Trading Spaces

As you have probably gathered from previous posts, Jason and I are not yet homeowners. When we got married we decided that Jason would move into my one-bedroom apartment while we saved for a house.  Now, six months in, I feel like the annoying child on a family car trip who is constantly asking “are we there yet?”

In other words, I am ready to upgrade to somewhere with a little more space.

Really ready.

I mean, come on….we live in a one-bedroom apartment. Granted it is a very large one bedroom apartment, but there is still not a whole lot of privacy or the ability to have true “alone time” when both of us are at home. This becomes really apparent during the occasional fight when you realize you can’t retreat to your respective corners to cool off because THERE IS NO WHERE TO GO.  You either have to deal with the other person right then and there or you have to sit in the parking lot of Barnes and Noble and stew (you know, hypothetically speaking).

But even more problematic is the lack of storage space. It was a miracle that we were able to squeeze all of our stuff (both pre-wedding items as well as the deluge of things we received as part of the wedding) into this apartment.  True story: the day that Jason finished moving the last of his stuff in and I realized how much we still had to put away I went into the bathroom (because there was nowhere else to be alone!), closed the door and cried for about 10 minutes. Then I came out and we figured out how to make it all work.


The kitchen is the worst. While most of the living space (e.g., bedroom, living room, dining room) is decently sized, the kitchen is pretty tiny.

And given that one side opens up to the dining room area, the number and size of cabinets are limited. This results in cabinets that look like this:

One cabinet for food storage

And this:

One half-sized cabinet for spices and baking staples

Oh and this:

I could go on and on and on.

Now I will admit I have more kitchen stuff than is probably necessary. But I like to cook so I obviously gravitate to these things (as do friends and family when they are looking for gift ideas).  Could I do with less? Of course. But I don’t think wanting a larger kitchen is too much to ask. Especially when you have to resort to storing pantry staples on your countertops.

 Notice the vinegars and oils to the left of the coffee maker (we also have similar things next to the KitchenAid mixer that you may have noticed in a previous post)

Or on top of the refrigerator.

But it’s not just the kitchen. Our closet is a total disaster (so bad, I am too embarrassed to show pictures of it publicly) and we have stuff piled EVERYWHERE. For example, if I had an extra closet I would put all of my gift wrapping paraphernalia (wrapping paper, gift bags, boxes, ribbons, etc.) in it. Instead it sits in  a nook to the side of the dresser in our bedroom. (Note to my super-organized friend Stephanie-- feel free to look away from the next picture. It might make you feel sick!)

Even our tiny balcony has to be used for storage—fortunately Jason was able to figure out a creative (and space-saving) way to store his bike out there.

I would consider myself to be a fairly organized person who tries to keep things neat. But it’s getting more and more difficult to care. Often times I think:  “What’s the point? This place is always going to be on the verge of being a disaster.”

It’s enough to drive a person crazy.

But I am hopeful. We have a plan in place and a timeline in mind. I just hope I can make it there without totally losing it.