Jump to content

I'm moving into my first apartment! Gimme advice, please?


RSparky

Recommended Posts

Eh... if we do split, which I find highly unlikely, but if... I'd like to make it fair. Hell, I'd rather her keep the place, and I'd just go back to home cooked meals.

(Which I am quickly realizing how much I will miss.)

cooking is easy as hell and can be made enjoyable too. Like was said get a Foreman with the removable grill and griddle inserts and you can make tons and tons of things

Edited by Bad324
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get a George Foreman grill. One with removable plates. Easier to wash. Quick easy meals.

Mom has one, stuffed in a closet somewhere! You're a genius.

I understand the splitting argument, I really do. I also understand that she is just as logical and methodical as I when it comes to her finances. When shit went down with her old roomy, she immediately made arrangements to pay off the rest of her half of the lease, and she ditched.

Besides, she wouldn't leave me, she wants my bike! If anything does happen, I'll be sure to tell everybody, so you can laugh at my interwebz face...

We do try really hard to be fair in the financial department, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doing small stuff can save you money. Turn your thermostat down a little bit when you don't need it, close doors for rooms that don't need to be heated/cooled, turn lights off you don't need, turn the water heater down, etc.

this is all good stuff as well.

However, do not turn the heat/ac up and down drastically every day and night for when you are home and not home. It actually costs more in the long run

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yah, the apartments dont have central air, so we can heat only the rooms we need. And yes, we will be "insulated" on three sides of the apartment, plus above. We have friends who life there already, in a two bedroom, who just turn on their bedroom heaters, and that handles the whole place well enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yah, the apartments dont have central air, so we can heat only the rooms we need. And yes, we will be "insulated" on three sides of the apartment, plus above. We have friends who life there already, in a two bedroom, who just turn on their bedroom heaters, and that handles the whole place well enough.

Sounds like a plan, but also some of the heaters use a lot of electricity to run in the winter :D. Summers are gonna suck with out central air.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm thinking about actually getting an efficient heater, and saying screw it to the radiator things. Would that be cheaper?

In summer.... I'll be riding anyway. ;-)

Good deal, we have them at our house. Helps on the gas bill temp is at 60 always with space heaters in our rooms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep your mouth shut and never say anything stupid! J/K

Dishes, linens, towels, Budget food! Dont eat out as much! Keep the drinking to a min when you are out... At least until you get a budget worked out you can both live with. The first one you set-up is trial and error... Whatever you do... Get rid of them if you have them... and dont get them if you dont... CREDIT CARDS... It is too easy to run them up especially while you are in school.

Get one... Keep it locked away... Dont carry it! Only use it in emergencies... My only true piece of great advice!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep your mouth shut and never say anything stupid! J/K

Dishes, linens, towels, Budget food! Dont eat out as much! Keep the drinking to a min when you are out... At least until you get a budget worked out you can both live with. The first one you set-up is trial and error... Whatever you do... Get rid of them if you have them... and dont get them if you dont... CREDIT CARDS... It is too easy to run them up especially while you are in school.

Get one... Keep it locked away... Dont carry it! Only use it in emergencies... My only true piece of great advice!

Inactive credit cards arent great for your credit score. Use the credit sparingly each month and pay off the balance...good way to build your credit score.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

spending 25% of your income on rent can be pretty dangerous, depending on how much you make...

For someone pulling in $60k/year on salary, 25% is probably a pretty safe move. For someone making half that, with an waged job that may or may not give them 40 hours a week consistently, 25% is too much to spend on an apartment.

I'd also be seriously concerned that you have a ring payment accruing interest. Get rid of your debts BEFORE you move out, because you're sure as hell aren't going to get rid of them after you're paying rent on top of your existing expenses.

I owned my bike and paid off my truck before moving out of my parents house (after college). I was literally throwing $600+ a month at my car loan, so I was very confident that my half of the $650/month rent would easily be covered. It was still tighter than I would have liked.

If you're still sure you can afford to move out, rent the cheapest place that is in a safe neighborhood. Some times $100 a month more is worth it to be in a better area, or even just to have higher income-level neighbors.

good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or... OR..... live in a cheap, shitty, dangerous neighborhood and spend the money you save on guns and insurance.

If I wasn't married I would live in a shitty area. Hell you can find a house in the ghetto for like $300 a month, but I have a wife..:rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The dogs actually aren't that noisy. The chihuahua is the best behaved that anybody who has seen a chihuahuha has seen... If you get that confusing ass sentence. Most of them are yippy little bastards... But he only barks when the door is opened. And my shnorky usually stays shut up. His problem is that he is as uncoordinated as it comes. So he runs rather loudly. Thus, another reason why we got a lower level apartment.

About the 25% of income rent? That slightly worried me... I worked it up, and assuming we don't go crazy on useless crap, we'll each have a check a month for bills, and a check a month for living... Uncle Sam pays for my school, and Sarah has a savings thing that her grandpa started for her, for just that situation. However, she doesn't want to dip into it unless she has to. Go her. I'd be all over that....

My mom has already told, not asked, that she is going to make sure that my fridge is stuffed. lol, problem with that is that my fiance, Sarah, wants to eat like a rabbit. Having her own choice over what we buy is a big motivator for her to get out, which I understand. She went from a salad a day, with other healthy crap to my mom's meatloaf, pork chops, microwave lazy meals, and whatnot... I didn't mind though, as the extra fat would be good for her. But it's whatever, it's her body.

/end long useless rant post thing/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...