I'm going to be honest with you, because that's kind of my thing.
I'm a mom of four. My son plays rep hockey, and my three girls play rep basketball and rep soccer. If you've ever tried to coordinate four kids across three sports, you already know what our weekends look like. Rinks at 6am, gym tournaments on Sundays, soccer fields on Saturday afternoons. It's a lot, and I love every chaotic minute of it.
I drive a Ford Expedition. Not because it's glamorous, not because I wanted the biggest truck on the road, but because it's the only vehicle that fits our family of six plus hockey bags and still has trunk space when we travel. It's practical. It works. And I'm okay with that.
We built our home 16 years ago. It's simple and quaint, and we added an addition when our third and fourth kids came along. We didn't rip it down and start over. We didn't chase a bigger footprint in a fancier neighbourhood. We made it work because it already felt like home.
And instead of upgrading our house, we bought a cottage.That was the decision that I think defined how we want to live.
We wanted a place where my sisters could bring their families, where my parents could be with all their grandchildren at once, where cousins could build memories together.
A place to breathe. A place to escape the everyday grind that comes with four kids and a business and a life that moves fast.
We chose experiences and family over square footage. No regrets.
I find simple living genuinely less stressful, full stop. Less debt means less pressure. Less pressure means more presence.
And more presence is really the whole point, isn't it?
I watched a lot of people around me make very different choices during COVID. When interest rates were at historic lows and money felt cheap, people upgraded their homes, bought new vehicles, took on more. And at the time, it made sense.
I get it.
But now, several years later, many of those same people are looking around and realizing that what they really want is to carry less. To have money in the bank. To feel like they can breathe again.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
If you're at a point in your life where downsizing feels like the right next move, whether that's rightsizing into something more manageable, freeing up equity, reducing your monthly obligations, or just simplifying what you're responsible for, I'd genuinely love to help you with that journey.
I understand it because I've lived a version of it.
I'm not here to talk you into more than you need.
I'm here to help you figure out what actually fits your life right now.Sometimes the best move isn't up.
Sometimes it's sideways, or smaller, or different. And sometimes that's exactly where the good stuff is.
If any of this resonates with you, I'd love to connect.
Kristina 🫶
kristina@kristinatardif.com
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