Category: Content Writing

Apartment Living: Five Tips to Make A Small Space Bigger

Before you start unpacking, make sure to have an organization strategy that fits your space.

So you’ve just moved into your new apartment – congratulations! Now, where to put everything? Getting organized after moving can be overwhelming, especially with limited space. Here are five tips to avoid mess and stress, and make the most of your new home.

1. Always Make Your Bed

Yes, like mom always said, make your bed. In a small space a little mess can look like a lot. Make your bed each morning and set the tone for your environment – it keeps your room looking neat and inviting.

2. Use Furniture to Divide Rooms

If you’re in a studio or open concept space, use furniture to create separate areas. Put a couch or wide bookshelf in the middle of the room (rather than against a wall) and accent accordingly. Use small rugs to designate different areas within a larger room.

3. Have a Place For Everything

If there’s no room for a dresser, use bins or baskets in your closet to help keep smaller clothing items, like socks and underwear, organized. Small bins under the bathroom sink make hygiene products and medical supplies easy to find.

4. Go Vertical to Create Extra Storage

Tall wardrobes or bookshelves can help if you don’t have a lot of closet space. With shelving, use baskets or bins to hide items away. Wardrobes can hold winter coats and less used items; art supplies, tools, etc. can be labelled and packed away.

5. Purge Unused Items

Have you used it in the past month? If it’s broken, can it be repaired? Does it “spark joy”? If the answer is “no,” let it go. Anything in good condition can be sold, offered up in your local “Buy Nothing” group, or donated to charity.

Creating a functional and organized space will help you enjoy and be comfortable in your new home, no matter the size.

A Green Space For All Neighbours and Their Best Friends

Harold was bored. He had been in Vancouver for two weeks and all he had seen were the same four blocks of sidewalk and manicured hedges. It was still better than grey L.A. and its dusty palm trees, but Vancouver was supposed to be a green city. Harold wanted to get outside and explore!

Meanwhile, Tristan was also losing steam. He had been glued to Zoom for days, training for his new job. Between the move and work, he and Harold hadn’t had time to go too far, or meet any of their neighbours. Starting a new job at home, in a new city, was not ideal for Harold or Tristan.

When the clock finally struck 5 p.m. that day, Harold was anxiously waiting by the door, tail wagging, staring at his leash. Tristan leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head, “Ok, boy. Let’s go.”

After some fresh air, and taking care of “business”, Tristan and Harold had started heading home when they both spotted another dog and its owner across the street. Harold suddenly knew they had to follow them. He pulled on the leash and Tristan paused tiredly, but allowed Harold to lead the way.

Harold energetically dragged Tristan to catch up to the other dog, and he could now see a patch of grass larger than he had ever seen before! It was surrounded by a wooden fence…with a gate? And inside there were other dogs running around and playing?!

Harold could barely contain himself! He turned around to see Tristan smiling knowingly — it was an off-leash dog park, and they were going in!

Once inside the enclosure, Harold recognized and ran over to another dog who lived in their apartment building. Several dog owners were chatting together and one of them waved at Tristan. Harold’s mind raced with excitement but one thing he knew for sure was that he, and Tristan, were going to love spending more time outside in Vancouver.

When Not Taking a Risk is the Biggest Risk of All

How I quit my job and took charge of my mental health during the pandemic.

By the summer of 2021 I was bored, burnt out, and broke. Like many others, I had been working from home since March 2020. Plodding away at my company-issued computer, my dog was my only water-cooler confidante. I soon found myself willing my tropical plants to beam me into another reality – to take me anywhere away from my 480 square foot downtown office (read: my studio apartment.)

The monotony of the work week, and many months prior, had created an exhausting apathy for my work, and life in general. After hermitting for so long my friendships had suffered, along with my bank account as online shopping became my new favourite hobby. My vision for the future was as clouded as the fog I felt waking up every morning, searching social media for the next dopamine hit.

The anxiety that came along with the expectation of returning to the office in September really broke me. (As did the $6 coffees to get out of the house everyday.) After going through several boxes of tissues, and accounting for every penny in my (figurative) piggy bank, I made the scary but liberating decision to quit my job.