How to Decorate a Rental Kitchen - Personalize the Kitchen Without Freaking Out the Landlord or Breaking the Bank

If you just moved into a rental apartment or house, more than likely it is a basic boring and old style decor.  You don't have to live with that!

Quick Rental Kitchen Updates that Wont Freak Out the Landlord or Break the Bank!

Don't despair, because there are plenty of ways you can totally transform and personalize your rental kitchen to make it yours without grief from your landlord and for a small budget.  The best way is to use temporary finishes that can be removed quickly.  No need to paint!  Check out these awesome ideas!

1.  Back Splash Peel and Stick Stickers

Peel and Stick Back Splash Stickers

These peel and stick tiles will quickly cover a hum drum back splash and instantly add color and pizzazz. You could cover the entire back wall or do a checker board pattern. If you don't have a tiled back splash these can be stuck to painted drywall. They will easily remove when you are ready to move, or maybe your landlord might love them!  They are easy to apply and remove and resist water.
Don't like this pattern??  Check out this page of back splash tile stickers!

2.  Cabinet Peel and Stick Decals

Walls and Cabinet Peel and Stick Decals

If the cabinet fronts in your rental kitchen have seen better days, and you are not to paint them, you can add peel and stick decals to the cabinet fronts too! These are easily removed when you leave. But between the back splash and the cabinet fronts you can totally transform your rental kitchen without harming any surfaces.

Bahia Style Cabinet Panel

3.  Add Trendy Towels to Brighten the Room

Kitchen Towels

Fresh kitchen linens to match your personal tastes can transform a room quickly. Have a couple hanging on the front of the stove to add some pizzaz. Maybe find a matching runner or area rug for in front of the sink.

4.  Add a Kitchen Rug

Kitchen Runner

A kitchen runner or area rug can also cover up worn or stained parts on the floor as many old apartment have. It takes the eye away from imperfections in the floor and brings them to your area rug. Freshen up as many surfaces as you can with your personal style and the rental kitchen will transform before your eyes.

5.  Over the Sink Shelf

Over the Sink Shelf

This chrome and wood shelf fits in that space behind the kitchen faucet and sink. Not only is it good for storage and maybe a few pretty plants, but it adds some decor to the kitchen space. If you are organizing a small rental kitchen space, then add shelves into this wasted bit of space behind the sink works wonders. You can get different styles too and they are something you can simply take with you when you move.

6.  Artwork Prints

Artwork Prints for Kitchen

These are stretched canvas prints you can add to your plain kitchen walls. They are an affordable way to add color and cover up marks or worn walls.  They are so affordable and loads to choose from.  These will add dimension too as they are stretched canvas prints.

7.  Utensil Containers

Utensil Container for Counter

If you have room on your counter top, you can add matching or different containers for your cooking utensils etc. You can also get these for pasta, garlic and more. Save room in the drawers by having the cooking utensils in a cool container beside the stove.

8.  Battery Operated Under Cabinet Lighting

Battery Under Cabinet Lighting with Remote Control

These can be attached under the upper cabinets for more lighting. No wiring involved, totally wireless, but do need batteries, but if you have a dark rental kitchen this can make it much more useful without damage.

They use a mild adhesive or can be screwed in, but it depends on your landlord. I have used these at a rental kitchen and then was about to take them down, when the next tenant expressed interest in keeping them. These also have a remote to turn them off and on. Love this idea!

Rental Kitchen Updates

Hopefully the above ideas have inspired you to think outside the box when it comes to that boring apartment kitchen.  Even if you don't rent, these can be quick updates until you can afford a gut renovation.

The biggest impact will be the back splash, if you can add the color and pizzaz you want, this alone will make it a much more personal space to work in.  Most rental kitchens are basic and plain.  By adding so color or taking away color depending on what you are given to work with can totally make it your kitchen for as long as you are there.  Check out more backsplash peel and stick decals.

Stick with things that can be taken down easily.  Come moving day you don't want to have to be scraping paint or glues.  Easy to use and easy to come off finishes work the best.

9.  Rental Kitchen Makeover with New Hardware

Kitchen Hardware

If you really can't handle the handles and knobs in this space and you will be there a while, you can invest in new hardware as long as you keep the old hardware in a box for moving day.  Don't drill any new holes, try to find hardware that will fit in the present holes.

They are easy to install with a screw driver and can also make a huge difference in the look.  You can go sleek and modern or old world.  Check out this page of kitchen hardware to find something you like.

Make a Tiny Rental Kitchen Your Own


I found when cooking in a rental space that I always felt like I was in some one else's home, like I just didn't feel comfy cooking etc.  So by investing in a few items you can make a huge difference into the feel of the space.

Customize a Rental Kitchen Just for You!

