Staying Cool on a Budget

With the insane heat wave that has been afflicting the Midwest for the past couple of months - and has gotten especially bad this week - I think it's an appropriate time to discuss how to stay cool without paying a terribly high electric bill.

1. Close Your Blinds: Nothing heats up a room like direct sunlight, and although this is great in the winter, it's not so great when it's already a 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Now, I love sunlight - probably more than most people - so I'm loathe to give it up when I'm at home. But there's certainly no harm in closing the blinds when I leave for work, and it does help keep the house cool.
2. Open your Windows at Night, Close them When You get Up: It usually cools down enough to have the windows open at high, especially if you have a fan in your bedroom, and letting fresh air circulate through your apartment is critical for removing stuffiness. But don't forget to close the windows when you get up - or at least when you leave for work - to keep the humidity out.
3. Get a Fan: I LOVE my fan. I take it with me throughout my apartment, and have designated spots to set it so that it hits me when I'm sleeping, using my desk, on my couch, or working in the kitchen. A fan can do wonders for the heat, and uses way less electricity than A/C. The catch is - don't forget to turn the fan off when you're not actually using it. Also, avoid having a different fan in each room - you're better off simply moving one fan around, so that you're not tempted to leave all the fans on in all the rooms, wasting more money than the A/C would.
4. Avoid the Oven: Ovens do a great job of heating up an apartment! Again, this is nice in the winter...but not so nice in the summer. If possible, try to plan quick stove-top meals, or use a crock-pot for longer cook times. Better yet, make cold food, like fancy salads, or grill outside (if your apartment offers community grills).
5. Run the A/C for an Hour or Two in the Morning: Believe it or not, if you turn your A/C on for about an hour, it does a fantastic job of getting rid of the humidity and cooling the house down. On especially hot weekend days, I'll turn it on around 10 or 10:30 and turn it off when I have lunch - and then the apartment stays reasonably cool for the rest of the day, especially if I use a fan. Keep in mind that this is only effective if the windows are closed.
6. If It's THAT Hot, Use the A/C All Day: Once the house reaches 1000 degrees, it's going to be very hard to cool it down, and the A/C will have to work extremely hard. If you know it's going to be hotter than you can handle, you're best off turning the A/C on it's lowest setting before you leave for work. This is actually more economical than turning it on when you get home and making it run hard all evening. NOTE: This only works if you A/C is temperature-driven, where it keeps the house at a specific temp. If your A/C unit just blows air at you when it's on, you might as well turn it on when you get home - it won't make a difference financially. 
7. Turn Off A/C At Night: If you've followed my advice so far, you're opening windows at night. And if you open windows, DON'T FORGET TO TURN OFF YOUR A/C.
8. Go Swimming A Lot: This has nothing to do with saving money, but it's certainly nice! I've been in water nearly every weekend so far this summer, and it is saving me from dying from heatstroke (for readers in the south - I'm a northerner, born and bred. If it hits 90, I'm not happy).

Good luck!

The Tale of the Nonstick Fry Pan

Today, I bring to you a personal story from my life. This story may entertain you, but it also has some serious lessons in it that every 20-something can benefit from.

Every year, a group of friends and I head out to Nordhouse Dunes, this wonderful and rustic camping site near Ludington, Michigan. You have to backpack your stuff in for at least two miles, you camp right by the beach - or anywhere you want, because there aren't designated campsites - and you have a lovely time hiking, swimming, and stargazing. And pooping in the woods, because there are no bathrooms.

It's great. But the challenge, every year, is food.

Since we are all poor twenty somethings, we have historically been lacking in decent camping equipment. People are finally starting to get some stuff, and I recently bought a tent and a little campstove (and let me tell you, after years of camping with borrowed tents and only sharpened sticks for cooking gear, I am very proud of the these items).

This year, we had a stove, we had two coolers, and we were gonna make real food. So I brought my 8-inch nonstick fry pan, so we could make bacon and eggs. Now, this was my ONLY nonstick fry pan, because I'm poor, so I was avoiding buying a full size nonstick pan. Besides, I had a cast iron pan if I REALLY had something I couldn't use the 8-inch pan for. Besides, it was a high quality 8-inch pan, and had been a hand-me-down from my mother.

Long story, involving a moment of disaster when we realized nobody had propane, and sending two people to hike the miles to the car to drive the miles to the store....and the result was that we didn't eat until lunch time. Since I was not one of the people to go to the store, I went on  hike, leaving my pan behind.

