Look, I’m gonna be brutally honest with you right from the start. Small isn’t always glamorous, and for years, every time someone walked through my front door, I could practically see the judgment forming behind their eyes.
Nope. All they wanted to talk about was the size.
“Wow… this is… small.”
“So when are you building that addition?”
“How are you going to fit more kids in here?”
8 Reasons I Love Life in a Small House
1. Little houses are more budget-friendly.
This one should be obvious, but apparently it’s not, so let me spell it out for you. Small spaces cost less money to operate. Revolutionary concept, right?
Our little wood stove heats the entire main floor and then some. During summer, one small window AC unit handles the whole house when the Wyoming heat gets brutal.
I’m not talking about tiny savings here—I’m talking about hundreds of dollars every month that stays in our pocket instead of going to the utility company. That money goes toward feed for our animals, improvements to our homestead, and building our emergency fund instead of just disappearing into thin air to heat unused rooms.
2. Small homes generally cost less to purchase, so you can pay off the mortgage faster.
Here’s where the financial benefits get really interesting.
Having a smaller mortgage doesn’t just mean smaller monthly payments—it means we can throw extra money at the principal and actually see progress. When your mortgage is reasonable instead of astronomical, becoming completely debt-free shifts from “someday maybe” to “definitely achievable.“
We still have work to do, but knowing we can realistically pay off our home in years instead of decades feels incredible.
3. Little houses can be easier to decorate.
I have a confession: the thought of decorating a sprawling house with soaring ceilings and endless wall space makes me break out in a cold sweat. That would require so much shopping, and shopping for home decor is basically my personal hell.
My decorating style is “eclectic yard sale treasures and rustic antiques,” which works perfectly in our cozy space. Every single thing you see on our end tables and walls is something I genuinely love, not just random stuff filling empty space.
In a small house, each piece has to earn its place. There’s no room for mediocre decor or impulse purchases that looked good in the store but don’t actually serve a purpose. Everything has to be intentional, which forces you to really think about what matters to you.
4. Small houses help to encourage family togetherness.
Depending on everyone’s mood and energy level, this can sometimes be… challenging. But honestly? Most of the time, I love this aspect of small house living.
I can easily keep an eye on the kids, hear what they’re up to at all times, and we end up spending way more quality time together than families who scatter to different wings of their massive houses.
Sure, sometimes we get on each other’s nerves when everyone’s crammed into the same space. But when that happens, we have 67 acres of outdoor space to spread out in, which brings me to my next point.
5. Small spaces encourage more time outdoors.
Fresh air and dirt under your fingernails is good for everyone, and our small house practically forces us outside.
We spend the majority of our summer hanging out in the yard, on the deck, or in the barnyard. Our large property makes up for any lack of indoor space, and honestly, I think we’re healthier and happier because of it.
When your house is your basecamp instead of your entire world, you naturally spend more time connecting with the land, the weather, and the seasons. That’s exactly how life should be.
6. It’s easier to stay on top of clutter in a little house.
Eliminating clutter is one of my consuming passions, and small house living makes it almost impossible to accumulate the ridiculous amounts of stuff that larger spaces seem to invite.
Before we moved here, we rented a house with several extra bedrooms and a bonus family room. You know what happened? We filled every single space with stuff we didn’t use or even really want.
Our current house keeps me constantly evaluating whether I really need each item in our closets and cabinets. There’s simply no room for keeping things “just in case” or holding onto stuff out of guilt.
7. Small homes are cozy.
Large homes can have warm atmospheres too, but there’s something special about the cozy feeling of a genuinely small space. Especially on cold winter nights when we’re all tucked into the living room beside the wood stove, there’s this intimate, protective feeling that I absolutely love.
Our house feels like a warm hug instead of a cold showplace. Every room has purpose and personality instead of feeling like a museum or hotel lobby.
8. Small houses are easier to clean.
Here’s my problem: I love having a clean home, but my life is currently so busy with barn chores, food preservation, and managing the homestead that I can’t devote as much time to cleaning as I’d like.
On those crazy days when I’m drowning in tomato sauce that needs canning, animals that need tending, and kids who are driving me insane, I’m incredibly grateful that I have less square footage to maintain.
If I had three bathrooms to scrub instead of one, or twice as many floors to mop, I might actually lose my mind. Small house living means I can keep our home clean and functional without it consuming my entire life.
Will we ever live in a larger home?
Maybe someday we’ll add a small addition to the back of the house for a bit more breathing room.
But here’s what I know for sure: I’ll never again apologize for choosing function over impressive square footage.
Right now, I live in an 1100-square-foot house with one bathroom, narrow stairs, and a dining room the size of a walk-in closet. And you know what? I’m completely, genuinely happy with that choice.
Our small farmhouse fits our life perfectly. It’s budget-friendly, forces us outdoors, keeps us close as a family, and lets us focus our money and energy on the land and animals instead of just maintaining excessive indoor space.
If someone wants to judge us for not having a master suite or formal dining room, that’s their problem to work through. I’ll be over here enjoying my cozy, functional, debt-free life while they’re stressing about their mortgage payments and utility bills.
Sometimes the best things really do come in small packages—including houses.