Back splash peel and stick decals, new hardware, cabinet decals and new linens will make this space look totally different.  Figure out the themes you love and go with it.  You don't have to paint or renovate anything to make it look more personalized and homey or spend too much.

Supraventricular Tachycardia - I had a Catheter Ablation for SVT - Best Thing I Ever Did - My Story

I personally had never heard of SVT until a year ago.  I am 58 years old and started my journey with SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) when I was 18.

I was heading home from visiting a friend in hospital and suddenly I felt a flutter, slightly light headed and then my heart started racing.  I was driving and decided to get home right away.  I was in my driveway within 5 minutes and then it went away.

I only experienced these episodes maybe twice a year for literally 5-10 minutes in the beginning.  I described them to my Doctor back in the 1970s only to be told I had too much caffeine.

Fast Forward a Few Decades and My Supraventricular Tachycardia SVT got worse and worse!

In my 40s they became a nuisance, and I would tell my Doctor at a physical and she would run tests and everything would be fine.  I would later learn that it would definitely hide behind glowing reports and would have to be caught in action for any treatment.

Problem was, by the time I could get to a hospital, or clinic it would stop racing.  So I just put up with them as part of life and tried to move on.

Vagus Maneuvers To Try and Control Them

Over the years I would try different things, like plugging your nose and then trying to blow air out through it creating back pressure which would sometimes stop it, or cold water, but the best way for me was to lay on the floor and put my feet up the wall that seemed to work until it didn't!

Menopause and SVT

By age 52 menopause had set in, and I started getting SVT attacks 3 and 4 times a week for an hour at a time and the rate was much faster than it used to be.  It raced so fast you literally could not do anything.  I was on a hike with my family and had to stop and sit for an hour waiting for it to reset itself and then you are exhausted.

This was Definitely Interfering with my Life and Causing Anxiety.

At 58 I was waking to them at 5am, and this one particular spring day I had a second one at 3pm because I bent over to pick up a pen.  This one went on for 2 hours and I couldn't take it anymore and my hubby took me to the hospital.  I fully expected it to reset by the time I got there, but it didn't so they managed to get the EKG machine hooked up and my heart was going 205 bpm and my chest was hurting at the 3 hour mark.

This was the first time I heard the term "Supra Ventricular Tachycardia"

They gave me a shot that felt totally weird with pressure and I learned later it basically reboots your heart.  Not something I wanted to experience again but it worked.

Getting an SVT Attack Recorded is Crucial to Treatment

If I can really press something home to anyone experiencing these horrible things, is that you NEED TO GET IT RECORDED for any medical treatment.

Once Recorded, I had a paper copy as well, and I was instantly referred to a Cardiologist.

He said you are born with SVT and anything and nothing can trigger them.  So don't think you can figure out the cause because this extra beat basically has a mind of its own.

It was Seriously Interfering with My Life

Once at the hairdresser's we were chatting and all of a sudden I felt slightly dizzy, a flutter and my ears buzzing, and then it got started.  I tried to pretend everything was OK and smiled and chatted until she saw my neck pulse and wanted to call 911, which drew attention from the manager and I knew it would settle eventually but after convincing her to finish cutting my half cut hair.

I was embarrassed with everyone looking at me thinking I was having a heart attack, and convinced them I could take a cab home, so because of that day I became scared to go anywhere.

A Catheter Ablation for Supraventricular Tachycardia SVT was offered to me

I jumped at the chance.  Yes, with any medical procedure there is risk, but my life was making me a shut in, so I jumped at the chance.  I don't do well with medications, I wanted something permanent.

After freezing my groin the heart specialist using catheters got up into my heart thru the femoral vein.  I was slightly sedated, and they spend a lot of time mapping your upper chamber of your heart to isolate the extra beat causing the trouble.

He found it and then Proceeded to Cauterize it.

I spent a couple of hours in recovery laying flat and was told to take it easy for a week and then slowly get back to my activities.  After about 3 weeks I was walking again and exercising and the first thing I noticed was how quiet my heart was!!  It takes up to 3 months for the heart to fully heal from the ablation, but I was feeling great after one month.

If you get this procedure, just make sure to take some time off work if you can, because they did assault your heart, you want to let it heal and follow their after care instructions to the letter!!

I Keep Feeling to See If My Heart is Still Beating!!

I didn't realize that the SVT issue was triggering all kinds of flutters, thuds, and irregular beats all the time, until I had this done.  So not only did my SVT completely disappear, but so did all these extra things that always made me aware of my heart.

Fast forward a Couple of Months

I have gained my confidence back, I am back to exercising and I have no problems picking up a pen off the floor.  I feel better than I have in years.

My Only Regret is that I didn't Seek Medical Attention Sooner.

