The other day we were talking about living our lives on little money. It can be done. I am not one that buys a lot of stuff. I DO HAVE a lot of stuff however!!!!!! Most of what I have has been given to me or things that I have had for years and years (many family heirlooms). I am not a minimalist at all!!! LOL
Back in 2002 we bought new living room furniture and a new dining room table. That was our splurge. I still have and use those things.
You can make a comfortable and lovey home with little money.
I will give you a tour of my humble little home today.
The front porch. The green glider was given to me - the other one is probably 25+ years old.
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Yep, that is my counter space - ALL OF IT!
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This is basically the entire bathroom. You can see toilet, sink and tub and storage cabinet on left (old pie safe).
I do have a 2nd bedroom that I use for extended pantry, office, and kitty room! Nothing exciting to see in there. I also have a full house basement. I am fortunate to have that extra room. That is where the washer/dryer is and the furnace and water heater and much storage. There is also an area that was once used as a TV/family room.
This is what a little $29,000 (purchase price years ago) house looks like.
It isn't huge. It isn't new and fancy. It needs work. It didn't cost a lot. It isn't in an exclusive neighborhood. But IT'S MINE!
I just thought I would give a little tour, and show it doesn't take a lot of money to live nicely. I am very comfortable here. Life is good.
This is my world living on little money!!!
Have a great day all!!!!!
What a lovely, cozy space you have, Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for inviting us into your home!
You are welcome. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteSuch a cute and homey place you have. I do have a question those carts with drawers alongside your stove how do you keep them from melting or are they not plastic. Just curious. I do love your place.
ReplyDeleteThey are Rubbermaid - I have never had a problem with heat. The outside of the stove doesn't get hot with the oven and the burners are far enough away. Pieces of countertop over them.
DeleteThank you!
Thank you for inviting us into your home, Cheryl. I laugh about the counter space that I fill up (over 6ft) when I used to have only ~ 2ft in my previous home. It seems we use up whatever time, money or space available.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine if I had 10' it would have things on it!!! Yes, we manage with what we have, one way or another.
DeleteThanks for visiting.
Enjoyed the tour of your home. Pretty and cozy. Thanks for sharing. Sharon D.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I was just hoping to show what can be done with a little place and little $!
DeleteThat looks like a nice place to live! :) Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteMaryB in NC
Thanks for visiting!! I love my little place.
DeleteYour home look so nice and cozy! I love the bookshelf wall in the living room. You have about as much kitchen counter space as I do. I'd love to find room for my microwave somewhere else to free up some space, but the electricity is wired such that I'd be blowing the fuse all the time if I put it somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteThanks. That is built in and I like my stuff! I have a microwave too. A small wall you don't see between basement door and dining room door - has an old wash stand with the microwave on it. I make use of all the space. Luckily that wall had a plug-in too.
DeleteYour home looks so inviting! It says that someone lives there...which is how it should be! I really dislike going to visit in a sterile home...meaning it looks like it is just for show. I could come visit you and feel at home. Isn't that the way a home is supposed to be? You have made it your own and so personalized t meet your needs! I hope mine makes others feel that way!! Thank you so much for sharing...that takes a lot of vulnerability. You are just so very special and kind!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I don't do sterile either - nor am I much of a fan. I do like my things. I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea - but that is fine. I like it. I hope people feel like they can come and sit a while.
DeleteYes, I like a home that feels lived in.
Thank you for the tour! I always wondered what was behind that door!
ReplyDeleteYes mam, that is my daily pantry. That are is the area over the basement stairs - so from about thigh high to ceiling is storage. I goes back a good 4' or more. Another good use of what could be wasted space and it was built in from beginning. Some people around here have installed glass doors and turned it into a china hutch of sorts.
DeleteThanks
I love the older homes. Their smaller size makes them cozy and comfortable. I noticed 2 things in your kitchen that I especially liked. A mirror over the sink. And those luscious looking tomatoes on the sill!! My grandma also had a corner cabinet in the dining room. It was built in and I always loved it. Thanks for sharing. I could easily settle in and make myself at home. So many homes are show places anymore. Nobody is home regularly and they're cold, like a model home. Not even a plant! A person is afraid to move. I much prefer a home like yours. Oh, and your front porch.....love it! We have a one butt entrance, no real porch. Pfft.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It is comfortable - at least to me. You can come and visit - put your feet up and chill.
DeleteNo window over the sink (next to the end of counter) so it spreads the lights.
I like plants, stuff, and small spaces - just seems like home. Pretty much all I have ever known.
LOL - one butt entrance - never heard that before!
Haha...love the one butt entrance reference! Porches are so relaxing.
ReplyDeleteA porch is lovely, on a cool day. Watch the world go around!
