Hello! Today I have a meaningful success story I’d like to share. Enjoy.
I’m Renee, a mom in a lively blended family with four children. As a practicing minimalist and an advocate for becoming debt-free, I run the blog The Fun Sized Life to help others simplify their lives while building wealth.
I dedicate myself to helping because just a few years ago my life was headed in the wrong direction.
Three years ago our marriage was strained, I felt directionless in my career, our family life felt chaotic, and we were fully “house poor.”
We reached a crossroads: either walk away from our marriage or take a hit and sell the house that was tearing us apart. We chose to change our lives.
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Our story
When my husband and I moved to our dream city in 2008, we had big dreams about where we wanted to end up. Back then it was just the two of us raising his daughter from a previous relationship.
Living in a modest townhouse was perfect for our growing family, but we dreamed of making it to the nicer neighborhood down the street.
We imagined that once we lived in that pristine area with big trees, large driveways, and vaulted ceilings, we would have “made it.”
Moving up in the world
In 2013 we did it: we moved into a beautiful 3,400 square foot home with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two living rooms, two dining rooms, a loft, walk-in closets, and a finished walkout basement with a creek in the backyard.
Everything felt dream-like. There was more than enough room for our family of five (plus an older sister who visited on weekends). I set up a photography studio in the front area and the kids had a dedicated playroom.
From the outside it looked like we had finally achieved our dreams. What we didn’t realize was that we were on the fast track to serious debt and would soon discover the downsides of owning such a large house.
Big house, big yard
Because the house we bought had been foreclosed on, it needed work. There were gardens and landscaping all over the front and back yards. We were eager to restore them.
After living in a townhouse, my husband Tom loved the idea of mowing his own lawn and raking his own leaves. We spent many fall days digging, weeding, and seeding. It felt great to see the progress.
When winter came, however, our efforts were covered in snow and we discovered the interior required far more maintenance than we had anticipated.
Trying to make a house a home
We discovered that the house didn’t come with appliances, so we used credit cards to buy a refrigerator, washer, and dryer. Later we upgraded other kitchen appliances on credit as well.
We planned to update cabinets, flooring, bathrooms, and repaint, and the tall brass chandelier in the entry was an eyesore we couldn’t easily change without equipment. The house’s extra space felt empty and cold until we furnished and decorated it — and furnishing it required money.
More room, more mess
I was thrilled that the kids finally had a toy room — until I realized toys were scattered in eleven rooms across three levels. Cleaning became a full-time job.
Tom used to help with dishes and housework, but now much of his time went to snow removal, mowing, and maintaining appliances. We barely saw one another and had little energy to nurture our relationship. The upkeep was wearing us down.
Big house, bigger payments
Our mortgage jumped by over $700 per month. We had not planned properly. I could blame the realtor, but the decision was ultimately ours.
Because my photography business was doing well, we hoped the extra income would cover the difference. There was no rigorous budgeting or emergency fund — just hope that things would work out.
Owning a larger home brought many additional costs we hadn’t anticipated, including:
- Lawn mower
- Snow blower
- Lawn care
- Appliance upgrades
- New furniture
- Higher heating and cooling expenses
- Increased property taxes
A bigger house meant bigger everything: more to heat, more rooms to clean, more things to buy. After two years we were overwhelmed and miserable.
Our non-existent financial plan
We made a life-changing decision without a real financial plan. Our strategy was to rely on my photography income to cover the $700 monthly increase. We had no savings, no emergency fund, and barely a budget.
Our barely budgeted budget
My budgeting then was simplistic: take Tom’s paycheck, subtract mortgage and bills, and assume the remaining $1,000 was great. I ignored groceries, gas, retirement savings, and other essentials. In reality, Tom’s paycheck didn’t have anything left.
We never discussed a plan together. When money tightened, I would tell him to cut back, which made him resentful. Even when I earned extra from photography, there was no clear plan for how to use it. Too often it became “fun money.”
The photography business
My photography business boomed and brought in clients from all directions: studio sessions, seniors, weddings, fashion — I did it all. But I didn’t treat it like a business.
Rather than reinvesting earnings or saving, we spent on vacations, dinners, and occasional loan payments. There was plenty of income, but no planning.
