Here in the comments one of you mentioned "The American Dream." It got me to thinking, why _is_ the American dream to have a nice big house and expensive car? Why _isn't_ it too have a nice big family and a humble home? Both are expensive. Both come at a great personal sacrifice. One has eternal value. One does not. One is called the American Dream and for many the other is a nightmare. What is the reason?
Andrea Mills Greed, selfishness and the desire to have more money and power than the next man! I think a general pervasive insecurity in themselves and society in general. They imagine that by collecting these things, it will save them! They believe if they have them others will see them as accomplished and that they will be admired. I've just re-read what I've written and I us the word They so much. I do that because I don't identify with that kind of person. I don't operate the same way because my values are different. Very often my way of simple living is considered inferior, people might think that I don't do it by choice. Or maybe they would say I don't know anything else or that I wasn't a high achiever in University or life. Of course they don't know my background, they just judge me against their standards. I believe my lifestyle is by far the better, it's sustainable and realistic. It doesn't create huge pressure within the family to pay for a house that's bigger than we need every month. My husband can be at home more often because he doesn't need to be in the office every day. Those fancy lifestyles with all the frills cost them more than money! My peace of mind, debt free lifestyle, gives me the time and space to use with the people in my life. I believe that the relationships with the people we love are the real treasures. ❤
Andrea Mills I love the sound but the green screen is an interesting idea but with the lighting doesn't fully complement your appearance. Anyway, I love the vid and the tip as so practical and effective.
+Roberto Lopez It was a real pain in the neck trying to figure out the lighting! I was disappointed that about 15 seconds into the video the coloring went from nice to red. It was the 3rd time I shot it (because of other mistakes I'd made learning new things) so I decided to be okay with it. I was up till 4:30 this morning working on this silly thing. I learned a lot and I'm so glad that I don't have to try this hard all the time or I wouldn't get anything done. I kept reminding myself that anytime we learn something new it's slow and difficult but the day comes when it's a breeze!
I believe back when the "founding fathers" were building America and pursuing the "original American Dream" they were still keeping the Commandment that said--Thou shall not COVET. My word for 2016 was 'contentment' in it I found 'appreciation'.
Thanks for making this....people have such different ideas of what it means to be successful. My aunt (in her 80's) always told us that our boys having to share rooms would make them so much closer than if they all had their "own space." I think she was right....even when our eldest came home from college they would pull mattresses into one room or they would all pile in the floor of the living room (and we have 9 year gaps between some of our boys). Even when we were planning for an addition to our house....they wanted to be in one room together, they just wanted the room to be bigger. Love this topic and I am so happy that you and your family seem to be unwavering and unapologetic in your approach to life. Thanks again......
Lots of very good info! I'm horrible at budgeting and saving. I need all the tips I can get. Ps...I love your makeup in this video. You have such beautiful eyes. The eye makeup really makes them pop!! :)
Hi Andrea, I have watched your channel for awhile, but I don't believe I have ever left a comment. EVERYTHING you said is TRUE! Very good advice. We owned a 3000 sq ft house and it was overwhelming. From the house pmt, outrageous taxes, buying furniture to fill it, and cleaning took hours. It isn't always what it is cracked up to be. If anything, a large house creates more stress and discontentment!! We sold that house within 2 years, because we were being called to homeschool our 3 children, and we knew we couldn't afford to live there if we did. We downsized and bought a 1500 sq ft house and we all ABSOLUTELY love it! We are cozy here and we don't want it any other way. We have experienced everything you talked about, you are spot on! Bigger is NOT better. - Abby
Abby, thank you for sharing a real life testament to that. On our audio Bible yesterday there was the parable of the farmer planting seeds and some of the seeds were choked out by weeds which represented, among other things, the deceitfulness of wealth. It _is_ so deceptive when we are taught to think that having more or bigger is going to make life better. It doesn't.
There is always so much wisdom in your videos, Andrea! Thank you for sharing so much. Our family drastically downsized almost four years ago, and there's not a time we've regretted it. God is good, and has blessed us in so many ways that the 'world' will never understand.
This video was right on time! Our (homeschool) family of 7 just downsized from 3100sqft to 1100sqft. It has only been a month and I cannot express the freedom we feel. Great video!!!
I realized this a year ago, finally. I was always searching for the perfect house at the perfect price and realized it just doesn't exist in our town. I learned to be content with our current home and we will be paying it off this month! It is a condo so we have to pay fees for things like lawn maintenance and snow removal. Instead of complaining about the cost I have flipped that around. I am grateful for those services that free up my time to do other things. I'm going to focus on making our unfinished basement useable as living space and all will be well!
Early in our marriage we saved up and paid $18,000 cash for our house. It needed A LOT of work! But, nineteen years and four kids later, we're still here!
Such valuable information! Yes..I have downsized to almost 1/3 of the house size I had previously. Other than having a small kitchen w/limited storage space and the attic being the only real storage space for the rest of the non-everyday essentials, I love the smaller space for all the reasons you mentioned. P.S. I really like the background of your video....Thanks for your pearls of wisdom Andrea!
Love it!! Excellent vid, nice background too. I'm showing this to my husband. I've been telling him this forever and he's finally getting on board. Perfect timing!
