Tips for living well in your small apartment

A couple of weeks ago, I read this great post about living in a small apartment.  Since we (Josh, myself and Butternut) live in an apartment that is approximately 600 square feet, I have some experience with living in small spaces.  I thought I would share with you a few tips of my own:

1. Utilize every nook and cranny available to you.  Find under-the-bed storage boxes that are custom designed to fit under your bed.  We bought two - one to use under the bed and one under the couch.  You can also get shoe organizers that hook behind your door.  I use one for my shoes and another to store things like scarves and belts.  A cloth organizer is best, because it lasts longer.  

2. Avoid buying unitaskers.  Do not buy redundant, superfluous kitchen supplies that are, as Alton Brown says, “unitaskers.” In other words, kitchen equipment that does one thing and one thing only (besides take up space.)  You end up with a lot of appliances that fill up your cupboards and pantry.  All you really need is one large pot or stock pot, a medium sized pot a frying pan, and a good knife.  We also get a lot of use out of our Kitchen Aid mixer, blender, crock pot and food processor.  We leave the mixer and food pro out on the counter in order to increase our usage.  Avoid buying complicated sets of pots and pans, knifes, and unitasker appliances. A perfect example is the bread maker.  If you have a kitchen aid mixer, this is really all you need.

Buy multi-taskers, not unitaskers

Money Saving Tip:  Buy appliances from Ebay and save hundreds!

Money Saving Tip: Shop in China Town for good quality kitchen products at half to one-third the price! 

3. Get rid of stuff you don’t need.  This can be hard, but hanging on to products or clothes you no longer use will only weigh you down.  A good article on De-cluttering your closet can be found here.

4. Make use of small outdoor spaces.  My sister, for example, has a small condo in Toronto and is able to enjoy a small rooftop patio.

Shopping for a wok in china town

 She puts it to good use, growing vegetables, herbs and flowers.  If you don’t have a patio, but you do have a south facing window, you can enjoy flowers in a miniature greenhouse, or grow cacti.

5. Be thankful.  If you are living in an apartment, be thankful.  With the current economic environment, you don’t have to worry about your mortgage or about losing your home.  You probably do not have to worry about things like paying for lawn maintenance, renovations or even utilities either, so appreciate your simple living for now as it also means lower costs and lower stress.