Thus, when my friends got back with the propane, they began to use the pan to cook bacon and eggs.

Lesson #1: Don't let people use your good cookware unsupervised, unless you know that they know a lot about cooking.

My wonderful friend started stirring the eggs with a metal fork, which was the first thing he grabbed to cook with. I wasn't there to tell him not to, and he doesn't cook much besides, like, Little Caesars pizza, so he didn't know that this is a bad idea.

Lesson #2: Don't use metal utensils on nonstick pans.

The metal scratched the nonstick coating so bad, that when we cleaned the pan, it was about half scratches. Not only do scratches prevent the pan from functioning as non-stick, but it also releases toxic chemicals that can get in your food and is suspected to cause all kinds of fun health problems. As the linked article notes, minor scratches aren't a big deal, but deep scratches (particularly on old pans - newer ones have been improved to be less dangerous) are bad.

So...my friend apologized and agreed to replace the pan. We looked up my, admittedly awesome, but really expensive pan on the Internet, and it was going to cost about $30-40 - which is dumb. So instead, we bought these beautiful pans. My friend paid $20 - less than it would cost to replace the pan he broke - and I paid the difference....costing me far less than it would normally cost to buy a large stand-alone fry pan (~$30-40 for a good one). They came highly recommended from my boyfriend's dad, who is a cooking genius, and now I have a full set of fry pans, for very little money. And let me tell you, using them is a wonderful, wonderful experience. They're so pretty!

Lesson #3: Research products - sometimes you can save lots and lots of money if you buy cookware in sets instead of buying all individual pieces.

So the story has a happy ending, but being without a pan for a few days while my pans were delivered was painful. So in conclusion...

Lesson #4: If you're just starting out, it's okay to have one pan. But if you can afford it...have multiple pans, preferably of different sizes. Because if something happens...well, without a pan, you are slightly screwed.

...But Lesson #5: It is possible to cook eggs in a pot. You just need oil/grease to prevent sticking.

Recipe Day - "Goulash" or "Throw Up"

I'll take a break from the 'first apartment' information to share a recipe! I fully intend this site to be a mix of information, including cleaning tips, recipes, tax/insurance information, and everything else a twenty-something needs to know. So today, we're doing a recipe!

 Now, I like to cook, and I like to get fancy while I cook. But for today, since I'm focusing on the crazy days of I-just-moved-out-by-myself-help, I will share the simplest, easiest, and most basic recipe on the planet. This was my mom's go-to on days when she literally did not have time to cook anything. She used to call it goulash, but if you know what goulash is, you'll know that this is not goulash. My grandma used to call it "throw up" - my mom changed the name since she didn't figure her kids would appreciate the name "throw up."

Ingredients:
Ground Beef
Cream of Mushroom Soup (other Cream of... soups will work, it'll just change the flavor slightly)
          1 can of soup per pound of meat.
Salt, Pepper, any spices you want
(optional) Additives - sauteed onions, cooked vegetables, whatever.
Mashed Potatoes (see instructions below).

Instructions:

1. Cook the ground beef in a skillet on medium heat. Stirring occasionally, wait until all of the pink has disappeared from the meat and everything looks kind of gray.
2. Meanwhile,make mashed potatoes (see instructions below)
3. Siphon off the grease from the meat. I usually use a turkey baster to do this because it makes the least mess of any other method, but my friends say that's weird; they just pour the grease off into a jar.
• ***DO NOT POUR GREASE DOWN THE DRAIN*** Pour it in an empty can or jar and throw it in the trash. You can keep the same grease jar until you fill it up, as long as it has a secure lid
4. Pour the soup over the ground beef and heat through until warm. Also add any seasonings (salt and pepper recommended) or additives that you want at this point (~2 minutes)
• I saute onions and garlic in a little olive oil, and add them in at this point. I find the plain beef a little bland; the onions and garlic add the perfect amount of flavor. However, you definitely don't have to do this.
• You can also throw random cooked vegetables, like peas and carrots, in at this point.
5. Serve over mashed potatoes. It looks weird, but I promise, it's delicious, especially considering that it takes about 15 minutes to make.