This was so encouraging Andrea! I admire your desire and happiness with being in a small house. :) we are also a large family (we have 8 kids) and where we live is not our “dream” but we have a different dream now bc staying where we are we can afford to do things and have a larger family! ❤️
This is my first time commenting... EVER I found your channel a few weeks ago because I was thinking of purchasing the ACE kindergarten curriculum for my oldest child come August. I've been hooked ever since because starting out in the homeschool journey is frightening. I want to surround myself with as much wisdom as I can and "seasoned" homeschool moms usually have it! I know you do! I love the way you run your homeschool days and manage everyone. Anyway, thank you for this video! It seems so simple, but I haven't actually thought that way before! I so desire to have a large family and finances are usually that top of the list concern. Anywhere we can save money is good! I'm a faithful watcher now! Thanks for the videos!
Ashley, you are just the reason I wanted to start my channel. I know there are other moms out there who dream of having a large family and making things work. I don't have it all figured out, but I'm a little further down the road than some so I hope to share what I've learned and encourage you along the way!
THANK YOU! That is not what I was expecting at all, but SO refreshing to hear! I was expecting "make a budget" or one of the other common money saving tips, but I love this one! We have a small house too, and my husband is hinting he wants something bigger, but I agree with everything you said, and am trying to convince him we should stay put. I would also add to your list that, sadly, the kids most likely won't live with us forever, and eventually it will just be the two of us, and a small house will be easier to maintain as we get older. We have a large yard too, so lots of room for our kids to roam if things get too squishy inside. :)
AMEN!! I can’t tell you how many people have just assumed that we would ditch our small, one bathroom house and build something nicer one day! My husband and I have purposely embraced a simpler, more humble lifestyle in keeping with our beliefs. Our family has been incredibly blessed by these choices.
Thank you for encouraging others to live out Phil. 4:11; to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves. Beautifully said, Andrea, and so wise. My husband and I came to this conclusion years ago too; to live beneath our means.
Got my home that is 1,000sqft on the main floor, then we finished the basement our self- Doubling our space, yet still able to afford the home on one income and the basement is relatively the same temperature all year long. I also went to Goodwill every first Saturday of the month when all furniture is 50% off as well as the Salvation Army family store. We may not have all that some do, but we are happy and have all we *need* with no debt.
Thank you for the perspective Andrea! I agree with it all! We have four boys and live in a sweet little 1200 sqr. ft home, our boys took over the master bedroom and luckily the other is the size of most masters. Our electric bill is no more than $80 in the winter and $120 in the summer (even living in south Florida) Less is definitely more in our book! We are blessed and best of all our boys are happy!! Thank you for all your tips and organizing videos!! God bless you and your beautiful family!
Living in a small house is definitely a way to save money. Our home in TN is a 2 story Cape Cod that is 2200 sq ft with 4 bedrooms & 2-1/2 baths and requires much more upkeep than my mother's house in FL which is a ranch with 1600 sq ft with 3 bedrooms & 2 baths. One more reason to add to our list for selling our home and making a permanent move down sunny warm FL.
I couldn't agree more! My husband and I live in a fairly small townhouse (900 sweet ft) instead of a house, and we chose to purchase it because of almost all the reasons you listed! Great video!!
Such a great video full of information that is helpful! Where we live in California every new house built is huge! Really HUGE! both parents work full time jobs in the city to pay the bills & hardly home. The computer is 2-3 hrs for them to & from work. It's crazy! The cost of living is much higher here as well. Everyone does what is best for their families. I am thankful to see how others do it to get tips. we live in a 4 br rental. Most people are shocked we fit everyone in here. All 9 of us fit. We've lived in much smaller apartments. God has been so good to us! I am thankful!
Great encouragement. My husband and I are hoping to "start" our journey to purchasing a home. There are so many options for us, and it worries my husband at times. I've always told him I don't want a large house, just a small one will do. A great reminder as to why it is a great option! We have one little one right now, anyways, so we really don't need much space. ;)
It's so true! We can do so many more things because we have the money to do them & not sink all our money into trying to appease our pride or what others think. I don't have a large family like you do- wish I did- but our house is 888sq ft. We have nice sized yard. We don't have the stress of a high payment. We will pay the house off in 10 yrs (from the beginning of the Lian)! Our house pmt is less than everybody's rent. When we update areas in the house we can go with nicer products b/c we don't have to buy as much to get the job done. plus heating/cooling is cheaper. It is a good idea. Thanks for the videos! Thank your children too!!!
You are so wise, encouraging, and bring me great peace. Listening and learning from your videos and life experiences is such a wonderful journey. Keep up all your great work your are a great example of Christ life living.
I enjoyed visiting with you today Andrea, as always you have something of value to say. It was lovely to hear you talk of all the wonderful reasons for living small. You might remember we do here in the UK. It means being sensible about what you own and creative with our space. I wouldn't have it any other way! My little house requires less of everything and we do to as a result. We lack nothing but are mindful of what we really need. Sending love to you each of you! ❤
We still have so much we don't need (as I clearly see while I'm working on decluttering the house) and I'm so thankful I've never had the opportunity to fill up a _big_ house with things I don't need. What a job it would be to get rid of it all! It's so much easier to be sensible when you _have_ to be sensible; small homes are a blessing!
