Believe it or not, we’ve been living in our new house for over six months now. Half a year feels like a meaningful milestone, so we wanted to revisit the goals that prompted our move and downsizing to see what met or exceeded expectations and to share the biggest challenges we’ve encountered.
This recap is detailed because there’s a lot to cover. While much of it is specific to our situation, I hope it offers useful perspective for anyone considering a similar move. Yes, there are financial details, practical lessons, and plenty of photos—because I do love visuals.
To Recap, Why Did We Move?
We’ve written in detail before about our decision to move from Virginia to Florida, but the short version is this: we wanted to live with less and be outside more. For years we’d been working toward paring down possessions, and the idea of simpler living—spending less on unused space, reducing time spent cleaning and maintaining, and having more time outdoors—was very appealing.
We downsized dramatically: from a 3,150 square foot home plus a beach house and duplex rentals, to a single 1,400 square foot home. Our previous home had 14 rooms and about 10 closets; our current home has 6 rooms and roughly 2.5 closets, since one contains HVAC equipment. We also gave up a large attic, a shed, and a spacious two-car garage that had become storage zones for rarely used items.
We chose to relocate not only to shrink our interior footprint but also to change our environment—to a warmer, more walkable place close to the beach that would encourage outdoor activity. That goal has been realized: we check the boxes for “living with less” and “being outside more,” and the move has brought daily reminders of how well it suits our family.
Downsizing was physically and mentally demanding. We condensed most of our belongings into a single 16′ moving pod and made tough choices about what to keep. Even so, the payoff has been huge: we enjoy our home, our daily routines, and even our dog seems thrilled with the sunny yard and endless lizard-chasing opportunities.
If you want specifics about how we pared down—strategies, timelines, and what we kept versus left behind—we’ve documented that in past posts and podcasts. The short takeaway: be intentional, process items proactively, and give yourself time to make thoughtful decisions.
Having Less Space
We’d already spent time in our beach house and felt confident about living smaller, but the pandemic added uncertainty: we hadn’t planned to work and school from a smaller home or to cook every meal in a modest kitchen. We also deferred plans to add a second bathroom after realizing some assumed pain points weren’t as problematic as we feared.
Surprisingly, less square footage hasn’t felt constraining. As long as the house provides a spot for each main function—sleeping, cooking, working, lounging—we’re fine. A compact laundry closet works as well as a full room, and having rooms designated for shared family use has helped maintain privacy and function.
Three layout lessons have made a big difference for us: designate the largest rooms as shared family spaces rather than private bedrooms; place those family rooms apart from each other to reduce noise overlap; and locate parents’ and kids’ bedrooms on opposite ends of the home for privacy while still staying on the same floor. These choices keep the home functional and prevent everyone from feeling on top of each other.
Outdoor spaces also extend our livable area. Our wide front porch and upstairs deck serve as additional rooms where we work, relax, and enjoy the view, making the home feel larger than the interior square footage alone.
Spending More Time Outside
Choosing a climate and landscape that encourage being outdoors has transformed daily life. The beach is a three-minute walk, and nearby trails and paths connect us to parks, playgrounds, shops, and restaurants. Those easy outdoor options have made daily walks, runs, paddleboarding, biking with the kids, and family evening strolls routine parts of our lives.
The outdoor lifestyle has also helped us meet neighbors and make friends. Family walks frequently lead to conversations with other families and have made it possible to build a community even during a pandemic—often outdoors and therefore safer. That social benefit has been invaluable.
Owning Less Stuff
Living with fewer possessions has brought practical benefits. We rarely lose things anymore. Part of that is simply because we packed and organized everything during the move, so we remember where things live. The other reason is that fewer storage options means fewer places to hide things, so everything has an obvious, consistent home.
In our previous house, items were spread across multiple rooms and closets simply because we had the space. That habit led to clutter and difficulty finding things. The constraint of a smaller home forces us to be deliberate about purchases and to give every item a designated spot, which keeps us more organized and reduces impulse buying.
Spending Less Money
Financial benefits were a major motivator for downsizing. Maintaining multiple properties had become expensive: insurance, utilities, taxes, and upkeep across several homes added up quickly. Consolidating to one smaller house reduced many recurring costs.
Utilities
Cutting interior square footage and consolidating from multiple houses to one has noticeably reduced our bills. In our case, going from a combined 7,000 square feet across several properties to a single 1,400 square foot home lowered electricity, water, and internet expenses substantially—saving several thousand dollars a year on those items alone.
Landscaping
We also dramatically reduced the amount of outdoor area we needed to maintain. Our previous property required substantial mowing, seeding, fertilizing, irrigation, mulching, and leaf cleanup—whether we did it ourselves or paid for services. In contrast, our current lot is much smaller and landscaped with native plantings and pine needles, which requires far less ongoing care and cost.
Reducing yard maintenance combined with utility savings has resulted in substantial annual savings that meaningfully impact our budget.
Gas
Where we moved also matters. We prioritized walkability, which reduced driving for everyday errands and activities. Eliminating regular long drives between multiple properties and relying more on walking and biking has cut our fuel and toll expenses significantly.
Altogether, savings on utilities, yard care, and transportation add up to a substantial annual reduction in expenses, freeing up money for other priorities.
A Quick Money Disclaimer
Downsizing doesn’t lower every single expense. Some costs can rise depending on your new location—food prices, local property tax rates, HOA fees, and certain services can be higher. The overall financial impact depends on the specifics of your previous and new homes and your lifestyle choices.
So, What Are The Challenges Of Downsizing?
Two ongoing challenges have stood out. They’re manageable, but they require attention and new habits.
#1. Bulk Storage Space Is Limited
A smaller home means there’s no longer a garage, attic, or shed large enough to collect items for later sorting. That convenience of dumping things into a storage zone and dealing with them later is gone. We use a small shed for tools and leftover project materials, but anything that doesn’t fit has to be donated, returned, or used quickly. That forces faster decisions and less procrastination, which is beneficial but sometimes inconvenient when tackling big projects.
We miss having those drop zones at times, but the trade-off is a cleaner, less cluttered home and better habits around acquisition and discard.
#2. It Requires Ongoing Upkeep
Downsizing isn’t a one-time event; it’s an ongoing practice. We call it “immediate processing”: anything that enters the house needs a place immediately. With no extra zones for deferred sorting, daily micro-tasks—processing mail, handling donations, tidying shared spaces—become essential. The time investment is small but consistent, and it prevents clutter from ever building up.
These habits also curb impulse purchases and keep us mindful about what we bring into the home, which aligns with both our financial and lifestyle goals.
We’re also planning to add a small detached guest studio in the backyard that could double as a workspace and offer extra storage, which will help with occasional needs for larger staging during projects or hosting guests.
In summary, downsizing has been overwhelmingly positive for our family. The home is used and appreciated every day; there are no rooms that sit empty. A year ago we thought 1,400 square feet might be too small, but after six months of living here—working, schooling, cooking, and playing—it feels just about perfect for our needs, even during a very unusual year.