When we moved to Denver with two dogs, we traded our 3,000 sq ft house for an 825 sq ft apartment. Going from three bathrooms to one has been… let’s just say marriage “character building” (If you know, you know.)
At first, it felt overwhelming, less storage, tighter rooms, and two dogs who think they own the couch. But here’s what I’ve learned: living smaller has forced us to live simpler. We walk more, our house stays cleaner and more organized because there’s not as much to manage. (Thus, I have more time, and able to start a blog).
When we had a house with four bathrooms, I never really thought about my husband’s bathroom schedule. The only clue was if he disappeared for 30+ minutes, I could safely assume where he was. But in an 825 sq ft apartment with just one bathroom? We now know way more about each other’s routines than we ever needed to. And nothing tests a marriage quite like needing to do your makeup while your spouse has already locked in for a full-on bathroom marathon. Character building, indeed.
The dogs took our downsizing the hardest. In our old house, they were used to sprawling out across a king-size bed like royalty. Now, in a queen bed, it’s two big dogs plus two adults, and somehow they still think we’re the ones taking up too much space. Most nights I wake up clinging to the edge of the mattress, questioning how this became my normal. At this point, it’s less “sleeping” and more “surviving the night shift.” Sure, we could train the dogs to sleep on their giant dog bed, or even the guest bed, but let’s be honest, that’s just silly.
Everyday Adjustments
- Cleaning feels manageable. Less square footage means less to keep up with. For the first time in years, laundry actually gets done in a timely fashion.
- The dogs: Fredrick has learned zoomies happen at the park, not in the living room. Dodger has turned the AC vent into his throne.
- The bathroom: Sharing one means patience, communication, and sometimes brushing your teeth while someone else showers.
- The grocery run: Bulk shopping is out, we just don’t have the space. Toilet paper and paper towels no longer come in warehouse-sized packs, and that means more grocery trips than I’d like.
- Work space: Working from home requires carving out a separate zone. Even in 825 sq ft, boundaries matter.
The Takeaway
It’s not glamorous, but it works. Living in less space has taught us to waste less, keep things cleaner, and spend more time in step with each other. And when we eventually move back into a bigger house, I think we’ll miss some of the closeness this season gave us.
At first, the lack of space felt suffocating. But slowly, it started to feel freeing, less stuff to manage, less space to clean, and more time actually spent together. I even told my husband recently that I wish we had lived in a smaller place throughout his residency years. Life often felt overwhelming during the residency training years, I was working full time, we were on a budget, and I carried most of the responsibility for managing our house.
Now, in a smaller space, it feels more manageable. The housework doesn’t pile up, and day-to-day life runs smoother. It hasn’t just simplified our home, it’s impacted our marriage in the best way.
If you’re curious, I put together a list of the things that have made small space living a little easier (and way more organized). I have also linked my go to cleaning items for keeping a house clean-ish with two large dogs, I will write another post on this at a later date.
If you have ever downsized significantly, or are another family in medicine that has had to juggle it all, and move around the country, let me know your tips!
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