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Mark green eco friendly paint
May 23, 2013 – 7:17 pm | One Comment

Do you feel that in the air? It’s the change in seasons, heralded by green leaves lining branches, birds chirping in the morning, and rays of sunlight streaking through the clouds. When the seasons change, …

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Furnishing an Apartment for under $2,000
May 19, 2013 – 12:24 pm | One Comment

A month ago, we reviewed what to do if you need to furnish your apartment in $500 or less. Today, we’ll touch on suggestions if your budget’s a little bit larger – basically under $2,000. Which, when you consider our most recent first apartment checklist, isn’t so outlandish … after all, there’s a lot of things to buy!

ChairsFirst off, just because you’re able to spend up to $2,000 on furniture, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to skimp – so garage sales, relatives’ castaways, and thrift shops are still in play. You’ll likely need to get one or more major items from these sources.

That said, with $2,000 you can afford to spend a little more on a few key items – and you have some more flexibility: instead of just trying to get the basics (couch, bed, table, chairs, coffee table) in the cheapest manner possible, you can actually coordinate the furniture and try to have a cohesive vibe for your new apartment. Box stores such as Target, IKEA and World Market are within play, even if you still need to shop at the lower end of their price spectrum.

How do you figure out what to splurge on, and how to have everything match? Our guest blogger Kate Holland had some tips: pick your large pieces first and design around them and use rugs and accent pillows (which can be found on the cheap) to add color and make the room pop. Places like Fab.com have deals on cheap accent pieces, as well as furniture. Some other online deal sites to consider: Gilt Home and Overstock.com.

During our Design Month, we also worked with Interior Designer Kate Marengo. She had some shopping and design tips for readers, including shopping Estate Sales and Home Decorator’s Collection. She also pointed out that if you’re going to spend major money on just one or two major pieces of furniture, they should be your couch and your bed – since you spend every night sleeping in your bed, and most likely your couch is the other piece of furniture you use the most. Kate also answered readers’ questions in two parts, if you want to see her complete breakdown. (Spoiler alert: after you get your furniture, painting can be a great way to spruce up a place.)

Our blogger Christina walked our readers through all the different, unusual types of beds, while long-time blogger Alissa has the low-down on how to negotiate mattress prices – the key takeaway being: never pay sticker price for a mattress. In fact, offer to pay half and see where that takes you. You should end up settling on 3/4 to 2/3 of the list price.

Still intimidated? Our blogger Alexandra walks readers through how she furnished her studio for under 2K, while I caution readers about renting furniture: as overwhelming as furniture shopping can be, you’re far likely to get a better product at a better price if you buy, rather than rent. Realistically, $2,000 is a reasonable budget for furnishing a small apartment well. If you the patience to spend a few weekends on it, and continue to bargain hunt, you can have a very well-appointed place within a month of moving in.

Moving Back with Family: 5 Rules for Navigating the Transition
May 14, 2013 – 3:02 pm | 8 Comments
welcome home

In my first post here, I mentioned that my boyfriend and I would be living with family for the month of May while we wait for our apartment to come available in June. What I …

Things You Need For Your First Apartment: The Ultimate Checklist
May 12, 2013 – 12:10 pm | One Comment
guy buying groceries

You found an apartment, you signed the lease, you wrote the check. Congrats, you’re now all ready to move into your first apartment! Except, wait a minute, you’re not. You need things to put in …

Should You Join a CSA for Your Fresh Veggies and Fruit?
May 7, 2013 – 2:28 pm | No Comment
veggies

Let’s start with this: we here at My First Apartment strongly suggest making a habit of cooking at home. Why? First, it saves you a ton of money. Second, you learn a valuable skill (cooking). …

10 Skills Every First Apartment Renter Should Have
May 3, 2013 – 2:28 pm | One Comment
Woman with tools.

I read an article in this month’s HGTV Magazine that listed some skills you should have as a home owner. While they had a few good ones everyone should know, the majority were skills we …

Here We Go Again: New Job, Move, and Another Apartment Hunt
April 30, 2013 – 10:08 pm | One Comment
Newnan Lofts Entrance

We are welcoming here our newest blogger, Audra, and look forward to her tales about apartment living in a small Southern city.
Hello there. I’m Audra and my story of apartment living started almost a year ago. On a gorgeous day …

I’m Renting a Condo…from My Mother
April 25, 2013 – 4:36 pm | No Comment
Christa - condo

With this post we welcome a new blogger to the MFA team.  Christa is a first time renter, born and raised in New York, and she’ll be telling us what it’s like when you call …

Relationship and Legal Issues When You Move In With Your Significant Other
April 21, 2013 – 10:59 pm | No Comment
cohabiting photo

It’s a month before graduation and you have just found out that both you and your college BF/GF  have landed jobs in the same city.  Now the big question is, should you look for an apartment …

Furnishing on Budgets from $0 – $500
April 19, 2013 – 5:30 pm | 5 Comments
KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

You’ve saved and saved and finally got your own place. Then the sad reality hits.  After you pay your first month’s rent, security deposit and moving costs there is no money left to furnish your …

Our Most Popular Advice for First Time Apartment Hunters
April 11, 2013 – 9:07 pm | No Comment
Young woman sits on the floor around boxes holding a key in her hand

As the spring apartment hunting season kicks into high gear, here are some of our most popular post for first time renters.
How much do you need to save before you can afford to rent an apartment? The short …

Apartment Hunting Tips for New Grad Students
April 4, 2013 – 10:27 pm | 2 Comments
student housing

You just got the happy email and the fat envelope.  You’re very excited about your new school and the move to a new city. Then it hits you: “Where am I going to live?”  You’re going …