Downsizing - Moving from a house to a condo

June 12, Independence Day, what a special date to finally move to our new place. It wasn’t intentional, we totally forgot what day  it was since we’ve been busy packing in the last two months.  We’ve moved houses three times and this is our first time to live in a condominium..   Coming from a big house, we’re now downsizing to a 47.6 sq.m. , one bedroom, 1 toilet & bath condo space.

Why did we move

It was  a sudden decision. Right after New Year’s Day, my brother,  whom we’re sharing rent in the house,  have found his own place and decided to move out. He got himself a condominium unit which is also very near our place. He encouraged us to get a unit for ourselves since it’s in a very desirable location, close to work and establishments. We were hesitant at first, but as days pass by,  living in a three bedroom, two T& B, a three-car garage and a garden, was too much for me and my husband to maintain. Security also became a concern.  Most of the time, I was living alone in the house since my husband is always out of town for work.  I no longer have a dog  for companion (and bodyguard) and I don’t think my cats can protect me from bad guys😂😂😂.  After a few months, we decided it’s time to make the big move.

Downsizing, everything must go

sample layout

Since we came from a big house, the lack of space in the condo became a major problem for us. I asked myself, How do I fit all of  our things into that cramped unit?” Good thing that my nephew suggested that I sell my things thru OLX  , which I did, problem solved. I was able to dispose some of my furniture and appliances. We moved to our new place bringing only our bed (which is fairly new), one chair and our personal belongings. The money I earned from selling my old stuff were used to buy new furniture for the new place.

Keep, Throw-away & Donate 

For sentimental reasons, clearing out your personal belongings is the hardest thing to do when you’re moving out. I have accumulated a lot of things over those 8 years (not including those still unopened boxes that came from your last move that was still stacked in the storage) of living in a house. Clothes  that I’ve kept for years thinking that I can wear it once again if  lose weight. And oh, my shoes,  I haven’t worn some of them (they are still in boxes). I have to look at it one by one to see what goes into the keep, throw-away or donate boxes. It took me a while  before I was able to let go of these “precious” things.

Saying goodbye 

Moving out day, my siblings came to help us with the cleaning up. It was such a  happy and sad moment for me. I had an emotional attachment to our house. This is where I’ll be leaving my beloved dog Pongo, under the big Sampaloc tree in our garden is his final resting place. I'm leaving also my cats since pet ownership is not allowed in the condominium building. But before I left, I made a promised to them that I’ll get them someday, no matter what. I said my goodbyes to our house caretaker, Aling Selda, whom I will miss dearly.

New place, new memories

                        

As we settled into our new place, living with  no appliances and furniture became a challenge for us. I have to turn down some of my friends who live nearby who wanted to visit us (remember, we only have one  chair😂😂😂).  We can’t cook and do our groceries (we have have no refrigerator and stove yet) so we eat out of most of the time.  Partly, it’s my fault.  I’m taking my sweet time looking for the right furniture and appliances that would be suitable for our limited space.  I just want our place to be perfect for this might be our forever home.

Are you ready to downsize to a condo?  If you moved from a house into a condo,  kindly share us your experience on what condo living is all about. I would love to hear it❤️