How to Increase Your Living Space Without Paying More Rent?

With a few exceptions, every person wants to live in a spacious home. Unfortunately, however, it is not always an option, especially if you are renting a place. If this is the case for you, then you've come to the right place. Below are several tips on how to increase the size of your home without paying more rent. 

The Pareto Principle

Also known as the 80/20 rule or the law of the vital few, the Pareto principle dictates that 80% of effects are a direct result of 20% of the causes. The truly fascinating part about this principle is that it can be found everywhere in nature, but it also applies in areas of human activity equally as well. It's a sort of natural law if you will. 

In this context, the Pareto principle applies to how we move around the house. If we take a moment to examine a room, we'll quickly come to realize that most of the time (about 80%) we walk on the same parts of the floor, roughly the same 20%. By doing this simple exercise, you may even notice areas that you never set your foot on. 

Anyway, by keeping this principle in mind, you can rearrange your furniture and belongings in such a way so that you'll never have to bump into anything ever again. By improving the traffic flow around the house, you've inherently optimized everything, thus allowing you to maximize the use of your space more effectively. 

Striking a Balance

If and when you rearrange your furniture, keep in mind to have everything in balance. Rooms that are too furniture-heavy on one side will give off the impression of a tight space, even if this is not necessarily the case.

Don't let too many pieces of furniture be the first thing you see when you enter a room and, instead, try to balance things out a bit more - but also keeping the aforementioned Pareto principle in mind. Also, don't be afraid to rearrange furniture from different rooms together if it means that it will offer you a better visual balance. 

Mind Your Storage

If it's a small space we're talking about, every square inch counts. Scan your home and look for things out in the open that you don't use on a daily basis. If, for instance, you make toast roughly twice a month, keeping that toaster on the counter will only take up much-needed space. Make the countertop hold items that you use on a daily basis and try putting everything else away. 

Storage may be tight in a small apartment, but it's an opportunity for you to become creative. It's a great idea to declutter any storage space that you might have, and try increasing the number of shelves. You can also place smaller pieces of furniture under larger ones. Hanging things can also be an option. Now, given your unique circumstance, your imagination will play a huge role here.  

Conclusion

In the end, everything boils down to how you manage to do more with less. Keep in mind the Pareto principle as well as the size of your furniture in every room, and you'll be fine.