I am not a Doctor nor any kind of medical professional... I am just another human being who battled the confidence busting SVT attacks.  I am just so impressed with the medical ability to deal with this problem.  I just wish I had got a case of my SVT recorded sooner.  That is the most important first

step.

Who Can Record an Supra Ventricular Tachycardia Attack?

Ambulance, Clinics with EKG equipment, hospital, some Doctors offices. Ask for a paper copy.

Once you get it recorded, it will prove that this is actually SVT, as they need to rule out other things that can cause the racing of the heart.

If you are on the Fence about this Procedure, I can tell you from my HEART that it was worth it!

Other than having my two wonderful children this was the best thing I ever entered a hospital to have done.

At 58 years old, I have my life back!!

So Get it Done!!

Organizing a Small RV - Clutter is Your Enemy!

My hubby, 2 teens and 2 pets lived in a small RV (24' including driving cab) for 6 months while we built a house to save money.  You can check out our story here

So we had to be organized or I feared the family unit would be stressed!  We have done this twice and gone RV camping on the road before so here are the most important tips that worked for me.

Tip 1 - Totally utilize your local dollar store - Dishes, cutlery, paper plates, you name it they have it.  Storage Racks to create height in the cabinets, everything.  You can get great deals at your local dollar store.  Failing that, online is the next best thing.  You can order all you think you will need for good prices and have it delivered to your door.  Usually free delivery too!

Tip 2 - Organize the kitchen to utilize every square inch - RV style lifestyle needs to be simple, this is not the time for 7 course meals, but you do need to eat healthy.

     2A - Secure your dishes.  If you are driving this RV, you will be amazed at just how much movement goes on in the cabinets.  Even though they have clips to lock the doors, you don't want to open them and be hit with plates (been there done that!).  You can do this will simple gadgets such as this one below from Amazon.

Dish Racks for RV Cabinet

These will secure your dishes vertically. Remember don't bring too many, just a few dinner plates and sandwich plates and cups. This is basically a very downsized kitchen.

Cabinet Bars Spring Loaded Bars

2B - Secure Your Food Supplies! - They too will be bounced around while you are driving.  You don't want an avalanche when you open the cabinets.  These bars install quickly as they are spring loaded, and would also work well in your refrigerator.

The picture to the left gives you the idea of how these work.  These will help keep everything in their place.

The trick is to keep the cabinets full as this will stop too much movement.  You can also get little portable racks from the dollar store that can fit inside your cabinets to utilize the vertical space and store even more.

You don't get much width in RV cabinets, so get creative and stack your things in such a way they are easily accessible and you don't have to empty it to find the things you need.  Remember basic supplies.


3A - Paper Plate Holder - As much as I am into watching the environment and our carbon footprint, sometimes paper plates are the answer, especially if you water supply is limited for doing dishes.

Paper Plate Holder

By using this holder, this will get that bag of plates out of your storage. The more things you can hang on the walls or sides of cabinets the better.

Tip 3 - Under Cabinet Coffee Pot - If you are able to plug in your RV, or at least use a generator, you can save a ton of room by using "Under Cabinet Appliances"  If you are a coffee lover, then at least you can get this off your very limited counter top.

Black and Decker Under Cabinet Coffee Pot

This space maker doesn't make massive pots of coffee, but everything needs to be downsized when RV camping. But it does work and takes up no counter space.

So as long as you have even one upper cabinet and a power source, this works in an RV or very tiny house kitchen.

NOTE:  Additional Tip with Coffee Pot - You can run clear water through the coffee pot to get hot water quickly for doing a few dishes instead of lighting your RV water heater.

In our RV it was a pain to go outside and light the propane heater, so we reserved that for showers only, when it came to dishes, I simply ran some water through the coffee pot and used a smaller container in the sink so I didn't need to fill the sink entirely.

Yes you have to get creative and YES the water was very hot!

Back of Seat Storage

TIP 4 - Use the Back of the Driving Seats for More Storage - By investing in Backseat storage you can get even more things off the floor or counters.  These can hold a ton of things.  In my case we used them for all the paperwork I needed for building the house.  We tried at all times to keep the surfaces clear, and this keeps things safe while driving.

(Living on our building site pictured!)

TIP 5 - Use Heavy Duty Tin Foil as Cooking Dishes to Cook a Meal - If you can use a barbecue for cooking, you can cook potatoes, veggies, even main course stir frys in heavy duty tin foil.

Cook at least a couple of meals so that you can refrigerate one for the next day to be eaten cold.  Once finished the tin foil can be tossed into recycling receptacles or garbage.  This saves on dishes for side dishes when cooking meats etc.  Now you only have to wash a few utensils and plates and not hard to scrub pans.

Tip 6 - Use Wall Space for Velcro To Secure Flashlights and Random Things - You can add a piece of velcro to the flashlight and to the wall near the door so you can always find it and keep it out of the drawer space.

