It honestly gets harder as they get older and they can compare what they have to other kids. I also remind them when they don’t want to clean up their room that if it’s too much to clean up and take care of our things then we probably have too many. Every couple of months we ask them to go into their room and choose three to five toys they don’t play with anymore to pass along to friends or donate. Often reminding them when they haven’t played with a toy in a long time that maybe it’s time to pass it along to another kid. K: How much are your children involved in the decision making process when it comes to minimizing and organizing? Do they have fun with it or do you see some resistance?Ī: We’ve involved them from a young age. We never thought we would still be living here with a seven and four year old but here we are! As we have grown and added a second kid we continue to learn what we truly need to be content (it’s not much!). Particularly after having our first baby, everyone said we had to move to a bigger space and we dug in harder refusing to move away from our walkable city life. K: When and how did you make the decision to stay in your current home versus moving to a larger space as your family grew?Ī: Part of our decision to stay was because of the outrageous cost of housing in our city of Vancouver but it was also about a commitment or at least an attempt to live with less and have fewer things. The open layout is part of what makes small living so possible for us but it’s also one of the biggest challenges as an open floor plan can look cluttered very easily.

There’s a door on the bathroom and two sliding doors to the bedroom. Our apartment is essentially a box with high ceiling and big windows. It’s a 600 square foot one bedroom apartment that myself, husband and seven year old and four year old live in. Kristen: How long have you lived in your home and who do you share it with? Tell us a little bit about your home size and layout.Īlison: We’ve been in our home for 11 years now.

Extreme minimalist living room