So, you’ve come to the realization that your home is no longer the perfect fit for you or your family. Something is missing, you need more space, or your house just doesn’t feel just right anymore.

It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that a new home or a large addition is the best option. We are trained as consumers to discard something when it’s no longer useful or practical and buy the next big thing (iPhone 5, anyone?).

Why not simply evaluate your needs and your current space and make smaller adjustments to create the home you want today?

Getting Started:

Make a list of all the rooms in your home. If you have plans of it, even better. Look at each room, and write down what you use it for.

Now write down how often you use the space for its intended purpose. You might be surprised that you use that guest room only two or three times a year.

That formal dining room hosts a celebratory dinner four times a year, and that hall closet has boxes in it that you moved from your last house and haven’t opened since. These are all wasted spaces. Why not make better use of them? Repurposing a room and redesigning within your existing home’s footprint is always cheaper than building an addition.

Next, make a list of the rooms you wish you had in your home. Compare the two lists, and see if anything can have a dual purpose. Can you live without any of these rooms?

Follow the slideshow below for six ways to repurpose, recycle and reuse the room you may already have.