So we are trying to cut down on expenses...especially living expenses. We need to be paying less rent, which is really next to impossible here in the NY/NJ area.

Well the 3rd floor just became available in the house we are in. We are currently on the first floor.

Would you move to a smaller place, that is a 3rd floor walkup if it meant saving about 600/month?

I keep tossing back and forth. We do need to declutter....
They just put in a new kitchen and bathroom. Which I guess is a bonus. We have storage in the basement already and a washer/dryer down there.

Would you do it?

That is $20 a day plus you will be getting some extra excercise. Alot would depend on your health, how well your kiddo can handle the stairs, and if you can downsize enough to feel comfortable rather than deprived in the space.

Good luck with your decision.

I would absolutely do it for $600. And like Bobbie Jo said-- it's great exercise!

If you would take half of that $600 and put it towards savings each month, think of what could happen! I would do it in a heart beat. Plus I like seeing those small spaces, that are well organised, and done up really nice because you have the time and the motivation to get it all organised... that creates simplicity. They are almost better than large spaces for me. My favorite place I have ever lived was a 1 bdrm apt on the 3rd floor of an apt building with my ds. We had a large living room, a pretty big bedroom, and a small kitchen with an open wall for a table between the living kitchen area. A walk in closet and a bathroom. I LOVED it... and I was able to declutter and make it organised and cute. I really think it would be worth it. But there are always questions... FOr me they would be these: (Just in case some of yours are the same)

What would you do first with the extra $600 a month?

Can you eat in the kitchen area so that you maintain that family time?

Would the stairs be a major burden, to you, dh, dd??

What are you willing to get rid of, and how stratigic are you wanting to get before you get rid of anything?

Can you paint? (This was big for me in the little apt. When I painted it looked SO much better and it felt larger)

Anyway, those are some of my questions... add your own and see what you and dh think! Good Luck!

Love Val

http://www.child-safety-gates.com/scstore/c-Guardian_Angel_Window_Guards.html

and there is a way to have a safety gate at the front door (to keep a little one from going out and down dangerous stairways unsupervised.......) I would consider it.

The smaller size and being higher in general is a good trade off for saving money

The only concerns I would have would be the added child safety issues (a child's safety is NOT worth the savings)

YKWIM?

Wow, that's a huge savings! I cannot imagine being able to save that much on rent. (the most we;ve ever paid on rent was $900/month and I've never seen a place go for less than $500) I'd do it in a heart beat unless you dont NEED to save the money (LOL) or can't handle the steps.

Originally posted by freedomlover
http://www.child-safety-gates.com/scstore/c-Guardian_Angel_Window_Guards.html

and there is a way to have a safety gate at the front door (to keep a little one from going out and down dangerous stairways unsupervised.......) I would consider it.



I think legally landlords have to put in window gates....it will definitely be addressed.



Wow, that's a huge savings! I cannot imagine being able to save that much on rent. (the most we;ve ever paid on rent was $900/month and I've never seen a place go for less than $500) I'd do it in a heart beat unless you dont NEED to save the money (LOL) or can't handle the steps.


Well in NY/North Jersey area, $900 would be a small apartment considerable to the one thats on the 3rd floor, LOL. Currently, we pay 1250 plus utilities (which are high in an old house) for the first floor 2.5 bedroom place. The 3rd floor is 750, last time I checked, including utilities. That also includes the washer dryer and storage space in the unfinished basement. So the hassle is just getting everything up there, making sure everything fits.

Walking up to the 3rd floor isn't so hard. I might be able to arrange to be able to leave the stroller folded up in the front foyer that is accessible to all tennants. The people on the second floor put their double stroller there as well. DH wants to move everything up there on Sunday.

In terms of organization, it would be a real test. I think I would get some of those ikea shelf systems that attach to the walls.
But saving that much money would definitely help with the bills, since our current situation is way too uncomfortably tight.

DH hasn't had much work in the past three months, which have made a huge difference.

