My family moved to Madrid from Greenville, South Carolina. I went from living in a 3,600 square foot house to a 1,100 square foot apartment. We moved with four duffel bags and four backpacks. Everything else was left behind.
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In America, a family of four achieved the American dream.
We owned a three-acre farm outside of Greenville, South Carolina, surrounded by a great community and in a great school system. We thoroughly enjoyed our 3,600 square foot home. It had an attached in-law suite where my parents could visit.
Our elementary school boys had an ATV truck in their backyard, along with all the toys they wanted from past vacations. The bed had comfortable linens and the kitchen had copper cookware. We were giving off a Joanna Gaines farmhouse vibe. We also had an outdoor chicken coop which we named ‘The Chick Inn’ and housed 12 laying hens, all with adorable names of our choosing.
On paper, everything was in place. However, we decided to move to Spain for a cultural experience and live outside of the United States for a while.
After a year of living in a high-rise apartment in Madrid, I realized I didn’t need all of it to be happy.
I downsized when I moved.
Our daily life currently consists of living in an apartment with approximately 1,100 square feet of space. When we moved from America to Spain, all we brought with us were four duffel bags and four backpacks. We decided that if a bag can’t fit anything in it, we don’t need it. And that reasoning has undoubtedly proven to be completely true.
We live in a simply furnished apartment with enough crockery and cooking utensils for a family of four. Here in Spain, we have clothes that fit in small closets and share a car to get to events that are difficult to access by public transport.
Our sons swapped out their ATVs for electric scooters to get them to local parks faster. All of your belongings, such as balls, sports equipment, stuffed animals, and toys, will fit in your closet along with your shoes, uniform, and clothes.
My husband and I share a small wardrobe space. To make the room more spacious, we change our clothes seasonally and put clothes from other seasons on top of the closet.
Not a day goes by that I think back and feel nostalgic for the sweaters, home decor, photo albums, murals, etc. that I donated before moving to Spain and kept in the closets of my furnished (rented) house in America. .
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In America, we were always comparing what we had to others.
Living in America, you can’t help but want better or bigger versions of items. When we lived in a golf cart community in Florida and owned golf carts, our neighbors had stereo systems installed in their golf carts and we wondered if we needed one too. The idea of ”keeping up with the Joneses” in America is real, and we have found freedom not in owning things, but in owning experiences.
For our family, we found that giving up space to store these items meant we had to choose their importance to us. As I got rid of personal items from my house and donated them, I had to look at each item and realize that while I had wanted it at some point, I didn’t really need it. When you leave a life full of material things, you realize the freedom that comes with it.
Downsizing also taught me a few things about holiday gift requests from family and friends. It’s great to give something to someone you care about, but often there’s so much more value in simply spending time with them.
No matter where my American family and I decide to live in the future, moving to a small apartment in Spain taught us that all the important things in life are not material objects. My family is irreplaceable to me.
