apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hi - I have come to a point in my decluttering that I've been working on and can rid myself of 3 plastic milk crates (the kind you buy, not the kind you steal from the dairy company). I had at various times used them for "furniture," cases for things out in the open, usually with a tablecloth or something so they looked only half-schlocky. Of late, they have been helpful with sorting and now they are empty.

My question for the people is, should I keep them? Will they be more useful to me as closet storage, eventually moving (no foreseeable plans there), sorting etc., or should I just let them go and be crate-free finally and forever, let those other things take care of themselves as necessity allows? Tell me please what do you think?

KTG--if you're truly trying to de-clutter, get rid of them. I can't imagine that it would be worth dedicating precious closet space to storing them, and I don't know about leaving them out in the open, either. If you've got a garage or shed or somewhere you can put them and REALLY think you'll use them again to move, then keep. But I don't see why you couldn't just use regular boxes (if for eco-friendly purposes, you could always re-use boxes). The footprint of them in a small space is not worth it!

A question for everyone: where can I find a fake tree in the city? I know it's kind of tacky, but I'd prefer a fake that I could reuse over the years to a real one. I know that Urban Outfitters has a few, but they're all metallic and small--I'd like something in the 4' range. Any ideas? Target?

lostinprojection,

I think you can get fake trees anywhere, even Home Depot, certainly Target.

There are also quite a few on craigs list, but most are 6 to 9' tall. Here's a post with some "apartment sized" trees:
http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/art/938443060.html

Good Luck!

Thanks immaterialgal! I hadn't even thought of Home Depot. I'm sure they'll have plenty.

Home Depot has plenty of trees, fake and real.

Thanks for the suggestion lostinprojection, I really want to get rid of the crates and possibly I can carry them to Goodwill with the other stuff I'm getting rid of. Part of me is just a little anxious that I will suddenly find a perfectly valid use for crates just as I won't have any and end up justifying a purchase of something adequate but oh, fancier? I still have plenty of storage bins, and they're next. It's sort of an outbox thing to purge with due consideration than chuck with glee and triumph. I just reflect on all the crateful years and wince. Thanks for the push. :)

immaterialgal -- I saw some at CVS and walgreens too, which may be easier to get to if you're in the city!

I heard on WROR this morning that Seasons Four in lexington have fake trees. http://www.seasons-four.com/

Not only does Home Despot have "realistic looking" fake trees, they also have trees in colors and materials. We picked up a cute, metallic red tree, complete with white lights, at the Despot in Watertown last year.

If anyone is just off Cape, the Falmouth Farmer's Market is holding a special "winter market" today (12/6).

There's supposed to be squashes, root vegetables, holiday greens, baked goods, lobsters, Massachusetts cheeses and smoked fish.


http://www.falmouthchamber.com/more/calendar/event/2388

what's a good price for a 2' or 3' grocery store tree? how long before they start discounting them?

KTG - if you do choose to keep those crates, over on oh dee doh there's a post there linking to a tutorial on how to slipcover a plastic milk crate:

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to/how-to-undercover-crates-070808

I say keep them if you have kids or you do a lot of crafting.

GOSSIP!!! I was at the Crate and Barrel furniture store in Chestnut Hill last evening and the salespeople told me that after both C&Bs in Harvard Square close a CB2 will open in the Mass Ave site of the furniture store!! projected to happen withing 2-3 months!

K T G--

I find it semi-hilarious that for all your usual highly-opinionated comments and your ranting and ragging on editors for lame posts, you ask this community about whether or not to SAVE MILK CRATES.

Thanks for the laugh! I needed that!

It is semi-hilarious. They are sort of a continuous thread of life, a security blanket of usefulness, if you will, that I find moving on from them some sort of threshold I dreamed of and hoped for a long time, but was not prepared to meet, or how I would feel once they were empty. How do you thank someone who has taken you from crayons to perfume? It isn't easy, but I'll try. Thanks for laughing, I know you needed it.

Not laughing at the issue of whether to save them or not, just at your seeming to suddenly trust the opinion of a community you so often ridicule and berate.

I hardly ever, if ever, berate the community or ridicule them. I have opinions about the decor of a room, the items being pushed, and occasionally how a post is worded or how a topic ties in with the mission, policies of the site and whatnot.

Um, ok.

Just wondering how everyone is doing after the ice storm on thursday...

We still don't have power! Did any one else get hit badly?

