our basement, do another big declutttering upstairs. Getting rid of "stuff" makes our space seem bigger.

Dh and I talk about downsizing next house/next move, but then I wonder about what if the kids come and visit and bring their families? I'd like to have a small 3 bedroom house with a basement, I guess.

I do better in small, cozy spaces than dh does. He really doesn't do well without a space of his own to go veg in. And like I said, a small space is fine, but right now with the drums and guitars on week-ends sometimes, I feel like my teeth are rattling and I WISH for a big house, with a basement that has a door to muffle the sound some.

Oh, we host holidays , so having a dining room has been nice. I would be okay, though, without one if the layout was right.

[chely7425]

I definitely don't see anything WRONG with having a bigger house.. my confusion is mostly with the "I need it" attitude, you know?  Like... my friend in question... is seriously considering telling her DH she does NOT want him to take this job (even tho it is a great opportunity for him) because they probably can't get the size house she thinks she needs in the area where the job offer is.

[clutterwarrior]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chely7425 

I definitely don't see anything WRONG with having a bigger house..

Relieved to hear that....I was starting to feel a bit of an odd one out for actually LIKING my big house. I lived in a confined space for 20 years so I am just loving the space now.

[chely7425]

Originally Posted by clutterwarrior 

Quote:

Relieved to hear that....I was starting to feel a bit of an odd one out for actually LIKING my big house. I lived in a confined space for 20 years so I am just loving the space now.

Definitely nothing wrong with liking/loving your big house :)  I think under the right conditions I would like more space, like when I have 3 teenage boys... but it would definitely be a luxury and not a need if that makes sense.

[FiveLittleMonkeys]

Originally Posted by clutterwarrior 

Quote:

Relieved to hear that....I was starting to feel a bit of an odd one out for actually LIKING my big house. I lived in a confined space for 20 years so I am just loving the space now.

Me too!  We're currently building our "forever" house.....after years of military housing, it will be so nice to have a space for everything, with space leftover.  We are a family of 7 - and we don't see it as a NEED, but it certainly will be nice.

[tccandlsccmom]

I relocated to a new state for work last fall (the old house, which was 4,200, has not yet sold) and am living in a small rental house (less than 1,000)...I miss the nicer house, and having a little more room (and a basement) but I don't miss the cleaning and maintenance.  There was an entire floor that we only used once or twice a month!  While, when I buy again, I would like a bigger house than we are living in now, I certainly hope to get one about half the size of the former one!

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by clutterwarrior 

Quote:

Relieved to hear that....I was starting to feel a bit of an odd one out for actually LIKING my big house. I lived in a confined space for 20 years so I am just loving the space now.

But if your username is "Clutter Warrior," I doubt you moved into it in order to accumulate and accommodate tons of stuff ....which is what I suspect a lot of people who "need" a big house do.  THAT'S a large part of what baffles us minimalists. 
 

[LVNTEXAS]

I say live by example. I live in a 600+ some apartment, but I call it home and I love it. Some might say I am crazy, even more so with the small amount of stuff I actually own. I can appreciate a well put-together home but stuff just makes me anxious and like everyone says here, who wants to clean that? NOT ME!!! : )

[MsFortune]

I liked with exBF in 350 sq foot studio.  We could have used a big walk in closet or other additional storage, but it was really not bad.  It forced us to limit our "stuff" and be very organized.  

Being smaller it was also easier to decorate to my tastes.  When the only furniture you have is a dresser, loveseat and bed, you can afford to spend money and get the stuff you really want, instead of making do.  I loved that place.