Why didn’t they till you this before you got your first apartment?
Young people tend to get pretty excited about the next step in their “adult-hood” journey, that sometimes they feel to realize that it is not all glamorous and easy. Your first apartment is not necessarily going to be that huge all glass apartment or the cool trendy loft you see in the movies. Getting a first place is a huge deal, and the bits and pieces that are essential to the transition going smoothly can sometimes get lost. Here are 10 things no one tells you when you’re getting your first place.
- You’ll actually have to do paperwork to get your first place. Make sure you have someone that knows what they’re doing (a parent, relative, older friend who’s dealt with renting before) look over the materials as a second eye.
- The only affordable way to rent an apt is with a roommate. So compromise is crucial, and sharing is essential. Here are some tips and advice to having a roommate.
- You’ll have to handle household disasters on your own (get familiar with the Drain-O, toilet plunger, and windex).
- Install your own appliances, because you will save a TON of cash. Start with something simple, maybe your air conditioner. Lowe’s takes you through how to do it step by step on their website.
- Don’t buy any food you wont need, it’s a waste of money and it’ll go bad.
- You’ll have to take measurements of spaces in order for furniture to fit. Don’t go running around Ikea without any idea of what you’re looking for or how big. Here’s how to make small spaces appear bigger in an apartment.
- Moving boxes is a lot of work and time. Don’t be lazy with it and rip the bandaid off… aka do it in full day if you can. Get some friends over and make it more of a fun activity rather than a tedious bore.
- Speaking of Ikea… UTILIZE IT. Cheaper furniture places may not fit in with you’re super cool apartment penthouse, but try and explore Pinterest to make the most of what you got.
While these are just a few of the things you’ll run into as a first apartment owner, the more you know, the more disasters you avoid, the more money and time you save, and the easier it will be to get closer to that loft/penthouse/luxury living.