10 Ways to Make a Small House Less Cluttered with Kids

Why Families are Embracing Smaller Houses

Climbing interest rates and a tight housing market have many couples who are looking to start families, or who already have children, deciding to stay in their current homes instead of moving to a larger house. What may have once been purchased as a “starter home” has shifted into a longer-term solution for many people. While staying in a smaller home may be the gentler solution for your bank account, it does present some challenges with growing families.

1. Declutter Your Home 

Closets fit more when you only keep what you need. Consider donating duplicates, clothes that have been outgrown, or items you no longer use. Getting items you no longer need out of your home helps clear the canvas for the next steps that you could take. Here are some items to look at:

• Clothes
• Furniture
• Dishes
• Small kitchen appliances
• Seasonal décor

You can read more strategies to declutter your home here.

2. Take Advantage of Outdoor Spaces with a Small House 

While your house may be small, you may have some land to work with. Consider if you can do the following:

• Use a garden shed as extra storage space
• Keep a deck box outside for storing larger, weatherproof toys
• Use outdoor areas to entertain guests
• Consider outdoor toys like sand boxes, slides, or basketball hoops

Thinking of your outdoor space as another “room” in your home can help maximize the space that you have.

3. Borrow Instead of Buying 

If storage is an issue in your small house, see what you can borrow for items you may only have to use occasionally or for a short time. For example:

• Check with your local library to see what resources they have. Many have options beyond books like baking kits, outdoor sporting equipment, and more.
• Check with friends, families, and neighbors for things like power tools, kids’ costumes, board games, party decorations, or kitchen appliances.
• Look at rental options for items you may need for a special one-time project or event. This could be anything from equipment for yard work to a popcorn machine.
• Consider shopping at thrift stores and then donating the items back once you are done using them.

4. Encourage Experience Gifts Over Things for Kids 

Birthdays and holidays typically come with armloads of presents, delighting kids but making storage more of a hassle. Consider encouraging experiences for gifts, such as:

• Tickets to the zoo
• Tickets to the trampoline park
• A trip to the movies
• Train ride tickets
• Concert tickets
• A trip to a science museum
• A trip to a waterpark
• Amusement park tickets
• Skiing or Snowboarding lessons
• Day trip mini golfing
• A day at the arcade
• Mini-manicures at a salon or day spa
• Tickets to a sports game
• Karate lessons
• Horseback riding lessons

5. Store Seasonal Items 

Designate a storage space for seasonal items such as your basement, garage, attic, or even a storage unit. As the seasons change, swap out jackets, clothes, boots, and more.

6. Think About Vertical Storage 

If you are looking for extra storage space in your home, you may want to consider looking up. This could look like:

• Adding shelving in your basement
• Adding shelving in your garage
• Adding shelving to closets
• Using wall hooks to display items in kid’s rooms
• Buying a locker to double as a secondary closet in a child’s room
• Adding hooks to the back of doors or inside of cabinets
• For kids, consider bunk beds or loft beds with desks underneath
• Use floating shelves where floor space isn’t available or to display special collections in children’s rooms

7. Invest in Furniture That Has More Than One Purpose 

• Storage benches can provide extra room for linens
• Using an ottoman or trunk in your living room can provide a home for kids’ toys when they are not being used
• Consider end tables that have storage inside for things like books, media, toys, or gaming consoles

8. Store Things Under Furniture 

Consider short bins or other storage items that can easily slide under your bed or even couch. These can store toys, shoes, or extra sets of sheets. If your couch sits low to the ground, look into furniture risers to elevate it and give you more space to work with.

9. Rethink Your Guest Bedroom 

You may think that you need to keep an extra bed for family or friends to stay over, but how often will that really be used? Consider the following options for a guest bed:

• A wall bed
• An air mattress  
• Sleeper sofas
• Trundle Beds
• Rollaway beds

10. Monitor What Items You Add to Your Home 

You can declutter your home and still be drowning in unnecessary items a few months later, unless you develop a system for limiting what items you keep in your home. Here are some tips for warding off clutter before it even comes in your front door.

• Say no to freebies, unless it’s something you can actually use.
• Ask yourself before you buy something where you would store it in your home.
• Cancel subscriptions to delivery services or catalogs that you no longer use.
• Set up a binder for special kid’s art projects or school papers, and don’t feel the need to save every single one.
• See if the “one in, one out” rule works for you. Essentially, if you bring something into your home, you take something out

While Your At It, Shop Insurance Quotes for Your Home 

Requesting an insurance quote for your home is as simple as filling out our form here. If you would prefer to call someone to start the quoting process, you can find a list of our office phone numbers here. With offices in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Florida, your local office may be closer than you think.

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This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Cross Insurance shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, insurance, accounting or other professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article are that of its author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cross Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Cross Insurance”) or Cross Insurance’s management or shareholders.