In those dreams about adulting and being on your own, you were eagerly handed the keys to a trendy, spacious loft where you could entertain and host all of your friends in style. Realistically, when you're out in the real world in your 20s, that dreamy place is not immediately the case. Finding an apartment with roommates is a path most of us have to trek when we are first starting out. And those apartments aren't always generously stocked with space. You learn to cope with living in a small apartment, because at least it is yours to call home.
When you're adulting, you have to provide for yourself, and if a small apartment is what's in your deck of cards right now, you simply keep playing your hand. Anyone who has endured and admired their shoebox apartment knows there's a set lifestyle to it. You adjust and you don't even realize you're living differently until you go back home or visit a friend's apartment that is way bigger. It definitely humbles you and makes you appreciate everything you work for, that much more. If you're currently living in a shoebox apartment, you're not alone when it comes to experiencing more than a few things.
01You Have A System For How And Where Things Should Be Placed
You're working with a limited amount of space, and even though you didn't master it immediately when you moved in, you have sorting down to a science. Without this system, things seriously fall apart. You've seen it happen time and time again.
02You're Used To Taking Only A Few Steps To Be In A Different Room
The convenient thing about living in a teeny tiny apartment, is that your four sides are incredibly close together. One step gets you in the the kitchen and two more steps gets you in the living room. On a long day, the less steps to your room, the better.
03You Don't Mind Inviting People Over, But You Have Your Disclaimer Speech Ready
You're not ashamed of your little apartment, but you always warn guests that it isn't some spacious wonderland. The smallness gives it a comfy feel. Size doesn't really matter when you're entertaining and having fun with your clique.
04You're Surprised At How Easily You And Your Roommates Make It Work
Roommates, unite! You and your roommates maneuver around the apartment with ease and it amazes you every time. You know your apartment isn't going to grow any bigger, so you all have adjusted to the size and work the hell out of it.
05Finding Stuff Is Still The Most Challenging Thing Ever
How is it that even if your apartment is small, you feel like you've plopped into a National Treasure movie when you can't find the one thing you need? You would think there are less areas for things to be misplaced, but that's a lie. Searching is still as equally agonizing.
06Clutter Is Your Archenemy
It doesn't take much for your apartment to get cluttered, and when it does, you notice like hell. Shoes by the door or jackets hung over a chair can cramp your style real quick. Clutter is potent and you are counteracting it whenever you can.
07Your Furniture Has Multiple Purposes
Your coach is no longer just a couch, and your chairs are no longer just chairs. Both of these items can be used as a temporary closet or if there is space underneath them, you're storing stuff. You have to utilize the furniture as much as possible.
08You Love Being Outside When You Can
You love hanging out in your apartment, but if you can afford to be outside, you don't pass up the chance. Small spaces, after awhile, can be a little tormenting and seemingly inescapable. Cabin fever is a real thing.
09Wall Space Is Your Saving Grace
If your walls could talk, they would probably express how spoiled they are, because you use them so, so much. Maybe back home, using the wall space was a recreational option for pictures and stuff, but now it's a necessity and you decorate the heck out of it with jewelry, caps, musical instruments, and the like. Your walls are the G.O.A.T.
10You Know Your Neighbor's Routine Without Trying
In a complex with small apartments, getting to know your neighbors without having to really speak to them is bound to happen. You hear them when they leave for work or walk their dogs. You're super used to it by now.
Your small apartment will be something you look back on and categorize as a defining part of your life. Value can be found in more than just the bigger things.
