When we moved to Los Angeles, our two-bedroom apartment was more than enough for our family of five.
Once my husband, three daughters, and I arrived in March 2012, we were more than happy with our two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom apartment, complete with a dishwasher. In total, the place was 950 square feet. It was especially good because we lived near good schools and in a very safe neighborhood. Additionally, the apartment was in a closed building with parking.
For years this apartment worked for us. But then another baby came along and our family continued to grow.
We added two people to our family
While living in Los Angeles, my aunt frequently visited from Chicago because she enjoyed spending time with my children; they were little and loved him too. As time went on and my aunt got older, she retired. We invited her to live with us, although she refused.
Then, in 2017, I had my 4th child, a son. When the pandemic hit, we had three teenagers and a toddler living in the apartment. At the start of 2020, my aunt had been visiting us for a while and hadn’t yet set a date to return to Chicago; then she got stuck here. For a while, we didn’t know when or if she would return to Chicago. We discussed giving up her apartment and moving to California permanently, as she was getting older there. I was worried about her living alone as health problems began to arise.
My husband then took time off work due to the pandemic. That meant all seven of us were stuck in our 950 square foot apartment – full time.
I was homeschooling the three oldest children with a 3 year old running around. It was not easy.
I constantly felt overwhelmed and lacked a lot of privacy. My husband, son and I shared a king-size bed in our small bedroom, while my three teenagers shared the second bedroom. My aunt had the living room.
My only comfort was my desk with my computer, where I played video games or wrote to take my mind off the fear of what was happening in the outside world. To say I was stressed was an understatement.
We wanted to move, but decided to redecorate instead
In 2021 we decided to move, which was easier said than done. We currently pay $2,100 a month for our apartment, but we realized that if we wanted a bigger place in Los Angeles, we would have to pay $3,000.
Finding new housing during the pandemic has been another set of challenges. Many places had crowded open houses, which we tried to avoid. It seemed like everyone was trying to move at the same time. It was impossible; we couldn’t find the right place for us. Many places seemed to frown when we told them we were a family of seven.
After much research, we finally gave in and decided to stay put for the time being. With more free time around the house when the pandemic subsided, I started decorating and renovating. We ordered new furniture and household items. The older kids were disappointed that we weren’t moving, but were willing to help reorganize and redecorate.
We started with the three teenagers. Having three kids in one room is never ideal, but luckily they all get along well. We bought a new bunk bed and the oldest got a loft bed with a desk downstairs.
My son continued to share a room with us, but on his 7th birthday we gave him his own bed, which he was very excited about. My husband and I bought a new bed frame. I then transformed the bedroom into the centerpiece of my dream cottage. I hung fake flowers, vintage postcards and frames with K-pop groups.
Finally, my aunt got a comfortable recliner and a bed in the living room. After a certain hour of the night, the living room becomes his bedroom. Eventually, we also bought two new couches for family movie nights that we could all settle on.
We are still looking to move
We still sometimes have problems with only two bathrooms, but we remind our children that my husband and I grew up with only one bathroom and several siblings.
We are still planning to move. We review rentals from time to time when something good comes up on Zillow. We’ve even seriously discussed leaving Los Angeles as our rent continues to rise. But for now, we’re staying put and making it work.
businessinsider
