Living in a 500 square foot apartment took on a whole new dimension when our happy family of two became a family of three, and with the new grandma moving in to nanny there’s a major space crisis. The key to surviving such accommodations, I’ve found, is to think in miniature.

My kitchen is only 8 x 8 feet. Once the fridge, stove, sink, and counters are accounted for, it becomes what my granny calls a “one-butt kitchen” with just a measly five by two foot walkway. Sure it’s got wall to wall cupboards, but that really doesn’t add up to much storage space, and counter space is at an even higher premium. But we make it work by thinking in miniature. No need to purchase a full-sized microwave, a toaster oven, and 8 cup coffee pot. A small microwave, two-slice toaster, and a 4-cup Mr. Coffee coffeemaker is all we need.

When baby joined our happy family, we made the pilgrimage to Babies R Us. What family really needs an entire roomful of furniture for the little tyke anyway? We chose to forego a changing table, a bassinette, a baby swing, a rocking chair, and high chair. Instead we invested in a portable crib (available in natural wood or white paint), a basic playpen, a booster chair with a tray, and some good sturdy storage bins. The portable crib is my favorite space-saver. It is considerably less bulky than a standard size crib and costs half the price! (A basic crib runs at $100 with another $100 for the crib mattress). Along with a few sturdy storage bins and a foldable changing pad, it can be instantly transformed into dresser and changing table. All the cute baby clothes were divvied up into related sizes, packed away in bins, labeled, and stashed under the crib. Another bin keeps diapers handy.

Our principle is if we can’t get along without a piece of furniture, to buy only the slimmest, most streamlined version we can find, and get rid of all the bulky space-hogs! Of course, that’s not always the cheapest, but we do as much as we can.

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putting color on the walls