#this month i'm selling a bookshelf that i used to store my clothes in but like. i have no other choice gkdsjgj

[tirfpikachu]

god i really am the queen of fb marketplace...... i am selling so much junk i didn't really use. i mean, some junk i really liked too, but c'est la vie mes amies...... you gotta make sacrifices when you're broke 💀

[disease-danger-darkness-silence]

I need to do a whole... Post. On life and what's coming up. But it's SO overwhelming.

Edit: this became a really messy overview of it. Tldr is that I'll be in Oregon and Washington for an unknown period of time.

We have to be out of our current place by the end of February.

I have a friend who is gonna take Kono and Emily for us after that, so I'll only have Socrates with us as we face potential homelessness.

I am trying to break all of our tasks down to their base level but the overall gist is:

Whittle down our possessions by Quite A Lot.

Get all of the trash out.

Get caught up with T-Mobile and cancel my brother's line, preferably before the 21st. Unsure how do.

Keep leash-training Socrates.

Sell/toss/give away everything we can part with to raise money and narrow shit down.

Pull futon chair out of room and deep-clean. Sand the frame down and paint it. Deliver it to Weed Daughter.

Clean out closet, break down desks. One is staying with me, one is going to Adrienne. We're getting rid of like all of our furniture except for a desk, a table, and a bookshelf.

Figure out the base minimum items we need and want with us at any given time. Like... Clothes, meds, glasses/contacts, phones, toiletries, etc.

Fix the car. I have some of the parts but I need more, and I need to heavy detail clean it, and it needs an oil change.

Clean out and defrost the big freezer, because landlord will take money off my debt for this, and because I can figure out what can be salvaged or not.

Pack the things we're keeping but don't Need All The Time. Needs to be in plastic where possible.

Get a storage unit (and hopefully pay for it several months in advance) and move the keep items into it. Some items that can't be exposed to the elements (electronics, makeup) will stay at my daughter's house, but not everything.

Clean both cat boxes out deeply so that one can be at Tab's and one can be with me.

Rent a U-haul to take a massive load to the dump, and the two pieces of furniture I'm giving to Adrienne to her place.

Buy cat carriers.

Move the Bare Minimum plus camping gear into the car.

Move the bed to Tab's house because she may be able to let us stay with her until mid-March, and it would be a good transition for the cats, since two of them are staying there.

Get a copy of Raven's birth certificate.

Get all of Raven's therapy records and medical records compiled and printed out in duplicate (one for the medical binder, one for the courts). Gotta do the same for me.

Deep-clean the rooms we're in currently, possibly paint them.

Replace the flooring of the bathroom (minimum) and possibly the bedroom and walk-in closet, because it was all installed badly. Not technically my problem, but if I fix the floors and walls, landlord will take away from the money I owe him. I also would like to replace the lighting fixture because it's been dead since before we moved in, and he takes money off for parts AND labor.

Get a tow hitch installed on the car. If I can find a teardrop trailer that would be phenominal. But even just a small hauling trailer, or a freight platform, to keep stuff in/on? Would be great.

(There's laminate flooring already for the bathroom. I'd hit the Habitat for Humanity store for the rest of the flooring, cuz it's cheap af.)

Clean the den and porch that we use off.

Officially move out.

And when we're done with all of that, I have to do this stuff:

Move into Tab's for two weeks.

Stay with daughter for a few days while I take care of some stuff with a friend in Sparks.

Buy a PO Box for six months in Salem, OR.

Pack us, our stuff, and Socrates into the car and drive.

Drive to Contra Costa County (~4 hours away in the Bay Area of California) to get a copy of MY birth certificate.

Drive to Oregon.

Because we can't get approved for any of the low-income housing in this area until we get Raven's legal issues in Oregon sorted out.

If anyone has a couch we and one (1) orange dumbass cat could crash on for a few days, let me know, because the current plan is to just Be Homeless.

Raven has to turn themselves in up in Hermiston. We don't know how long they'll be in jail. It could be one day, it could be six months. They thought they were in compliance, and they were, but the courts don't know that, so we need to prove they've been doing what they were supposed to.

Before we do that, we want to see some friends. One in Washington and one in Salem. We also need to get Raven's state and national park passes because then I can get free/cheap camping while they're in jail.

If Raven's incarceration is going to take longer than a month, I'll go get the job in Salem at the T-Mobile call center. It's waiting for me, essentially. I'll get a little shithole apartment somewhere nearby and go across the state to visit them every week, and use the time to save up some money. But we don't know.

That's the worst part, is the Not Knowing. I don't like not knowing a timeline. I'm chronically late anyway, I don't need this in my life.

But if I do the T-Mobile thing, I'll be able to pay off our debts. Including the child support (we've been trying to catch up on that but it's so much and Raven was homeless for a lot of it).