This works for anything near the sleeping areas too.  Use as much wall space as possible in a secure way.  I found VELCRO to work best.

You can get industrial strength online for a good price.  This will really organize things you need by the door too.

Organizing a Small Camper or RV

Hopefully this post has got you inspired to go through the RV or camper and see if there is a way to streamline your daily living whether away for a few weeks or traveling around the country.

 (Even our Cat Enjoyed it..pictured!!)

Enjoy the journey, and don't get bogged down in the details of living in the RV.  As always thing safety with food preparations, but also thing simple.  You don't have to buy packaged food, you can still eat healthy fresh food, and shop as you go.

Don't overfill the little refrigerator with things that will not be eaten in the next couple of days.  Think fresh and it can be fun checking out local markets where ever you go.

As long as there is a space for everything, the inside of your RV will run smoothly.

Hanging Baskets will Get Fruits and Veggies off Counter

If you want everyone to eat healthy then you need to keep fresh veggies and fruit where they can be seen. This can hang and house a lot of produce.

The main trick is that everything needs to work double time, and don't pack too much.  Shop as you go.  Cook 2 meals when you do cook, and most important.  HAVE FUN!

How to Organize a Small Bedroom Without a Closet - 8 Ideas for Storage Solutions

Whether you are sectioning off a room to create a bedroom, or simply you do not have a closet in your small bedroom, there are ways to get creative.

Step 1 - Figure out which things you need Everyday.  No point in trying to store things in an awkward space if you need to get at it each day.

Step 2 - Purchase a portable closet if you have the room.  If you shift the bed over, you should be able to squeeze one of these against a wall, as they are not very deep, a foot at the most.  But by utilizing some wall space with a portable closet you can now have access to your daily things.

Storage Ideas for Small Bedroom

What I really love about this portable closet is that you can hide your things by rolling down this cover that also has a nice scene on it of Paris, France. It is only 17 inches deep. So you can fit lots of your clothes and other things in this unit and it will only cost you approx. 17 inches in depth or floor space.

Click on the picture or the link to see just how much you can fit in this unit.

Step 3 - Utilize Under the Bed - This has got to be the biggest space waster.  You can get these storage units on wheels that can slide in and out of under your bed.  This would be perfect for seasonal items, personal items, shoes and more.

Under the Bed Storage on Wheels

If you have a double bed you can get at least 4 of these to fit under this space and store the things that won't fit in the portable closet.

Under the Bed Shoe Storage 

Step 4 - Over the Back of the Bedroom Door - Assuming you have a bedroom door, you can add these storage units that fit over the top of the door which doesn't interfere with it closing and causes no damage, perfect for renters.

Over the Door Storage Baskets

You can use this basket style storage for all the things you would normally have on a dresser.  If you have a tiny bedroom and only have room for the bed, then utilize this space behind the door.  You can get at things instantly.

Step 5 - Beside the Bed Storage Pocket - If you don't have room for a night stand, then you can get these pockets that fit between your mattress and box spring.  This will house your magazines, books, glasses and more.

Beside the Bed Storage Pocket

Keeps things neat and off the floor.  Utilizing every square inch is the key to usable storage solutions for small bedroom without a closet.  You could get a few of these to store smaller things.

Step 6 - Corner Shelves - This would be great for smaller items, and you will save floor space.  If you rent, check with your landlord with regards to attaching to the wall.

Corner Floating Shelves

These are super hand shelves that do not take up any floor space.

Bed with Storage Drawers Built in

Step 7 - Full on Bed with Drawers - If you were in the market for a new bed, maybe consider one of these platform style beds with tons of storage drawers already built in.

This is obviously a larger investment, but would store a lot of of things normally in a bedroom such as your clothes.  I personally have a bed a bit smaller than this with drawers under it on both sides.  I use it for my seasonal clothes.

Room Divider to Wall Off Storage

Step 8 - Room Divider - If you want to hide stacks of tubs or your clothes or anything, you could wall off a corner of your room with this divider so that your items are not on display.  Perfect for hiding storage tubs etc.

Organizing a Small Bedroom with a Closet

It all depends on your budget, but you can certainly get around the not having a closet thing with more creative storage ideas.  Things you don't need all the time can hide in drawers under your bed.  Things you need everyday need to be accessible, so the portable closet idea works, or jam them all behind one of these cute room dividers to keep things neat.

Bed pockets can help and more.  You would be surprised just how much you can store in a small bedroom if done creatively.  Think outside the box.

Check online for Ideas

I love checking online for ideas, and I had to get creative in my own room, so I know what it is like.  But it can be done.  Just make sure things are easy to get at that you need everyday that is the trick.  Over the door baskets are great for smaller items.

Keeping a smaller room organized with a spot for everything will make it feel homey and not crowded.