SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL (AND PRACTICAL)

I’ve already mentioned that Odel and I are at loose ends in this big space (just under 1,500 square feet).  Although we are grateful to have found this loft available when we needed a temporary home, we haven’t seen any advantage to additional space – in fact, just the opposite. 

Thus I got a huge laugh reading this post (click here) on Early Retirement Extreme – I think all fulltimers will be able to relate!  Jacob is a frugal blogger who lives with his wife in an RV - not for travel, but as an affordable alternative to urban housing in the California Bay Area.  His post tickled me, capturing perfectly many of the things I love about living in a small space.

In Jacob’s post, he describes everything he can do from his seat in his motorhome.  I, too, can do many of those things from my comfortable swivel Euro-lounger: open the window, turn on the overhead light, turn on/off the MiFi, work on my computer.  Select a magazine, reach and put on my headphones to listen to something on the computer without bothering Odel.  Turn on the radio with my little remote, or the TV.  I can reach behind me for a drink of water, or a snack (I have to lift my butt of the chair to do that, burning a couple calories).  At mealtimes, I move my computer to the adjacent shelf and use the computer table as my dining table.  Very convenient.

Best of all, though, I have an expansive view of the world outside - out the big window to my right, out the huge windshield up ahead, and out two big windows to the left – and plenty of natural light to enjoy.  If we are in an RV park, I can watch a new neighbor attempting to park in a tight space, or walking their dog.  Out in the open, boondocking in the desert or enjoying a spacious site on public lands or a fairground, it’s the ever-changing view of weather and the passage of the day, birds, wild animals… whatever there is to see, I have a front-row seat.

When we are living out of Scoopy, that is what I miss the most, and I miss it sorely.  Particularly in multiple-family dwellings, window space is at a premium.  Most condos have windows on just one or two walls; here in the loft, the only windows face one direction.  Used to lots of light and expansive views, I feel like I’m living in a cave when I’m surrounded by walls instead of windows. 

When we moved into the loft, several readers left comments that included “enjoy all that space”, and I thought we might.  Not!  However, the experience HAS given us a lot to consider for the day we hang up the keys and move into a non-rolling home… something on the small side!  :)