It’s been a while since I shared my favorite podcast of the week. I certainly have not stopped listening to all my favorites, but it wasn’t until I heard Dana Miller on the Young House Love podcast that I felt compelled to share this most recent podcast episode. This week’s episode recommendation is: “In Pursuit of Buying Less & Doing More” on Young House Love Has a Podcast.
To give you a quick background, Young House Love Has a Podcast is a fairly new podcast hosted by John & Sherry, the authors of the massively popular home DIY blog, Young House Love. On their blog, John and Sherry share all of their DIY projects and adventures and they do it well. For some odd reason, I only check their blog once in a while, but I listen to their podcast religiously. They are just super talented at audio and of course since they talk about home improvement and decor, I love the subject matter.
Imagine my delight last Monday morning when John and Sherry shared that their special call-in guest would be Dana Miller, author of one of my favorite blogs, House Tweaking. A few months ago, I highlighted Dana’s home as one of my favorites in THIS post. On this week’s podcast episode, Dana and her husband share why and how they moved their family of five into a house half the size of their previous one.
In Pursuit of Buying Less & Doing More
If I told you Dana and her husband lived in a 3200+ square foot house and then moved to a house half the size with 3 kids, you might think that something bad happened. Someone lost a job, they got into credit card debt, or some other negative life circumstance. But what if I told you they did it out of a bold intentional choice? A choice to live a simpler life with more freedom. A life that allows them to live mortgage free and travel with their family all the time. And leaves them in a home where every room in their home is used every day. To some, that might not sound so appealing. To me, it sounds like heaven.
Even though I am familiar with Dana’s story and how they downsized their life back in 2011, listening to her and her husband share it on the podcast motivated me all over again. I could sense a lot of their values overlapping with ours – freedom, security and adventure.
These are the highlights that really struck a chord:
- Dana and her family downsized their house by half. They went from a 3200+ sq ft home with a full basement and detached garage to a 1600 sq ft ranch which needed a lot of work. Not only did they survive, they thrived in the smaller space.
- Going smaller doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or style. In fact, it can mean the complete opposite. Because the house was small, they actually used higher quality materials than they would have with a larger one. They were able to customize it to suit their family’s lifestyle.
- Having a passion for aesthetics doesn’t have to conflict with your desire to have less. Dana is clearly a talented stylist and photographer. She still updates her home and keeps it looking beautiful. Her desire to live with less makes her a much better at selecting what she will bring into their space. Which results in a beautifully edited home.
- If your job stops lighting you up, make a change. Dana quit her job as a pharmacist and swapped to one that suited her current needs. Living in a smaller home allowed her the financial breathing room to switch careers. In this case, one that afforded her a lot more freedom – blogging.
- Once you identify what you enjoy most, start doing it. Don’t wait for someday. Dana and her husband talk about the realization that they love traveling to experience other cities and cultures. So they do. All the time. Plus, Dana has an amazing knack for finding the coolest AirBnB properties. Sometimes they pick a destination based on the property.
If you get a chance this week, give “In Pursuit of Buying Less and Doing More” a listen. I am curious to hear your thoughts on this family! Even if the idea of going smaller to live bigger doesn’t light you up like it does me, it’s still fascinating.
To see more of recommendations on compelling podcast episodes, CLICK HERE.
Nicole
Loved their story. I love to hear of families who downsize their lives in persuit of a happier healthier lifestyle. And 3 kids!! And I loved how they find themselves making more strategic decorating choices. Three years ago my husband and I sold our business, payed off our home and moved to the mountains of Colombia to live a simpler, more affordable life. Not able to part with all of my belongings, we stored them. Three years later, I realize how unimportant any of it is. I could sell it all today and miss nothing. It’s such a liberating feeling to have no debt and live within your means. Thanks for sharing this! I’d love to read and listen to more stories like this couple’s.
Ale Post author
Wow, that is so fascinating, Nicole. So proud of you for getting to the point that you would not miss any of your things. Truly liberating. Kudos!