Scaling Down

Between 2002 and 2012 we have moved four times. We owned a very large home in Los Angeles from 1988-2002. It was 5800 square feet plus a full guest house. So when we sold it in 2002 and moved into a rental in Westwood which was about 3500 square feet, we literally cleaned house. We had a friend that had just bought his first home, so we gave most of the big furniture to him. Beds, dressers, tables, and a few TV's. We had built a home in Del Mar which we were planning to move to, so the Westwood house was just an interim residence, and we really didn't spend much time there. In 2003 we moved permanently to the Del Mar house, which was about 2500 square feet. At this time we gave away all the rest of the furniture from Los Angeles, as we had a completely furnished home in Del Mar. We scaled down our belongings too, but with lots of storage space in Del Mar, I wasn't forced to face the inevedible, throwing things away. In 2006 we moved again, this time to a 1900 square foot rental in Carlsbad. This is where I was faced with giving away "stuff." I managed to part with a lot, but still clung to boxes of stuff that sat in the garage for almost six years. We just completed another move, this time into a 1270 square foot home, but for some reason it was easier for me to throw things away this time. Our large furniture just didn't fit in this small house, but with a little maneuvering we were able to make a small house very comfortable. I never thought I'd move from 6000 feet to 1200 feet and say I'd like it, but I really do.

As I've started walking Pepper around the new neighborhood, I've noticed a couple of things. First, there are lots of pick up trucks in this neighborhood. Nice new ones, with men working on them all the time. Many campers too, with families cleaning and getting them ready for weekend trips. I've also noticed garages. Since the homes in this neighborhood are smaller, much more stuff is stored in garages and more activity takes place in garages. The garage is often times an extension of the house, like another room. There are many men that use the garage to fix cars and build things. More likely, though, the garage is used for storage. Some are neat as can be, with boxes lined up around the perimeter, everything in it's place. Tools on peg boards so that you know where everything is, and surfboards and chairs are hung from the rafters. Other garages are the biggest mess you've ever seen. There are a few garages that are so loaded with stuff I'm not sure how the owners even know what they have. It reminds me of the show about hoarders that you see on TV where there is so much junk in the house you can't even find a path in which to walk.

Our garage is one of the neat ones. I'm just waiting for the last truck to come pick up an old TV, two dressers, a table, and two boxes and we'll be the neatest garage on our street. Just about 10 neatly stacked boxes on the side of the garage, a few bar stools which I can't part with, a small table, and a bunch of tools.

The best thing about living in a small space is that everything has to have a place. You can't just throw stuff around without the house looking messy. Keeping things in order is a bit more work, but the result is a beautiful, uncluttered home. I'm happy in my 1270 square feet, but please, don't ask me to go any smaller!