Comments on: Musings On A Not-So-Small House https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/ Writer, Author, Speaker Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:32:06 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 By: Laura Vanderkam https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19730 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:32:06 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19730 In reply to Twin Mom.

@twin mom: so true. One of the perks of the house is what I am calling our “Costco pantry.” I think that speaks for itself.

]]> By: Twin Mom https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19729 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:53:26 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19729 I live in a house (much smaller, 3 bedrooms) but one of my favorite things about a house over an apartment is a separate freezer. Since the grocery store/restaurant is 3-5 mi away, keeping my own “store” of what we eat most saves lots of time. Even if you’re closer to the store, going for one item with a preschooler and a toddler isn’t fun.

]]> By: Laura Vanderkam https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19728 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:26:26 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19728 In reply to Denise R.

@Denise R- those are some good tips. A basket of diapers on every floor. Definitely.

]]> By: Denise R https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19727 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:15:30 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19727 @Laura–congratulations. I agree with sarahsw and am interested in how your perspective will change on some issues.
I also agree with Laticia, that you will have harmony, yet lots of togetherness too, as you will plan for it and make it a priority for your family and I can’t imagine that you would let any space go unused.
When our kids were young, we found that keeping diaper changing supplies (and a spare set of clothes) in a pretty basket on the main floor saved a lot of time and energy. I also doubled up on scissors and toothbrushes/toothpaste for each floor.
Yes, people still walk. I always walk to my library, and local stores as often as I can.

]]> By: Leah https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19726 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:25:57 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19726 Congrats on the new house, Laura! Don’t forget, since I think you are self-employed, that you can write off part of the costs of the housing as a business expense, since you have a home office! Great perk, and I hope the boys enjoy the house too!

]]> By: My Inner French Girl https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19725 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:30:54 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19725 Congratulations! My husband and I once lived in a two-story, 1700-square-foot home, and we’ve long since decided that that was definitely way too big for two adults with no kids. We’re relatively frugal people to begin with, and all that extra space just ended up being…space. Plus, we liked being near each other, so more often than not we usually would just occupy one very small part of it.

We’re now in a 600-square-foot, 1-bedroom apartment, and NOW we’ve decided that, yes, this is too SMALL for us, especially with my growing business and (most importantly!) the addition of two active (if small) dogs. We’re moving to a 1500-square-foot house with a backyard, but it’ll be a good size for us, with our dogs and the business. One of the things I detest the most about big homes is the upkeep, as I — like you — do not prioritize cleaning at all. (In that 1700 sq ft home, I vacuumed about once a year.) However, a 1500 sq ft, one-story home is probably more doable than a slightly larger, two-story one. And if not, there’s always a housecleaning service!

Happy homemaking!

Salut,
Marjorie

]]> By: Sarahsw https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19724 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:33:57 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19724 Welcome to the Philly burbs. I live about 15 minutes away from your new house. I enjoy your writing, but have always thought that with no car, no school aged kids, and no large house to run, your life was very different from mine and therefore some of your assumptions and conclusions were different from mine. I will look forward to reading about your experiences as you make this big transition. And don’t worry. NYC is always an easy trip away!

]]> By: Joy Weese Moll https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19723 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 03:10:16 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19723 Congrats on the new house! Don’t get too good at remembering to take things with you — I had to unlearn that habit to boost my exercise when I wanted to lose weight!

]]> By: Laura Vanderkam https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19722 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:49:27 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19722 Thanks guys! Yes, the plethora of storage space is a big perk. We have no storage space right now, and it’s just hard to keep the clutter under control, no matter how ruthless I get about purging. And given that my boys are only 2 years apart, some of the stuff you don’t want to get rid of, because the little one will soon use it!

]]> By: Jen https://lauravanderkam.com/2011/04/musings-on-a-not-so-small-house/#comment-19721 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:41:23 +0000 http://www.my168hours.com/blog/?p=1311#comment-19721 Congratulations!
I love the Not So Big House philosophy; it’s driving our house search in IL. We don’t want a big, rambling house. We want details and a good use of space and to not be house poor.
Oh, and to sell the CO home, so we can actually move forward. 😉

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