+Andrea Mills - Just adding my personal story. I bought my first house (I'm still pretty young) thinking it was going to be a starter home. It is 4 bedroom 2 bath, but it's only 1400sqft with what I thought was a lot of unusable space. So it felt smaller than it is. When my husband moved in with me he put a lot of his money into fixing it up exactly how I wanted it (brand new kitchen, new floors, etc) and I started getting more and more attached to my house. Now we still have a ways to go before it's perfect, but at this point I can't imagine leaving it just to find something bigger and better. I'm constantly looking at ways to maximize my space and am pretty confident I can fit a few of our future kids here :) The location is perfect as well. The best part is, we will be paying off the house completely in a few months. I originally thought keeping my mortgage was a better deal because the rates are so low right now - but paying it off gives us so much security. We have a monthly budget that's more manageable with stuff we like to do, like travel, eat at restaurants, etc. But if we hit a financial struggle we have very little bills we would NEED to pay because our $1700/mo mortgage will be gone. Anyways - thanks for these videos I love the inspiration. Wish my family would understand why I refuse to upgrade haha
good morning. I enjoy you very much. help me organize myself. It is just wonderful to see a truly pleasant person. God bless you may you have angels on your shoulders during your journeys of the day
Love it! We are newly weds and are so inspired by how you bought your house and make it work! We love small cozy spaces. We for sure will be buying a small house once we know where we want to live 😊
This is TRUTH. Thanks for sharing. I really like the idea of making my home a forever home and enjoying it to its fullest even if it might not be our forever home. Thanks for all yoirnwisdom!
Hi Andrea, I really enjoyed this video, and what you said was so true, I live in Wales and our home is a 2 bed semi detached, it is only myself and my husband. But it's perfect size for us. Our morgage repayments are £260 per month and the house next door to us is £ 580 per month to rent. Living in a smaller home is less bills etc. Everything cost more now food, bills and living expenses so yes I live in a small home but we can manage the morgage and bills and save some money and the end of the month. If we moved to a bigger property the morgage and bills etc would be so much more. So thankyou for your video it might help people starting out or make people think about downsizing
Hi We live in london in one bed bungalow with a tiny garden. It costs us £1200 to rent + bills (total around 1500£) per month. It's crazy! And it's one of the worst parts of london! The cost of living here is crazy. I like to watch cleaning and organising videos on youtube and sometimes i see people's laundry rooms that are bigger than our bedroom! And it's so depressing to know that for this tiny house we pay much more than we would for a big house if we moved somewhere else
Cnm bnm Hi it is amazing the price to buy or rent in different parts of the UK. I know London is expensive, I'am from Cardiff and to buy my house in Cardiff I just couldn't afford it.
The absolute lowest cost to live in a house in my city is ~$1200 a month, and for that you get either a basement or main level suite and not an entire house. :( being alive is expensive. The only other alternative would be a 1bdrm apartment for about 900, which I'm actually thrilled about because those also went for 1200 up until the Canadian economy tanked last yr.
Andrea you are so right, my home has double door front entrance and master, it's big. I was much happier in our smaller home, it seemed cozier. The family spent more time together. Also I live near Toronto Ontario they just thought, our province needs more money let's take it. So they up our hydro big time. So as you said that is a unseen forever payment. I think this is the most informative video you have shared thank you. Also you look very pretty today
Thank you; when we were on vacation we stayed in my father-in-laws home which is much larger than ours. It made me see all over again what a blessing a small home is and for more than financial reasons. As you say, there's automatically more family together-ness and I realized how much easier it is to be productive while keeping an eye on little ones when they can't roam away too far!
I keep praying for a solution in regards to this. We ended up buying an expensive house and 10 acres. My husband really enjoys hobby farming, me not so much... We struggle every month to make it here, I wish to down size but my husband is willing to sacrifice working 2-3 extra jobs to pay for it. I get overwhelmed by the work this place requires and for the financial hardship it brings. What to do when you want something different then your husband? I just keep praying. Thank you for your insightful videos! :)
This is such great advice :) I just read an article about how my generation is a lot poorer than the baby boomer generation so I feel like I have to soak up all the saving tips I can. Ahhh
Yea for having a small house! I was at a church for a moms life group and this mom goes "my house is just sooo big, I don't know what to do with it it's so big. We don't even have enough kids to fill it up." Me and another mom go that sounds rough. 😅😂😅😂 oh my
I live in a 2400 square ft home, but it is a raised ranch so the lower level doesn't count for tax purposes, only the upper 1200 square ft counts. Of course we live in NY State so our taxes are high regardless. They would be worse if not a raised ranch. Our monthly mortgage loan payment is half the amount of our tax payment part.
Since this months topic is secure contentment..I do have a question..what is your plan with your kids when they get older? Are they going to be taught a trade or something so that they could be secure as adults? I'm just asking because I'm a new parent and although it will eventually be my daughters decision I could help by guiding her in that direction. But at the same time in her senior year I'm going to encourage her to take up a trade(it's free for high school seniors)
I currently live in a small 2 bedroom house with my husband and 2 sons. my need is to find more organization ideas to make it work better. I wish I could send you pictures and have your help!!! by the way the blankets were a hit!
I'm glad they liked their blankets. One of my favorite organizers is Julie Morgenstern. She really helped me think about my spaces in a different way. I'd definitely recommend her book: www.amazon.com/Organizing-Inside-Out-Second-Foolproof/dp/0805075895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484415392&sr=8-1&keywords=organizing+from+the+inside+out
I agree with this so much. I grew up in a house that I consider way too big for my family of four and I don't ever want a house that big. I see absolutely no need. American homes have so much empty space for no reason. Why do we need giant kitchens with a huge pantry and lots of cupboards? Why do we need entire rooms that we only use once or twice a year? All that will make us do is fill up that extra space with things we don't need.
I'm a bit color blind... I mention this because you are very pink in the vlog, which made it hard for me to see your face. I'm glad you have brown hair, lol! Awesome video, btw.
