Living in close quarters

MrsPetroske

My husband and I got married in June of last year and we are in the process of finding a home. Unfortunately, we aren't finding anything right now. We currently live with my parents since they let us move in when he got a job near their home. We can't afford to put money away for a home and pay for an apartment (at least not put as much away) so for now, we are stuck in my old high school bedroom. 

 

My question is: Any opinions on how to best utilize space? We are cramped with us and our cat in an 11 X 11 bedroom.  

srs5624

Go to Ikea?

Personally, I'd rather rent an apartment and hold off on buying a house than live in a closet at my parents house. No way. No how.

Santorini2011

Yikes-that is a hard one.  Maybe rent an inexpensive storage unit for most of your items and get storage bins to put your clothes and then put them under the bed.  Tall dressers will also take up less space.

Princess_Lily

IMHO, I've seen this happen and it is quite common for many couples today due to many factors.  I know many that have families of three living in a main home due to financial hardships...its simply easier for everyone to do what your doing, especially when the economy is hard.

My suggestion:

Determine what is an "essential piece." Is it a television?  Is it a dresser?  Take those pieces into the room...but take only what you need.  Any excess pieces, try shopping around different storage facilities and find the best price for your budget to keep these items per month and store it there.  Every storage facility has a different price, based on location & per square foot space.

Next, utilize any bedroom furniture...a bed with an under bed storage.  Utilize closet space as best as you can too.

I'm still in the process of containing our "clutter areas."  I'm not utilizing my spaces properly...and I'm not throwing enough away.

 

gl 

doeie04

I agree with getting rid of all the stuff you don't really use or need. It will save you money and effort in the end. (More trips to move/bigger moving van, storage issues, renting storage for stuff you don't even use or need, etc.)

If it is stuff you can't part with, I would get a storage unit to free up your space so you don't go crazy. Clutter makes me feel suffocated, which is the last thing you need in your tiny space.

DreadLoc

1. I agree with PP e: necessities.  Make as much paperwork/documents digital and shred them (obviously not birth certificates or major purchase receipts/warranties, ect), scan important pages of old textbooks and toss them, try to cut down on regular books, if possible invest in an e-reader.  Sell as much as possible and put the money in an account for replacing those things after you buy a house.  Cut down your wardrobes, adopt a "bring an item in, take an item out" policy, and try to de-attach feelings and emotions with any non-vital items.  

2.  Is your cat not allowed in the rest of the house?  If not,  try to figure out a way to hide the litterbox in something functional.  The Ikea Hackers blog is useful, I've seen many hacks where they hide the cat's litterbox, feeding, and playing area in furniture that can also be used for storage (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2010/09/effektively-hiding-cat-box.html).  Also, you can utilize the wall space with bracket shelves for the cat to climb and hang out (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2010/07/hack-of-lack-holding-cat.html).

3.  Invest in a bed with dressers underneath, like this one: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Everett-Espresso-Queen-12-drawer-Platform-Bed/3701486/product.html  That way you can eliminate dressers altogether.

4.  The shoe organizers with the pockets that hang behind doors are fabulous and inexpensive for organizing the small odds and ends.  I hold all my makeup and toiletries in one and have a mirror on the wall behind the door so it's very easy to do my makeup in the morning and keep everything organized.

 5.  If bookshelves for storage is a must, look for highest ones possible to take advantage of your ceiling height.  Also, that space on the wall right above your door is a great place for a bracket mounted shelf for even more storage.  

6.  For decor, try to keep everything light and airy.  Remember that you have to keep on top of any and all clutter to avoid feeling claustrophobic.   

 

If all else fail, rent a small storage room.  Keep everything except for daily use items in it. 

jesscm

Oh boy, my husband and I and our cat lived in a 350 square foot apartment for several years (we just last year moved into a much more reasonable 1200 sq. ft. space). Our key to staying semi-happy was keeping as much off the floor as humanly possible - so our walls were pretty full. We used a lot of shelves to store our essentials. And even though this isn't good for gas mileage, items we used pretty regularly but didn't fit in our apartment, we stored in the trunks of our cars. Anything else that wouldn't fit that we didn't use necessarily in that apartment but we wanted to keep for a future home, we kept in my parents' basement. Good luck!