1.) Sunpentown SF-610 Portable Air Conditioner: Price Range: $68.99 – $129.99 That’s right! A PORTABLE and affordable air conditioner! For those who live in hot-summer climates and don’t have a built-in AC this is a great way to beat the heat withough killing your savings! As your loyal bargain huntress I would advise that you comparison shop either online or at your nearest supplier of such goods. Remember the golden rule of bargain hunting: Knowing EXACTLY what you want always pays off! (Brand and model names are important.)

2.) Summer Sale: www.ikea.com (Until July 19th!) Okay, I know this isn’t a product per se, but where else can you get almost everything you need for your home (be it studio, flat, condo or other dwelling) at such great prices?! It’s true that not all Ikea products are built to last, but you can find many classic items constructed of solid wood or other materials that will last many years. And sometimes overall style or function wins out! Check out this blog: www.ikeahacker.blogspot.com for tons of ideas and projects on how to use Ikea’s products in unexpected ways! (Often even improving their original functionality!). We love our bench with storage underneath! It creates seating as well as a classy way to cut the clutter! (Sorry, can’t find the exact one we have on the site.) I will say that our two BILLY bookcases have proved to be major space savers since they hold so many books (and videos and chotckys and you name it). I know so many people who own one or two or three!

3.) Expandable Dining Tables! My husband and I have lived in the same 650 square foot apartment for ten years! Yes, it’s difficult and it sometimes feels like the walls are closing in, but we’ve also managed to cut costs and save space by looking for things that work for us on a day-to-day basis as well as when we entertain. We had an old K-Mart dining table set that was mostly particle board and painted aluminum. The table was always too big for our tiny kitchen/dining combo and never looked great either. When we finally decided to look for a new table I knew exactly what I wanted, but wasn’t sure it existed! Because we had no room for storing table leaves (those panels that slide into the middle of an expandable table to make it larger) I wanted one that had the leaves built in. We found the perfect one for around $250 (I know, not cheap, but not too pricey either) at a local furniture store (sorry not online). It’s made of solid wood and has two leaves that slide under the actual table top (which is tiled). While the tile top makes it heavy, it also makes for easy cleaning and no worries about scratches and gouges. I love it! It’s one of the few pieces in our tiny apartment that I love and we use everyday! We can bring it out into the living room for dinner parties (cramped as they may be) or leave it in the kitchen where it’s used as a computer desk. I’ve seen some that are round and have two round leaves that slide under the top as well as some with built-in bookshelves! There are many styles and only you will know what’s best for you!

4.) Platform or Low-profile bed frames! We made the mistake a few years ago of buying a big ‘ol modern sleigh bed! Woops! Yeah, it made our already teeny-tiny bedroom seem overwhelmed by this huge frame! We switched to a low platform style with drawers for storage underneath. The result? It’s like night and day! It’s opened up the room so much! There’s more room to walk (in front the sleigh style frame jutted outward) and it’s easier to get in and out of bed (we ditched our old box spring since none was now needed).

5.) The right sofa for your space! Okay, this is a little abstract I realize, but it’s important to have both the proper seating for whomever lives in the apartment as well as any guests you entertain. We made another classic mistake years ago when we purchase a huge sectional sofa for our living room. Ugh! What a nightmare! We got this three piece set for $1300 and it only lasted like a year or two! It was too big for our room and started to sag fairly quickly. The attached cushions made life difficult as they couldn’t be detached for cleaning and ended up ripping everytime someone sat down on one (from the saggyness). We now have the KLIPPAN sofa (black leather) from Ikea and I love it for it’s low profile and modern look. There’s many covers to choose from, too. So no one will have the same as yours. But you don’t have to go to Ikea! You can check out the web, find out what you want and then buy it! Always seek reviews of other people who’ve purchased the same item (check teh model name). I like this site quite a bit and will probably buy our next sofa here: http://www.homereserve.com/index.cfm classic looks and great prices! Also, check out your local Target store! I found a great little leather (not sure if it’s real actually) sectional that’s not too big and not too small (for my cafe):

What cool ways have you maximized your small space dwelling? I’d love to hear (and see pics) of what’s worked for you! Thanks for reading!  =0)