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Top 21 Ways you Know you Live in a Tiny Apartment

05/17/2010 in No-Impact Living | 2 comments

Living in a small apartment or home can be challenging but fun. After living in a small space for nine months, we have a top 21 list of ways a tiny living space changes your life: 1. When your friends come over you worry about who will have to sit on the floor... and it's usually you. 2. When you run your dishwasher it humidifies the entire apartment. 3. Your two cats have figured out the longest distance in your apartment and Using the top of the cabinet as a bookshelf. A little herb garen below. periodically run laps to get some exercise. 4. You watch TV on your computer, which you can see from any place in your apartment. 5. You can watch TV from your toilet. 6. You have only one window :( 7. During the holidays you ask people not to give you anything, partially because you don't like getting "stuff" but mostly because you don't have any room. 8. Your storage containers are also your bedside tables. 9. 50% of your total storage space is located under your bed. 10. Your books are displayed next to your dishes and kitchen appliances. 11. You are never out of sight or earshot of your partner/roommate. 12. Passing gas is no longer a private matter. 13. Your body heat is enough to warm your entire apartment in cool weather and you have no idea if your heater actually works because you've never had to use it. 14. When you shoe shop, you consider if your purchase will fit on your shoe shelf. 15. Instead of buying a dresser you store your underwear and socks in your kitchen drawers and have to explain to guests that your kitchen is also your closet. 16. An antique chest serves as a coffee table, extra seating and of course extra storage. 17. Your clothes are on display, and not because you want to look at them. 18. There are more mirrors than paintings on your walls, and not because you are vain. 19. You have actually considered buying a murphy bed. 20. You can clean all your tile with one paper towel and all your carpet with a dustbuster. 21. You and your partner have gotten used to "dancing" with each other in the kitchen as you prepare meals.

Living in a small apartment or home can be challenging but fun.  A first hand, top 21 list of ways a tiny living space changes your life:

1. When your friends come over you worry about who will have to sit on the floor… and it’s usually you.

2.  When you run your dishwasher it humidifies the entire apartment.

3.  Your two cats have figured out the longest distance in your apartment and

Using the top of the cabinet as a bookshelf. A little herb garen below.

periodically run laps to get some exercise.

4.  You watch TV on your computer, which you can see from any place in your apartment.

5.  You can watch TV from your toilet.

6.  You have only one window :(

7. During the holidays you ask people not to give you anything, partially because you don’t like getting “stuff” but mostly because you don’t have any room.

8. Your storage containers are also your bedside tables.

9.  50% of your total storage space is located under your bed.

10.  Your books are displayed next to your dishes and kitchen appliances.

11.  You are never out of sight or earshot of your partner/roommate.

12.  Passing gas is no longer a private matter.

13.  Your body heat is enough to warm your entire apartment in cool weather and you have no idea if your heater actually works because you’ve never had to use it.

14.  When you shoe shop, you consider if your purchase will fit on your shoe shelf.

15.  Instead of buying a dresser you store your underwear and socks in your kitchen drawers and have to explain to guests that your kitchen is also your closet.

16.  An antique chest serves as a coffee table, extra seating and of course extra storage.

17.  Your clothes are on display, and not because you want to look at them.

18.  There are more mirrors than paintings on your walls, and not because you are vain.

19.  You have actually considered buying a murphy bed.

20. You can clean all your tile with one paper towel and all your carpet with a dustbuster.

21.  You and your partner have gotten used to “dancing” with each other in the kitchen as you prepare meals.

Add your own below!

Put your balls on that jar! A new way of storing.

12/14/2009 in DIY Maker Projects, Sustainable Living | No comments

This caught my eye.  It is right up our alley.  I think we will use stone balls instead though.  There is the issue of where to put the ball when you need to get into the jar… No teabagging though :)

Copper clothes hanger. DIY project for $5

11/30/2009 in DIY Maker Projects | No comments

On Black Friday we got creative instead of buying crap and trying to maneuver through clotheshangerhoards of people. Here is what happened!

DIY project: Copper and wire clothes hanger for the studio.
Cost: $5 (materials only)
Time: 20 mins
Materials: 1 half-inch Copper tubing (about 2 feet), 2 half-inch copper elbows, 1 half-inch copper T joint, strong wire, codder pin (or you can use some other way to fasten), 2 long screws, 1 metal wall hook
Tools: Screw driver, Drill, drill bit, pipe cutter (the $8 ones work fine), pliers

diy1

The copper pieces before being assembled. The wire codder is in place.

