My Life in 5x10'

I have so much that I could write about from the past several months that I don't even know where to begin, really. I suppose I just need to start from the beginning - seems fairly logical, after all. I'll start by talking about what I did with all of my "stuff."

I started by getting a storage unit and moving my belongings out of my apartment in the last month of my lease. Each morning, I'd load up another few boxes and drive them to the unit before work. I got rid of most of my furniture since it took up the most space and was almost all Craigslist or garage sale purchases, so hardly any of it was something I was attached to.

However, I still had a LOT of stuff. At first, things were a wreck - the unit was packed, and I couldn't get to anything. Half of my clothes were none-so-inconspicuously hanging up in my car, I couldn't get to dishes, and I knew I had another tube of toothpaste in there somewhere. I had to prioritize what I needed to have access to and keep things as tidy as possible. Otherwise, I'd waste time trying to find what I needed, purchase duplicates, and perhaps even break something rooting around.

The first thing I did was put in a closet rod. By using the beams on the sides of the unit, I was able to bend brackets into place and use steel strapping attached from the wall to the rod to keep the rod from sagging. This allowed me to store all of my clothes in a way that kept things organized, clean, and accessible. Even better, by hanging up my laundry instead of using my dresser, I didn't have to iron as much, and I freed up my dresser drawers for storage.

As much as I love to cook and bake, I knew I wouldn't have access to a full kitchen anytime soon, so almost all of my kitchen supplies went in boxes in the rear. Any furniture went back there as well. I decided that the space freed up in my dresser and desk would be used for two things: storing seasonal clothing and items that I would need regularly such as important documents, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and the like. This way, they'd be out of the way yet easily accessible.

You can tell from the picture that I kept a few things right out in the open. Two that I'd like to point out are my tool chest and my shop vac (behind the dresser). Since I live in my car, it is a huge priority. I have to keep it clean and maintained just like a homeowner keeps their house vacuumed and plumbing repaired. It is my house, you know . . .

In the end, this picture represents all of my worldly possessions crammed into a 5x10' storage unit:


(I know. I'm pretty awesome).