But I think I've had a few key learnings in my three months of adapting to life in 350 sq ft apartment alone that I thought I'd share.
1. Do not buy anything that can't serve different purposes. I literally do not have the space for something that doesn't serve a purpose. And for that matter, multiple purposes. I don't mean this in the clever Pinterest-y projects that are like "turn your footboard into a dresser/work of art." Nobody's got room for a footboard in a 350 sq ft apt. What I do mean is, I bought my kitchen table with the thought in mind that it would serve a lot of different functions. I had debated buying a bunch of different furniture options to fill my empty corner (a bar cart, a small sofa, a nice chair) but ultimately landed on a kitchen table and two chairs. This is because I can obviously sit and eat a meal at it, but I can also prep food on it (because my kitchen counter space doesn't exist), work on my laptop at it, store random papers and nonsense on it, dress it up with a fresh vase of flowers and entertain my limited roster of guests at it.
2. Be practical in the kitchen appliances/tools you buy. I've always been very fortunate to have friends/roommates who are good cooks because I can mooch off their kitchenware. But when I moved into an apartment by myself, I became shockingly aware of how little kitchenware I owned myself. My initial reaction was to go buy a ton of stuff but evaluation of my limited space shouted otherwise. I have a couple of sharp knives and a good cutting board for chopping, a can opener and winer bottle opener and one set of measuring cups and I don't think I need much else. I don't have a microwave or a toaster and don't want one because it would take up too much space.
3. Meal planning is more important than ever. I'm not a big eater. I get full fast and get bored of the foods in my fridge nearly as fast. This being said, I'm ashamed to say I'm a big waster of food. In the past, my roommates would always clear my plate for me or finish up a container of mushrooms I no longer wanted. Now I need to make sure that what I buy at the store I'm going to eat. I try to be crafty and prepare a meal for lunches during the week on Sunday evening and try to buy things that I can repurpose for multiple meals and not get bored.
4. Do things regardless of whether other people want to do them with you. The skill of doing things on my own is one I've been working to develop over the past few years and has become a more needed one now that I live alone. It's really easy to just fall in the habit of not doing things just because you don't have someone to do them with. Now, if I want to do something and there is no one else to do it with me - I do it myself. I think it take a lot of confidence to do things on your own.
5. Similar to #4, plan to do things. It would be really easy for me to come to home from work everyday and just become a hermit. But I don't want that. So I make a point to try to pack my calendar with activities. Even planning something as simple as going for a run helps to break up the routine of coming home and turning on Netflix. I also try to make sure I have one planned activity every weekend to look forward to.
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