DeleteThank you for the tour, Cheryl. You write so often of your home, it is nice to have a visual now. By today's standards, your home is small, but in the time period in which it was built, people raised families in homes no bigger than this. I would love to sit on that front porch and just relax and hang out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting. My husband grew up less than 2 blocks from here (same street) in the same type house. 2 adults and 3 kids!!!! The house I grew up in had 2 actual bedrooms and mom and dad raised 5 of us there. People got by with a lot less back in the day.
DeleteI figure how much space do I need?
Our whole neighborhood is basically 2 designs of houses - all originally 2 bedrooms.
I would love to have you visit!
Thank you so much, Cheryl, for inviting us in! I love cozy, comfortable homes. That can be hard to accomplish that when homes are newer and (especially) large. The most precious tip you've offered and shown in your beautiful pictures is making the most of everything you have. Such a good message! --Elise
ReplyDeleteThanks Elise. That was what I was trying for. I hope someone sees that you don't have to have super big and super expensive to live nicely. Just make things homey and love what you have.
DeleteWhen we moved out of the home we lived in for 15 years in 2017, some of what got packed up remained packed, as we knew we'd be retiring elsewhere. It's been so nice to unpack things representing decades of marriage and family life, enjoying them once again. You whole life is represented in your home. It's so important to love what you have been blessed with. Just rearranging what you have can give a fresh perspective, don't you think?
DeleteTotally agree. I love that you are getting to unpack treasures that you have missed. Yes, a hone is US - it is who we are.
DeleteSwitching things up is fun and makes it all feel fresh.
You have a lovely and comfortable home Cheryl. I spotted the quilt on the sofa - very pretty!
ReplyDeleteThank you - I love quilts! I like displaying them in different ways.
DeleteHi Cheryl, thanks so much for the home tour! It looks wonderful and looks like a home that is so welcoming. And it is true you are not a minimalist ;). I almost fainted at your kitchen counters, sometimes I think I don’t have enough counter space and now I can remember your photo and be grateful! Thanks again, hilogene in Az
ReplyDeleteLOL - no, not a minimalist at all!!! It is amazing what one can get used to. Sure, I would love more counters, but that is not to be. And like I said I have prepared and served a buffet Thanksgiving dinner for 40+ in that kitchen. Each person made their way through there to fill their plates, and find a piece of real estate to sit. We managed and we had a ball.
DeleteLife is about what you make it.
Thanks
Cheryl- I read your blog daily but I don't think I comment very often. I so appreciate this post as well as the previous post on what you live on monthly. My husband is older than I am and I worry about what my life will be like when I try to live on a tighter budget. We have saved plenty and everything is paid off but I am a planner when it comes to unknown situations and this helped. My house is quite a bit bigger so that means my utilities are quite a bit bigger as well but I do have a bare bones budget written out just in case I need to cut back. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. You make a good point about smaller homes. Utilities and taxes are usually smaller as well. Less to heat and cool and less to care for.
DeleteI am sure you will be fine. If you are paying off everything and saving, you are doing great. You just learn that you really need a lot less to live nicely than most think. Most of us are quite spoiled.
I do quite well and want for nothing. You got this. Just keep following along and learning a bit here and there - you are doing great!
Learning to be happy with what you have is huge.
You have a lovely home. Thanks for the tour! I always tried to picture in my head what it looked like when you would about your house. I love the outside sitting area.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Like I said above - it isn't big, but it's mine! It is nice to sit out in the porch and watch the world go by on a nice day.
DeleteIt is lovely and I have that exact China hutch, only I painted it white. I love all your things; you are like me. Things I have are sentimental and I too have too much. But trying to tell myself I do not want more.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Most of my things mean something. Pictures, books, knick-knacks - all have a little meaning and belonged to others before. It is easy to have too much!
DeleteYears ago when my children were small I made the acquaintance of another mom who invited me to her house. It was enormous. My house could probably fit in the space between the stairs to the 2nd floor bedrooms and the kitchen. My home is much more modest in this county of large and huge homes. There aren't many left because they keep getting torn down for larger new homes to be built.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I came home that day not envious but so glad my bedroom is only 10 feet from the kitchen! LOL! I couldn't imagine having to walk that far to get something from the kitchen at night especially if I had a sick kid needing something to drink or eat.
But then several years later I learned I was so naïve! LOL I made the acquaintance of another mom who lived in a $1 million+ home. She was lamenting that her kitchen's built-in microwave wasn't working and while she was waiting for the repairs she had to use the one up on the 2nd floor! Apparently, she had one on the 2nd floor, kitchen and basement. LOL.
But still, I am thankful that I am 10 feet from my kitchen! I appreciate it every day.
