I was deeply inspired by Shay Salomon and her book, Little House on a Small Planet. It opened my eyes to a new (and infinitely more manageable way of life.) I hope that it will do the same for you. Perhaps, like me, you should start to think big and live small. I believe it will change your life for the better.

Here is Shay Salomon with her inspiring story on living small!

What is the Small House Movement?

The Small House Society (SHS) is the movement of people who want to simplify their lives by living in less space. So it's really a wide range of people, in the United States and all over the world, from young families who have exchanged their large suburban homes in favor of small downtown apartments, to folks who have retired into RV's and the open road, to movie stars who have downsized to small mansions.

I am getting ready for a big move and I don't know the first thing about packing up my apartment. Why? Because when I moved into my apartment I had barely anything and now I am jammed to the rafters with stuff. Yes, I have been de-cluttering over the last few months – but it seems like there is still so much stuff left to toss. All I can say is, I need to move on from "how did this happen?" to toss, streamline and moving on. This morning I found these great tips at MoversDirectory.com. I hope they are as helpful to you as they have been to me!

I am a channel flipper and that has really served me well. I often land on documentaries because I love the stories of people's lives. So how could I resist the story of Gwen Roland and her companion Calvin Voisin? They "dropped out" in the 1970s to live on a houseboat in the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana . They built their home (a houseboat after their original house flooded) out of primarily salvaged materials. They grew their own food (supplemented by fish they caught.) They lived a mostly solitary existence but had friends in the Basin that would visit from time to time. One of these friends, the photographer C.C. Lockwood, took some of the most stunning photographs of them for National Geographic magazine. Gwen then wrote an article about her experience for Mother Earth News and then a book called Atchafalaya Houseboat, My Life in a Louisiana Swamp . The documentary, also called Atchafalaya Houseboat, is not to be missed. If you dream of a sustainable, off-the-beaten path life, the story of Gwen and Calvin will surely inspire you.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the first-time homebuyer's tax credit in a post. There are some important changes to this program this year. In 2008, the credit needed to be paid back. This year, the credit does not have to be paid back unless the home ceases to be your main residence within a three-year period following the purchase. So if buying your first home is on the horizon, visit the IRS's site and find out what you need to know. (Yes, the IRS is putting money in your pocket for once!)

The holidays always mean spending time with my niece and nephew and their assorted pint-sized friends. While it's true that the love of real estate has visited the next generation (my niece sees balloons outside a house and immediately screams, "Open House!" and not "Birthday Party!") it's also true that living in the suburbs has given them the idea that people live in houses or apartments and nothing else. But this week's Real Estate Book Club selection will change all that. I'm bring them a copy of Houses and Homes (Around the World Series) written by Ann Morris and illustrated by Ken Heyman. It will be fun reading about the different types of houses as well as learning about what makes a home in different countries.

If you are anything like me and find it hard to make a decision. Wait! Let me begin again. If you are anything like me and like to know both sides of an issue, (Yes, that's much better,) then you will enjoy reading this article in the Chicago Tribune. It clearly lists the 5 reasons you should buy a house now as well as the 5 reasons to wait. Both sides have compelling arguments in their favor, but in the end it always comes down to the same thing. What? You want me to tell you what that thing is? The thing is you know it in your gut (and in the layout of that perfect 3-bedroom, 2-bath townhouse you just visited.)

One of the things that I like most about blogging for Bright and Spacious is the opportunity to learn new things. And the possibilities are truly endless. Not only can I learn all about real estate, real estate finance, design, home improvement and the myriad ways to stretch your real-estate dollar, but I also get to discover innovative ways to help you do the same. When I first launched this blog I serendipitously found Darren and Jill Bloch and their company, Construction Coaches. Like the name says, their company provides coaching on your construction projects. If you've ever wanted to tackle a remodel or renovation job yourself, but just don't feel right about taking the plunge alone (or if you'd like to learn the skill-set to do-it-yourself) then maybe getting a construction coach is just what you need. It will definitely save you time and money, give you confidence in getting the job done right and teach you how to do-it-yourself. I know I love watching all those home improvement shows, but would really love someone to answer my questions as I go along. Construction Coaches provide just that sort of DIY help – and might be the right solution for you.

I asked Darren Bloch if he could tell us if construction coaching would be a good option for you. Here is what Darren said:

Could you use some DIY help and is DIY-help for you?

