It’s been a little over 5 months since I downsized from a three bedroom, three-story house into my apartment, and 2 1/2 months since I sold my house. I can say that I do not miss my large house one bit. The benefits of downsizing to an apartment are:
No lawn to care for.
Only a one bedroom apartment to keep clean instead of three floors.
No worries when something breaks or malfunctions. Hello Maintenance department!
No more worrying if I’ll have enough money to pay for the taxes.
I have an elevator to use for heavy loads, instead of struggling up and down stairs.
No more shoveling snow out of the driveway. Woo Hoo!
Mailboxes are inside the lobby instead of outside. So no worrying about slipping and falls to get my mail.
The Cons: Some Adjustments Are Needed With Downsizing
Living in an apartment is different in many ways. For example, you can hear your neighbors sometimes. I’ve found that my apartment is pretty quiet for the most part. Since get-togethers with my kids tend to get loud, I sometimes have to remind them to be quiet.
Another thing to adjust to was the elevator. It took a couple months before my little dog, Dottie, didn’t tremble in fear every time we got into it, even though I was holding her.
We’ve also had to adjust to many new faces, and unfamiliar dogs. At this point we know many people, and their pets so going out is not as traumatic as it was. I’m slowly learning people’s names and I have a few new friends.
However, the hardest part about living in an apartment is all the rules. When I lived in my own house, I made the rules. Now some committee or person from the housing department makes all the rules. Most of them make sense to me, but the pet policy has me scratching my head in wonder. I wrote about my distress over it last week. You can read it here if you missed it.
An Adjustment I Had To Make
I’m so thankful that I’m allowed to have Dottie with me. She brings joy into my days. She listens to me, doesn’t argue, and we are best buds. I read the Pet Policy over before I moved in back in April, but I have to say that I had many things on my mind, and I ended up doing what I saw others doing with their pets.
Last month we got a new building manager who is a stickler for rules. I’m sure there are perfectly valid reasons for them, but following them is not pleasant. I have to carry my wiggly-I-want-down-dog from my apartment, to the elevator, and out of the rear door. She’s not allowed to walk anymore in the building. I’m afraid that she will wiggle out of my arms, and land on the hard floor. She did this when we were new to the building, and I was terrified that she hurt her neck. So now, she looks at me with pleading eyes, and flips over on her back when I try to pick her up. She thinks she’s done something wrong.
She’s not allowed in the lobby and can only come in and out the rear door. If I want to get my mail, I have to go downstairs without her. My back and neck are really hurting. I’ve been told to get a doggy stroller, but I’m not sure she would happily ride downstairs in one. I’d still have to lift her in and out of it. Plus, they cost anywhere from $80 to $100 dollars. I’m hoping my body will get used to picking her up so this pain will settle down.
Pictures of My Place
So here are some pictures of my little place. I’m pretty happy with how my apartment decorating turned out. I’m not that thrilled with the photos I took. My breathing medications, give me a little tremor that makes holding the camera still a challenge.
My living room. 
My indoor garden. 
My little Library 
My desk. Can you tell that I like blue? 
My perfect-sized kitchen. 
My very messy dining table. 
My bedroom. 
My bedroom dresser.
Conclusions
All in all, I’m very pleased that I downsized from my large three-story home to this one bedroom apartment. My expenses are way less, and it is so much easier to keep clean. Plus, I have a lovely park a short walk from my building. Downsize if you’re struggling to keep up a house. There will be adjustments, but once you get settled, you won’t regret it.
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f you enjoyed this post please share it with friends and family. Comments are always welcome! Till next week, Kathy