Andrea I seen the best thing on Facebook I thought you would just love. I remember you saying in one of your videos about some outfits from each kid you just have to keep. Well there was an idea about making a blanket out of all the little outfits so they are enjoyed forever they had baby blankets and clothes baby first outfits then the rest was just made like your normal blankets I seen it an I had to tell you its such a great idea
we have same feelings towards our small home. it's less for me to keep clean, and I know where all the children are. our heating is so little because with 7 children running around , they keep the house heated!
And that reason is why we are still living in an apartment, There are just no small houses for sale where we live and even the slightly too big ones are super expensive.
How are you able to reach into my brain and sort it out??? I'm always searching for bigger and better and not enjoying the moment I have a very small 3 bed house and 2 kids. have done nothing to it because I don't know if it's my forever home so I sit here hating it and wishing I could afford bigger but I have made up my mind to start loving it and create a lovely HOME and try to stop wishing for bigger and better and enjoy the here and now x
I've got my little group of haters (I think every TH-camr does.) Sometimes one of them will give me a thumbs down within a minute of posting a video when no one could've possibly watched it! I guess it makes them feel happy and it kind of makes me feel special. :)
Or you can save as soon as you finish college and budget and have a job that is stabilized for 30+ years. I love big everything the bigger the better, I have one son with a 6 bedroom 3 1/2 bath he has his own room for his toys. I'm not depressed I am content I am proud of the hard core saving and working hard between my husband and I. I mean I get it not a lot of people have jobs that can bring home 175,000 a year but that's what we work with. My son is set for college and bills are paid and credit is great. I'm also a stay at home mom. So... I just can't see myself with a small house like that.... This to me is the definition of an American Dream.
Andrea Mills Yes, it was one of my dreams as a child. We lived in a good size home when I was a child. I always knew I would have a big home of my own.
J.T Belcher-Farrier yes... Are you? When you live in certain parts of America this type of life style is all you know..... Especially when your father was a police officer, your mother owned her own home health Aid.... Also when you marry I into a family who is successful down to their last child. If anything we are the "least" successful in our family.
I feel like we are of the same mind here, I grew up pretty low income in a trailer with an addition, so to me I don't understand why people need 20000 square foot homes lol.
It won't make much of a difference here in Singapore. Most live in apartments and they are TINY but very very pricey. The value of my house right now could buy me a large house in some parts of the US. It's ridiculous.
When Tom's family moved here to Wyoming from California they bought a really big house because it was so much less expensive than the smaller one they sold in California. It all depends on where you live!
Andrea Mills It really does depend! A tiny house here sells for 300k SGD. Did I say house? I meant apartment. That's around 210k USD for an apartment with 2 bedrooms. Landed properties are in the millions here.
Tom is really into tech-y things and was encouraging me to try out some new equipment. It was cute that he told me tonight that the lighting in my purse video was great, but not so good in this video. I told him that my purse video didn't have any lighting; it was the way I always do it. I learned a lot with this video, but it's probably not going to be a regular thing. Nice to gain a few new skills, though!
It's so true! We can do so many more things because we have the money to do them & not sink all our money into trying to appease our pride or what others think. I don't have a large family like you do- wish I did- but our house is 888sq ft. We have nice sized yard. We don't have the stress of a high payment. We will pay the house off in 10 yrs (from the beginning of the Lian)! Our house pmt is less than everybody's rent. When we update areas in the house we can go with nicer products b/c we don't have to buy as much to get the job done. plus heating/cooling is cheaper. It is a good idea. Thanks for the videos! Thank your children too!!!
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Here in the comments one of you mentioned "The American Dream." It got me to thinking, why _is_ the American dream to have a nice big house and expensive car? Why _isn't_ it too have a nice big family and a humble home? Both are expensive. Both come at a great personal sacrifice. One has eternal value. One does not. One is called the American Dream and for many the other is a nightmare. What is the reason?
The love of money (to spend it on yourself)
Andrea Mills
Greed, selfishness and the desire to have more money and power than the next man! I think a general pervasive insecurity in themselves and society in general. They imagine that by collecting these things, it will save them! They believe if they have them others will see them as accomplished and that they will be admired.
I've just re-read what I've written and I us the word They so much. I do that because I don't identify with that kind of person. I don't operate the same way because my values are different. Very often my way of simple living is considered inferior, people might think that I don't do it by choice. Or maybe they would say I don't know anything else or that I wasn't a high achiever in University or life. Of course they don't know my background, they just judge me against their standards.
I believe my lifestyle is by far the better, it's sustainable and realistic. It doesn't create huge pressure within the family to pay for a house that's bigger than we need every month. My husband can be at home more often because he doesn't need to be in the office every day.
Those fancy lifestyles with all the frills cost them more than money! My peace of mind, debt free lifestyle, gives me the time and space to use with the people in my life. I believe that the relationships with the people we love are the real treasures. ❤
Andrea Mills I love the sound but the green screen is an interesting idea but with the lighting doesn't fully complement your appearance. Anyway, I love the vid and the tip as so practical and effective.
+Roberto Lopez It was a real pain in the neck trying to figure out the lighting! I was disappointed that about 15 seconds into the video the coloring went from nice to red. It was the 3rd time I shot it (because of other mistakes I'd made learning new things) so I decided to be okay with it. I was up till 4:30 this morning working on this silly thing. I learned a lot and I'm so glad that I don't have to try this hard all the time or I wouldn't get anything done. I kept reminding myself that anytime we learn something new it's slow and difficult but the day comes when it's a breeze!
