7 things that help me living on the second floor

Living in an apartment has some challenges. Such as having enough storage, finding parking, and limited design options. If you live on a floor other than the first, you have additional obstacles as well. Such as getting groceries up the stairs and carrying heavy items.

Here are some tips:

• Soda Stream: We are not huge soda drinkers, but every now and then we like to get some. Lugging up 2 litter bottle or even cans are a pain with steps. We purchased the Soda Stream to make our own soda. I was a little nervous about how it would taste, but turns out it tastes great and my kids love it. We now fill up the soda bottle with water, add carbonation and flavoring and just like that we have soda we didn’t have to carry up two floors.

• Brita Water Filter: Same with the soda dilemma, we needed purified water. And carrying gallons up to the second floor did not seem appealing. In comes the Brita Water Filter system. This fits perfectly in the fridge and now we have cold filtered water all the time.

• Ikea Roller Cart: This cart with purchased at Ikea folds nicely in the back of my trunk. We make sure it’s in our car before grocery story trips and us this to carry all our groceries up to our apartment. Really, this is essential. We use it to carry up anything we need.

• Shopping Bulk Bins: Certain stores have bulk bins available. These bins have proved convenient with our groceries. One, we buy only what we need which results in less waste for us to throw away and carry to the garbage. Two, the bags we fill up all fit better into the Ikea roller cart. Much easier to manage.

• Take items out of boxes: Before we take grocery items into the apartment, we take them out of the boxes. This way we don’t have to carry the trash back down and the bags are much easier to manage. For instance, boxes of cereal are taken out of the box and the bag is placed either in a plastic container or a sealable plastic bag for freshness. The box is simply thrown in to recycling. Less trash – easier to carry.

• Garden Sanctuary: When you are away from the ground, I think it’s essential to bring some ground to you. My balcony is filled with plants and personally, these plants make me happier to know I have some greenery right outside me door. I also grow vegetables, such as tomatoes, herbs, jalapenos, squash and cucumbers. I get the patio variety of each. When the plants are producing, I walk right outside my door for vegetables. I don’t have to carry them up from the grocery store to the apartment.

• Amazon Prime: Amazon Prime allows free shipping. Packages are delivered to our door. So I can order household essentials with free shipping and get my items delivered directly to my apartment. I use this for staples I need every month and not only cuts down on the gas I need to get these items, but again, I don’t have to exert the effort to carry them up to my apartment.

I know carrying heavy items on a weekly basis to your apartment may not be a big deal for some. Yet for my kids and I, these tips have been a huge help for us.I hope I can save you from some heavy lifting and more ease with apartment living!