A souring economy and an explosion in DIY programming have gotten more people then ever trying to work through home repair and renovation projects on their own. This is a great trend as there are numerous projects homeowners can take on – realizing the saving and satisfaction at the core of DIY work. Unfortunately, the increased exposure has given some people a false sense of confidence (leading them to get in over their heads), and left others skeptical and even cynical about being able to get through larger projects that they know look almost too easy on television. Like most things, the reality of the situation is somewhere in the middle, but there are also new services looking to give DIY homeowners that extra boost of help and support to get started or get through their DIY projects. Below are a few tips to see if you could use some DIY help and if DIY help is for you.

With the weekend right around corner I know I should be thinking about rest and relaxation, but what I've been thinking about is my home "office." Ok, it is just the desk in my bedroom, but I really need more dedicated space and a true home office. What does that mean? Probably, it means getting organized and re-allocating my space. I wasn't sure what to do and that's when I came upon this home office makeover on Lifehacker. Maybe, it is just a tad too masculine and tech-y for my tastes, even though there is a major improvement from the before pic. When I found this post on Ramblings of A Renovating Couple, I knew I had found plenty of inspiration. So now I can get to work at home.

I'm not sure why I haven't visited Realtor.org before, but when I did this morning I found a lot of great resources (as the proverbial saying goes) right at my fingertips. There's lots of information for the real estate professional and related businesses, but also for home buyers and home sellers too. They cover this week's hot topics on their homepage, but what intrigued me most was their article on First-Time Homebuyer's Tax Credit (that p.s. can be used for closing costs.) You learn something new every day – thanks, Realtor.org for today's newfound wisdom.

I am a big believer in asking the experts for their opinions. The key word here is opinion, although experts have a detailed knowledge base, they probably cannot answer your every question. Or maybe, you haven't even asked the right questions. And sometimes, something happens right out of left field. So here is what I recommend. Start with this week's real estate book club, What Your Contractor Can't Tell You: The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating, by Amy Johnston. It will help you avoid the pitfalls of creating a money pit – AND it will give you tons of resources so you can be well prepared for whatever home-building or renovating problem gets thrown at you. And that's a fact!

When I was apartment-hunting with friends last weekend I was struck by how much I loved the furniture. Since every place we visited was a new construction, the apartments had clearly been staged. If only I could move into a place and have it furnished (and furnished well) in the blink of an eye. By this time you know that means I started searching online for a good staging and rental furniture resource. And success! afr Furniture Rentals is just the place! They have different services including home staging (as well as furnishing your office!) But I knew they were a winner when I saw the end result of Allison Janney's New York City apartment (which was featured on LXTV – Open House NYC.)

I got an email this morning showcasing a charming lake-view chalet about 100 miles outside of New York City. The chalet intrigues me because it doesn't need a lot of work (it's freshly painted both inside and out) and the layout is refreshingly logical. But can I afford it? That's when I turned to AOL Real Estate and their Mortgage Calculator. All I had to do was input a few lines of financial info and presto! I have either broken the bank or can bank on that little mountain getaway I have always dreamed about.

In my almost never-ending quest to make my life easier (and please, if you have any suggestions, just send them right along!) I began doing a little research about dishwashers. Who has time for all that cleaning up after spending all that time prepping and cooking? Not this blogger, my friends. Unfortunately, my apartment kitchen is way too small for a conventional model, but then serendipitously, I found this portable counter-top model on Amazon.com.

All I can say is: who knew? EdgeStar's counter-top dishwasher is only 19.3 x 22.3 x 18.5 inches and weighs 39 pounds. You can hook it up on your counter-top or under most cabinets. It holds up to 4 place settings and it costs just $229.00 plus shipping and handling (approximately $40 for shipment out to Brooklyn, New York.) It's sleek, it's small and so very, very modern – and presto, my life just got easier.

Even if it doesn't exactly feel like summer yet, yesterday's solstice tells us yes, indeed, summer is here. One of my favorite childhood summer memories was renting a house in Pennsylvania for two weeks. We would barbeque, walk to the lake, play cards and best of all, walk to the country store for Fudge Pops after dinner. What kind of summer vacation are you planning this year? Vacation Rentals by Owner is a great place to start. Want a Pennsylvania cabin close to a lake? How about a beachfront Costa Rican casita? Or someplace romantic in say, Fiji ? You've got plenty of choices. So, where are you renting this year?

What was the first thing you did when you moved into your new home? Did hubby carry you across the threshold? Did the kids go nuts? Or did you just wander amazed through the boxes thinking, "Do I really live here?" Everyone has one perfect memory of their big move into their new home. I know I do. I cleaned my apartment for a week! My apartment was filthy and I had the whole extended clan doing something. I spent three days cleaning the cabinets alone. And I haven't cleaned that thoroughly since. Then my apartment had barely any furniture, but now, it needs constant de-cluttering. How times have changed. How about you? Did you have any moving in rituals? What did you do? Think? Tell us about it!