I believe back when the "founding fathers" were building America and pursuing the "original American Dream" they were still keeping the Commandment that said--Thou shall not COVET. My word for 2016 was 'contentment' in it I found 'appreciation'.
Thanks for making this....people have such different ideas of what it means to be successful. My aunt (in her 80's) always told us that our boys having to share rooms would make them so much closer than if they all had their "own space." I think she was right....even when our eldest came home from college they would pull mattresses into one room or they would all pile in the floor of the living room (and we have 9 year gaps between some of our boys). Even when we were planning for an addition to our house....they wanted to be in one room together, they just wanted the room to be bigger. Love this topic and I am so happy that you and your family seem to be unwavering and unapologetic in your approach to life. Thanks again......
I was feeling discouraged and frankly, ungrateful for the house we live in. Came back here for some encouragement. Thanks, miss you💜
I’m not quite sure how I’ve missed some videos! Andrea, your wisdom is so missed!
Lots of very good info! I'm horrible at budgeting and saving. I need all the tips I can get. Ps...I love your makeup in this video. You have such beautiful eyes. The eye makeup really makes them pop!! :)
Hi Andrea, I have watched your channel for awhile, but I don't believe I have ever left a comment. EVERYTHING you said is TRUE! Very good advice. We owned a 3000 sq ft house and it was overwhelming. From the house pmt, outrageous taxes, buying furniture to fill it, and cleaning took hours. It isn't always what it is cracked up to be. If anything, a large house creates more stress and discontentment!! We sold that house within 2 years, because we were being called to homeschool our 3 children, and we knew we couldn't afford to live there if we did. We downsized and bought a 1500 sq ft house and we all ABSOLUTELY love it! We are cozy here and we don't want it any other way. We have experienced everything you talked about, you are spot on! Bigger is NOT better.
- Abby
Abby, thank you for sharing a real life testament to that. On our audio Bible yesterday there was the parable of the farmer planting seeds and some of the seeds were choked out by weeds which represented, among other things, the deceitfulness of wealth. It _is_ so deceptive when we are taught to think that having more or bigger is going to make life better. It doesn't.
I am so glad you make videos on the benifits of a small house snd how you make things work its so inspirational :)
There is always so much wisdom in your videos, Andrea! Thank you for sharing so much. Our family drastically downsized almost four years ago, and there's not a time we've regretted it. God is good, and has blessed us in so many ways that the 'world' will never understand.
This video was right on time! Our (homeschool) family of 7 just downsized from 3100sqft to 1100sqft. It has only been a month and I cannot express the freedom we feel. Great video!!!
I realized this a year ago, finally. I was always searching for the perfect house at the perfect price and realized it just doesn't exist in our town. I learned to be content with our current home and we will be paying it off this month! It is a condo so we have to pay fees for things like lawn maintenance and snow removal. Instead of complaining about the cost I have flipped that around. I am grateful for those services that free up my time to do other things. I'm going to focus on making our unfinished basement useable as living space and all will be well!
You must be so excited about paying off the house! That's awesome!
Yep, we will be totally debt free!
Early in our marriage we saved up and paid $18,000 cash for our house. It needed A LOT of work! But, nineteen years and four kids later, we're still here!
Such valuable information! Yes..I have downsized to almost 1/3 of the house size I had previously. Other than having a small kitchen w/limited storage space and the attic being the only real storage space for the rest of the non-everyday essentials, I love the smaller space for all the reasons you mentioned. P.S. I really like the background of your video....Thanks for your pearls of wisdom Andrea!
Love it!! Excellent vid, nice background too. I'm showing this to my husband. I've been telling him this forever and he's finally getting on board. Perfect timing!
Omg!! Great video!! You have truly upped your TH-cam game :) Your makeup is on point, your words are concise, and your visual effects are superb!! Xo
This was so encouraging Andrea! I admire your desire and happiness with being in a small house. :) we are also a large family (we have 8 kids) and where we live is not our “dream” but we have a different dream now bc staying where we are we can afford to do things and have a larger family! ❤️
This is my first time commenting... EVER
I found your channel a few weeks ago because I was thinking of purchasing the ACE kindergarten curriculum for my oldest child come August. I've been hooked ever since because starting out in the homeschool journey is frightening. I want to surround myself with as much wisdom as I can and "seasoned" homeschool moms usually have it! I know you do! I love the way you run your homeschool days and manage everyone.
Anyway, thank you for this video! It seems so simple, but I haven't actually thought that way before! I so desire to have a large family and finances are usually that top of the list concern. Anywhere we can save money is good!
I'm a faithful watcher now! Thanks for the videos!
Ashley, you are just the reason I wanted to start my channel. I know there are other moms out there who dream of having a large family and making things work. I don't have it all figured out, but I'm a little further down the road than some so I hope to share what I've learned and encourage you along the way!
THANK YOU! That is not what I was expecting at all, but SO refreshing to hear! I was expecting "make a budget" or one of the other common money saving tips, but I love this one! We have a small house too, and my husband is hinting he wants something bigger, but I agree with everything you said, and am trying to convince him we should stay put. I would also add to your list that, sadly, the kids most likely won't live with us forever, and eventually it will just be the two of us, and a small house will be easier to maintain as we get older. We have a large yard too, so lots of room for our kids to roam if things get too squishy inside. :)
AMEN!! I can’t tell you how many people have just assumed that we would ditch our small, one bathroom house and build something nicer one day! My husband and I have purposely embraced a simpler, more humble lifestyle in keeping with our beliefs. Our family has been incredibly blessed by these choices.
