When you move to a big city apartment, you tend to spend more money for less space. In most cases, you won't have enough room for all of your belongings. It's frustrating to have to downsize, especially if your stay in an apartment is short-term. Instead of selling all of your items for a fraction of what they're worth, you may want to take a considerable amount of time to examine your space and determine the best way to organize your stuff. You'll also want to consider renting a storage unit for some of your personal belongings that aren't needed.

Tips for Organizing a Small Apartment

Small apartments can often make you feel as if you're living in a shoebox. For that reason, it is absolutely crucial that you stay organized. Clutter isn't something that you have time – or space – for. You should opt for multipurpose and petite furniture for optimal use of your space. In addition, here are a few more organization tips for your small space:

• Space Utilization - Make sure that you utilize any and all space in your closets. There is a lot of space in the bottom of the closet that you can use for small boxes or even shoe storage. The top of the closets have a lot of space, but you need to make sure that you utilize the space efficiently by stacking boxes all the way to the top.
• Wire Organizers - In the bathroom and kitchen, you may want to consider using wire hooks and/or organizers to store a variety of items. In the kitchen, you can use this space to store dish towels, potholders and even spices. In the bathroom, you can store wash rags, toilet paper, hair accessories, earrings and more.
• Decorative Boxes - Opt for decorative storage boxes that you can use to store a wide assortment of items that aren't used frequently. These boxes can then be placed throughout the home underneath tables and other free spaces. With standard cardboard boxes, this may not be appealing, but the decorative design on the boxes will help add a bit of style to the apartment.

Items That Are Just Better Off in a Storage Unit

Despite how much you may want to avoid a storage unit and get everything to fit in your apartment, it's likely impossible. And that's okay because there are a lot of items that you have that you don't use on a regularly basis and are actually seasonal items. Here are some of the items that are better off in self-storage:

• Seasonal Clothing
• Holiday Decorations
• Large Furniture
• Collectible Items
• Sports Equipment

The aforementioned organization tips will help you keep everything that you need inside the apartment. Everything else can go into a small storage unit (such as those offered by Afford It Mini Storage) until you need them or until you're ready to move on from small apartment living.