Instructions for Mashed Potatoes

1. Cut up potatoes into small chunks (for small red potatoes, this means cutting them up if roughly fourths). The smaller the chunks, the less time it will take for the potatoes to cook.
• If you use Yukon potatoes, peel them first. If you use red potatoes, you can leave the skin on.
2. Put the potatoes into pot, and fill with water until the water just covers the potatoes
3. Put lid on pot, and put pot on burner set to 'high'.
4. Boil the water until the potatoes are soft - about 10-12 minutes. Test the softness of the potatoes by piercing them with a fork.
5. Drain the water out of the pot and dump the potatoes in a big bowl.
6. Add a little butter - I use about 1 tbsp for ever two servings of potatoes (about 4 small red potatoes or 1-1.5 large yukon potatoes).
7. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. If you don't have a potato masher, you can get creative with a fork or other random object - your potatoes might be a little lumpy though if you don't have a real masher. I say this because I've done this, when my masher broke.
8. Add a little milk as you're mashing until the potatoes reach the consistency you want. ONLY ADD A LITTLE TINY BIT AT A TIME. Remember, you can always add more, but once you pour milk in, you can't take it back out again.
9. Season with other stuff as desired. I like to add a little garlic powder and chives.

And that's it! Are there better recipes with similar ingredients (like pot pie or pastys)? Sure. But I challenge you to find any other recipe that creates a decent hot meal in 15 minutes.

Pro Tip: Buy ground beef in bulk and freeze it in single servings. Then, if you need a quick, cheap, easy dinner, you can just pull a serving out of the freezer and proceed to make this recipe. You can also freeze the leftover cream of mushroom soup if you don't use a whole can.

First Apartment - Five Things That Aren't Worth Paying More For, Five Things That Are.

When you're looking for your first apartment, you'll find that a lot of places will try to tack on extra chargers for 'special features'. These charges often seems small, and if you have plenty of money and really want some of the features, go for it! However, if you're on a budget and you're not sure what features are really worthwhile, keep reading to see what I think is worth paying more for and what isn't - and why.

Five Things that AREN'T Worth Paying More For

1. Fancy Counter Tops: A lot of apartments have 'upgraded' kitchen counter tops. These might look prettier, but in terms of functionality, there is no reason to pay more for them.
2. Being on a Higher Floor: A lot of apartments charge extra for every floor that you move up from the ground level. I kind of understand paying to be on the top floor, since you'll have no one above you, but being on a middle floor? Why would you pay more for this? 
• Also keep in mind that the higher you go, the more stairs there are - and stairs aren't fun when you're moving all of your stuff into the apartment.
• For that matter, on the ground floor you can spread out from your patio (if you have one) and use yard space. On a higher floor, you are 100% confined to your balcony, unless you and your guests have developed the ability to fly.
3. A Dishwasher: Don't get me wrong, dishwashers are amazing, and this might be worth paying more for if you have a family or several roommates. But if you live alone, you will NEVER fill up the dishwasher quickly enough to make it worth using. And how hard is it to wash one plate? Besides, many apartments don't charge you for water use, but do charge for electric - so hand-washing dishes suddenly becomes more cost effective anyway.
4. Mirrored Walls: Some apartments - usually old-fashioned ones - charge more to include lots of mirrors in your apartment. Mirrors used to be very fashionable, since they make the apartment feel larger than it is. However, it's kind of weird to be surrounded by mirrors, they're easy to break, and you have to clean them because they get smudged frequently. If your apartment has them, fine, but don't pay extra for them.
5. A Covered Parking Spot: If you live somewhere with winter (like me), it can be appealing to pay a little extra every month and not have to deal with brushing snow off your car. But most places charge anywhere from $15-$25 per month for this feature...and simply buying AND professionally installing an automatic starter for your car costs about $200...So for 13-20 months of extra rent (depending on the exact cost of the parking spot), you can get an automatic starter that will last for the life of your car - and not only melts the snow on your windshield, but also makes your car nice and warm. And if you do the install yourself, you can buy one on Amazon for only $50 (or 2-5 months of extra rent).

Five Things that ARE Worth Paying More For (depending on your budget)

