7 reasons why small living makes you happy

Since Tiny Living has become a trend, you no longer have to be ashamed if you have a modest home. Fortunately, because living small makes you happy. And for these 7 reasons.

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Today we live on average three times as large as fifty years ago. The result: stress, debts and a lot of space that needs to be filled with stuff. Are you looking at Funda to see if you shouldn’t live bigger? Do not! Living small can actually make you very happy. Provided you consciously choose it and see the benefits of course. I’d be happy to list them for you.

1. You save money and time. Large living comes with a price tag: you have to work hard for it. Leaving less time to enjoy your big house. If you buy a house that you can easily afford, there is immediately a lot of pressure off the kettle. You can work fewer days, have more time for a hobby, to travel or to do fun things with your family. As many as 60% of couples regularly argue about money. If you live affordably, that will save you a lot of financial stress.
2. You live more minimalist. A small house means that you are forced to get rid of stuff to prevent your house from clogging up. Worn-out children’s clothes, old CDs, a mattress that no one ever sleeps on… with a big house you might take it to the attic, where it gathers dust. If you are sensitive to it (like me), you will feel that superfluous ballast pulling at you. You constantly lose things and you never use three-quarters of your stuff… Moreover: buying stuff also takes time. Minimalist living is such a trend for a reason: it has been proven that living with less makes you happier. I myself recently picked up Marie Kondo for inspiration. She says that every house has its own storage space. As long as you know how to get rid of stuff and store the rest efficiently. I believe she’s right and I’m now expertly marie-kondoing our house (a blog about the end result coming soon). An art that I would never have practiced if we had a big house.
3. You need to clean and maintain less. With a small house you not only have to work less (see point 1), you also have less work on the house itself. The household is done in no time and maintenance also requires a lot less work. So even more time that you can organize the way you want.
4. It’s cozier. For some people, starting a family may be the reason to live bigger, but I’ve found that small children don’t care about a big house at all. They like being close to mom and dad. And to be honest, I think it’s very cozy myself. We recently did a home exchange with a family from Brussels, who lived very large (five floors); the nursery was two floors below ‘our’ bedroom. The result: our children could not sleep and we had to go up and down two flights of stairs. Soon the whole stuff slept in our bed and the next night we put all the beds in our room. Then everyone slept like a baby again.
5. It is easier to give your own atmosphere to a small house. If you (like me) are sensitive to good energy in your home, then in a small house it is much easier to get the energy in all rooms in such a way that it feels good. In a large house there is always a drafty cellar or a messy ironing room somewhere. I personally get very restless.
6. It’s durable. Small living is more sustainable, because it produces less CO2 emissions. Moreover, you automatically buy less stuff. A win-win situation for the environment. Who wouldn’t be happy about that?
7. You go out more often. Tiny Houses are often located in a beautiful spot in nature. And although our house is not officially ‘tiny’, we opted for a green environment and a garden, which is an extension of our living room in the summer. Even in winter I go outside with the children every day to play or get some fresh air. That compensates nicely for our modest amount of toys (because: little storage space) and now also allows outdoor air to be very healthy. Moreover: in nature you don’t need toys. And it also relaxes you. At times like that I can ask myself: when did we actually start making our houses so unnecessarily large? The fresh air and a nice roof over your head for when it rains outside, that’s all you really need. People who live small know that.

Want to read more from Janneke? Follow her on Instagram: @mylittledutchdiary.

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