1. For the long piece where the clothes will be hanging, cut a piece of copper tubing to length with a pipe cutter.

2. Cut two pieces of 2 inch long copper tubing for the supports.
(Optional: shine the copper pieces with steel wool)

3. Assemble with one T joint and two elbows.

4. Drill a hole through the end of the long piece for the wire

5. Screw large hook in the wall and measure about 10 or more inches down and screw two long screws in the wall for the copper “legs” to rest on. (The copper arms that rest on the wall will go over the screws)

6. Measure your wire from the hook to the end of the copper tube.  Create a loop with one end for the wall hook and on the other end, slip the codder diy2through the hole in the copper tube, securing with pliers by bending the metal to fit the shape of the tube.  (Optional: Solder the copper pieces together for extra strength and/or put an end cap on it for great looks.)

Give it a tug to make sure it will hold and you are ready to hang!

This is great for more hanging space, drying rack, etc. Put it up in your laundry room or closet. Once you have it put together, it can easily be taken down out of the way, just leave the hook and screws in place to put it back up again. Best of all it is 100% recyclable!

dyi3

No-Impact: Revised Apartment Living

11/02/2009 in No-Impact Living, Sustainable Living | 1 comment

Many people live in apartments for various reasons.  Let’s face it, houses are expensive and if you buy anything for $100,000 or more and pay over 30 years, you actually end up paying three times the actual cost of the house.  So until we can put a sizable chuck down on a piece of land and build our own “off the grid” self sufficient home, we will begrudgingly rent.

I have rented apartments in Minnesota and Arizona.  My top complaints with these buildings are the lack of foresight into the energy efficiency of the buildings and the lack of recycling in the apartment community.  In Minnesota the insulation was terrible on most places resulting in monstrous heating bills.  In Arizona, so many buildings are colored to absorb rather than reflect the blaring sunlight and so few buildings capture sunlight on the roofs with solar panels.  Appliances are often not energy efficient, window glass is not insulated, carpeting is made from plastics, the list goes on and on.

However, there are some things a renter stuck in a situation where they are unable to control these factors can do to have a smaller eco footprint:

  1. Rent small. For most of us who work all day, home is a place for eating, relaxing and sleeping.  Assess your family’s space needs and rent the smallest apartment necessary. This will save you money each month on your rent, and in your
    Using the top of the cabinet as a bookshelf. A little herb garen below.

    Using the top of the cabinet as a bookshelf. A little herb garen below.

    heating or cooling bills.  For just the two of us, this meant sizing down to a 595 sq ft. Studio.  You may have to get creative in utilizing your space when downsizing.  If you approach it as a challenge and an opportunity to free yourself of unnecessary “stuff” you may have accumulated over the years, it can be a rewarding experience.  We solved our lack of storage predicament by buying a metal frame fold up bed that has 14″ clearance for under the bed storage.  Instead of buying a bookshelf, we used the top of our kitchen cabinet to keep books.  It looks chic, saves space and money!

  2. Solar may still be in the cards. Most apartment complexes do not allow you to install solar panels outside your apartment, but there are still some ways to get around this.  If you have a porch that gets full sun, you can rig a mobile solar unit and run the power into your home for day use things like computers.  There are also solar bedside lamps or desk lamps that you can set outside to charge during the day and use at night.  Or if you are a DIY type person, you can rig up a small solar panel light yourself. You can even hang a solar panel in your window that will charge your iphone when you get home from work.
  3. Freeing yourself of THINGS. I have a rule about my clothing.  If I have not worn it in a year or I didn’t know I had it, it is time to get rid of it.  This motto bleeds into
    The studio laundry/utility room had only one shelf, so we installed two more metal shelves for towels and cleaning supplies.

    The studio laundry/utility room had only one shelf, so we installed two more metal shelves for towels and cleaning supplies.

    other areas of my possessions, making me prone to throw things on craigslist.com or donate to Goodwill.  Keeping my life clutter-free allows me to need less space to live and to store.  In our family, everything we own that is not “in use” a majority of  the time is stored under our queen bed.  This mainly consists of camping gear and out-of-season clothing.

