Making the most of a small living space

Here in college my room is rather small and does not include a kitchen.
I am so happy with the way I have been able to make this little room work for me, and would like to share a few tips with you.

I believe no matter what that whether your space by large or small, using these tools will make you feel even more cozy and at home.

One thing which has really changed the way I think about my living spaces is the book Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin. A lot of these tips are inspired by the things I learned in her book.

Apartment therapy.com is another source of my new found interest in making home feel awesome. This website has an amazing amount of information and pictures which are so inspiring to me.

Here are the ideas I have used through my search for a perfect space:

1) develop areas that are appealing to you and reflect the things you love: Gretchen talks about this in her book as “creating shrines” to the things that are most important to me. For me that means displaying my tiny collection of Demeter fragrances, stacking up ,my cookbooks at eye level, creating a pretty space on my window sill for my plant, and other things.

2) reduce everyday things and get rid of single use items: there is no use for me to have a box of 50 bandaids when I only use about two per year, and it was a good idea to give away the specialized avocado knife I got for Christmas because my love for avocados really doesn’t need isn’t own knife sitting in a drawer on the 350 days of the year I don’t eat an avocado.

3) be careful when buying things on sale: don’t buy something because its a good deal, if you didn’t absolutely need it when it was full price, you don’t need it now that its cheaper either.

4) always try clothes on: don’t buy a new shirt if I doesn’t fit absolutely right, or the color isn’t EXACTLY what you want. It will probably just end up in the bottom of the closet.

5) be careful with donations and gifts: when you bring something Into your home that you haven’t picked out yourself, it’s easy for it to become clutter over time. Save what actually means a lot to you or was picked out right, and rethink saying yes to the box of half used makeup or lotions a family might offer you because they no longer need it.

6) become ok with the idea of donating: when something has outlived it’s purpose to you, become ok with the idea of donating it. Don’t fall into the belief that you have wasted your money because you’ve outgrown something.

7) be a more conscious shopper: anytime you put something into your cart, evaluate its purpose to you. Don’t buy something unless you can’t even imagine leaving the store without it and feel like jumping up and down because it exists.

8) replace things: get rid of broken things. Eliminating clutter and being a better shopper doesn’t mean that you should keep your reusable water bottle forever. When something breaks, don’t toss it in a closet and feel bad you can’t take water on the go anymore. Immediately throw it out, and get a new one when you find one that makes you jump up and down.

9) sort through your old boxes: this is my last piece of advise and one that has really been a problem forever for me. Working on this slowly helps make you feel lighter. Keeping your favorite things from childhood is great, but their is no need for five boxes of old school work.