We moved house 18 months ago. Spurred on by family and friends sharing wistful tales of ‘the one that got away’ and their advice to stretch ourselves that little bit further for our forever home, we bought a place that is bigger, older and more rambling than I ever dreamed I would live in.
This isn’t a boast, I promise. Stick with me.
I love our home, but we bought it before I became interested in simple living. There’s nothing simple about this house. High ceilings = more paint. Big windows = expensive curtains. Old fireplaces = draughts. More square feet = more pounds on your mortgage.
It’s not green – it leaks heat and the boiler is old and inefficient. It needs improving, so we spend money on repairs and, more often that not, we need professionals because it’s never straightforward.
I’m not complaining, it’s what we signed up for, and I am well aware of how fortunate we are. I count my blessings every day.
However, living here has forced me to adapt my approach to simple living, because one of the guiding principles is that ‘less is more’.
Yes, it would be wonderful to live in a modern, multi-functional minimalist pad with solar panels on the roof and a bed that folds down from your dining table.
But we can’t all live like that.
More space means we can have friends and family to stay whenever we like, for as long as they like.
We can all retreat to a corner of our home to be ourselves without getting in each other’s way.
Looking ahead, we will have room for parents if that time comes (if you’re reading this, Mum, don’t pack your suitcase just yet…) or even play host to nieces and nephews who want to go to university. We’ve got flexibility.
Of course it makes sense to have less and I’m still determined to follow that path.
But what do you gain when you declutter, streamline and refine your stuff? More space. That’s one of the aims of a simpler life.
I already have all the space I need. That’s how I choose to look at it.
And you can remind me of that when the next gas bill comes in.
Do Not Touch The Lobsters 