3 ms·

I once lived in a tiny 150 sq ft 'bachelor' style apartment which was a single room as the entire living space with a small bathroom. It had no kitchen so I had

I once lived in a tiny 150 sq ft 'bachelor' style apartment which was a single room as the entire living space with a small bathroom. It had no kitchen so I had to wash my dishes in the bathroom sink and use a portable electric hot plate for cooking meals. It was a very minimalist lifestyle since I had to think about every item I brought in because it'd take up space. The good thing is that I learned how to be efficient with resources and use less 'stuff', but it was not good for my mental health over the long run since the lack of freedom to move around was making me feel like I was trapped in a confined space. Almost felt like I was living in a prison cell. Sometimes it's not worth going with the cheapest option because it takes a toll on your mental health.

godot 7y ago
Curious for you and others who've done similar things -- had you considered sharing a place with roommates at the time? I too have gone through such a phase after college, 12-14 years ago. I worked in the Sacramento area, I was single and had little belongings. The smallest/cheapest places I lived in were 1) living in the living room of my friend's 1-bedroom apartment, for $300/mo (he was paying $800/mo before I joined, so I shared 3/8 of it, and it wasn't like he was even using the living room at all before I moved in), and later 2) living in the living room of an apartment with random housemates (found on FB, at my college town Davis) for $250/mo. (Not counting the times when I had been somewhat homeless for a couple of months and stayed in a different friend's apartment every week with a sleeping bag, sleeping on their room's floor, when I was working a very low pay job) Of course finding similarly priced apartments is impossible (even in 2006~07), I honestly doubt I would even be able to find a 150 sq ft apartment for that price. I would however gladly take living with roommates/housemates -- especially over a 150 sq ft apartment to myself -- considering the toll on mental health etc. like you said. I actually quite enjoyed my living conditions at the time (taking over the living room at my friend's place and random housemates' place). Even with random housemates, it's nice to have someone to say hi to when they walk in and out (inevitably walking past where I'd be sleeping or using my computer, when they walk to the front door).
- miguelmota 7y ago
  I've lived with roommates before and I do agree with you that it's a lot better than living alone in a small space if the rent cost comes out to be the same. If you're an introvert it can get annoying though. There's trade-offs to everything.

godot 7y ago

Curious for you and others who've done similar things -- had you considered sharing a place with roommates at the time? I too have gone through such a phase after college, 12-14 years ago. I worked in the Sacramento area, I was single and had little belongings. The smallest/cheapest places I lived in were 1) living in the living room of my friend's 1-bedroom apartment, for $300/mo (he was paying $800/mo before I joined, so I shared 3/8 of it, and it wasn't like he was even using the living room at all before I moved in), and later 2) living in the living room of an apartment with random housemates (found on FB, at my college town Davis) for $250/mo. (Not counting the times when I had been somewhat homeless for a couple of months and stayed in a different friend's apartment every week with a sleeping bag, sleeping on their room's floor, when I was working a very low pay job) Of course finding similarly priced apartments is impossible (even in 2006~07), I honestly doubt I would even be able to find a 150 sq ft apartment for that price. I would however gladly take living with roommates/housemates -- especially over a 150 sq ft apartment to myself -- considering the toll on mental health etc. like you said. I actually quite enjoyed my living conditions at the time (taking over the living room at my friend's place and random housemates' place). Even with random housemates, it's nice to have someone to say hi to when they walk in and out (inevitably walking past where I'd be sleeping or using my computer, when they walk to the front door).

miguelmota 7y ago
I've lived with roommates before and I do agree with you that it's a lot better than living alone in a small space if the rent cost comes out to be the same. If you're an introvert it can get annoying though. There's trade-offs to everything.