apartment stuff from howtogrowthefuckup
not all of it, but stuff i find particularly useful/want to remember. RIP this blog. the gimmick wears off after a while but it was genuinely useful information.
suggested monthly budget for groceries for a two-person household is $553. estimated weekly budget is around $100.
find a pad of paper and a pen and keep it with you for the next 24 hours. Write down every single fucking thing you use or even touch in your house. Tomorrow I want you to look at that list and figure out the cost of everything.
keep track of how much you spend on gas monthly.
add in your estimated utilities. You can fucking google that on your own, because it’s going to be different for wherever you want to live. Absolutely do this if you plan on moving to a different town or state.
divide your total monthly income by three. Hey, look at that, it’s my good friend Math again. Funny how he keeps showing up. Make sure the number of your expenses is less than the other 2/3rds, if it is, you can continue.
Focus on your top 10. Then your top 5. Then your top 3. Don’t go any farther than that (and don’t get rid of the research for the other 7 just yet). Create crazy complicated rating systems. Make an excel sheet or start putting stuff on your wall and connecting them with strings. Go full-on serial killer. Dedicate yourself.
You should also make note of how big the room is so you know if you can even fit what little you own. The same goes for the hallways or stairs or whatever exists outside the apartment on the way from your car. Could you get your mattress through all that shit?
Figure out what you want to donate and what you want to put in the trash before you start packing.
Do not go grocery shopping right before moving… Just wait til you’re in the new place to make that trip.
Change your address. Like a week before you move. While you’re doing this, make a list of everywhere you’ve entered your address and need to change. Keep that list. Your future self will thank you someday.
Start in one room and pack all that before moving to a different part of the house. This is a good way to keep all your stuff together and it’s also a good way to find out that you own five decks of cards or one too many furbys.
Put everything into piles: keep, donate, and ditch.
Label the boxes with what room they belong to so you know exactly where it needs to go. Some people like to also mark this with a color coded sticker.
Also label what’s in the boxes. For example: Kitchen - silverware; cooking utensils; hot pads; magnet collection. You don’t need to label every item individually, but have some idea of what’s in there. Label it on more than one side. Don’t label it on the top, because you’ll just end up stacking boxes on top of each other.
Distribute the weight of your stuff. Mix heavy books with stuffed animals.
Alternately, pack by weight. Heavy stuff goes in small boxes, light stuff goes in big boxes. Basically what I’m saying is don’t pack a massive box with too much weight that it’s too heavy to carry or will break the box.
Use all of your suitcases and bags for packing!
For toiletries - take off the top, place plastic wrap over the opening, replace the top. This way you don’t end up with lotion all over your towels or something.
Know what you’ll need immediately and make sure those boxes are the last thing on the truck, first thing unloaded at the new place. Maybe keep those things in a clear container so you can see exactly what’s in there. Hint: three of the things you’ll need immediately are your toolbox, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper.
note to self: get toolbox and first aid kit.
Take pictures of the new apartment. Before anything goes in it. This way if there are any scratches on the wall or stains on the carpet, the new landlord can’t say it happened during the move.
Apartments.com and My First Apartment both have lists of questions to ask.
questions directly from the blog:
Is the apartment available and is it still listed at the same price or are they trying to swindle you/are they completely incompetent at updating their listings?
Will it be ready when you need it? It’s gonna totally suck if you find the right place and find out it’s not available when you’re ready to move
Are there appliances? Are they included? Do they even work?
How old is the apartment? This is important to ask because it will tell you how much trouble you’re going to have. Like, if it’s Civil War era, you might have issues with foundation cracks or old wiring or ghosts of soldiers waking you up in the middle of the night.
Have there been any issues with insects, rodents, mold, or mildew? You have to ask this. No good self-respecting property manager would tell you this of their own free will.
What kind of security is there? Did you have to go through a gate when you came in? Do you need a key to get into your building before you get into your door? Or does your door face out cheap motel style? Are there electronic pass codes? Is there any kind of security force on site?
If you ever find someone willing to hang out with you, is there a special place they need to park? Do you need to let the office know if they plan on staying the night?
Where do you park? Is parking included? Is in indoor or outdoor?
Do you need a city sticker to park on the street? [Note: I asked this when I moved to Missouri and everyone thought I was batshit crazy. This is normal in places like Chicago, not so normal elsewhere. See if you can determine that before you ask a crazy question.]
Can you paint the walls? Can you put holes in the walls? Can you do whatever it is you do to walls, so long as they look the same when you move out?
What exactly is the maintenance policy, beyond walls? What is covered, what’s not? And who do you contact when there’s an issue? Is there a maintenance person on staff, or do they call out to someone in the area? Do they have a 24-hour emergency maintenance line
Is there heat and air conditioning? What kind? If it’s a window unit, will it be included in the apartment? Are the costs of heating and cooling included
Do you have control over the temperature or is it a building thing?Are any utilities included?
Who are the cable and internet providers in the area? What are their rates? Does the apartment complex have an exclusive contract with one of the companies?
What kind of people live here? Do they have children? Are they all ancient? Do they have, as I suspect my last neighbors did, a bowling alley in their apartment?
Just how much are you going to hear from your neighbors? On a scale of Ernest Hemingway to Les Mis, how thick are the walls?
When is rent due and how do they want it? Are checks required? Can you pay with a credit card? Do they want it all in cash? Also, how is rent submitted? Can you pay electronically or do you drop it in a mailbox?
Do you need renter’s insurance? About how much does it cost? Are there any weird things that need to be included that might not be everywhere? Like, are earthquakes an issue?
What is the process for applying to the apartment, should you choose to rent it? Are there credit checks?
What’s the pet policy? Is there pet rent?
Are there quiet hours or other weird rules about volume or people or places or things?
Are there public areas like pools or parks or gyms? What are the rules regarding those?
If you have a roommate, will both of your names be on the lease, or will one person be designated as the responsible party (you better pray it isn’t you)?
What about trash? Is there pick up or dumpsters? Recycling?
Is there a storage unit included? Where is it? What kind of security does it have?
What happens with deliveries? Do they all go through the front office or are they left on your doorstep? Are you able to pick stuff up at any time? Do you need certain ID for it?
Is there a dishwasher? Is it louder than the bowling alley next door?
If you’re in an area that gets snow, do they plow or shovel? Will they totally bury your car if you don’t move it when the plow comes by?Is there public transportation anywhere?
not questions, but things to pay attention to:
Where are the outlets? Take note of prongs.
Are there permanent light sources or do you need to go to Ikea?
How big are the rooms? What shape are they? Are you going to be able to fit all your shit in here? [Note: you should already have a floor plan online, but ask for a paper copy if they have one.]
Do the people in the office seem at all competent? Are they going to make your life a living hell?
Can you get your stuff up/down the stairs or through the doors when you move in?
Are the appliances/apartment gas or electric?
Can you open the oven and fridge and still walk through the room? Will opening any doors block off other areas or hit something else?
Can you get a cell signal in the apartment? Seriously.
EDIT: waybackmachine links:
snowghoul
stormborns
baratheonpilled
blakekathryn
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
jacobvanloon
