the more of less
written by jessica braff
When I read this article title “the more of less” in a magazine recently the phrase really resonated with me. You see, this perfectly describes what I have been learning over the last 3 years. My husband and I, along with our two little boys and a much loved chocolate lab, have been on a journey of “less”, and in return we have gained so much!
To introduce our story, my husband Zach and I are what we laughingly call accidental flippers! When we started our homeownership adventure over 8 years ago we took on quite a project house (I’m talking deemed “uninhabitable”- type situation). And in that little house we grew and changed, tackling projects (thanks to family and youtube) we never dreamed we could. Then four years later we sold that precious house we had poured ourselves into. Next, we bought the bigger, newer, way less projects-required house (though we still did projects because I’m me, and my hubby is a good sport). Though it was a great house with lots of room to fill we learned that was really not for us. We had all this house and no margin to enjoy it. So we sold it and bought a tiny, old farmhouse on an acre. Yes, it was a very millennial thing to do, but we are in that generation so what can I say…We went from four bedrooms to two, from 2400 square feet to less than 1200. The house itself needed so much work (almost a total gut), but we learned some very incredible lessons while living in and working on our little farmhouse:
We learned that life was simpler and more fulfilling with less. When we freed ourselves up from more house, we gained freedom and time!
We went for walks, sat on the porch and watched sunsets; the boys played in the mud, and we made simple memories.
We started camping and adventuring more.
We learned the less stuff we had, the more we enjoyed what we actually had!
I’m a “function fanatic”, and I LOVED the freedom to keep only what we use! In this house I began to learn simple ways to maximize storage and utilize square footage without packing it to the gills!
I learned that I loved that I could clean my whole house in an hour, freeing my time up to spend more with my boys!
Fast forward to now…remember- accidental flippers?? Well, we sold that little farmhouse after two and half years, but the lessons “in less” have carried on in a lasting way. Our new adventure? A two bedroom apartment in the cutest community. I have loved the new challenge of again maximizing square footage without sacrificing style. I can’t wait to share more on that with you as some of you may be in the same place with renting or smaller spaces, and I want you to love your space just as much as I do mine.
So, with this blog each month my goal is to share stories, ideas, mom hacks or just encouragement with you. I hope to help you see where in your own life less may be more. I hope to show the ways we have made home wherever we are, creating warm and inviting spaces that function well. I believe we have lost something in the busyness and quest for more, but I hope to encourage you to find a few ways to do or have a little “less” and see what “more” there may be for you!
-Jessica