1. In-Unit Laundry Machines: Having laundry in your unit is infinitely more convenient than taking your laundry somewhere else. You don't have to fight with other tenants over the machines, you can leave your stuff in the dryer as long as you want, and you don't need to keep a supply of quarters in your house at all times. Furthermore, most laundry facilities charge an exorbitant amount for coin-operated laundry, and depending on how much laundry you do, it might even be cost effective to pay a little extra rent for in-unit laundry.
2. Patio/Balcony: If you can't afford this, don't get it. But if you can...it's definitely worth the extra money. You can hang towels or clothes out to dry, get a small grill, or simply sit outside and drink your coffee in the morning. These also make great places to entertain guests, and can enable you to grow some plants, depending on your sunlight situation
3. Included Utilities: Apartments that include heat, water, sewer, and trash are GREAT. If you can find one that also includes electricity, I'll be very envious. Although your budget might be better off scrimping on heat and wearing a winter coat around the house, in most cases, but if you're not that dedicated, having included utilities will not only reduce hassle, but can reduce cost.
4. View: Although not necessary, a nice view from your apartment window is worth it, as long as the extra cost is within your budget. Remember, you'll be living here for at least a year - and looking at a pond is way better, and way quieter, than looking at a busy road. That being said, if you're never home, this might not be worth it to you.
5. The Option to Go Month-to-Month: Most apartment complexes make you sign a year lease - and that's usually fine. But check to see what will happen after that year is over - will you have to sign another lease? For most people, their first apartment is not a long-term situation, and the odds of getting a new house or apartment within a month of a year lease ending are slim at best. The last thing you want is to eat the cost of several months of rent when you decide to move out, so being able to switch to month-to-month is critical. And watch out for apartments that have really cheap rent for a year lease but then skyrockets the rent if you switch to a month-to-month plan. Paying a little extra per month may save you money in the long run, unless you plan on living in your apartment for several years.

Things You Need for Your First Apartment

So you got your apartment, and you're getting ready to move out. Maybe you've been away at college, sharing a dorm room, apartment, or rental house with several other people. Maybe you're moving directly out of your parents house. Either way, you're probably going to need to buy a few things in order to furnish your new place. Hopefully this comprehensive list can serve as a starting place!

Living Room Stuff

The living room is a pretty basic room, and very personalize-able. Just make sure you have a couple of basics:

• Places to sit. The quality of these places may vary depending on your budget. Personally, I have a second-hand couch and an old futon from college, plus some rather uncomfortable woods chairs. If you can get your hands on a recliner though, you and all of your friends will love you. Then again, I have a friend who has a living room full of beanbags, so...
• Coffee table and/or end tables. Coffee tables are GREAT because you can put your feet on them. Also, you'll want some place to put drinks, plates, books, remote controls, and other random items
• Lamps - depending on the lighting situation in the room
• Optional: TV and place to store all of your electronics stuff. If you are into video games and have a lot of equipment, I'd recommend trying to find a big TV stand with plenty of storage space. If you're not into that, you can make do with another end table with room for your router underneath.

Bedroom

Another room that you can really do anything with.

• Bed and sheets/blankets. This is a surprisingly easy thing to forget about. It's also highly recommended to have a spare set of sheets in case something bad happens and you need to clean your sheets but also want to go to bed (hello cat hairballs. How are you this evening?).
• Clothes storage. This could mean a dresser, lots of hangers, or some combination of items depending on how many clothes you have. Don't underestimate the number of hangers you need. When I first moved to college, I failed at this and had almost of my clothes double-hung. It was sad.
• Optional: Nightstand & lamp. Personally, I'm a big fan of my nightstand and it stores all sorts of random stuff.

Bathroom

Ah, the room where young adults are MOST LIKELY to forget things...you just get so used to grabbing it from your parents house, than when it's not there to grab...well, things get very sad.

• Personal toiletries (soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving cream, deodorant, toothpaste, moisturizers, whatever else you use on a daily basis). If it helps, make a list of all of the products you use throughout the course of day.
• BACKUPS of personal toiletries. If you have the storage space, you should have at least one backup of EVERYTHING you use in the bathroom. Why? Because if you run out of soap or deodorant, you have a problem. If you run out of soap or deodorant and don't have time to immediately go to the store, you have a serious problem. Keeping a backup just makes good sense - and when you open the backup, you can add a new backup item to your grocery list.
• "Utensils": Tweezers, nail clippers, cuticle scissors, nail files. And boys? You also should get a pair of tweezers. You'd be amazed at how many random things tweezers can be used for that have nothing to do with eyebrow plucking.
• Qtips and cotton balls. Again, very random, and very useful for more than just personal grooming.
• Hand soap to put next to the sink.
• Trash can.
• Toilet paper. This should be the first thing that arrives at your new apartment, by the way. And you should unpack it immediately.
• Toilet brush, toilet cleaner, other bathroom cleaner for the sink & shower
• OPTIONAL AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: A squeegee! There's a good chance that you don't know what this is, and that's okay, because I'm going to tell you about it. The squeegee is my favorite bathroom item because I hate cleaning the bathroom, and a squeegee makes it easier. You basically run the squeegee over the the shower walls after your shower. It takes about 30 seconds. Then, you magically have less soap scum buildup and can quickly wipe the walls down when cleaning, instead of scrubbing and hating yourself. If you can get in the habit of squeegeeing, you will love yourself later. Check out inexpensive squeegees on Amazon here

