But I have big stuff. :(
Understandable. But how much of that big stuff is stuff designed to replace the built in storage lacking in modern home construction? Not-so-big as a concept is not about sacrificing bigness so much as emphasizing quality of space over floor area. It is an unfortunate limitation the everyday understanding of architectural space that they think in terms of square feet. Spaces are three dimensional, and need to be considered and described as such.
Consider the following: I cannot speak for your personal taste, but generally, high ceilings are considered to increase the appeal of an important space. However, this is only effective if lower ceiling heights provide some contrast. Consider at house has uniformly 10 foot ceilings. In such a house, the effect of differentiation is lost. However, consider a house with the exact same floor plan, but with differentiated ceiling height. Moving from a hallway with 8 foot ceilings into a bedroom with 9 foot ceilings will produce a sense of arrival which would be absent from the house with 10 foot ceilings in both the hallway and bedroom. The emphasis placed on the bedroom over the hallway by the difference of ceiling height will, all other things being equal, generally make the 8’-9’ variation more appealing than the uniform 10 feet.
None of this is effectively communicated by the square footage of a house, but does effect the price. When your budget is set, sacrificing a little bit of the square footage in favor of architectural detail can make a house eminently more livable. Of course, if you have the money, there is no reason to sacrifice square footage. Just add the detail, too.