Our house is a very very very fine house

When my husband and I were looking for a home several years ago, my wise Mother advised me to "get as much house as we needed." It was a good reminder of a conversation we had once had about home ownership: People tend to buy the biggest house they can afford, forgetting that when you have more space you need to maintain it and potentially buy things to fill up the space.

Since my Mom knew I don't like a lot of clutter and don't want to spend all my free time cleaning, she wanted me to think carefully about how much space we actually needed in our home and not fall into the trap of wanting the biggest house in the neighborhood.

She, of course, is correct: Having the biggest house in the neighborhood doesn't always make your family happy. That happiness boost you get upon initial purchase quickly fades if someone in your community builds a bigger house, or has a nice renovation done. Suddenly, you are left with a house that is big, but you might not love.

I really love our home. I love the breakfast nook that looks out at the woods and the water, I love the bookshelves that my wonderful husband built in the loft that makes that space into a family library, and I love the way we are transforming our back porch into a comfortable space for family to gather. It is these areas (or at least their potential) which made me fall in love with our home. It is also the right size for our family - we can all spread out and have our own space and it isn't too much house for us to take care of.

Will we live here forever? Probably not. But it is important to think about what we loved about this home for whenever we are ready to look for the next one.

What makes your home ideal for your family? Share with me in the comments.