I like a good challenge almost as much as I like saving money; not that I have much choice. However, the challenge of moving my fiancé into our future studio apartment was less of the endless opportunity that I imagined and more so an endless struggle that I often wonder if I’ll ever rise to the occasion to.

This is our main living space. It’s actually only a quarter of our space. More posts to come with their finished projects. For now, a break down of the living room:

This space in the long run cost me under $100, primarily because I found almost everything for free, and I’ll tell you now that the couch cover was maybe $64 of that. My hardest lesson was that book shelves are not always meant for books. That sounds honestly stupid, but it’s true. Bookshelves are busy and can congest an environment; something not very appealing in a small space.

Instead, I selected books that all carried similar tones. This freed up other books for my window sills, and all other books are either waiting for a home or I’ve given them away because they were just books I thought of saving for my kids, not children’s books that I loved enough to buy in a pretty edition as an adult (which I do).

Everything else on that shelf is either useful, sentimental, pretty, or likely two to all three of those things. That third point sounds so trivial, yet it’s key: everything is out in the open to promote minimalism and simplicity, so practically, if I want to actually cope with that lifestyle, I need things to look pretty.

I’m happy with this space, however, my frame needs a generic water color of eucalyptus and I need a new couch. If a reader gains anything from this blog, it will probably be that having the home and style you want is best achieved by getting married and putting cool vases on your registry because you already had to buy silverware.

The volumes that fill the bottom shelf were being thrown away, as were the wood pieces. I used to have cubbies overflowing with stuff until I realized how little sense that made. The dvds are now stored with my desk and every cord we own now fits in that metal fabric basket. If we have too many cords for the basket, it means we have too many cords and something needs to go. Half the time, those cords are dead iPhone cords from some sketchy gas station that do not need to stay in my life. As much as I need pictures and a good carpet, this space is relaxing as is.

This is my kitchen: the pain and pleasure of my entire apartment. It is ridiculously small and yet filled with so much potential. With two drawers and six and a half narrow cabinets total, I’ve had to be inventive.

In leu of a microwave and a toaster, my fiancé and I felt comfortable opting for a toaster oven. I like that this has pushed me to cook more and healthier; no one eats microwaved kale. We also opted for a French Press, which is easier and faster than a coffee maker. The only trick to this is having your coffee ground right. I’m surviving on a constant collection of gifted coffee bags from Starbucks, which they will grind specifically for French Presses for you, for free.

That pass through will become my ultimate project: the breakfast bar. More to come later, thanks for reading!

Sarah