We Tried To Fit A Bunch Of Bulk Items In A Tiny Studio

Buying in bulk for a small space is a challenge, but it’s SO worth it! Visa cards are now accepted at wholesale clubs, so use the Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ card and you can earn 1.5% cash back on everything you buy.

Buying in bulk is awesome! It's cost effective and ultimately saves time and energy. Buying in bulk in the city, however, is...interesting.

First, you have to find a place that sells items in bulk (wholesalers are generally more of a ~suburban~ thing) and get there. Then you have to find a way to get whatever you buy home with you. Then you have to get those things into your apartment, and that can be a bit of a struggle.

Case in point:

^Thrilled with our purchases. Exhausted by loading them.

When we finally managed to get everything upstairs (thank you, elevator!*), we had to figure out where to store our loot.

Because, remember, this is the city, and city apartments aren't known for their vast amounts of space.

*Elevators are also rare. Count your lucky stars, city-dwellers with elevators!

The first thing we did was book it to the usual go-to storage hideouts (hey, drawers!) and shove as much loot into them as we possibly could.

They were overflowing JUST a tad...and even still, we ran out of storage room. Real fast. So we got creative.

We had socks left over, so we made a sock garland and hung it in the window.

Look at those fabulous pops of color against the white shades! And...DIY skills? ON POINT.

We made barstools out of pet food.

Fido gets to eat it and your friends get to sit on it. Win-win.

We constructed a chair out of tissue boxes.

More like a throne, tbh. 👑

We set up a lovely coffee cup accent wall.

Look at that precision! AND it managed to coordinate flawlessly with the carpet. NBD.

And we crafted a coffee table out of toilet paper.

Can never go wrong with a nice white accent in a dark-colored room! Interior design 101, people.

We'd also grabbed some things we weren't expecting to buy that day. Wholesalers truly have EVERYTHING...and when we spotted jelly beans and colored gel pens, we were immediately reminded of our long-lost youth and just couldn't look away. So, we improvised some more.

Stemware + jelly beans + gel pens = a B-E-A-U-tiful cabinet display!

Oh, we also got a bunch of tutus. Getting ready for Halloween a lil' early, OK?!? Don't judge. So we stuffed them into pillowcases.

Just as effective for TV binge-watching and afternoon snoozes.

By this point, we had spent hours crafting some pretty fine furniture and apartment decor, and we were STARVING. Thankfully, we had bought a bunch of gigantic jars of peanut butter.

We ate our fill and then put the rest in the fridge. Turns out peanut butter sandwiches squeeze into shelves much better than plastic jars. Who would've thought?

Our bulk item piles were dwindling, but we needed a solve for six huge gallons of ketchup. We lined them up near the door, and suddenly realized...it's always such a struggle to find something heavy enough when you need to prop the door.

Check! Instant doorstops. Such overlooked yet incredibly necessary apartment essentials.

And then, all that was left were the four gigantic, incredibly fuzzy stuffed bears we had purchased.

Living in the city can be lonely sometimes, and these guys just looked too sad sitting on a wholesaler shelf. They needed a home and some companions!* So, we found an empty corner of the apartment, snuggled with our furry friends, and rejoiced...because bulk items are awesome, studio apartments are awesome, and yes, city peeps, you CAN have both!

Nothing quite like fitting bulk items in a miniature apartment!

At least when it comes to the shopping part, Visa cards are now accepted at wholesale clubs, so use the Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ card to earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you buy. Check with your local wholesale clubs to see if your Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ card is accepted.

Photographs by Sarah Stone and design by James Devogelear / © BuzzFeed.

*Along with these bulk items, we donated the stuffed bears to charity after making this post.

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