A DIY Disaster, Then Saved by my Brothers

Posted on April 7, 2009 6 Comments

Last weekend I had the brilliant idea to swap two rooms in my apartment to try and squeeze a little more storage out of the place, rather than get a bigger apartment and pay more rent. Brilliant because while it’s not a bad idea, this was the week that I started my triathlon training — which means six out of seven days I’m in the gym — and it’s also end-of-semester law school deadlines for B, which means he’s at the library studying all day. He warned me in advance that he wouldn’t be able to help move stuff until after finals are over. I considered the training and the law school stuff for a good two seconds, then decided to go ahead with the room swap anyway, on my own. Bad move.

Good idea + poorly planned = really rough going, as in sitting in my apartment alone under a mountain of my belongings in total despair wishing I hadn’t started this project. Nothing like taking on more than you can chew.

Luckily, with a lot of phone calls to friends for mental support, and a little carpentry wizardry from two of my brothers, everything got done. Still, lesson learned – while stubbornness and willpower can get a lot accomplished, sometimes it can really get me stuck. This weekend tested my physical and emotional limits, and I learned that I need to be more patient with myself and respectful of the people around me. I can’t always expect my brothers to come bail me out at a moment’s notice, and I can’t always barrel through a spontaneous project on my own.

All that said, I now have a linen closet! The crux of the room swap involved the idea that a new floor to ceiling wardrobe could function like a storage closet in the bigger room if we rearranged how we used the space. I selected a PAX/KOMPLEMENT wardrobe from Ikea (or as my mother calls it “Ikea’s”) that ran me about $450. The wood is particle board, of course, but I liked that I could create any number of combinations using shelves, drawers, clothes racks, baskets, bins and frames. I left off doors in favor of a cotton curtain that I have yet to install. (The cheapest doors were like $300 more.) It’s a great add to our place, and though the rooms aren’t completely done yet (pictures left to hang, etc.), I’m feeling better and more organized already.

Speaking of the new storage space, one of the funnier moments this horrible weekend came when I told my cousin, a trendy 21-year old college student, that I bought a $450 wardrobe. “Yay!” she said, clapping.

I interrupted her, “No, it’s a wardrobe, like a closet, a wooden storage space.”

“Oh,” she replied, with a look of disappointment on her face. “I thought you meant clothes.”

I know. But at this point, I can’t ever picture myself spending $450 on clothes in one shopping trip, not even in one, two or three months. So while I might have a lot to learn about my personal limits, it’s good to know I’m at least in complete control over my spending limits.

Category: Money
   Tags: Purchases

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