2 parents, 2 toddlers, a dog in 750 sq ft

[micah_mae_]

We made the decision to move into a small duplex for a year at least to pay off our van and build savings. We were screwed over with our first car and when we got the van the car was upside down. We've been paying 420/month for two years and still owe over $13,000.
We will be downgrading from

1200 sq ft, 3 br, 2 ba for $900 to

  750 sq ft, 2 br, 1 ba for $500.

Any tips on living in a small home with toddlers? Any tips for living in a small home period?

Also, it's a...different...neighborhood. Not quite ghetto but close. I'm kind of worried about taking the kids for walks and stuff. Can anyone offer perspective? Am I being silly? I'm really not trying to be rude, I'm moving there after all.

[EmsMom]

I live with my two kids in a smaller space than that.  I do think another adult around would make it seem more crowded.  I would suggest getting rid of just about anything you do not actually use regularly and making more things do double duty.  I put up whole walls of shelves, many of which have bins or baskets to hold things like gloves and hats and school stuff with bins of toys on the lowest shelves.  Our only computer is a lap top so we don't need a desk area for a computer.  I also have two small love seats in the living room along with a table for working at.  it just seems to work better in that small space than a larger couch and maybe a chair.  One couch has an end table that is really an old wooden trunk that holds extra blankets and sweaters all summer and holds the fans all winter.  In the kitchen I hung up a pot rack to save space and there are stackable stools instead of chairs.  One bedroom for the two kids with one bed on each end with their dresser right beside the bed and that is about it.  I put their beds on risers and put sliding bins underneath to hold toys.  Good luck!  I really like living the small space.  I can clean it very quickly and we never accumulate too much junk!

[zebra15]

You are 'only' saving $4800 doing this.  You have moving expenses, utility deposits (?) and possible other expenses.  IDK how much debt you are planning to pay off and how much savings you plan to build.

I have 1 adult and 1 kid in 850 (ish) sq ft  2br 1 bath.   Doubling the number of people in here would be crazy add a dog and wow... People in here do have families of 4 living in apts like mine but its tight.  My place would run so much smoother wtih a 2nd bathroom

My dining room is converted to the office.  The coat closet is my storage area.  Both bedrooms have walk in closets, my son's is his storage area and mine is full.  The TV is wall mounted.  

I wouldn't worry too much about the neighborhood.  Carry a cell phone, get some pepper spray etc.  I live in a 'good' neighborhood and have crappy people in my building.  Go figure.

[Polliwog]

The layout of your space will make a huge difference. My two kids and I live in an @850 square foot townhouse and we're getting really crowded. Our layout stinks, though. A friend has an apartment that's about the same size and it's so much more roomy.

I wouldn't live in a place where I didn't feel comfortable walking around. I'd get a part time job.

[Super~Single~Mama]

I have an 840 square foot place approx, and it's spacious with just my son and I. Add another toddler, and adult? Insanity. Plus a dog? Crazy talk.

If you are going to do it, I would look for a wide open floor plan. I have a 1br, plus a den. The den is a playroom, we share the bedroom. My kitchen is tiny, and is in the hallway kind of - its a great layout because there is zero wasted space in the entire apartment. I have almost no furniture, so the floor space is all usable. The closets are HUGE which means storage is no biggie. Good luck!

[micah_mae_]

Thanks for the input everyone! We won't have a utility deposit because were just transferring to another local address and we have 3 pickup trucks plus a van to move with so moving expenses should be limited to gas and food for our helpers.
I would love to get a part time job, but for now its not possible for multiple reasons. Maybe in the future.
The layout is great, the living room, kitchen and dining room are spacious with smaller bedrooms. There's a yard for the kids to play in all day, barring weather.

Shelves, bins and a pot rack are all great ideas! We do have a storage area off the back porch.

I'm kind of excited for the challenge and to get rid if stuff.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Ok, with a yard I think it's totally doable.

[rcr]

We live in a tiny house with 2 big dogs, and the yard makes all the difference in the world. It is fenced in and we can get the dogs out of the house when it gets too crowded.

[zebra15]

Outdoor space is def. a plus.  I think the layout is very important.  I picked a smaller apartment because the layout was better than the larger one.  Go figure.

Locate the library and other free activities.  See what the area has to offer.  

The key is organization!

[trekkingirl]

I live in a 30ft RV with my DH, my 8yo DD, my 5yo DS, and my 12mo DD2. No yard, that would be heaven. You make do with what you got. The sad part is the cost of living is so high here that my parking spot is almost as much rent as the house you're moving out of! We have cut our expenses to one third of what they were when we were renting a house. I'm hoping this time next year we will be purchasing our forever house! That's the plan anyways..........

