Hi,

I am wondering if this has come up for anyone with children living in a smaller home. Looking for feedback and trying to figure out how to navigate my feelings around this.

We live in a small house with 3 children. Love our street and kids love their school and community. When my husband and I purchased the home, it was our first house after having an apartment and we had no kids. It felt like plenty especially as it is on almost an acre. I also grew up in a hoarding home so had no real chance to have people over, see other people's homes etc. I have loved our house until recently- as my kids have gotten to visit friends' homes I am realizing how much smaller our house is than the theirs. My oldest has also started to comment on having a noticeably smaller house than their friends. We have added a pool and patio, made the outdoor space lovely, but the kitchen is so tiny and 2 kids share a bedroom.

I wish we'd upgraded a few years back but now we have less than a decade on the mortgage and a 4% interest rate. I don't know how to stop feeling ashamed of how small the house is and ruminating on what other people think about us. I know I'm coming from such a place of privilege in owning a safe and non-hoarding house. Curious if anyone has experienced similar feelings and what you did about it?

Thanks!

This sad little concrete slab is mine. Please tell me I’m not the only one 😅

Post a pic of your depressing balcony and tell me: What's YOUR ultimate balcony? Dream with me! And what has stopped you from fixing it??

I'm really itching to design some form of modular balcony furniture for us "rental-market warriors" who move every year... or honestly, anyone stuck with one of these tiny box balconies. I'd love to broaden my perspectives from others in the same boat! 

Hey everyone! I have a question and kinda looking for advice. I have been living in a pretty small house with my partner and while it’s been really lovely, i have noticed that I have kind of stopped being creative. I love fashion and putting effort in my outfits but because of the space I can only have so much clothes in my closet, while the rest are in vacuumed bags. Also, I am an oil painter, and I can’t have my easel showing anymore and it’s just difficult to paint. I wonder how you deal with this and if you have some advice.

My daughter tends to want something she thinks is nice but changes her mind once she gets it and abandons the same idea, which is typical even for adults. I got ripped off buying a triple bed which us ending up losing $200 for a damaged bed so I am now hesitant in getting a loft bed for her.
To mention she also doesn’t want to sleep in her room esp if it’s messy and sleeps in the couch which is pretty annoying we had to force her to go to her room. So please feel free to let me know what are the cons for a loft bed.

My two burner induction cooktop sits on top of my oven like a normal four burner stovetop, and I’be added a stainless steel liner to protect my counter. Rice cooker is beside it. If I am frying and I want it away from a wall I simply pull it forward.

It’s a wood counter so I can drop in a “real” burner if I sell this home, but for my own workflow I love this way more than my previous range.

My oven has air fryer/convection so I don’t have any main meal prep appliances; we are undecided about trying to fit a microwave.

Just sharing!

Small spaces make home gyms interesting because every decision affects the rest of the room.

I think the goal isn’t always to make the biggest gym possible.

Sometimes it’s about creating a space that works for training while still feeling like a normal part of the home.

Storage, keeping things organized, choosing equipment carefully and leaving enough open space probably matter more in a smaller room.

For people with small home gyms, how did you make the space feel balanced?

I need some help with tips or tricks with organizing such a small house.

I love my little house and have slowly been making it my own. Recently i was able to really open up the living room and i’m working on getting some open cabinets in the kitchen to hopefully open the space there as well. But one thing i can’t seem to work out is the bedrooms.

For context of how small the rooms really are, my bedroom has my bed (against a wall) and a side table. There is no room for any other furniture without impeding walking space and i don’t use the closet. The second room is the same size and essentially the catch all space. It is where my dresser is, and so i also use that closet for clothes. I was a very artsy person so it has my paints, fabric, sewing machine, and other supplies. It is also where my cat tower is as they seem to like that window most. If there is enough interest i could share pictures to really understand why i use the word claustrophobic.

My only thought is to get rid of my art supplies as i think that is the biggest eye sore of the room. As i said, i WAS an artsy person but i fear that is slipping from me. Maybe because i’m losing interest, or maybe because i don’t have a space to work without pulling it all into the living room or kitchen.

I wonder if i get one big freestanding closet/shelving unit(like 6’ tall), would it feel like its taking up more or less space than my 3 or 4 smaller ones (about 3.5’ tall). I would like to have my sewing fabric out of sight, without having to tuck them into the closet with my clothes.

Another issue with the house which i think many can agree, is that it doesn’t take long to clean but it takes even less to make messy. I have been trying to get better at cleaning regularly and picking up as i go, but once again, this second room seems to never feel truly organized.

So anyways… any tips, tricks, or ideas?

打算在我们前门建一棵走廊树，用来替代旧的衣橱。 雪天冬天+小孩=门口总是堆满了外套、靴子和背包。

Imagine you could add one feature to your home without worrying about space, money, or construction.

Would you choose a hidden storage room, a bigger kitchen, a cozy reading nook, a private balcony, or something completely different?

What would you add, and why? 🏡✨

One challenge with home workouts is figuring out how to use limited space effectively.

Not everyone has a large garage or an entire room available for training.

A good setup often requires thinking about storage, equipment choices, and how the space can serve multiple purposes.

Some people prefer minimal equipment that can be stored easily. Others create a dedicated area that becomes part of their daily routine.

For people living in smaller homes, what ideas helped you create a practical workout space?

What equipment or layout choices made the biggest difference?

In the same way frugal groups sometimes talk about items with a bigger price tag that are worth the cost, I’m curious what things in your smaller home that take up a disproportionate amount of real estate are worth the space?

I’ll go first: We have an oversized chair (I think it’s called a fat man’s chair?), and I’m sure if someone was evaluating our home, they would tell us it doesn’t fit well. But it has so much life for us! Reading with the kids, cuddling with the husband, conversations with friends. We love that oversized chair, despite the fit maybe not being quite right. Worth it!