Living in 530 Square Feet

[PoppyOC]

We just signed to give up our 1 bedroom plus 1 den in Irvine for a small, 530 sq feet 1 bd/1 bath.  We will save exactly $275/month on rent!  Are we crazy?  Luckily, we don't have much in the way of furniture. 

[Bracken_Joy]

I lived in 500 sq ft with my SO (now husband) and dog for 2 years. I loved it =) We own a house now, and 2 bathrooms is pretty nice, but sometimes I long for the simplicity of that apartment! I could deep clean the whole thing, top to bottom, in less than 2 hours.

Be prepared to embrace your inner minimalism, and sweep/vacuum a lot. The less space you have, the quicker the central areas get dirty!

[BTDretire]

No problem, just make sure you save the $275 a month to make it pay off. Make that $300, electric bill should be lower, along with a few other costs.

[forumname123]

It's almost twice what my wife and I live in. Get a little creative and you'll make it work, no problem.

[Novik]

Congrats! You can definitely make it work.

I live with my BF in ~450 sq ft (+small shared shed and use of laundry room). It's tight, but incredibly workable. Big things to think about are storage space (ie. off-season clothes, bikes or other rec gear, enough kitchen cupboards and pantry space etc) and making sure you get that working for you early.  A place for everything and everything in its place!

[Polaria]

We just signed to give up our 1 bedroom plus 1 den in Irvine for a small, 530 sq feet 1 bd/1 bath.  We will save exactly $275/month on rent!  Are we crazy?  Luckily, we don't have much in the way of furniture.

Crazy? Not at all, I lived with a SO and two cats in 320 sqf for two years. I am currently living alone with the surviving cat in 485 sqf. 

Useful things in that kind of space are folding chairs, nested tables, sofa bed and storage on wheels.

[expatartist]

Excellent! I live happily in 150sqf in the world's most expensive city for real estate (Hong Kong). I pared down wardrobe to half of what it was before, eliminated a third of my furniture, etc.

Took a multipurpose, 'vertical' approach to space management:
* Stacked a small fridge on my single washer/dryer
* Out-of-season clothes crammed into overhead storage
* Maximized windows and natural light
* I use lacquered bamboo ladders to hang clothes for the next day and as decorative elements/curtain-holders
* Carved Chinese wooden trunks function as storage and also tables
* Furniture is mostly secondhand, using quality materials like teak, linen etc, all taking up as little floor space as possible

And so easy to clean! Just have to remain organized and not leave things out...clutter is more noticeable in small spaces.

[Bird In Hand]

In my college years my living space was always under 200 sqft (though there were separate bath/kitchen/laundry common areas).  And it felt like a lot less than 200 sqft because I was a pretty big slob and I always had a lot of clutter.  I guess I was poor -- often just enough money in the bank for a few meals.  And there were definitely roaches in my apartment.  Yet I remember being very happy most of the time.  Maybe because I didn't have a full-time job.  :D

So are you crazy for living in 530 sqft with your SO?  Nah, enjoy your extra $3,300/year.  After ~8 years of investing that, you'll have enough to buy a $3 cup of fancy coffee every day for the rest of your life!  :D

[PoppyOC]

Thanks everyone!  The layout is actually pretty optimal, so we're excited to try the downsize.