What other spaces are in the house? Is there a basement? I nearly bought a cottage, one wee closet in the two small bedrooms, where the previous owner had added a laundry room and a dressing room in the basement. Storage, mirrors, good lighting, convenient to the laundry room. The bedroom closet held things like a robe, jeans, hoodies, slippers, cardigans, anything you might need to just throw on quickly.

Small spaces can be a challenge for sure. Hats could be hung on hooks on the inside wall of your closet, if there's enough wall space. Maybe roll workout clothes into a small 3 or 4 drawer cart. Home Goods and TJ Maxx usually have great options that are simple, chic, and under $50.

As for shoes - I feel your pain. This shoe cabinet is discreet and looks like a decent piece of furniture to display in your bedroom: Wayfair Shoe Cabinet. Another, albeit less aesthetically pleasing option, would be an over-the-door shoe slot organizer. Placed on the inside door, shoes would be out of sight but within easy reach. Good luck and congratulations on your new home!

That house and the small closets are from back in the days when people did not have as much.

There is simply no way to put 10 pounds of stuff in this 5 pound bag and have it all accommodated. Sure, you can put it in, but there will be no room for you to live comfortably.

If you bought this house, you may have bought something that does not suit your lifestyle.

If you are just renting, you will someday move to a bigger space.

In the meantime, this might be a good time in your life to experience the joys of living better with less. It may be time to streamline and live like the 1940s when excess was not a problem.

I am a baby boomer and this is the way we lived, in small houses with small closets and not a lot of excess anything. Things are so different today with really big houses that hold a lot of stuff!

I’m doing this! I store my summer wardrobe under the bed, and then I’ll swap it out when it gets warmer

Thank goodness I'm leasing -- you're right, Wednesday Morning, it does not coincide with my lifestyle. I ended up building out two more shelves in the closet and all of my shoes (!!!) now fit (it is admittedly hard to see them all without a step-stool). I was also able to store all of my purses in a hanging storage "cubbie" and will be using a wall-mounted jewelry box to accommodate jewelry. If you have any recommendations on wall-mounted jewelry cases, let me know!