12 Reasons to Keep a Small Apartment

I am better off in my tiny apartment in Montreal as an artist/writer instead of moving elsewhere. Here are twelve reasons why I would hate to go:

1. The cost of living always goes up. If I were to move to another place, I could expect a rental increase that well exceeds the 5% increased limit over the previous tenant and I would have no way of checking.
2. Moving means coming into contact with new problems. The advantage of staying in the older apartment with its cracked ceiling, discolored walls and drafts is that at least I know what the problems are and how I have dealt with them. This allows me to concentrate on other issues.
3. I am rarely at home. Much of my daytime work is done outside so who needs to concentrate on a larger space especially if my mind would be set on joining a workshop one day and getting out of the home atmosphere once in a while.
4. The idea of moving to another space would mean having to pack and unpack furniture and belongings and pay for a mover. This may be a lazy excuse but if you consider that one might be tempted to change location because of a cheaper rent, consider the hassle of ensuring your personal items do not get damaged in the process.
5. A bigger space would mean more clean up time. If you are an artist who has learned to live with your clutter, imagine that having extra space may also mean having additional clutter. Critics may say that one would need the extra space to "breathe". I could go to the park or use my balcony to breathe.
6. Moving might mean giving up the comfort of quiet neighbors. Currently I have only one neighbor living on one side of the apartment and enjoy the fact that I have no one above or below me. She is an artist that likes to work in glass so we share common interests. Moving to another place means having to accept possible interacting with other noise sources and reminds me of the band practice group that used to play into the night when I lived downstairs.
7. I get a good deal of cardiac exercise walking up and down the stairs to get to the third floor and rather like that. I read somewhere that if i could do six flights of stairs a day that would be great. Actually I try to do more and not just at home.
8. When you have your winter heating included that is an extra advantage over other rentals that do not.
9. The small apartment is in a trendy neighborhood, the plateau, with lots of perks from the painting on the asphalt in the summer on a commercial strip, that I might partake in again, to taking another art course. I can visit nearby galleries, art supply centers and workshops. Even if I do not go into many of these places on a regular basis knowing that they are there keeps me informed of what they do and gets me involved.
10. As a writer I am aware of the different character types that this neighborhood has and how that has inspired me. I can meet interesting acquaintances and other writers at a local ecological cafe place and share ideas that could be worked into a script or a book.
11. Just thinking of having to change my physical address for the hundreds that know where I currently live is also a damper, more so for some friends who do not do the internet thing.
12. The location of the small is grand: there is decent shopping all around for food, relatively cheap restaurants to get an occasional meal from and those internet cafes I like to get to anytime I need to stretch my feet.

So if your reasons for staying in your place are similar to mine, maybe you ought to stay on, sign the yearly lease or whatever have you and concentrate your efforts on making it on the creative scene and getting a condo someday.