I am moving to Boston from KC in February or March and my boyfriend will be working in Woburn, and I will be finding a job when I get there. Where should we live? We will have one car, love the urban lifestyle, but probably won't be able to afford anything like Back Bay or the North End at first. And we have two dogs, so proximity to a trail or dog park would be great.
I am hoping to get a job in the architecture/interior design industry doing marketing or as an assistant as I will be (hopefully) continuing school for interior design. Any suggestions on a great place to work? Thanks!

hi sleggo, welcome to Boston!

Woburn is slightly west of the city and just a little toward the south. One place you might want to check out is Davis Square, Somerville. Its close to Boston, has a university nearby (Tufts), is on the red line subway and a short hop from Harvard Square and Boston, and has some cool coffee shops and a nice movie theater. Its young, casual and fun and has a lot to do. There is a bike path for you to walk your dog (used to have an off-leash area at Tufts but I' almost positive you need a leash there now). Its got good local restaurants and bars, as well as music. For your boyfriend to get to work, he would just take a right up Mass Ave, and then another right in Arlington Center toward Woburn (back roads).

I lived there for 15 years and its gotten a bit built up lately but its still fun and has some great people and an artsy vibe.

I'm sure other AT readers will have more suggestions, but you should add it to a list of places to check out. Here's a link:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/davis-square-somerville

Hi Sleggo,

It all depends on if whether you're going to rent or buy. If you're trying to stay in the urban area of Boston, Somerville is a good area. Rents can be fairly high for what you get in return, but the proximity to downtown is great, and there are tons of things to do, and usually within walking distance, or a couple of T stops.

Alternatives to that might be just north of the city, still on the T, but much more affordable, and with lovely woods and parks areas for your dogs to hike about. Melrose is 70% park land, huge Victorian homes, and still on the T...about 15 minutes to Boston, too. Malden has some nice areas, and is also on the T, as is Stoneham. All the mentioned towns have been attracting a large number of young couples who've been priced out of the Boston area, but still want to be near the city. As a result, the face of the towns is changing, and more interesting restaurants, shops, and events are cropping up.

Good luck, and have fun setting up your new home!

I'm not sure vs. affordability, but I live in Brighton near Cleveland Circle. It is at times very far out of the city (about 5 miles), but I am near public transportation. Parking isn't fantastic, well street parking anyway, but there are no permit parking signs here as there are closer to town. There are also parking spaces you can rent in small private parking lots. It is very dog friendly here. The population is young professionals, older immigrants, some but not a lot of Boston College students and grad students, by the sound of it (what I gauge my impression by). Brighton Center and Oak Square neighborhoods are a little farther off the beaten path for my tastes, and I would feel a little too remote there, but still it is easily bus-accessible and easy parking and nice housing (looks like).

It is somewhat easy to take a bus straight into Cambridge, or take the green line downtown from where I live. The only large park I can think of is Reservoir Park or it might be called Reilly Memorial Recreation Center (approximately). It's a wooded land around and alongside a reservoir with bike and jogging paths. The streets and sidewalks surrounding my neighborhood are also appropriate and tree-lined for a nice walk with or without a dog. It feels urban enough here, although if I could afford it, I would love to live right in the city.

Good luck with your move and job hunt.

Thanks for the encouraging words and suggestions. It sounds like Somerville, Melrose and Brighton are three areas we need to check out. We will be renting as we want to make sure we like the area we live in.
Also, do you know anyone who has done the master's program at the BAC for interior design? I am thinking about starting that, but don't know too much about it.

Hi Sleggo: I'm really happy in the Cleveland Circle/Brighton area, but it will be a long commute out to Woburn. I wouldn't recommend it unless you were definitely working in the area or in Boston (or if your partner did not have 9-5 hours).

Davis Square in Somerville would be a good compromise, because you can take the Red Line into the city easily (its also hooked up with buses). There isn't a lot of green space in walking distance, which is probably why you see everyone walking their dogs on Tufts campus. Medford (near Medford Square) or Arlington are definitely more suburban, but you'd still be able to use public transportation (bus) and pay less in rent.

Malden is an option, too. You get more 'apartment' for your money, but its a trade off with Davis Square's walkability.

Hope this helps!

That does help a lot. It sound like Davis Square/Somerville area will be our best bet to start out. We don't need a ton of room, just enough so the two of us and our two 45 lbs dogs don't walk all over each other!