Living in the Streets

Chris and I have a knack for finding the smallest spaces. When we stayed in New York, our hotel room (one block from The Empire State Building) had space for a bed and a sink, and that was pretty much it. The bathrooms were across the hall and shared, and the television was mounted to the wall to save space. When travelling, we've always cared more about location than size. The hotel room is a place to sleep and recover from long walks, but the city is where we really spend our days.

Reading in Munson Park on a sunny afternoon

We wound up looking for the same things in a condo. Our place is in the heart of one of the best neighbourhoods in Canada, but the living space itself is tiny. Seriously, imagine small and then slice off a few square feet, and you'd have our condo (488 square feet to be exact). 

And just as our hotel rooms function during our travels, so does our condo. It's where we sleep, veg out in front of Netflix, and prepare meals, but we do our real living in the streets.

While walking from drinks to dinner in the Exchange District in Winnipeg

How? We take long walks with our dog Slim at nearby parks, meet friends for a coffee or drinks in the evenings, work and read at local cafes, and enjoy rambling meals around town.

When I travel, I'm always willing to give up a luxurious and spacious hotel room to have the money to see and do more. In the same way, the money we save by keeping our mortgage rate and land taxes low helps us to enjoy the kind of lifestyle where we can afford to go out regularly and travel often. And, for me, it's an easy tradeoff.

Weekend afternoons spent at a nearby off-leash dog park

What about you? Are you more of a homebody or do you prefer to spend your money on experiences? Are you fortunate enough to have the money for both? As always, I'd love to hear from you.