Ooh, go for it. I crave a smaller space, as weird as that is. I love my house...and it is huge...but I do love small, spare places. Minimalist. Val summed it up for me...it feels like you can get every nook and cranny looking great in small spaces like that. I love knowing that all my stuff fits in the back of my van. (It doesn't now, I would be lucky to get it on an 18 ft moving truck. But I have a goal!)

Thanks for all your guidance. I finally got to see it, in a more redone/cleaned up shape. I hadn't seen the place since the previous tenant left/was evicted. It was in pretty bad shape then.

Well they have replastered and painted the walls. put some new industrial (thin) style carpetting down in the living room. A new bathroom that looks great, just needs a sink and toilet. They are putting in the new kitchen shortly. Have the cabinets and sink ready to be installed.


The only downfall is what to do with a couple pieces of furniture we have that may be too tall. We also have to learn how to live with fewer kitchen cabinets, and fewer closets. We have a lot of kitchen stuff, so that may be tough. There is no linen closet, but I could probably get a standing piece for that. I don't know where our breakfront will go. Overall I think it looks nicer than our current place, just much smaller. We just need to pare down.

But I can't wait to save $500/month in rent! ;cool:

Can't wait for the exercise....just have to wait and see when they will be finished the place. Hopefully for October 1. DH thinks he will have no trouble shlepping everything up on his own.

I would do it, but make sure they finish the apartment first! Our last landlord was an a$$ about dragging out the contruction. As soon as your husband is working, take $250 a month and put it in a savings account for a house. Owning is so much more rewarding than renting.

I sure would. The smaller the living space, the less there is to clean!

I would do it! Good luck Mama!

One thing that I remember very clearly is setting aside a few hundred dollars to making it livable before I moved in. I got baskets, hampers, and shelves before I got anything else (unfortunetly even a stereo... lol) and then I was able to really see how much storage space I could make.

Hold everything, Ikea, or the container store will have lots of ideas... and if you don't want to spend that much on the products, you can find alturnatives that work just as well for much less elsewhere.

Linen closet: a large wicker basket with a lid can do the trick if you only have two sets of sheets for each bed. You can make a day of the month where you change sheets, and then pull the other set out, and wash the new one and put it in. No one will even notice the wicker basket. (The table cloths can go in here too... I just paired down to two, just like sheets, and made it a ritual for "cleaning house day". That feels really good to me. :) )

You can do the same for towels. Have one set that is in the bathroom, and two sets in the basket at a time. Two matching wicker baskets with lids can look really classy, and they would cost under $40 I bet. (pic below)

The library has copies of Real Simple or Martha Stewart. They have great and fun ideas in there about small spaces or making the most of your space. It can be really fun!

You have the option that many of us dream of... to do a total clean sweep of your house with out dealing with the tv cameras. lol... good luck! Sounds like a blast to me! :D

Love Val

Edited to say these are from the www.HoldEverything.com clearance catalog. :) They were $40 and $50 respectivly... but you can find just as attrative ones at Target for less if you want... Peir 1 has some too.

our apt is on the third floor and we not only have to walk up three flights of stairs, but pay MORE $ for rent since we have the "luxurious" valulted ceiling. yuck. what was i thinking?

i say jump on it!

Oh I would so do it in a hearbeat! Saving $600 a month is a HUGE deal!

Well, we are moving. Instead of upstairs, to a different 3 rd floor apartment in a similar house a few blocks away. Its a bit smaller, but in better shape, and there is a washer and dryer in the basement, and also nicer landlords. It is also the same savings though - a $500+ difference in rent plus utilities.

We are moving on November 1st, and now I really need to downsize. We gave away a stereo system on freecycle, since we never use it. Hasn't been hooked up in a year. Giving away dozens of books. Of course we still have hundreds more books. We are also curbing some furniture.

I am noticing we will need storage options for dishes and small kitchen appliances as far as I know. The walls are slanted since its a 3rd floor, so we can't get upper kitchen cabinets up and we also have to put our breakfront in the basement.

So what are the essentials when it comes to decluttering? What really takes up the most space as far as your homes? What would you look at first when decluttering.