Very pretty background in this video! And, again your tips are valuable 😊
Thank you for encouraging others to live out Phil. 4:11; to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves. Beautifully said, Andrea, and so wise. My husband and I came to this conclusion years ago too; to live beneath our means.
Got my home that is 1,000sqft on the main floor, then we finished the basement our self- Doubling our space, yet still able to afford the home on one income and the basement is relatively the same temperature all year long. I also went to Goodwill every first Saturday of the month when all furniture is 50% off as well as the Salvation Army family store. We may not have all that some do, but we are happy and have all we *need* with no debt.
Thank you for the perspective Andrea! I agree with it all! We have four boys and live in a sweet little 1200 sqr. ft home, our boys took over the master bedroom and luckily the other is the size of most masters. Our electric bill is no more than $80 in the winter and $120 in the summer (even living in south Florida) Less is definitely more in our book! We are blessed and best of all our boys are happy!! Thank you for all your tips and organizing videos!! God bless you and your beautiful family!
Living in a small house is definitely a way to save money. Our home in TN is a 2 story Cape Cod that is 2200 sq ft with 4 bedrooms & 2-1/2 baths and requires much more upkeep than my mother's house in FL which is a ranch with 1600 sq ft with 3 bedrooms & 2 baths. One more reason to add to our list for selling our home and making a permanent move down sunny warm FL.
What a blessing it would be to live closer to your mom!
Recently found your channel and I love your family! I can't stop watching 😄💖
I agree that this is probably the best tip ever!
I couldn't agree more! My husband and I live in a fairly small townhouse (900 sweet ft) instead of a house, and we chose to purchase it because of almost all the reasons you listed! Great video!!
I have found this to be so true. We downsized, and our yearly heating bills are about the same we used to pay for a month in a big, drafty farmhouse.
Such a great video full of information that is helpful! Where we live in California every new house built is huge! Really HUGE! both parents work full time jobs in the city to pay the bills & hardly home. The computer is 2-3 hrs for them to & from work. It's crazy! The cost of living is much higher here as well.
Everyone does what is best for their families. I am thankful to see how others do it to get tips.
we live in a 4 br rental. Most people are shocked we fit everyone in here. All 9 of us fit. We've lived in much smaller apartments. God has been so good to us! I am thankful!
Always love your videos! Such a great bit of advice as always.
You have beautiful eyes, and without your glasses on it is very noticeable!
Great encouragement. My husband and I are hoping to "start" our journey to purchasing a home. There are so many options for us, and it worries my husband at times. I've always told him I don't want a large house, just a small one will do. A great reminder as to why it is a great option! We have one little one right now, anyways, so we really don't need much space. ;)
R.I.P. Andrea , so smart and gorgeous
Love this so much! It's such a help to me! God had been working on me about being more thankful and content. Thanks so much Andrea!
It's so true! We can do so many more things because we have the money to do them & not sink all our money into trying to appease our pride or what others think. I don't have a large family like you do- wish I did- but our house is 888sq ft. We have nice sized yard. We don't have the stress of a high payment. We will pay the house off in 10 yrs (from the beginning of the Lian)! Our house pmt is less than everybody's rent. When we update areas in the house we can go with nicer products b/c we don't have to buy as much to get the job done. plus heating/cooling is cheaper. It is a good idea. Thanks for the videos! Thank your children too!!!
You are so wise, encouraging, and bring me great peace. Listening and learning from
your videos and life experiences is such a wonderful journey. Keep up all your great work your are a great example of Christ life living.
I enjoyed visiting with you today Andrea, as always you have something of value to say. It was lovely to hear you talk of all the wonderful reasons for living small. You might remember we do here in the UK. It means being sensible about what you own and creative with our space. I wouldn't have it any other way! My little house requires less of everything and we do to as a result. We lack nothing but are mindful of what we really need. Sending love to you each of you! ❤
We still have so much we don't need (as I clearly see while I'm working on decluttering the house) and I'm so thankful I've never had the opportunity to fill up a _big_ house with things I don't need. What a job it would be to get rid of it all! It's so much easier to be sensible when you _have_ to be sensible; small homes are a blessing!
You have made me rethink my small house differently. Thank you.
You are such a light!!!
+Andrea Mills - Just adding my personal story. I bought my first house (I'm still pretty young) thinking it was going to be a starter home. It is 4 bedroom 2 bath, but it's only 1400sqft with what I thought was a lot of unusable space. So it felt smaller than it is. When my husband moved in with me he put a lot of his money into fixing it up exactly how I wanted it (brand new kitchen, new floors, etc) and I started getting more and more attached to my house. Now we still have a ways to go before it's perfect, but at this point I can't imagine leaving it just to find something bigger and better. I'm constantly looking at ways to maximize my space and am pretty confident I can fit a few of our future kids here :) The location is perfect as well. The best part is, we will be paying off the house completely in a few months. I originally thought keeping my mortgage was a better deal because the rates are so low right now - but paying it off gives us so much security. We have a monthly budget that's more manageable with stuff we like to do, like travel, eat at restaurants, etc. But if we hit a financial struggle we have very little bills we would NEED to pay because our $1700/mo mortgage will be gone. Anyways - thanks for these videos I love the inspiration. Wish my family would understand why I refuse to upgrade haha
Andrea looks so beautiful here! She was stunning, inside & out. 💕 Man, how I liked & respected this woman.
good morning. I enjoy you very much. help me organize myself. It is just wonderful to see a truly pleasant person. God bless you may you have angels on your shoulders during your journeys of the day
Love it! We are newly weds and are so inspired by how you bought your house and make it work! We love small cozy spaces. We for sure will be buying a small house once we know where we want to live 😊
You'll never regret it and you'll have so much more freedom!
