Hey friend,

Recently, the topic of downsizing has been on my mind. With my recent re-embracing of minimalism and a looming move to a new city in 2025, thoughts about what is and isn't important to me are, well, pretty constant. It's a little overwhelming, but it has helped me get a clearer picture of what I want out of life, how I want to use my money, and how I want to spend my time going forward.

For context, I'm 26 years old. I live with my partner, Grace, and our two cats – Kimchi and Bandit. We currently live in a just-shy-of-1100 square foot apartment. When we moved here from our previous 725 square foot place, it felt like our space was overflowing with stuff. Our spare bedroom-turned-office was overflowing, our small kitchen felt like the cabinets could burst open on some days, and slowly but surely, those things started to creep out to other areas of the home. Since moving here, we've definitely gotten a lot more organized, and we've removed a lot of excess that we previously retained.

But, while this apartment boasted a lot of what we were looking for in a place (namely a dishwasher & washer/dryer in unit), over the last year and a half living here, I've struggled to make this place feel like home. And I think it's simply because we got an apartment that was too big because we had so much. I grew up in an old home, which are significantly smaller than newer homes, and I've learned that I just genuinely prefer smaller spaces. Not to mention, the rising cost of rent per square foot adds up quickly. In an effort to save money to pay off my debt and live a more comfortable life,there's a good chance we will be downsizing to a smaller place next year.

Not only have I been thinking lately about downsizing our home, but I've also been considering it in terms of my possessions. I recently listed my b-cam that I used for weddings for sale, and sold off two of my lenses to buy a smaller lens that will work better for me in the long term – and also earned a little money off of the sale as well. I've downsized my musical instruments as I slowly transition away from playing music regularly.

There are other items I have considered downsizing – my record player & small collection, my kitchen equipment, and some of my [mention specific items].

Have you downsized or decluttered recently? I hope you're finding peace in the newfound emptiness that was once filled by stuff.

Cheers,

Drew