DD's room will be tiny...so we need to pare down toys. Our bedroom is also tiny..so we will just have essential bedroom furniture. Small living room will hold couch, tv, and computer. We will have a huge bathroom though, lol. So towels and hamper will go there.

This is going to be a huge test.

We are massively decluttering right now. And what I find is that the kitchen appliances take up tons of room for rarely getting used. I don't even have a toaster now, and I don't miss it. I just use the broiler when I need to. The only appliances I have are a Kitchenaid mixer (used at least weekly, we are GF and make all our own baked goods), a blender for smoothies, a French press for coffee.

As far as toys, I looked at what the kids really played with and am getting rid of the rest. For us that is a few categories of items - kitchen & ktichen stuff, puzzles, books, playsilks, dress-ups, wooden trains, small stuffed animals, dolls.

I would first pair down things you don't use often. Books, cd's, toys she has not played with in a while. Be brutal and bring a friend (they always are more objective about your things than you are).

Then get nitty gritty. Take all of your clutter piles, put them in one room. Go through them item by item and really think about if you will ever use that item. Do it like on clean sweep. Put one pile for throw away, one pile for give away, and one for keep. Put the one that you keep in a basket and take it out of that room with you each time you leave, putting things in their places as you go. (I do the same with my give away stuff and put it in the trunk of my car to take to goodwill next time I am there getting new things).

Find some pictures in magazines of ways that you can organize your space better. Cut them out and start a notebook. Think about the space. Take measurements. Find ways to make the space work for what is really important to you. Ie: do you need to have the tv taking up space in the living room? Would you be happy if the tv was at the foot of your bed so you could watch movies in there, but have more space in the livingroom? Things like that will clear up a lot of problem areas. Get your mind out of the box... multipurpose. If it all has two purposes the more the better. I have a tv cabinet that I have designed that is low down, so it can work as a shelf, decoration, and it is going to keep the tv out of site. Those things are all different purposes to me. I consider this very highly when I am building or buying something.

Don't be afraid of kitchen gadgets... but don't impulse buy them either. Things like pot lid racks, and hooks on the inside of you cabinet doors can be so wonderful... but buying more than you need just makes you feel crazy. So think about what you want to keep in there, and then adjust the things you need to store them. (I have 10 pots and pans (including my pressure cooker and alt lid). Each one has a lid. The ones that I can hang, I do... there are three that I can't... so I store those in the cabinet on the bottom shelf, and on the top shelf I have the lids to all of the pots and pans in a neat lid rack. It was $5 at Target and it has been wonderful. It may seem to take up a lot of space, but I have not had a pot lid fall on the floor in months... so it is worth it.)

Pairing down is really specific to the family and what you actually use. We don't use many things in the kitchen as far as appliences go... occasionally the bread maker and the blender, toaster frequently, microwave sometimes... that is all we have. I have two pressure cookers, but those were covered in the pots section above.

HTH give you an idea a little bit. Spavce is not something I have trouble with here, but with all of this space, it is prioritized so badly with in the house that it can be really hard to organize. So I know quite a bit of the trouble you are having. :)

Love Val

The one trouble we have is that we have more kitchen stuff than the rest. We keep kosher, so we have to have one set of pots, dishes, silverware for dairy and a separate for meat.

I use my appliances. The kitchenaid, cuisinart, coffeemaker, crockpot, and espresso machine.

We donated some books to the library today. And some other books are going to a friend. Books are really a problem area though. They are the bulkiest and heaviest when moving.

Well, how slanted are the ceilings? We put up some brackets and shelves on our walls above the washer and dryer, so now that space is useable. Also, for books, you can put brackets and shelves along the walls in the living room.
You can put them up for toys also, and in the bathroom for towels, etc.
I love the fact that the brackets are adjustable. For shelves, dh just cut some wood. Not beatiful, but you can scallop the edges and paint if you wanted to. Also, you can put up a rod with a curtain to cover up the shelves.:)

Its an attic apartment. So they do get pretty slanted, and lower down in the bedrooms at least. The living room isn't as bad. We will have to do wall shelves for most of the books most likely. But I am not quite sure how it will work.