A Year Of Living Apartmentally

 Yesterday represented a year of living Apartmentally in New Home 3.0.

(All pictures from the past twelve months)

Had you asked me at the beginning of 2023 - or really any time in the previous 20 years from that - if I ever imagined myself living in an apartment again, I would likely have looked at you quizzically and slowly backed out of the room.  I had lived in houses, either owned or rented, since 2000.  The idea of moving back into an apartment was not even a thought in my mind; in fact, it would have been a step back.  "Rubbish", I probably would have snorted, and gone back to whatever I was doing.

Then, of course, 2023 came.  Lots of things changed.

On the whole, moving into an apartment has not at all been a bad thing.  Part of it is simply the apartment itself:  we are on the top story of a complex that edges up to a very nice residential planned community (judging by the home prices, anyway). The complex is quite quiet and I scarcely ever hear - or see - my neighbors.

I am a 10 minute commute from my work and could walk there if I wanted or needed to (I did once or twice between my rental car being turned in and my car arriving).  In fact, everything - work, church, grocery store, bank, even my gym (located by work) - all within walking distance.  And we are located near the local light rail, which means that things like "the city" are within 40 minutes - or the airport within 80 minutes.  All in all, pretty convenient.

One of my initial concerns was simple the "space" loss, as we went from around 2400 sq. ft. to half that.  Turns out it is not as much of a problem as I thought it would be.  Yes, we had to downsize and we are still in the process of doing that.  We still have things in the garage at New Home 2.0, and another round of things at The Ranch that will need to be relocated sooner or later.  But in the past year I have never felt "constrained" by moving into a smaller dwelling. And it is hard to argue with a house cleaning routine that can be accomplished in 20 minutes.

Things I do not like?  The climate control is non-extant except for wall heaters that probably burn more energy than they produce heat.  Part of that has been combated by portable heating and air-conditioning units (thankfully we live in an age where such things are available and can be shipped to your door).  Part of that has been combatted by the strategy of Paul Wheaton, who recommends heating the space around you not the whole house - thus, I have spent a lot of time in the other bedroom where the rabbits live.  Smaller spaces are easier to heat and cool.

One of the most interesting changes, though, has been in my thinking.

It is odd how realizing that you have limited space and accepting it leads to things like becoming more willing to go through things and part with them.  That is not all there is to it of course: part of it is the realization there there are likely many things that you will never really use again and being willing to admit that.  But having less space certainly helps the thinking process.

(The current 2025 garden - small, but at least I can still grow something.)

Do I think we will do this forever?  I am not really sure.  Honestly given the world today, buying a house seems a little like taking a risk I do not want to take - and do not have to, in this case:  where we are works perfectly for us.  But there are things I want to do and undertake - a bigger garden (obviously), bees, some kind of poultry - that require something more than the space we have here.

But that may be for another time.  It is painfully clear to me that for right now, we are exactly right where we are intended to be.