Size Does Matter
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Who says the American Dream has to be a sprawling McMansion? I say the American Dream is a life without debt and a massive house does not usually fall into that particular dream.
I am so over big houses. I say that from much experience. I grew up in big homes, but just big enough. When I was married, we had a perfect sized home before moving back to the Tampa area. Then, we bought a house that was just too big to take care of and now that I’m divorced, we are having a horrific time selling it in the current housing market. People are not generally looking at houses in that price range now.
If you look around Florida, you will see that a majority of the homes built during the era of “old Florida” were small ranches. Most of my fiends who actually grew up in Florida were raised in small homes. People had just enough space to live comfortably, but not so much that they had a hard time keeping up with maintenance and finances. People paid off their homes and then went on to travel and add swimming pools and live without the stress of massive debt hanging over their heads.
Now that it is just me and my daughter, I actually sit and envision my dream home for the two of us and the home I dream about is small and tidy and cottage-like. I cannot fathom having more than we need. When I think about what I want to leave to my daughter, it is a place to live, no debt, and a college education. If I overextend my finances on a home, then I am not leaving money for the other things I wish to provide for my child. I’m nothing if I’m not wise and logical.
Appropriately, I found a site called The Jewel Box Home, which celebrates homes that are generally less than 2,000 square feet. The site does, however, say that larger homes can be considered Jewel Box homes if they are modest in their design, practical and efficient.
I think in this day and age of environmental focus, smaller home living should be the focus for more people. Of course, that might be easier for someone like me to ay, since I have never been into status symbols and actually get a thrill out of bucking trends. Also, when I have walked into homes with soaring two-story foyers and open areas over the family rooms, I immediately think how great it would be if that space were being used for actually living space. I hate waste, even in floor plans.
When I was living in Gainesville, my home was one story and just over 2,200 square feet. Every single person who came into my home commented that due to its efficient use of space, it had move living area than most houses approaching 3,000 square feet. It was true and I miss that house. In all actuality, I would love to one day reproduce the floor plan.
Anyway, back to the Jewel Box Home website. It has decorating tips, entertaining suggestions, and feature articles about living in smaller homes. One article I am looking forward to reading once they publish it is the upcoming Living with Children in a Jewel Box Home. Check it out. It’s an inspiring site that adds validity to living modestly.
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