I love your home. Thanks for sharing. And may I add that keeping a home neat and tiny frees up space--mentally and physically!
~margaret
Love the story! I would never want a McMansion either. I even have relatives (younger) that have big fancy and expensive homes - it doesn't make their lives any better or happier. More to take care of and spend money on.
DeleteI am with you - smaller is easier in every way. I just feel like I have all the room I NEED!
Thank you!
Love your home! You have just enough to make it comfy and inviting. These folks who try to tell us what to get rid of or keep need to keep their opinions to themselves. Your porch is a perfect place to sit and have morning coffee or afternoon tea. The house my youngest daughter rents is about the size of yours. She does have a full basement also. When the Urban Farmer was doing home inspections, he did some enormous houses. What do people do with all that space? Thanks for the tour!
ReplyDeleteThank you. It is perfect for one or two.
DeleteYears ago I worked in HVAC and the guys would talk about the huge homes they went to on the north side of town. There would 2 or 3 AC systems and the house was virtually empty of furniture. It was the address that made them feel important!!!! NOT ME!
Your daughter is quite smart!
Your home is cozy and delightful! Thanks for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing. It is just as I imagined it in my mind. A lovely home filled with a deep sense of pride and love. I would love to have one just like it! My current home was built in the early 70's. It is large, the hope was to fill it with children but I was only gifted one. My mom lived with me for a couple of years until here health got so bad I could not keep her safe. At the same time, my son, DIL and grandson lived here for about 3 1/2 years.
ReplyDeleteThe space did not go unused through the years but now that I am alone I would be better to be back in our first home. It is/was much like yours in size but had no basement. It was built as a 3/2 900 sq.ft with one car garage. It had been remodeled, the garage enclosed to be a large bedroom and two of the smallers bedrooms joined and made in to a larger living room.
I have to ask, do you have a gas little heater built into the wall in the bathroom? I love those, first house had one. My childhood home had one.
I have gas service in this house for the heater, water heater and fireplace. I do not understand why they did not make it a gas kitchen. If I ever have to remodel the kitchen, that is one thing I would love to do, gas range and wall ovens. So much better to cook with!!
I am glad that you have gotten to share your home over the years. That is nice. If you have the space it is wonderful to share.
DeleteNo heater in the bath. I have a complete gas home. I would not want any other kind of stove. Years ago in an apartment I had electric in kitchen - I hated it. I was raised with gas and learned how to cook on gas. I love it.
I am glad at this point - that we stayed here. The space is perfect for me.
Thank you!
It is very gracious of you to open your home to your readers. As your Commenters mention, it is very much like many of our own homes - comfortable, neat and tidy, welcoming. True happiness comes from the pride we feel in what we accomplished and built over a lifetime of work and effort. Gratitude makes for a happy life I believe.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Absolutely - one needs to be proud of what they have. It is yours and you should enjoy it and take care of it. Life throws a lot of things at us, we need to be grateful for what we do have.
DeleteI love everything about it. It is perfect for you and it’s yours!! I like small cozy homes much better than empty looking McMansions!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes mam, it is mine and that is huge!
DeleteMy bathroom is just as small except I have no window.
ReplyDeleteI know people may not like a window in the tub area - but it sure makes things feel a bit bigger. I like the light.
DeleteWhat a lovely home. You and I share about the same amount of counter space and I have a window in the bathroom as well.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thank you. I really like the window for extra light. You make do the best with that counter! Amazing what we can get used to.
DeleteYour home is very pretty and just the right size. I hate huge homes that I would have to hire a maid to clean. Very much similar to the size of our home too!
ReplyDeleteI would never want a huge home. Too much maintenance and higher utilities and taxes. Thank you so much.
DeleteYour house is wonderful. Very homey. Our first house and we kept it for 32 years and raised our kids and the grandkids got to enjoy it for quite a while was only $15,000. That included 5 acres and a couple old outbuildings. Thankfully my hubby is a remodeler by trade so it did not scare him. We just took our time and fixed things through the years. We moved to town in 2019. A nice ranch with a full finished basement. Needed work but no problem for us. We love the basement for entertaining in the summer as it is cooler. Matter of fact we are having a gathering there tomorrow. Just got it cleaned this afternoon.
DeleteNannie thank you! It is amazing the price of houses back in the day. My hubs parents had this same type house - 2 blocks down the street and I think when they bought it was in the teens, if I remember right. Shoot my folks paid 4,500.00 for their big old house. It needed a lot of love - but they did it!
DeleteWow 5 acres and other buildings was a steal!
Basements stay so nice all year round. Have a nice gathering!!
I like your cozy home very much. I would be very happy there.
ReplyDeleteMary
Thank you so much. It is very comfy!
DeleteYour home is charming and cozy. Love it.
ReplyDelete