1863 sq feet. That's the size of our house. No basement. We do have a 8x8 shed outside. Aside from that I have 1863 sq feet for living and storage space.
Now I can hear people saying there are folks who live in much less space, and I totally agree. I am not complaining. I'm stating a fact. This post is for those who live in small spaces.
To those who live in small spaces
So, with limited space to work with, organized storage has to go up not out. Every square inch of available space has to be utilized in a way to where it's available easily, but out of the way. That's been my undertaking over the last few weeks; since right after Christmas. It's amazing to me how just a few changes make such a difference. I thought I would share some of the things I've done for storage. Yes this required some outlay of funds, but nothing too expensive. Most of it was just rethinking how I used the space I had. It's a work in progress. but it's getting there.
1) Purge baby purge! Especially in my kitchen. There were things I was holding onto, not because I used them, but because I liked the idea of having them in my kitchen. Some of these items had been my grandmothers, and some I had acquired in a box of things I purchased at a yard sale. The box was $5 and the actual item I wanted was worth more than that. The other items in the box were ancillary. I had a canister set that I loved, but it took up so much space on my counter. They all had to go. I offered them to my daughter and some friends first. Once they took out what they wanted, the rest went to Good Will.
2) Adding a shelf. This is where I did have an outlay of funds, but I kept it small. My sewing area is currently in our bedroom. My dolls were in the dining room. I use them as models for the doll outfits I make. Having them close is important. I added a 4 ft shelf over my work space for the dolls to reside.
That brought them out of my china cabinet, which allowed me to move my China into my china cabinet, which allowed me to consolidate my baking items, glasses, and dinnerware in 2 cabinets.
My spices went into the now empty double cabinets, and what used to be my spice cabinet became "The coffee corner". Counter space is a must! I do a lot of baking and cooking. I spend most of that time trying to find a spot to work. I wanted items I used frequently to be readily accessible, but I need counter space. One of the things I purged was a canister set I love. It has the rare ability to hold a 5 lb bag of flour and sugar. Problem is it's base is wide and so it takes a lot of space on the counter; especially when there are three of them on the counter. In trade, I purchased, very cheaply, 4 plastic cereal containers that also hold a 5 lb bag of flour and sugar; plus came with their own labels. These now hold my dry goods in my spice cabinet which freed up valuable counter space. From bottom to top; spices I use most often; next mixes, dry goods, and lastly are the spices or items I use rarely. I'm making good use of canning jars!
I know, this is kinda like the house that Jack built! I moved 2 white 6ft wall shelves we had in our closet. They were really too short to use in the closet, but fit on a wall in my husband's man cave/gym. Those now hold all of his sports memorabilia, and movies/games.
I replaced those two 6ft shelves that were in my closet, with two 1x12x8 pine boards and simple wall brackets. This gave me extra storage, currently for empty canning jars.
I have an armoire that really wasn't deep enough to hold regular hangers. I added 2 2ft long wire shelves. Shirts that have to be on hangers are in my closet. They are few. My jeans, sweaters, t shirts, shoes, and purses are now in my armoire. Lastly I added another 4 ft wire shelf under the wall mounted TV in hubby's man cave. This now holds all of the electronics associated with said TV. Not very pretty, but it's a gym so...
Adding this shelf under the TV freed up a book shelf my grandfather made. It now sits in my dining room and holds a good bit of my canned garden produce.
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