  4. Quality over quantity. In our house, we have a very low tolerance for plastic and disposable things.  When we do buy items for our home, we insist that they be made of quality materials, even if it means paying more.  Buying a glass food storage set may cost four times as much as buying a Gladware pack, but the glass will last forever, will not have BPA leaching, and has a better resale value if we decide to pass them along.  Glass and metals are also easier to recycle than plastics.
  5. Buy reclaimed. Furniture and antiques are a great way to recycle furnishings from the past.  Make a family project out of finding interesting garage sale pieces and fixing them up to fit your home.  Or if you have a little more to spend, stop by a quality antique shop.  These places carry beautiful reclaimed pieces that come from Europe, Asia and date back often to the 1700′s.  You’ll find dining tables with thick cuts of wood that you would never be able to buy brand new.  These pieces often are comparibly priced with high end Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel funishings, but with antiques you get the benifit of adding some history to your home and recycling all at once.  The quality of the antique wood is often far better than any modern furnishing.
  6. Grow your own herbs. Get creative and make a little ledge or indoor garden.  If light is what you lack, use a flourecent or led lamp (powered by solar?) and cut your own fresh herbs, tomatoes, whatever you have space and time for.
  7. Recycle! At our current apartment, they do not advertise where the recycling recepticle is located.  I had to call the front desk to figure out where it was.  Because I had a difficult time finding it, I assumed that other residents might not know either.  So I sent a letter to the management of the complex asking if there was a way to make residents more aware of where to recycle and requesting that they put a permanent sign on the recycle bin so that non-recyclables would not be thrown in by accident.  Be proactive in your apartment community.  Most people will not recycle unless it is easy, so you may have to insist that your management be more helpful in letting residents know where and how to recycle.

Learn more: Glass in the Bath, Growing an Herb Garden

Growing a Kitchen Herb Garden

10/28/2009 in Self-Sufficiency & Farming, Sustainable Living | 1 comment

Our family cooks our meals two days in advance.  We spend about and hour cooking for two days, which frees up a lot of time not having to prepare food throughout the day or worry about what we will be eating.  Using herbs to flavor our food is important when eating clean, so we added a little herb garden to our studio apartment.

Budget:  $40-$80

1. Finding a location for your garden is the most important part.  A ledge, shelf, counter top, separate table all work fine. Without sufficient lighting in our studio, we installed two fluorescent lights under the kitchen cabinets for $14 a piece from IKEA.  We also bought a light timer from Walmart for $4 and set that to be on for 18 hours and off for 6 (plants do best with 6 hours of darkness).

2. To find a container we went to Marshalls and found two red metal containers for $20. Try to avoid wood or anything that absorbs water.  If the metal container you find does not have drainage, you can solder some drainage holes along the back about an inch from the bottom.  This will prevent extra water from constantly leak out, but will let excess water

Sage, Basil, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary

Sage, Basil, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary

escape if necessary.

3. For soil we selected a $5 organic blend at the nursery for convenience, but you can collect from your yard or elsewhere.  We gathered a few pounds of large rocks from the desert during an afternoon hike and placed the rocks on the bottom of the metal containers before adding soil.  This helps with drainage and also makes it possible to use less soil for each container.

4.  Our herbs are from a local organic nursery and include the most common plants that we cook with.  If you buy seeds or small starter plants they each cost about $2-3 each.  Assess your own cooking preferences before buying herbs and buy what you most commonly use.  When cooking with your fresh herbs, use 3-4 times as much fresh herb when a recipie calls for dried.  For example if you need 1 teaspoon of dried basil, you can substitute 3-4 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil from your herb garden.  Happy growing!

No-Impact: Glass in the Bath

10/17/2009 in No-Impact Living | 1 comment

So, we’ve talked about reusing glass containers, but how about in your bathroom?  Use a glass herb container for q-tips or a small salsa jar for cotton pads?  This can save you money and give your bath a chic, expensive look.

From right: cotton pads in little salsa jar, coffee grounds (for facial scrubbing) in a tall jar, q-tips in a spice jar

From Left: Cotton pads in little salsa jar, Coffee grounds (for facial scrubbing) in a tall jar, Q-tips in a spice jar