Anonymous wrote:We live in a tiny Studio.

My son is 5.

He has a kura bed from ikea.

Expedient shelves from ikea make Good room dividers and storage.

He will learn to sleep through your movinb about and the tv.

Go tall. I used to go for small shelves and things that let my son be self suffcient. Thats great for independance but not great for space.

Purge like crazy.

I think it's possible as well I live in a tiny studio flat in the uk we are fine X

I realize this post is older but my response may apply to other moms seeking an answer.
As a single mom with Physical Custody of a 6 year old we have made this work for 2 years now. You have to be creative, develop a plan for simplicity, (which was easy enough for me coming from chaos and a ridiculous burden of luxuries that brought no joy or happiness.) And look at this as therapy of sorts.
I feel my son enjoys the security of this 800 sq. Ft attic living arrangement as he has carte blanche and endless amounts of free reign and acres of play when he visits with his father on the weekends. I notice when he arrives home how amped up and anxious he is until he settles in again.
We have shabby chic dressers in the kitchen, living room,and bedroom to double as nice looking storage. Kitchen utensils, dishes, toys, clothes, paperwork can be neatly stored away and easily accesible. We have lots of wicker baskets to put gloves, hats, balls etc. Near the entryway...a laundry area in a closet makes this well worth the meager rent paid for this accomidation.Tha attic eves have tons of storage. Under the bed clear totes organize out of season clothing, blankets, etc. The bedroom is rather large with a king size bed and room for an ikea bookshelf to the ceiling for all the toys, books, that are used often. I divide the room with a to the ceiling. Set of simple curtain brackets with sliding hooks and sheer shabby curtains to open and shut with ease. I even put a small woodstove in the LR to make it homey and save on the energy bill which is run on electric baseboards. It takes some compromise and creativity but worth it.

Thanks everyone!

My income is just over $57K. I already save like crazy and feel pretty lucky to have what I have (aside from days like today).

I've also entered the Inclusionary Zoning lottery and am on the waitlist for a few units, but even those are near the top of my budget.

DC got into a PS on Capitol Hill, I work in SW and I don't own a car. Which makes location difficult (there are inexpensive apartments by Gallaudet or in Brightwood, but I don't really want to have to walk a mile home from the Metro at night or spend 60min on a bus with a tired kid every day if I can help it).

Something will come along. I've found some options on craigslist and have a list of property management companies to contact. I have until June to find something.

Whats your income?

Good luck OP.

Many of the posters have great suggestions -- find an efficiency with a good layout/tall bookcases/bed in closet, etc. I also would add -- don't stretch to get that one bedroom. Take a look at the math of how much you'll need to spend to get screens/bookcases (bookcases not against a wall scare me b/c I'm worried about kids knocking them over), but I'm paranoid. Take into account costs of moving in a year. Assuming it still is more cost effective to get the efficiency, which it should be, I would take that efficiency and then save like crazy. Sure, you probably could figure out a way to get that one bedroom to work, but instead of negotiating to get the rent down on the one bedroom, why not negotiate the rent down on the efficiency. Your little guy is little, and I would bank as much money as you can. Pretend that you have that one bedroom and put aside the extra money that you're saving into an account. Piece of mind is far more valuable than space. Trust me.

Since you're doing charter and OOB consider cheaper it still safe neighborhood like Fort Totten. On three metro lines too.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I put my DD in one of the closets. She has a twin mattress on the floor, a mesh thing with 4 different "shelves" that hangs from the ceiling with toys/stuffed animals, secret stuff.

There's a second closet where all my clothing is, plus my dresser and all our coats. Her dresser is against the wall outside the closet. She has a curtain over the opening of the closet so she can sleep even if I have the lights on.

I wish she had more (stuff and space) but it works fine.

I had a huge closet in my efficiency apt too - would have made a great cozy bed nook. Good luck to you, OP!

And I'd try negotiating with the current landlord too. Can't hurt to try.

I'm in a studio with a 3 year old. We are lucky enough to rent an apartment attached to a house. There's a yard to give us a sense of space and a separate areas. If you can, find a place near a park or a
great place (library, coffee shop, whatever...) within walking distance. It may give you a mental reprieve from living in tight quarters.

OP - also don't be afraid to negotiate on rent.

If you find a 1BR that is just a few hundred dollars over your budget ask them to lower the rent. I discovered this the hard way but it can and does happen. 1 BRs in some buildings/communities are not as popular so they are over abundant. So to rent them, they are more willing to negotiate. For a private owner, you could offer to sign a longer lease for a reduction in rent of a hundred or so dollars per month, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Any basement apartments available? Some are really nice with walkouts, and much cheaper.

I would probably buy a loft twin bed and put one of the Ikea bed tents on it if your kid would go for that. That would help keep light out, but not noise. You can watch movies with headphones. Not ideal, but it would cut the noise.

I would also turn a big walkin closet into a kid room if there were no chance if a fire hazard (still two escape routes). A little paint and some cool lights. Would be awesome. I probably wouldn't shut the door. I might remove closet doors and put up curtains instead with a tension rod if you dontcwantvto install anything permanent. Would depend on the layout. Removing doors makes it all look bigger anyway.

Don't forget apartment therapy for some ideas.

Good luck. You are giving your kid a safe space with his mom. The rest is window dressing.

+1

We almost had to do it (my DD is five). Thankfully we did not - but I think it can be done. Good luck OP!

Anonymous wrote:Some apaftments will not allow cbildren in an efficiency apt.

If an apartment will allow a couple to rent an efficiency, it's considered discrimination to not allow a parent and child. A landlord can set limits on the number of tenants, but not on their ages.

Kudos to all you resourceful parents.