It looks fabulous! The sound is perfect, too.
Great advice. Especially what u said about making the most of your home now :)
This is TRUTH. Thanks for sharing. I really like the idea of making my home a forever home and enjoying it to its fullest even if it might not be our forever home. Thanks for all yoirnwisdom!
Hi Andrea, I really enjoyed this video, and what you said was so true, I live in Wales and our home is a 2 bed semi detached, it is only myself and my husband. But it's perfect size for us. Our morgage repayments are £260 per month and the house next door to us is £ 580 per month to rent. Living in a smaller home is less bills etc. Everything cost more now food, bills and living expenses so yes I live in a small home but we can manage the morgage and bills and save some money and the end of the month. If we moved to a bigger property the morgage and bills etc would be so much more. So thankyou for your video it might help people starting out or make people think about downsizing
Hi
We live in london in one bed bungalow with a tiny garden. It costs us £1200 to rent + bills (total around 1500£) per month. It's crazy! And it's one of the worst parts of london! The cost of living here is crazy. I like to watch cleaning and organising videos on youtube and sometimes i see people's laundry rooms that are bigger than our bedroom! And it's so depressing to know that for this tiny house we pay much more than we would for a big house if we moved somewhere else
Cnm bnm Hi it is amazing the price to buy or rent in different parts of the UK. I know London is expensive, I'am from Cardiff and to buy my house in Cardiff I just couldn't afford it.
A very thorough list and lots of great points!
You are such an inspiration! Thank you for your channel.
The absolute lowest cost to live in a house in my city is ~$1200 a month, and for that you get either a basement or main level suite and not an entire house. :( being alive is expensive. The only other alternative would be a 1bdrm apartment for about 900, which I'm actually thrilled about because those also went for 1200 up until the Canadian economy tanked last yr.
Wow! It seems that living in a city provides more opportunity for earning more money, but at the same time it costs so much more to live there!
These videos are so helpful! Bless you and your family :)
I miss you, Andrea. I still go to you for advice. 💖
Loving the background
last year I read Love The Home You Have.... it put me on road to contentment☺
Thank you for sharing that. I looked it up on Amazon and I'm adding it to my list of books I want to read!
Andrea you are so right, my home has double door front entrance and master, it's big. I was much happier in our smaller home, it seemed cozier. The family spent more time together. Also I live near Toronto Ontario they just thought, our province needs more money let's take it. So they up our hydro big time.
So as you said that is a unseen forever payment. I think this is the most informative video you have shared thank you.
Also you look very pretty today
Thank you; when we were on vacation we stayed in my father-in-laws home which is much larger than ours. It made me see all over again what a blessing a small home is and for more than financial reasons. As you say, there's automatically more family together-ness and I realized how much easier it is to be productive while keeping an eye on little ones when they can't roam away too far!
I keep praying for a solution in regards to this. We ended up buying an expensive house and 10 acres. My husband really enjoys hobby farming, me not so much... We struggle every month to make it here, I wish to down size but my husband is willing to sacrifice working 2-3 extra jobs to pay for it. I get overwhelmed by the work this place requires and for the financial hardship it brings. What to do when you want something different then your husband? I just keep praying. Thank you for your insightful videos! :)
It's so difficult when your hearts are in different places. We've been there. Pray, pray, pray.
This is such great advice :) I just read an article about how my generation is a lot poorer than the baby boomer generation so I feel like I have to soak up all the saving tips I can. Ahhh
This is so true! Thank you for sharing!
Yea for having a small house! I was at a church for a moms life group and this mom goes "my house is just sooo big, I don't know what to do with it it's so big. We don't even have enough kids to fill it up." Me and another mom go that sounds rough. 😅😂😅😂 oh my
I live in a 2400 square ft home, but it is a raised ranch so the lower level doesn't count for tax purposes, only the upper 1200 square ft counts. Of course we live in NY State so our taxes are high regardless. They would be worse if not a raised ranch. Our monthly mortgage loan payment is half the amount of our tax payment part.
Wow! It's kind of sickening to think about, isn't it?!
Since this months topic is secure contentment..I do have a question..what is your plan with your kids when they get older? Are they going to be taught a trade or something so that they could be secure as adults? I'm just asking because I'm a new parent and although it will eventually be my daughters decision I could help by guiding her in that direction. But at the same time in her senior year I'm going to encourage her to take up a trade(it's free for high school seniors)
I'll add this question to the Q & A video I'm planning. That's a good one.
you look great and great vlog today
This video is so professional! X
I currently live in a small 2 bedroom house with my husband and 2 sons. my need is to find more organization ideas to make it work better. I wish I could send you pictures and have your help!!! by the way the blankets were a hit!
I'm glad they liked their blankets. One of my favorite organizers is Julie Morgenstern. She really helped me think about my spaces in a different way. I'd definitely recommend her book: www.amazon.com/Organizing-Inside-Out-Second-Foolproof/dp/0805075895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484415392&sr=8-1&keywords=organizing+from+the+inside+out
I agree with this so much. I grew up in a house that I consider way too big for my family of four and I don't ever want a house that big. I see absolutely no need. American homes have so much empty space for no reason. Why do we need giant kitchens with a huge pantry and lots of cupboards? Why do we need entire rooms that we only use once or twice a year? All that will make us do is fill up that extra space with things we don't need.
