"Strategies for people for whom space is a precious resource":

1.  Get rid of what you don't need.  Clothes that no longer fit, books that 
you bought on a lark and haven't read in ten years, toys your kids have 
outgrown, and impulse-buy kitchen gadgets (when did you last use that fondue 
pot?) can all be sold at a yard sale, through a consignment shop, donated to 
a thrift shop or even traded/sold here online.

2.  Buy things that have multiple uses.  Example:  A teakettle can only boil 
water.  A saucepan can boil water and cook dinner.  Instead of buying a bile 
and an exercise bike, get a trainer, a device that lets you convert your bike 
into an indoor exercise bike.

3.  Buy furniture that has built-in storage space.  The conventional coffee 
table with legs has several cubic feet of wasted space underneath it.  A 
flat-topped trunk makes a suitable coffee table with storage space.  Other 
examples include beds with built-in drawers underneath and cabinet-style end 
tables.

4.  buy smaller.  A compact microwave will handle 95% of your microwaving 
needs.  The money and space you save will more than offset having to use your 
oven for the other 5%.  Technical advances mean you no longer need 
refrigerator-size speakers for good stereo sound.  Many tiny systems get top 
ratings.