In this video, we meet a family of 5 living a minimalist lifestyle in a 600 square foot, 1 bedroom apartment, in Ontario, Canada. Heather, Dominique and their 3 children moved from an 800 square foot suburban condo into this 600 square foot apartment to reduce their living expenses in order to pay for an early intervention therapy program for their eldest son who is autistic. The cost of the therapy program is over $5,000 CAD, per month. They’re able to save close to $2,000 each month by keeping their living expenses low, and they fundraise the rest of the money they need: https://www.gofundme.com/therapyforjacob

The apartment has a kitchen and bathroom and one large living area that they use as a dining room, living room, and master bedroom for the parents. The single bedroom has a set of bunk beds, and one crib, as well as lots of floor space for toys like a trampoline.

The couple have gotten into the habit of regularly donating stuff they don’t need, doing the dishes and cleaning up frequently to keep the space clutter-free, and living without things after they break instead of replacing them (like their kettle for example).

The couple says they’re able to make this minimalist living situation work because they prioritize their son’s therapy and education over accumulating objects. At first, minimalism was meant to be a short-term living situation to pay for their son’s therapy for the first year, but they’re enjoying the simplicity and the savings that their lifestyle brings and they may continue after the year is up so that they can save more money for future expenses that might come up.

Thanks for watching!

Mat & Danielle

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Music & Song Credits
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All music in this video was composed, performed, and recorded by Mat Dubé of Exploring Alternatives.