Kitchen Stuff

My favorite room! I'm only going to the list the ESSENTIALS here; there's plenty of other bakeware, utensils, and assorted items that make your kitchen move up on the scale from 'barely functional' to 'pleasantly workable' to 'comprehensive'. But at the VERY LEAST, get these things:

• Coffee maker. This is first on my list because it's my most important item.
• Dishes (plates, bowls, cups, coffee mugs). I'd recommend at least having enough for 4 people, and if you can get service for 8 that's even better. It's also helpful to have larger serving bowls, platters, and various sized plates....but that's getting into optional territory.
  • I'd also recommend buying Correlle dishes because they don't break. And if you're anything like me, you're going to drop a lot of plates on the tile floor.
• Travel mugs because keeping coffee hot is vital to your existance. Well, it's vital to my existance anyway.
• Silverware. Including some sharp knives
• Chef's knife - the most versatile kitchen tool ever
• Paring knife - the only knife that does things that a chef's knife can't.
• Basic pots and pans
  • Fry pan - nonstick. There's several sizes; I like to have 12-inch and an 8-inch, but you can make do with just one big one, depending on how much you cook
  • Dutch oven (i.e. a big pot)
  • Saucepot (i.e. a smaller pot)
• Measuring cups & measuring spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Utensils
  • Mixing spoons. I prefer wood or plastic; metal will scratch your nonstick pans, which not only may or may not cause cancer, but also defeats the purpose of a nonstick pan
  • Spatula (i.e. the thing you use to flip pancakes)
  • Tongs
  • Potato masher (because potatoes are both cheap and delicious)
  • Potato peeler (because peeling potatoes and carrots with a knife sucks)
• Oven mitts
• Colander/strainer: for draining stuff like pasta or washing large quantities or fruits or vegetables.
• Plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and Ziploc bags of varying sizes. Most. Useful. Stuff. Ever.
• Tupperware containers (of any brand) to store leftovers and other stuff in.
• Plenty of dishtowels
• A dish-drying rack (you can also lay your dishes to dry on a large towel if you'd prefer)
• Dishsoap and sponges. If you have a dishwasher, get dishwasher soap AND regular soap - you'll need to wash your pans and stuff by hand.
• Trash can w/ trash bags. Or, you can use an empty kitty litter can and the plastic bags that you get at the grocery store, like I do, but whatever.
• Basic spices (salt and pepper in particular) and food staples, like oil, flour, and sugar.

Other Cleaning Stuff

• Vacuum
• Broom & dustpan (most important cleaning supply ever)
• Mop or similar item for cleaning kitchen and bathroom floors. I personally use a steamer, which I like because it's easier to use than a mop, and makes less of a mess.
• Duster
• Laundry soap, fabric softener, and stain remover

Miscellaneous

• Paper towel
• Rags - it's amazing how often random pieces of cloth come in handy
• Power strips and extension cords - because whoever installed the electrical outlets will inevitably not be thinking about the way in which you decided to arrange your furniture.
• Extra lightbulbs
• Fan(s). They don't just keep your cool and take less electricity than AC, but they help in blowing odors or smoke out of your apartment. Funny thing about apartments - if you use high heat to cook anything, they get smokey no matter what you do.
• Extra charger for your phone. Kinda like with the bathroom backups, if your charger breaks, you have an issue. And if you live alone, you can't borrow your mom's or your roommate's in a pinch.

Optional, but Highly Recommended

• Kitchen table w/ chairs. Sure, you can eat on your couch, but you will have less mess on your couch if you eat at a kitchen table. Besides, with a table, you can invite friends - or significant others - over for drinks and feel like a real adult.
• Basic Kitchen Appliances: microwave, toaster and/or toaster oven. Sure, you can do all that stuff on the stove, but it's a pain in the butt, takes forever, dirties more dishes, and uses more electricity.
• Blender - nice for making adult beverages, as well as other stuff.
• Ice packs - if you plan on packing your lunch when you go to work, which you should do because it saves a gazillion dollars per year, you need an ice pack. If you don't have one, don't complain when you eat bad meat and puke.
• Whiteboard. This was a relic of my college days, but I actually found it super useful when living alone. I write down random things I need to buy throughout the week (i.e. 'more toilet paper' or 'vegetable oil'), which makes me less likely to forget. I also leave myself reminder notes sometimes, or make a note of dentist appointments. You don't need a whiteboard, but I find it helpful.
• Bookcase(s) These can store books, movies, games, or any assortment of random stuff.

