
Image courtesy of wikimedia commons
I’m going to ask you to do something. Stop reading for just a moment and take a quick look around your house. How big is it? How many rooms? Now consider this next question carefully…Do you use all of the space in your house?
This is not an article about de-cluttering or about maximising the space you have. It’s about determining just how much area you need in order to live comfortably.
I have a neighbour who has lived in the same house for many years. It’s a very big house and when her family all lived at home the amount of space was necessary, but as one-by-one the children left home, she began to ‘close up’ some of the rooms she no longer needed. She and her husband eventually found themselves living alone, but kept the big house so that the grand-children could sleep over and also because of all the happy memories made there.

Image courtesy of wikimedia commons
The grandchildren are all teens or adults now and her husband passed away last year, but my neighbour still lives in her huge house all alone. She admits that it’s difficult for her to look after and that she feels quite lonely and isolated there, but her memories keep her tied there.
My father still lives in his large house because of a belief that his children should inherit it when he's gone. He can’t accept that none of us would want to live there and the only option would be for us to sell it. The smart move would be for him to sell it now and move into a smaller, easy-care house that he can enjoy in his senior years.

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These are just two examples of hanging onto more space than you need.
In my own case. I have a very modest (in fact, tiny) house that is just big enough for my needs. I have two bedrooms, one being used as an office, a bathroom/laundry/loo all in one, a little kitchen and a generous lounge/dining room. It’s all the space I need and is easy for me to care for.

Image courtesy of flickr.com
My garden, however, is another story. When I bought the property I fell in love with the large garden and promised myself that I would learn to care for it. I’d never had a proper garden before. But it didn't take me long to realise that I had made a mistake. My garden is far too large for me to care for and rather than being a pleasure, it has become a burden. I’m unable to keep up with it and have to pay gardeners to help me - so I've decided to sell my property and find a new one – a tiny house with a tiny garden.

Image courtesy of geograph.ie
So now let’s get back to your house. Is it the right size for your needs? Do you have space that you no longer need or have trouble caring for? Are you hanging on to it out of sentimentality or guilt?
Perhaps you would be doing yourself, your family and your bank account a favour by down-sizing.
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