The Art of Living in 400 sq. ft + Not Killing Each Other
THE ART OF LIVING IN 400 SQ. FT. & NOT KILLING EACH OTHER
Trust me, it sounds way worse than it actual is. My best friend, Rachel, and I both moved in with our boyfriends on the same day this summer after graduating from college. One difference is that we live on different coasts (Portland & NYC) and our apartments are drastically different sizes (700 v 400 square feet). Regardless, usually during our weekly FaceTime we mention the same issues and difficulties.
So of course, we made a list:
Old Habits Die Hard
Rachel called me last week wide eyed and frustrated. Not because of some big event, but because her boyfriend uses a WHISK instead of a fork to scramble eggs in the morning (*gasp*). To her boyfriend, he doesn't even think about it twice, it's what he's used to doing. But to Rachel, it's inefficient because it dirties another dish instead of using a quick small fork. Don't get her started on the aluminum foil vs. plastic wrap debockle - oi vey!
As for Frank and I, it's mostly my habits that cause problems (lol). For example, the way I fold my towel and "hang it up" resembles mostly a towel lying on the floor of the bathroom with 5 rejected outfits (sorry mom). Frank is very organized, so I have to make a conscious mental effort to change my habits for the better because let's face it, adults have to hang up their towels... I'm working on it.
Little Quirks
So in addition to having old habits that you didn't realize bothered each other, there are also little quirks that you've always been pretty weird about. For me, that's making the bed a certain way. Not that Frank makes the bed "wrong" per-se, but he is indifferent about it. It's all about the give and take, especially with the little things. Hey, maybe it's just me and I'M the crazy one making her bed a certain way.
For Rachel, she's very particular about what brands and types of food she buys at the grocery store. She's more of a quality over quantity type of gal, while her boyfriend is more "what's the best bang for my buck?" kinda guy.
Space
Obviously, to everyone else in the U.S., a tiny apartment in NYC sounds very inconvenient and overwhelming - one, you can't fit every belonging you've ever desired or hope to desire and you have to be in very close proximity to the person you're living with. I got lucky that I sold everything before I moved and I get to share the tiny space with someone who I love and is (luckily) highly tolerant of me and my Monica Geller-esque closet scenario.
Trust me, it's not always walk in the park (or sometimes we do walk to Central Park when we get cabin fever - see below). In such a small space your biggest pet peeves come to surface very easily and quickly.
But, it comes with so many perks. To name a few:
1. You think long and hard about buying something you don't need/want because of space constraints.
2. You're forced to be uber organized to make room for the most important things.
3. You can't stay angry very long at one another for too long because there's only ONE door you can close (and it leads you outside...the hallway's no fun).
4. Communication issues come to the forefront 10000% faster than usual, allowing you to basically telecommunicate via eye contact because of the amount of time you spend together.
5. You get to live (and slightly suffer) with your best friend. Really, what's better than that?
