Downsizing: Green Lighted & Pinterest-ed

@ Dwell

We decided that we are definitely moving. After a family meeting in which everyone was ( surprisingly ) positive about the idea, Mr. Curry and I began making small motions forward. We participated in a block yard sale and got rid of four pieces of furniture and other smaller odds and ends. Mr. Curry made plans with Grandpa Curry for a dump run next weekend, ridding the house and backyard of even more excess, and I'm going to have Lola go through all her clothing and toys soon- which we usually do before Christmas anyhow. There is no exact move date because saving for a downpayment and first month's rent is daunting.
We haven't decided firmly on two or three bedrooms, although deep down I can't see us doing two bedrooms right now. If it were just a little further down the road- the boys would be say, 19 and 17- then yes, but right now, probably not. If we moved in a two bedroom we'd be moving again within a year, and I don't feel up to that. We are definitely doing either a small house or a condo, not an apartment. I am gravitating toward a three bedroom condo. The idea of not being responsible at all for a house is really exciting after so many years of renting a house, I'd be thrilled to have a gym ( so would Dakota and Mr. Curry ) and the whole family would use a pool all summer long. Not having to do any upkeep on a home and yard is exactly the direction I want to move us in: more about living, traveling, being out in the world, experiencing things as a family, and less about fussing over a home. Much less space equals much less house to clean which equals way more free time. I get giddy thinking about it! Added benefits are having our water and trash paid for, saving us even more money. There are charming three bedroom condos five minutes from where we live now, with wood floors, and I keep imagining the Woody Allen stuffed with books kind of space I could put together.

I made a Pro and Con list and the Pros are fat and blessed, so it's an easy decision, despite the few lingering doubts or challenges. Finding a place with our dogs? Hard. Giving up our master bedroom, my favorite room I've ever had, painted the just right color of blue with our beautiful fluffy bed and armoire and TV and...? Hard. Giving up our neighborhood? Really hard. But giving up an Internet connection that goes OFF every fifteen minutes or half hour due to old, old lines under the house that our landlord won't replace? Easy. Giving up a huge yard that we cannot keep up with and is dead because our sprinklers don't work and our landlord didn't want to replace them? Easy. Giving up our water bill, trash bill and large house cleaning weekends? Easy.

I'm on Pinterest, ( like everyone else on there, obsessed ) and it's really nice to have a specific place to put all my ideas for our new home. I started a board called Downsized: Our New Home and all the images of small space living I find and love are placed there.