I've always thought that giant master bedrooms seem silly. You just have to walk that much further to get from your bed to the bathroom!
I'm a bit color blind... I mention this because you are very pink in the vlog, which made it hard for me to see your face. I'm glad you have brown hair, lol! Awesome video, btw.
Excellent Andrea.
Andrea I seen the best thing on Facebook I thought you would just love. I remember you saying in one of your videos about some outfits from each kid you just have to keep. Well there was an idea about making a blanket out of all the little outfits so they are enjoyed forever they had baby blankets and clothes baby first outfits then the rest was just made like your normal blankets I seen it an I had to tell you its such a great idea
That sounds really neat!
we have same feelings towards our small home. it's less for me to keep clean, and I know where all the children are. our heating is so little because with 7 children running around , they keep the house heated!
We're the same way! I think we heat the house with kid-energy most of the time!
And that reason is why we are still living in an apartment, There are just no small houses for sale where we live and even the slightly too big ones are super expensive.
How are you able to reach into my brain and sort it out??? I'm always searching for bigger and better and not enjoying the moment I have a very small 3 bed house and 2 kids. have done nothing to it because I don't know if it's my forever home so I sit here hating it and wishing I could afford bigger but I have made up my mind to start loving it and create a lovely HOME and try to stop wishing for bigger and better and enjoy the here and now x
Amen Sister Friend!!!
Great advice!!
Thank you, Sherry, for telling your friends about my channel. I've been having new people tell me that you sent them over!
It is my pleasure to tell others about you! You are a blessing and I am happy I found your channel.
Such a wise woman.
You look so pretty, love the pink and the video, of course..❤️🙏🏽😊
thank you so much for this video i ve learned quite alot.
Hello andrea do you make money with vloggen?
No, I just do this to try to help others and make friends with people!
oke I am from The Netherlands and here some people can live from a vlog .
Why did people thumbs down this video? Because they don't agree with having a small house?
I've got my little group of haters (I think every TH-camr does.) Sometimes one of them will give me a thumbs down within a minute of posting a video when no one could've possibly watched it! I guess it makes them feel happy and it kind of makes me feel special. :)
LOL!
Or you can save as soon as you finish college and budget and have a job that is stabilized for 30+ years. I love big everything the bigger the better, I have one son with a 6 bedroom 3 1/2 bath he has his own room for his toys. I'm not depressed I am content I am proud of the hard core saving and working hard between my husband and I. I mean I get it not a lot of people have jobs that can bring home 175,000 a year but that's what we work with. My son is set for college and bills are paid and credit is great. I'm also a stay at home mom. So... I just can't see myself with a small house like that.... This to me is the definition of an American Dream.
We all live by our own values and if a big house is something you really value you must feel very happy with your life!
Andrea Mills Yes, it was one of my dreams as a child. We lived in a good size home when I was a child. I always knew I would have a big home of my own.
janice difulvio
Are you even real??
J.T Belcher-Farrier yes... Are you? When you live in certain parts of America this type of life style is all you know..... Especially when your father was a police officer, your mother owned her own home health Aid.... Also when you marry I into a family who is successful down to their last child. If anything we are the "least" successful in our family.
Great video!
I love your videos
love the video shared on Facebook and pinterest
Thank you!
I am downsizing as soon as my son graduates high school!!
totally agree!!!!
Small homes are definitely the best!
So true!
I feel like we are of the same mind here, I grew up pretty low income in a trailer with an addition, so to me I don't understand why people need 20000 square foot homes lol.
That's exactly the kind of house I grew up in, too!
Thumbs up!
It won't make much of a difference here in Singapore. Most live in apartments and they are TINY but very very pricey. The value of my house right now could buy me a large house in some parts of the US. It's ridiculous.
When Tom's family moved here to Wyoming from California they bought a really big house because it was so much less expensive than the smaller one they sold in California. It all depends on where you live!
Andrea Mills It really does depend! A tiny house here sells for 300k SGD. Did I say house? I meant apartment. That's around 210k USD for an apartment with 2 bedrooms. Landed properties are in the millions here.
I had no idea how expensive Singapore is to live!
Andrea Mills It is really expensive! And that's just housing! Cars are another 90k! It's why most will seek citizenship elsewhere.
4 years ago we downsize and it's great!👍🏼
On point
wish i cud watch this but my eyes hate all the pink [hurting my eyes not the colour]
I'm sorry your eyes don't like it; maybe you could just listen?
A smaller house is easy to pay off
Yes, good point!
You are so beautiful!
Hii
❤🧡💛
I'm not too fond of the background... it has a more homey feel when you're just sitting in front of the camera without all that fancy stuff
By the way, you're eyes look really pretty in this video
Tom is really into tech-y things and was encouraging me to try out some new equipment. It was cute that he told me tonight that the lighting in my purse video was great, but not so good in this video. I told him that my purse video didn't have any lighting; it was the way I always do it. I learned a lot with this video, but it's probably not going to be a regular thing. Nice to gain a few new skills, though!
It's so true! We can do so many more things because we have the money to do them & not sink all our money into trying to appease our pride or what others think. I don't have a large family like you do- wish I did- but our house is 888sq ft. We have nice sized yard. We don't have the stress of a high payment. We will pay the house off in 10 yrs (from the beginning of the Lian)! Our house pmt is less than everybody's rent. When we update areas in the house we can go with nicer products b/c we don't have to buy as much to get the job done. plus heating/cooling is cheaper. It is a good idea. Thanks for the videos! Thank your children too!!!