Keeping Clean in 2013

Every year I try to challenge myself with a new year's resolution that will keep me on my toes when I get too comfortable in my routine. This year I pledged to de-clutter my life. Living in a tiny studio, most people would think I don't have that much stuff and they'd be dead wrong. I had so much stuff, I was totally overwhelmed. After the new year, I took inventory of all the things I had to go through:
-An overflowing closet that I hadn't edited in years.
-Books from grad school (and embarrassingly enough undergrad school also) that I had no use for anymore.
-Kitchen items that were not working like they did when I bought them.
-Decor from so far back in the past that I couldn't imagine bringing it to a new place.
-Fashion accessories that had fallen out of fashion.
-And so so so much more.


It started with the packing, then the unpacking, and now the settling in. So far I've gotten rid of 6 boxes of clothing, 3 pieces of furniture, a box of shoes, a small bag of jewelry, and a huge bag of books.

Alex's long hours leave me tons of alone time in our room - which I spend organizing, sorting through things, and putting things away. We have been doing a ton of cleaning, organizing, and shopping to make our apartment feel like home. It feels good to have a nice clean slate to start our adventures living together. Although at first I thought it was a negative, it turned out to be a blessing that Alex had so little stuff in his apartment. It has lent us a ton of room to build a great home.

After many trips to the Container Store (my new favorite place to get inspired to clean and organize), I finally feel like we're making serious progress with our space. Anyone have any suggestions for organizing and declutterizing?

Chez Toni

For 4 years, I've called my little studio on 72nd and York home. It's small and it has no natural light (except for at around 1pm for maybe 10 minutes) but it's mine and I love it. When I received my lease renewal form in the mail a few months ago, I burst into tears. Although my management company has been more than fair with my rent, the cost of my cute studio had finally reached that limit where affording my apartment would mean needing to take on a second job. Reluctantly, I put the packet away in my desk. I thought maybe if I don't look at it for a while, I'll magically be able to afford my little slice of the big apple? No such luck. So, I took it back out and faced reality.

I signed my lease renewal form saying I would not be returning to the Oxford Houses when my lease was up in March. It was one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make but it was time.

A little piece of me felt like I was losing my inner Carrie Bradshaw. Where is that girl who would have exclaimed "Savings are for the birds!" and spent every last dime in her bank account on rent just to live in a fabulous neighborhood of Manhattan all on her own? Well, she's still in there. She's just more mature and more conscious of her budget. Plus I didn't have as much closet space to lose.

As I prepared for the big move, I realized I didn't have any pictures of my space.

Here is a mini-tour of my studio.




And here is my kitchen (right after everything was packed away)


And this one was my only-in-New-York view of the brick wall of the maybe too close building next door with no windows on the first 6 floors.

And that was my snug little fabulous home.

With my apartment cleaned out and my light fixture in my hands, I headed across town to my new space on 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. I got out of the cab in my new neighborhood, Clinton aka Hell's Kitchen. And I walked into my new building complete with a gym, laundry room, elevator, and a concierge - quite the change from my standard walk-up. I moved in with Alex and his roommate Harold and things are still brand new. My commute is a quick 10 block walk, my neighborhood is always buzzing with people, and I get to see the love of my life every day (that's my favorite part). Once I'm settled in and my stuff is put away, I'll give you a tour of the new pad.