Living With Less: Our Digs

OR:  AN INDULGENTLY LONG TREATISE ON TEMPERANCE

So one of the things that I wanted to focus on in this blog is getting by with less -- the whole notion of living out of 2 Suitcases -- living more for the experiences than for the things, being kinder to the environment and generally living up to that old Yankee adage of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

There are many aspects of that now in my daily life -- no car = walking everywhere, no dryer = line drying, etc., etc. -- but one of the most obvious ones is our flat (apartment):

It's been very nicely remodeled and furnished by it owners, but still, it's tiny.

The "bedroom"

The living room

The "office"

The kitchen and "dining room"

 The very nice & modern bathroom

Coming from living in our 1200 sq. foot, multi-story home in Minneapolis, we're now in a studio apartment that probably isn't even 400 square feet.

And you know what's pretty effing weird?  We're actually really liking it!  And this comes from a woman who loves her quiet, alone and private time & space (no, really, it's true.)  We thought this would just be a temporary place, and we actually had the opportunity to move into a one bedroom, but we liked this one so much better we decided to stay in it. 

There are lots of reasons we like it:

- Time & materials to clean it:  minimal.

- It REALLY makes you think, do I need this?  You can't buy a lot of crap because it simply won't fit (and that's very important because we don't want to have to ship a lot of stuff back to the States eventually.)

- Given the perfect location for Aaron's work, shops, and all kind of amenities, it's quite affordable.

- I love our balcony!:

And for me, one of the biggest things is that it feels like Aaron and I are spending a lot more "quality" time together (how very "Afternoon Special" of me.)  For example, back in Minnesota, many evenings, we'd both be doing different things on different floors of the house.  Now, he's making curry, I'm writing this blog and
we're both listening to a whole album together (sadly, something we hardly ever did at home except on road-trips.)

Of course there are times when it's annoying.  Like if one of us wants to go to sleep and the other wants to watch a movie.  But a compromise must be reached -- and quickly -- because believe me, it's impossible to stay mad at each other in a space this small.  Silent treatments, grudges, etc. simply can't exist when the only private room is the bathroom -- cuz what are you gonna do, sit on the toilet and pout all night? 

I think the biggest thing to negotiate has been how to make sure that we, two slightly-tending-toward-OCD people, don't drive each other crazy with such limited space and furnishings.  Because while I wouldn't describe either one of us as "neat freaks," we do each have pet peeves and we both tend to feel and think better when the space around us is clean and organized.  I think it's because we both tend to be, um, "creative thinkers," and if our house looked anything like our thoughts we'd be in trouble.

So for example, I can't stand unorganized stacks of paper and have a kind of crazy need to organize, compartmentalize and label everything.

Wheretofore, here are my pantry shelves:

I kept cardboard boxes (from cereal, oatmeal, etc.), wrapped them in duct tape and got out masking tape to label.  So that way I'm utilizing a very small space to its best advantage without having to spend money on a bunch of containers.

Likewise, the flat (generally well equipped) was a little low on storage containers -- so we keep our old yogurt tubs (I'm gonna start making my own soon, fear not!), empty veggie trays, etc.:

And by the way, once you start keeping them, you realize HOW MUCH PLASTIC WE USE AND THROW AWAY EVERY DAY.  It's insane.

And like I said, the flat did come furnished, but there are things that we've found we needed, like night tables.  Normally, we'd just go to the IKEA or a garage sale -- but here we can't, so here's my night table:

A chair hold stuff at arm's height and then a nice sturdy box that Aaron got at the museum holds all the stuff I'd normally have in a dresser/night table.

And here's Aaron's night table:

Yes people, that's one of my beloved suitcases (Doña Quijota, as you'll recall) continuing to faithfully serve!  With our extra luggage inside to give it some heft & stability and a tray (which was in the apartment) on top, it works great.

And an old plastic mince (that'd be ground beef to our American friends) container (washed with boiling water) holds all our power adapters, converters, etc. 

Here's our joint closet:

We both have shelves for pajamas, undies, socks, t-shirts, etc. -- but this is the majority of our clothes.  I also have my shoes in here (I did have to break down and buy a shoe organizer here) -- all of my scarves, etc., are on one hanger -- and all of my jewelry, hair accessories, etc. are in this organizer that I brought them in from Minnesota:

More boxes from the museum hold all our DVDs (which we brought in CD wallets from Minnesota) under the sofa:

Another museum box holds all our books on top of the fridge:

Bathroom storage -- extra toiletries from MN, meds, etc. -- everything is in boxes or bags and labeled:

I've told Aaron, I don't think I ever want to live in a big house again.  I want a nice little place with a big, open living area and on one floor ... because after living in such a little space -- and really liking it -- now thinking of our house in Minneapolis (although, believe me, I LOVE our house) it feels a bit excessive ...

So there you go, that's life in Casita Armte-Duarstrong.  Now, if a super terrific one-bedroom opens up in this building, we might be tempted ... but for now, this really feels like home.  And hey, tiny though it may be, the view isn't too bad, right?