Guys, I got a new mattress! Not just any mattress either... A mattress from Brooklyn Bedding and spoiler alert, I LOVE it. So much so, I really just can't stop talking about it -- there have definitely been several Snapchats and texts sent out (you may have gotten one).

I've been thinking about getting a new mattress for quite some time, but let's be honest getting a new mattress in the city is kind of a drag. Plus, I didn't just want any mattress. I've never actually picked out my own mattress so I wanted to do that adult thing and make sure I did my research and found one that would be game changer -- I'm terrible at sleeping through the night. And hey, we spend a lot of our lives sleeping, it should be comfy! I did a lot of research but hadn't taken the plunge yet, so you can imagine how excited I was when Brooklyn Bedding reached out to me to see if I'd like to check out their mattresses. Cheyeahhh!

Not only did Brooklyn Bedding have amazing reviews of their mattresses (they're rated #1 on Amazon) but I also found out that the beds are delivered in a box! Yes, a box how cool is that? Totallyyyy perfect for someone living in the city like me. Normally ordering a mattress involves picking one out, scheduling delivery service (which always seems to take longer than you'd like), and planning your day around the delivery. Not with Brooklyn Bedding though. You pick out your mattress and it ships free usually within 3-4 days! Cool right? So here's a look at how the process works because I know you're curious!

The box arrived in my apartment building lobby and it took a little bit to get it up the stairs (dang you 5th floor walk-up) but was totally doable with 2 people. The mattress is made up of 3 different types of foams Talalay Latexm Dunlop Latex, and poly foam so there aren't any springs which allows it to be rolled up and into a box. Once you open the box the mattress looks like this!

Once you pull the mattress out of the box it's super simple, all you have to do is put it on your box spring (or flat surface foundation) and unroll it out of its plastic wrapping.

Once it is laid flat you just cut the edges of the plastic casing and POOF the mattress starts to expand like a marshmallow. It was kind of the coolest thing ever.. not going to lie.

I have to say, I was a little surprised that the bed poofed out and into position so fast. I was thinking it might have a little bit of a curve or what not until it got settled but it was pretty instantaneous.

Cue the part where I just laid on my new mattress for a good 30-45 mins in a lazy coma once I realized how comfy it was repeating "I love you new bed..." It was in that moment that I realized just what a good job they did picking out their hashtag #BestMattressEver. Because after that moment I had decided just that.

Eventually I did decide I needed to do the responsible grown up thing and put my sheets and comforter onto the bed.

So we've covered that the bed is super comfy anddd how cool the delivery process is, but there's also some other neat features worth mentioning!

• Personalized Comfort Levels: Brooklyn Bedding isn't about that one-size-fits-all thing, which is why they have 3 different options -- Soft, medium, and firm (I went with the medium option)

• Factory Direct and 100% Made in the U.S.: The business has been around sine 1995 so they aren't newbies to the market plus everything is made in the U.S.

• 120 Night Trial: Not sure about getting a new mattress? Well, they offer a 120 night trial (which is longer than competitors in the market) so you can make sure your new mattress is just what you're looking for. Looking for something different? That's cool too, they'll pick it up free of charge so you don't really have anything to loose.

• Financing Options: Mattresses are an investment and while you might want a new one your pesky budget might be getting in the way. Living in NYC I totally get it! Luckily they offer a financing option too so you can spread out some of the payments if you need to.

And there you have it! If you couldn't tell already I'm definitely a huge fan of Brooklyn Bedding. They made the hassle of getting a new bed in the city totally smooth and holy comfiness. Boy, what a difference having an amazing mattress can make. My advice? Check them out, you won't regret it!

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**Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Brooklyn Bedding provided me with a complimentary mattress in exchange for a blog post. This post and all opinions stated are based on my own ideas and honest experience with the product and has not been influenced based upon the sponsorship.

For one reason or another, apartment brokers generally do not tell you the square footage of apartments in the city. It’s always seemed strange to me since square footage is usually one of the first things you’re told. So why is this? I’ve heard a few answers from brokers, including it’s because when the apartments were built they did not keep count of square footage and because the layouts have changed over time. I never really bought either of these responses though because it doesn’t take a mathematician to do an estimate of square footage, especially when we’re dealing with small spaces.

