So let's get on with it.
Tip #1
As I was washing my dishes a few nights ago this first tip actually struck me out of the blue and I thought it would be a good one to start the series with. As I was washing my dishes, thinking about the errands I wanted to run later in the day, it struck me, yet again, how much I enjoy the location of where I live. Of how convenient it is. Which got me to thinking about all of the other things I love about my little apartment that actually don't really have anything to do with the apartment itself.
Let me give you some examples. Within a 5-10ish minute radius is: a Walmart, Winners, Home Depot, bookstore, a handful of major grocery stores, HomeSense, movie theatre, pet food stores (important for Howard), a major shopping mall, fast food places, restaurants, small floral shops...within 10 minutes I can be on one of two of the cities major highways. Although I have a car, public transportation is literally steps away from my doorstep. My building is in an established neighbourhood that is pretty quiet and my favourite dog park in the entire city is less than 5 minutes away. Some things I love about my building: I have my own parking spot, there's laundry on-site, there's a large tree (was before the ice storm) outside my window that I adore...
None of these things above have anything to do with the apartment itself, but they really truly make the experience of living in my little apartment much more pleasurable...and convenient. So it makes me think, if you live in a small space and on top of that don't enjoy the area you live in and find it inconvenient...it's really not going to help in how you feel about your home. But, if you live in a neighbourhood you enjoy, or that has amenities that makes life that much simpler for you, then living in a small space really feels like a small price to pay. So I'd say, before moving to your next home, make a list of the things you're looking for. My list was comprised of two categories: Must Have (lots of natural light, small building, dog friendly, parking space, laundry on-site, convenient location, on budget...) and Nice To Have (a second bedroom, a white bathroom, hardwood floors, top floor...). When I found my little apartment and it met nearly every requirement on my must have and nice to have lists - I knew sacrificing a bit of space would be an easy compromise.
So I guess my tip is to really think about your neighbourhood and the amenities of where you choose to live and not just the apartment size itself. Because sometimes size is not as important as you'd think it is.
Sometimes.
(I know size is relative so I'm going to take some measurements, I always misplace them when I take them, but I think my little apartment is about 750 square feet? I personally don't think it's "small" - it's more than enough space for Howard and I - but I realize to many 750 is small. I used to live in a space that was smaller and have seen condos that are smaller and house tours of apartments that are much smaller...but I know it's not huge.)
top image / bottom image