House poor
At first I didn’t see myself as “house poor.” We could make our payments, so what was the problem? The truth was that we had purchased a home beyond our means. Society encourages keeping up appearances, and we had bought into that.
Being house poor was not inevitable — it was a choice we made. Social pressure and easy credit helped push us into a lifestyle that left us financially vulnerable.
Falling apart
The lack of financial planning and constant upkeep took a toll. Tom and I grew distant. He became resentful, and our oldest daughter retreated to a hidden basement bedroom as she struggled with depression and anxiety. The large house made it easy for us to disconnect from one another.
I also began to resent photography. What once focused on people and their authentic moments increasingly felt like props and staged images. Nothing felt genuine anymore.
Time for a change
I raised the white flag and told Tom I wanted out — not of our marriage, but out of the house. The house and the money were driving us toward divorce.
As someone from a family of divorces, I promised myself I wouldn’t let money destroy my marriage. So why were we clinging to material things at the cost of our relationship?
Almost exactly two years after buying the house, we put it on the market.
Deeper in debt
Preparing to sell, we sold unneeded furniture and my photography equipment. I also began an uncertain career transition. After three months on the market we paused for the holidays. Shortly after, our son fell gravely ill and was hospitalized with a rare infection, spending most of January in a coma-like state.
As our son recovered through extensive therapy, we entered survival mode. Finances went on autopilot: we charged essentials and medical bills. A GoFundMe helped but wasn’t enough. Without savings, we quickly accumulated over $12,000 on our largest credit card, plus mounting hospital bills while the house lingered unsold.
Getting our priorities straight
Hard times taught us perspective. The previous six months showed what truly mattered: each other. We recommitted to selling the house and moving forward with a smarter financial plan.
Moving on
After about seven months on the market, we accepted an offer in March and began searching for a smaller home. The market was competitive, but we focused on finding a single-level house in our city so our oldest daughter wouldn’t have to change schools.
We found a three-bedroom one-level home with a master suite and an open floor plan backing onto a field. It was affordable and ideal.
We closed on the sale in May and purchased the new house the next day. For one day we were truly house-free — and it felt like a weight lifted. The worry that had built up over years finally began to fade.
New house, new goals
In the smaller house (about 2,000 square feet smaller), our plans shifted. We decided to make this house a home quickly and intentionally.
Before moving in we painted the main living areas and kids’ bedrooms and updated light fixtures. Then we stopped buying. We committed to contentment and made no new large purchases.
We left bare walls and unfinished spaces without feeling the need to fill them. Instead of instantly replacing or upgrading everything, we practiced patience and saving.
Waiting and saving
We learned to plan and save for anything we wanted. We saved for months to reach $200 for bar stools — a sum we might once have charged without thought. This discipline helped us prioritize paying down debt.
With $700 less per month on the mortgage, I felt less pressure to work nonstop. I spent the first two months of summer playing with the kids and tending to our easier-to-maintain home. A smaller mortgage freed us to pursue larger goals and reconnect as a family.
I continued photography occasionally and worked part-time jobs, funneling extra income toward debt repayment.
Getting out of debt for good
We adopted frugality, disciplined saving, and Dave Ramsey’s Debt Snowball method. In the two and a half years since moving, we’ve paid off about $25,000 of debt, including hospital bills, student loans, a remaining car balance, and the $12,000 credit card balance.
We now live debt-free, pay for purchases with cash, and have rebuilt the marriage we once feared might end.
Since starting our debt-free, minimalist journey, I’ve documented our experience on The Fun Sized Life to help others create freedom and prioritize what matters most.
What we learned from being house poor
Even if we had managed money better in the big house, we likely wouldn’t have stayed. With so much space to fill, it was easy to feel empty and isolated. That’s not how we wanted to live.
We learned to value money, time, and most importantly each other. Instead of pouring resources into furniture, appliance upgrades, and remodels, we invested in our future and occasionally treated ourselves to small vacations.
The biggest lesson was recognizing that the house itself wasn’t to blame for our struggles — our choices were. We had chased “upward” in the wrong way. Downsizing forced us to rediscover contentment with what we already had.
What size is your home? Do you think it’s too big, too small, or just right?