How Little Can I Live With?

Much more than I thought or want.  Really.

My thought was to purge a lot of unwanted stuff and start over this part of my life by living more simply but I still ended up with...say it again?  Much more than I wanted.  This is what was left after a packed-car trip to the new place!

Does not include the furniture that I will take! 

The biggest space hogs among my moving boxes are the six and a half boxes and plastic totes devoted to sewing books and fabric.  That is even more than the space devoted to my finished items of clothing!  That does not even include the two sewing machines, a table and a wardrobe dedicated to hold everything.  For sure, this is not a hobby suited for minimal living!

I guess I will never be able to live like this:

All-in-one unit. Designer unknown.

let alone this apartment in 300 square feet.

The funny thing is that I really thought I had less sewing "stuff n' stash" than most  bloggers I read until I combined the stuff from my bedroom closet, under the bed, in the wardrobe/armoire, on my bookshelf, and next to and in the sewing table. Yes, in denial, was I.  So can anyone show me a seamster/sewist* that does live minimally?  I'm serious, I dare you!


*Of adult garments, not quilts, children clothing or stuffed animals.

Seriously, You Want Me To Live THERE?!

Currently, I'm looking for a smaller (and cheaper) apartment. At this time, I've only gone to see one in person. It was not encouraging. The ad I responded to did not have pictures and after I saw it, I totally understood why. The agent showing the place was late for my appointment so I piggy-backed on to her next one and the other girl and I were in and out of there in less than 10 minutes, all the time in shock. Gawd, at least paint the place first!

However, recently they posted pictures because presumably they must have gotten desperate. Let me show you what I witnessed.

The Description I Read:

Cute 2-Story Studio Apartment Available Now! Walkable to VCU! $600 rent includes water, sewer, and trash. Pet friendly with a one-time fee!

What I saw:

1st floor, living room w/ closet

What you see is all you get, that is the extent of the floor space. See the open door? Object in foreground is the angular staircase to the 2nd floor. Wish they had pictures of that, the individual steps were half the length they should have been, the whole thing was steep, and would have been almost impossible to walk up if sick (or drunk, since this is being marketed to college students.) The only plus was the ceiling was high, so that wall shelving system could cover a lot of space; needed because of that ONE tiny closet for your...well everything!


2nd floor, bedroom/living space

Ok, this room is a tiny bit bigger than seen in the picture, though I doubt enough for a double bed and decent walking room. It's really just a little bit over a foot to the right and in the foreground to the stair rail. Note the stylish ceiling fan.

The lovely kitchen and bathroom.

Note the width of the bathroom, it is almost exactly the width of the kitchen. I think they were trying to make the kitchen look bigger by not showing the other side. Ha!

That was the extent of the tour. Lovely, ain't it? If you've seen my apartment in any earlier posts, you know that my place is at least three times this size including two 8 foot wide by 10 foot high closets plus a small linen closet. Most important to know, my apartment was only $80 more in rent at the time. What nerve wanting $600 for that shoebox! So, this is definitely not THE one!