But I'll also be in Oregon - unideal for me - and alone.

It's just. A lot. And it needs to be done in a very short time, with very little money.

I have pondered a gofundme, and selling like, cat toys (bc I can sew and crochet them on the cheap). But I don't have the time to invest in making things to sell, and I don't want to do a gofundme again. I also considered a small kickstarter to like, buy materials to make toys and clothes and stuff, once we go to Oregon, and send out to backers. I have been trying and failing to find a job.

I'm just so tired.

[yournewapartment]

Hi there. So I'm moving into the first house my family and I have actually owned in years. The only problem is, my room is so small that they're letting me have the spare room as well, which is equally as small. Dorms are usually pretty small, but I'm thinking that these rooms are much smaller. Do you have any advice for decorating or living in a small (set of) rooms? Maybe any useful furniture pieces? (I don't have any. .-.) Any advice or help would be appreciated.

I am sorry it took so long to respond! This past month a friend of mine moved into a tiny studio apartment, and I wanted her advice before responding to you.

Living in A Small Space

Storage Containers

The right storage containers can make all the difference when living in a small space! Head to your local Dollar Store and get yourself some supplies. 

Storage Bins. Go to your local Dollar Store and buy yourself some plastic storage bins. Amazon also sells them, but they’re much more expensive. I’d recommend choosing whatever is the cheapest, you don’t need high quality plastic that was crafted by the indigenous people of wherever. These bins are stackable, durable, and clear plastic makes it easy to locate lost items.

Shoe organizers. Specifically, the ones that hang over doors like this one. These are great for storing makeup, jewelry, writing utensils, cheesy snacks, etc. Drape one over one of your doors, but be sure to consult with any roommates you may have before hand.

Wall Bookshelves. Bookshelves in general make great storage spaces. My old apartment had zero closet space, so my boyfriend and I used a bookshelf to store all our clothes. Since you probably won’t have much floor space, opt for a wall bookshelf instead. I absolutely love the look of a nice wall bookshelf, I have one in my bedroom with some tasteful cacti and my fancy shoes stacked on top of it.

Coat hangers. Might seem like a simple idea, but coat hangers are magical. You can fit multiple coats on one hanger and use the others to hang purses, jewelry, hats, etc. You can also use command hooks if you’re uncomfortable drilling into the walls.

Where to Store

Underneath your bed. As I’m sitting on my bed writing to you, several feet bellow me are two guitars, an emergency kit and several pairs of shoes. Beds are something that everyone has (unless you’re my high school friend Adrienne) so why not utilize them fully? Measure how much space is available underneath your bed frame, and buy storage bins that you can easily slip underneath

Hang it on the wall. Have something weirdly shaped that doesn’t fit anywhere? Hang it on your wall! The only example I can think of right now is something like a bike. Always make sure things are secure!

From the ceiling. Lightweight items can be suspended from the ceiling of your living space. Position jewelry, scarves, and small plants in a visually pleasing arrangement over your bed to save space.

Closets. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get a closet in your dorm room, but most apartment buildings will have one. In fact, I would advise you to not move into an apartment with zero closet space. Stack your storage bins high, place bookshelves in your closet, and if possible use plastic or wooden hangers to organize your clothes. I always think of my bedroom closet as my “disaster zone”. The rest of my apartment can look nice because I have a place to store random things like my porcelain garden gnome and my vacuum cleaner that don’t fit anywhere else.

Decor in a Small Space

These are the ideas I came up with in my cheap dorm decor post, but I think they are all very applicable to your situation. 

Plants: Plants are my personal favorite decor (apart from Xmas lights). They’re inexpensive and look great in any location. If watering a plant every day doesn’t work for your schedule, get a cactus! I water my cacti twice a week.

Xmas Lights: I try to distance myself from people who say that Xmas lights are just “seasonal”. I have three different strands of lights up all year long, one in each room and one on my outdoor balcony. These lights are perfect for parties, romantic evenings, etc.

Posters: Posters aren’t as expensive as you think they are, but poster frames are ridiculously expensive. And you can’t buy the cheap ones, they fall apart instantly- you have to buy the $40 ones. My advice to you, buy posters and hang them up carefully with pushpins or tape.

Night lights: I am the sort of person who always needs to pee at 3am. I have always used night lights in my bathroom and kitchen because they’re so much better than blundering around in the dark. Similar to the Xmas lights, they help create that “mood”. I have these cute little lava lamp night lights.

Glow in the dark stars: Just trust me on this.

Chalkboard paint: Dorm room or apartment landlord permitting, chalkboard paint can help turn your room into a perpetual canvas. A friend of mine from college did this to his incredibly small room, and it looked so good.

My friend mentioned that it might be a good idea to make one of your rooms a “bedroom” and make the other your “dressing room/closet/beauty space”.

I hope this helps!