How a 'Right-Sized' 1950s Home Became a 'Tight Fit' in 2012

If you live in Hellertown, then chances are you do not live in a very big home. My house is just under 1,300 square feet. With two girls, a hubby and myself, it's perfect. If anything, a smaller home has forced me to rid myself of "un-needed" and even sometimes "unwanted" STUFF.

I find it fascinating that my mom grew up in a Cape Cod no bigger than mine, yet she is one of seven siblings, placing in at number five of the rat pack. Can you imagine sharing one bathroom with eight other people? And to think we complain about sharing one bathroom with two other people (Brinley, our youngest, is still in diapers).

In fact, the size of the average American home is now more than double what it was in the 1950s, even though families today are smaller.

In Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, authors John de Graaf, David Wann and Thomas H. Naylor examine the country's love affair with ever-larger houses, and point out that just after World War II, the size of an average, newly-built home (in Levittown, for example) was just 750 square feet.

In the 1950s, the size of the typical new home increased to 950 square feet, and "by the 60's 1,100 square feet was typical, and by the 70's, 1,350. Beginning with the recession in 2000, the average new house size stabilized to 2,320 (square feet)," according to the authors.

I would love to travel back in time to see how the "average" family lived in the '50s. I'd love to visit each and every one of these tiny homes and see what fit and what didn't. I can picture a home full of laughter and giggles despite the fact there is not much room for toys, let alone a playroom.

Entertainment didn't revolve around the "boob tube," if you were even lucky enough to own one. Closets were NOT the size of bedrooms because people just didn't own that many shoes, dresses and jackets. Kids played outside daily and brought their imaginations with. Oh, if I could be a fly on the wall I would probably witness a whole crew of kids helping mom wash the dishes and sweep the floors.

I know I'm romanticizing it a bit. After all, we have many conveniences they didn't, such as clothes dryers, dishwashers, central air conditioning, cable and Internet! But even with their lack of luxuries, they seemed to hold onto what our society has lost. Simple joy, appreciating the small things--yes, even the just-under-1,300-square-foot homes we live in (remember what a luxury this extra space would have been for families in the '50s)--and realizing that you don't have to own everything in this world. You CAN be happy with what you've got! Gratitude can create contentment, and maybe even help you de-clutter your home!

I made a life-changing decision this year to change my views and adopt a minimalist lifestyle. Trust me when I say that I have light years to go, but my decision has spurred on a newfound excitement and energy. Best of all, I have found peace of mind in the decision, and a thankful heart. I am happy to be living with less and living on less. Join me for the ride at my blog, The Best of PA.