Personally, I’ve always assumed it was actually because of legality issues and my suspicions have furthered since continued outrage over the last year about a push for micro-apartments that are 325 square feet. There’s been reports that the units are “breaking the law” because of a law stating apartments must be at least 400 square feet in NYC. I did a little research on this so called law and surprisingly couldn’t find too much info on it, other than it was enforced in 1987 and that apartments could not be built smaller than 400 square feet. Like I said, I’m not super educated on this law, but I’m going to go ahead and assume that it only applies to new builds because the majority of apartments ARE NOT 400 square feet in the city. And since my apartment was built in 1915, if my assumptions are correct, my apartment missed the law by a lifetime!

Case and point, I did apartment hunting this summer. Now I was looking for studios on the lower price range and they were tiny. Think, an oversized bedroom. I was totally okay with what my money could buy and was just excited to get my own place. So imagine my surprise when I scored what I thought was a BIG one bedroom on the Upper East Side that I could afford. Say what?! A one bedroom!? Is this real life? For those of you that have been reading, you know how excited I was about my score and every time I described my apartment to my friends and co-workers, the word “big” (by New York standards of course) always came out of my mouth. 

So after 5 months in my apartment I decided to figure out just what “big” meant and I got the tape measurer out. My apartment is pretty much a long rectangle so I started by doing the measurements of each room and then added them all up. I have a few slightly slanted walls in my living room where the window is, so my number is just an estimate, but what I ultimately came up with was…. 383 square feet. 383 square feet?!? My BIG one bedroom apartment was only 383 square feet?!? I mean I knew it would be small compared to other cities, but I wholehearted believed it was close to 500 or maybe 450, but 383? Oh boy.. Not what I was expecting that’s for sure! And what’s even scarier is if 383 square feet is a “big” apartment — for my price range of course — then the other apartments I was looking at couldn’t have been much more than 200 square feet, if that. Much lower than that 1987, 400 square feet law.

So my question is.. if old buildings are exempt (I’m assuming) from the law then why don’t people talk about square footage? What’s the big deal? Is it the atrocious price per square foot? Is it the fact that the number might scare people away? Is it because the brokers simply don’t know? What is it?! Which then leads me to also ask, what is the big deal about these micro-apartments? Yes, they’re small, but clearly most New Yorkers are already living in smaller spaces that weren’t actually built to optimize every square inch. A lot of questions, and not many answers! All I know is, I probably won’t be using the term “big” as much in reference to my apartment, but I’ll love it all the same!

It’s official, I’ve been living at my own apartment for over 4 months! That’s 1/3 of a year.. Say what? That went by fast. While I’ve loved all of the people I was lucky enough to call my roomies, it is nice to be on my own now. I’ve always been an independent person and living alone has been a goal of mine since living in Portland (throwback 2009). I had to take a back-step when I decided to move to New York, but I’m really happy and proud of myself for finally making it a reality. 

So what are my favorite things about living alone?

1.) Decor options! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want without offending anyone else’s taste. Not everyone loves my bright, patterned and glittered decor, but I sure do! 

2.) Buying less of everything! I bought a 4 pack of toilet paper and it lasted two months. I’m also still working on the 1/2 bottle of dish soap I moved with. This would never happen in any of my past apartments.

3.) My apartment — my rules. If I want to veg out and watch a whole day’s worth of House Hunters, in my pjs, no one is going to look at me twice. Not that this was ever a big issue with any of my past roomies, but it’s nice to be able to be a bum all by myself. 

4.) If I want to run around the apartment and have a dance party to Taylor Swift songs — I can.

5.) Can you say — the whole fridge, every cabinet and drawer are all mineeee {insert evil laugh}. No need to label anything or forget whose apples are on the bottom shelf or worrying about where I’m going to store those winter coats in the summer!

All and all, Scoots and I are pretty happy campers in our own place!