[averysmomma05]

we live in a 900 sq ft 2bedroom 2 bath mobile home with 2 kids,2 adults, and a baby on the way. it seems really big to us though we have been here 4 years and the layout is open so seems bigger.

[canadiangranola]

We lived in a 720 sq foor house ith three kids ( 5,3,1) two parents, a dog and a cat. Totally doable. Keep it simple. We had a garage that we used to store things like Christmas decorations, etc, but I think we could have done it even without that space, just a little more challenging. We don't have a lot of clothes, each kid got one laundry basket full of clothes and the adults shared a closet. Enough towels for each of us to have one, as many sheets and blankets as we needed, no more (company?...ask them to bring their own bedding.)

 We all slept in one bedroom and used the other as a playroom. this was fine with all of us. A small table in the kitchen helped the space feel bigger, and of course keeping the kid toy clutter to a minimum was essential. Enough dishes for each of us, plus a couple extras for visitors, but simple. Who needs a coffee maker when you can use a ench press? Who need a popcorn maker when you can use a pot....anything that didn't serve more than one purpose or get use regularly was out. 

Use smaller furniture...like not those overstuffed couches that are so popular. 

Sould also mention that our family bed was a wall to wall room of mattresses, which although unconventional, also gave us a fantastic place to wrestle and play actively during the day....again, making a space multipurpose....

We spent lots of time outside and at the library. Kept it simple. We still miss our little space...is was cozy and lovely.

Good luck. I. A embrace the challenge and get yourselves out of debt.... :)

[mnnice]

Just curious how big (and active) is the dog?

[micah_mae_]

Thanks everyone, I'm taking notes! The dog is a small mini poodle, about 12 lbs.

[mamayogibear]

I lived in a 550 sqft studio house. It was square with walls like a cross in the middle but no doors! I had a baby and a three year old and two dogs and a goat at the time. There was a huge yard and a shed which made living there possible. I ended up giving the goat away after about four months (he was rescued from slaughter but had no business being and only goat in the city) once I was able to find him a home. The space was small inside but I set up a lot of outdoor stuff like a table and chairs so we would eat outside if it wasn't raining. Also it was in a great location, we were a half mile from my kids daycare and three miles from my work so I was able to bike everywhere. Okay maybe it was in the middle of the ghetto but it was convenient to live there despite the car chases and sirens... Anyways small spaces can work if you're creative and with a yard it is a lot easier to be creative so I think you can do it!

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

Thanks everyone, I'm taking notes! The dog is a small mini poodle, about 12 lbs.

I think your biggest challenge may be making sure you don't step on the dog!

[micah_mae_]

Originally Posted by Super~Single~Mama 

I think your biggest challenge may be making sure you don't step on the dog!

Ha, that dog is so far up my butt most of the time he gets stepped on quite regularly. ;)

Originally Posted by mamayogibear 

I lived in a 550 sqft studio house. It was square with walls like a cross in the middle but no doors! I had a baby and a three year old and two dogs and a goat at the time. There was a huge yard and a shed which made living there possible. I ended up giving the goat away after about four months (he was rescued from slaughter but had no business being and only goat in the city) once I was able to find him a home. The space was small inside but I set up a lot of outdoor stuff like a table and chairs so we would eat outside if it wasn't raining. Also it was in a great location, we were a half mile from my kids daycare and three miles from my work so I was able to bike everywhere. Okay maybe it was in the middle of the ghetto but it was convenient to live there despite the car chases and sirens... Anyways small spaces can work if you're creative and with a yard it is a lot easier to be creative so I think you can do it!

Thanks for sharing! This new house is also in the ghetto, nice to know someone else did it with kids too. :)

[BByHlPr]

I love living in the "ghetto." It's much cheaper, everything from rent to food, their are wonderful benefits (like free community gardens where we have organic compost and seedlings delivered), cheap Y memberships, etc. I've found that violence is not random where I live and the community is great. 

[*green*faery*]

We live in 850 sq ft, 2 adults, 2 kids & a baby on the way. 1 bedroom that we share, 1 'office' that is sort of a small room (7x7) that has the kids dressers and some toys. It's not layed out well, there is no real closets and storage is crappy in the house but we have a storage shed and huge yard which makes all the difference. We spend a lot of time outside! It is hard to keep clean and feels kind of cluttered which is frustrating. It's totally do-able, especially if it's temporary.

[*green*faery*]

oh, I should mention that having 1 bathroom is difficult & I can't wait to move in a few months:)