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The Benefits of Downsizing as a Minimalist

It seems somewhat paradoxical for someone who wants to be as minimalistic as possible to own a large house or flat. However, big homes allow you to expand your minimalist aesthetic further, emphasizing the space and drawing more attention to key pieces.

There are certainly several benefits for minimalists who are thinking about downsizing. From putting an emphasis on cutting unnecessary costs to strong-arming yourself into a commitment against clutter, downsizing certainly offers its perks.

Making time and money for what’s more important

As much as you have to have a home that suits your needs and you feel comfortable in, downsizing certainly helps to open up both time and money for you to spend on more important things. After all, Minimalism is the intentional promotion of things we value most, per Good Housekeeping, and we can achieve this by removing things that distract us from the most important things in life.

Downsizing offers this in several ways. Having a smaller home leads to you putting less time into maintenance, decorating, and cleaning, as laid out by Becoming Minimalist’s entry on downsizing. On the money side, the mortgage is likely cheaper, utility bills are reduced, and you have less cash directly invested in the property, which reduces your risk in unstable markets. All of these cuts free up more time and money.

Reducing the impact of the most taxing part of downsizing

Even with the time and money reductions that will eventually come with downsizing, the process itself certainly isn’t one that people willingly throw themselves into. Sorting out a mortgage can be very time-consuming, and the little steps taken along the way all add up to the cost of a move. There are, however, ways to make the process quicker, easier, and cheaper online.

Getting a mortgage in principle is essential, but hard credit checks and repeating the process with a lender can add up. As an alternate approach, Trussle offers a MIP that checks your credit score and criteria with 18 lenders to calculate how much you can borrow by using an online soft credit check. This can be done at your convenience and then printed or downloaded.

Becoming minimalist by design

Even some of the staunchest minimalists have found themselves tempted by that additional or excessive bit of home décor or furniture. One of the many benefits of downsizing, should you be committed to the minimalist lifestyle, is that you have to adhere to minimalism to be comfortable.

You’d start by removing all clutter and putting the emphasis on compact and useful items. It’s detailed in Urban Size that your approach to each room will be different, but the ethos remains the same: lean into ample storage while emphasizing the functional pieces. Still, what you’ll end up with are several rooms that are clear-cut, elegant, and showcase your minimalist skills.

Given the emphasis placed on the size of your home in the modern-day, it’s a big step to choose to downsize. If you do, though, you’ll find it even easier to live out your minimalist desires.

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