my downsizing journey

downsizing your home - becoming minimalist

It’s a simple notion, really, although philosophers and bloggers and hipsters in coffee shops are all painting it as a new, radical theory…minimalism. I give them credit, though, for helping to popularize a movement that actually began in our great-grandmothers’ backyards. If they didn’t dress it up with buzzwords like “sustainability” and “intentional living,” I wouldn’t feel half as cool as I do embarking on this journey. Canning tomatoes on a Saturday night could easily be construed that I have no better offers. But thanks to the multitudes of people climbing aboard this Minimalism bandwagon, my efforts to drastically change my lifestyle are right on trend. (And just FYI, I have LOTS of offers for Saturday night soirees.)

For the past several years I’ve been flirting with the idea of simplifying my life. Not just resigning from a committee or organizing a closet or two, but really doing it. Changing the way I live. Changing the way I think. Oh, there’s a lot I could say about the metaphysical energy it sparks and how liberating it is, but I think it’s more interesting to skip to the nitty-gritty. Those first steps that, despite the allure, take courage.

This was our first step – selling this…

Yep, let me lay it all out… that’s 7500 square feet. It’s what I now like to call our “acquisition phase.” We did have 14 years of memory-making there, AND I had privacy, so it was worth it. But what can I say? I’m tired of cleaning all those rooms, paying a lawn service, and forget Christmas lights. It was just too damn big. So we bought this…

 
1600 square feet of highrise living. Traded in the yard for a balcony. Reduced our number of bedrooms by, well, let’s just say… FIVE. The best part is we can walk to restaurants, shopping, even Bengals and Reds games. This is the “before” picture. I’ll post “after” pictures soon, as we are still transforming this condo into our own little piece of the planet. We ditched the suburbs and went urban. This is our new backyard…
 
 
My southern friends and family will be glad to know, however, that I still managed to stay below the Mason-Dixon line. Just across the river is Union territory (Cincinnati).
 
I’ll keep you updated on our transition, but so far I can only say we’re diggin’ it.

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  1. Filed Under: Blog, Pacific Northwest Tagged With: amtrak, art, barolo, bathroom design, bullet train, candace kramer, china, downsize my space, food, french, hotel lucia, hotel max, i spy design, interior design, italian, oregon rail heritage foundation, portland, restaurant, seattle, Toulouse Petit Kitchen, train, transportation, travel, willamette bridge

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