Wow, overwhelmed yet? You need a lot of stuff to move out! Don't worry, a lot of this stuff you might be able to pawn off family members, pick up cheap at garage sales, or get at secondhand stores. A lot of the cleaning supplies can be purchased at warehouses like Costco or even at the dollar store. It's not as bad as you might think, and once you get all the basics, maintaining your home will come much, much easier, I promise!

Good luck!

Finding Your First Apartment

So you are ready to be an adult and your first step is finding your first solo-apartment. You don't want to live with roommates and you *think* you can afford to live on your own (more about that later). How do you navigate this process? What kinds of things should you look for?

Step 1) Figure out the geographic area you want to live in. Things to consider:

• How long is my commute to work (don't forget to account for traffic)
• How close am I to significant other/family/friends?
• What is the cost of living like in this area? Can I afford to live here?

Step 2) Get a list of apartments that are in that area. Don't limit yourself too much in this step - include some apartments that may be a little further from your ideal location than you would like, and some apartments that may be a little pricier than you would like.

Step 3) Visit the apartment complexes and take a tour. Most places can accommodate you on short notice; just make sure to call ahead.

Things to ask on your visit:

• Find out ALL of the rent costs and extra fees - apartments often charge extra for amenities that you don't even care about, such as what types of counter tops are included or what floor you're on within the building.
  • If they can't give you a set price because all of their units are priced differently, ask for a list of the cost of all of the available units and a corresponding list of what amenities they have to offer.
• Find out how much it will cost to rent month-to-month after your year lease is over. Usually when you are getting ready to move, you can't time it perfectly to coincide with your lease ending, so it's nice to be able to switch to month-to-month...but some apartments charge you a ridiculous amount for this. One apartment I looked at charged $300/month extra to go month-to-month!!!
• How does laundry work? My Tip: If you can afford to get a unit with a washer and dryer built in, DO IT. Using a building laundry facility is a pain, and going to a laundromat is a nearly insurmountable pain. If you have to do this, expect to buy new underwear to put off doing laundry, because you'll NEVER want to do it.
• Is parking free? Can guests park for free?
• What security measures do you take to ensure your residents' safety?
• Do you allow pets, and if so, how much extra does that cost? Even if you don't have pets now, this is a good question to ask!
• What do you do to an apartment when the tenants move out? Some complexes repaint and recarpet, others simply clean. Getting new stuff when you move in is always nice, and if your apartment merely cleans AND allows pets...well, make sure you get to see the apartment you'll be renting before signing anything. There's nothing quite like entering your new apartment to find the remnants of cat pee odor in the carpet.

Keep a comparison chart of everything you learn, and figure out the best value for your money...and what you can afford!

***Pro Tip:*** Don't let anyone pressure you into signing a lease until you can compare all of your options. That being said, go through this process quickly, because apartments can go quickly, and rates can change frequently. I'd recommend trying to visit all of your prospective apartments and making a decision within a week or two - and within a couple of days if you're looking in a high demand area.

Step 4) Read the fine print before you sign. You will probably need to sign a year lease, and that lease will probably be a bajillion pages. Make sure you read it carefully to determine what sorts of activities may result in you losing your security deposit, and to see if anything weird is against of the rules - like having a grill, or displaying certain objects in your windows, or hanging specific types of window treatments.

Step 5) Start getting ready to move in! This means packing (carefully), buying basic furnishings and cookware, and trying to make sure that you have everything you need (hint: you won't. Trust me. It's impossible to expect everything).

A final note....

• Make sure you can afford the apartment you choose! If you can't, you may consider looking for roommates.
• Don't underestimate the advantage to paying higher rent but getting your utilities included. Some apartments include water and gas, and a few include all utilities. This can be extremely helpful, and also a nice perk if you like to take long showers or to crank up your heat in the winter.
• Don't forget to think about traffic patterns around your apartment. Choosing a high traffic area can be stressful, kill your gasoline budget, and cause you to spend way more time than you'd like waiting to turn left out of your driveway.
• If you can afford it...stay close to the places you go - the less driving you have to do, the more money and time you'll save. The places you go include work, favorite stores, favorite recreation areas, and the homes of friends and family members.

Good luck! Happy apartment-hunting!