Why Downsizing Our Residence Gave Us Extra Time and Connection

In July 2025, my husband, Zach, and I moved our household of 4 from the suburbs of Ft Worth, Texas, to Denver.

After almost 10 years of marriage, two children, and three work-related strikes, it was lastly time to settle in a spot of our selecting. This time, we did not simply desire a change of surroundings; we needed a change of life-style.

But discovering a home within the bustling metropolis neighborhood of our desires inside our price range meant downsizing — drastically.

Moving from our 3,300-square-foot residence to a 2,300-square-foot bungalow with 1,200 sq. ft of precise residing area (the remainder being unfinished basement) wasn’t straightforward. It meant swapping our massive kitchen island for a small eating desk. It meant no extra grasp tub soaking tub, my refuge from life’s stresses on extra events than I might depend. And it meant my children giving up their separate rooms to share one.

But what we have gained within the high quality and amount of time spent collectively is value each little bit of misplaced sq. footage.

We’re spending our time on what issues

Our larger home in Texas required extra maintenance, and we have been more than pleased to provide that up for further free time on the weekends. Now, we spend our time visiting points of interest such because the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We’re fostering our children’ curiosity, exploring new locations collectively. Our on a regular basis life feels extra particular and significant as a result of these shared experiences amplify our household connection.

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We’re additionally getting out in nature extra. Aside from weekend climbing and snowboarding adventures, our days revolve round outside residing. We stroll all over the place we are able to, together with eating places, parks, and even Trader Joe’s, which is helpful as a result of driving to Trader Joe’s means parking at Trader Joe’s, and no one enjoys that. Our moods are lighter, and our stresses are diminished.

The first time we walked to a restaurant as a substitute of driving, it felt like we have been on trip. Our lives had at all times been car-dependent, however that is not the case. The children laughed and raced one another down the sidewalk. We marvelled on the mature timber and brightly coloured flowers lining seventh Avenue Parkway. There was no timeline or speeding, simply the enjoyment of being current. When we made our manner residence after an alfresco dinner at Postino, I requested my son if he preferred strolling to dinner. He requested merely, “Can we do this every day?”

We’re discovering connections in our group

Zach and I regularly sit on our entrance porch whereas our boys play with neighborhood children, a primary for us. Having homes so shut collectively makes it simpler to satisfy folks and type actual connections. We know virtually each family on our block, and we often go to with our closest neighbors. We even loved our first block celebration in August, which fell on my eldest’s birthday, and in line with him, it was his “Best birthday ever!”

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Our boys run between yards whereas we chat with new mates. They are experiencing a childhood nearer to the one we grew up with. They’re constructing confidence and discovering their place, and that is translating to extra smiles and fewer tantrums. Zach and I are discovering our village, and parenthood feels much less solitary.

On a current journey again to Texas for Thanksgiving, I texted our next-door neighbor to let her know we might be out of city. Without even asking, she supplied to soak up our mail. It could also be a small gesture, however that sense of group is priceless to us.

My boys have extra freedom

Downsizing has additionally allowed our children to play extra independently in an outside area that feels protected and guarded. We have an unobstructed line of sight to the yard, and irrespective of the place my husband and I are in the home, we are able to hear them in the event that they want us. The outcome has been hours of artistic play, constructing campsites and outside kitchens, taking part in soccer and baseball, and having water balloon fights or Nerf battles.

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Most evenings, my children are within the yard taking part in video games and getting soiled. When the climate is good, they run round with their mates down the road. I might by no means have felt snug not realizing each transfer my children have been making earlier than, however right here, the place everyone seems to be watching out, and I can wave at my children down the block to sign when it is time to come residence, much less area means extra freedom.

Our downsized life is not at all times good. Despite all our decluttering efforts, we’re nonetheless left with extra stuff than we are able to accommodate. We additionally battle with the shortage of privateness, and at occasions, our smaller shared area feels extra claustrophobic than cozy. However, downsizing for an city life-style has given us the chance to stay past our 4 partitions, and that is value greater than any quantity of area might ever be.