There’s been a fair amount of anxiety, frustration, and explaining to do. I’ve woken up at night and had panic attacks over whether we did the right thing, but IT WAS TOO LATE because we were already sleeping in a house we’d already bought.
I guess this is an actual example of sleeping in the bed you made, right?
Overall, I think we made the right decision when we downsized.
The move has given me the confidence that we’re doing the best we can with our resources across a very broad spectrum.
We’re able to tithe and give generously, save for retirement, got a twenty-year mortgage, and paid off a considerable debt because of the move. Our kids are headed into very expensive years– driving, graduation, and college loom in the near future. I feel like this house gives us the financial flexibility to prepare for those expenses wisely.
We love to travel, and this house also gives us the room to do that. We traveled even when we lived in the more expensive house, but I always felt kind of weird about it. Now I know we’ve made the changes that free up the money to travel. Rome, here we come!
Finances aside, the house itself is working well for us too. It’s not the tiny house I dreamed of for years, but it’s a good compromise for everyone. The kids have enough room to spread out and have friends over, Eric still has his library, and I have a gorgeous backyard that the previous owner tended with love for forty-five years. I can’t wait to get out there this spring to see what’s growing.
Could we have saved even more money with a smaller, older, rougher house? Yes, of course. But then our sanity would have been at stake, and that would have cost waaaaay more than property taxes.
My advice is this: know your priorities.
What’s your greatest stress? Consider that question with prayer, good counsel, and lots of thinking. If you’re in a stage where you have little kids who need a lot of room to run around and you want to host all the Christmas gatherings in your home, then you probably would do well to pay more for your house to ensure you can live your priorities.
But if your finances are wobbly, or you just hate the thought of spending your money on things that don’t matter to you, then downsizing/rightsizing might be a great decision for your family.
There’s a tremendous amount of freedom in making the hard decision that brings your life into balance. Is it right for you? Only you can know! Life is too short to be burdened with debt, stress, and priorities that don’t fit what God has called you to do. It might be time to get your own sign for the yard
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This article originally appeared at JessieClemence.com. Check out Jessie’s new book, I Could Use a Nap and a Million Dollars, on Amazon.
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