Six Organizing Tips for Living in a Small Space

From Bedlam to Brilliance – 6 Organizing Tips for Living
in a Small Space

Is it possible to live in a small area? You bet it is!

Since I have been helping many of my clients in the past couple of months downsize, I thought about how most of us know people living in small houses or apartments, going to college and living in a dorm for the first time, or moving from a big home to a smaller home/condo/apartment. Even if you don’t, you may have experienced one of these situations yourself at some point.

A lot of us think we need more room, but in reality, you’d be surprised how you can function, and function well, in a smaller space. Do you or any other people you know feel challenged trying to fit everything in a smaller space? Below are six (6) inexpensive tips that may help make your space more efficient.

Divide the space into specific areas for each activity. For example, perhaps you had a home office where you could pay your bills. In your new home, you may want to designate an area in your bedroom or dining area just for bill paying. This would also work for watching TV, working on your hobbies, doing laundry, reading, studying, etc.
Turn milk crates on their sides. If you put the milk crates on their sides on the top shelves in your closets (there always seems to be a lot of room in between the top shelf and the ceiling of a closet), you have now created additional storage space where everything is not constantly falling when you need to get something at the bottom of the pile.
Use over-the-door storage units or command strips. These could be used to hang things on the back of doors, in closets, or on walls.
Use wall shelves, wall units, or bookcases. This allows you to take advantage of vertical space. You can then use your walls from the floor to the ceiling for storage
Take advantage of the room under your bed. Use clear plastic bins that are specifically designed for use under a bed. If your bed is low to the ground, you may want to think about bed risers, which would increase the space between your bed and the floor.
Don’t buy in bulk. Yes, I know the can-can sales at Shoprite or buying paper goods in the big packages at Costco call out to you (Do you think you are really saving all that much money?). If you have no place to store these items, they are going to take up space in your living area, and the last thing any of us want is to trip and fall, possibly hurting ourselves.