Things you learn living in a small apartment

If you read my previous post, you probably saw the pictures of my new "apartment."  I know that it is technically a just a room where I can eat, sleep and shower all at the same time, but living in this small space has taught me a lot.

Your bed is a multi-purpose piece of furniture

Of course you use it for sleeping, but your bed has so many other functions that the average person doesn’t realize. Dining room table? Uhh, where else would I eat? Sofa? Absolutely, change the pillows around, and you have a new couch suitable for company. Closet? Hell yeah, I don’t put my clothes away.

Cooking is… an adventure

It’s a shame if you like to cook because frankly, it sucks.  Cooking requires a circus-like juggling act where you constantly rearrange your ingredients, prep space, and equipment.  Oh you only have hot plates? Even better! Just make sure you don’t burn the place down trying to make a simple bowl of pasta.

Doing dishes is even worse than cooking

This goes without saying even in larger apartments, but doing the dishes is even worse in a small space.  The juggling you do to cook is multiplied by ten, especially if you don’t have a drying rack. Also, everything gets wet. Everything.

Claustrophobia is real

You get stir crazy, end of story, but as long as you don’t cover the walls with news articles of local murders and claim to be God, you’re doing pretty well psychologically.

However, there are some positives…

You are forced to be a minimalist

A small apartment does not allow for clutter or excessive amounts of clothes.  You quickly realize what you need and what you do not.  Maybe this doesn't seem like a positive, but you will be thankful for your new-found minimalism when it’s time to move out.  Also, you can now tell people that their happiness relies too heavily on material objects without being a complete hypocrite.  P.S. you might lose some friends this way.

The smaller the apartment, the more you have to clean

Again, I know it’s not really sounding like a positive, but being forced to pick up after yourself constantly has major benefits.  1. You are almost always company-ready  2. Your apartment will feel bigger the cleaner it is 3. You are forming good habits that you will keep with you for the rest of your life… maybe.

You are responsible for much less

You don’t have to worry about the basement flooding or the tv in the guest room breaking because, oh wait, you don’t have any of those things!  As long as the electricity and plumbing work, you don’t have a care in the world.

So there you have it, that's what I've learned so far, and honestly, it's not so bad. My tiny apartment is all mine, and I can dance around naked or eat disgusting amounts of Nutella straight from the jar if I want to. We all know that these are the important things.