I’m Moving to Brooklyn: Here’s How I Plan to Furnish My Apartment

October 20, 2014 | By Ben AuthorMy First Apartment

As my move to New York approaches, I am starting to make plans about how I want to furnish my apartment. As a suburban California kid, I have always had many places to shop, a car to transport new stuff, and parents to pay for things. Living in Brooklyn, all of that will be different.…

How to Tell If Your Apartment Has a Criminal Past

October 15, 2014 | By Contributors AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s the spooky time of the year again, so let’s take a look at another one of apartment hunter’s nightmares – unknowingly renting a place with a criminal past. Yes, it can and does happen. It even happened to one of my fellow My First Apartment bloggers a few years ago. In that case the…

Should You Seek Out a Roommate Who’s Different From You?

March 16, 2014 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

The fat envelope has just arrived from your top-choice college. While you’re still rejoicing, you realize you’ll have to live with a stranger in a dorm room next year. Yes, you’ll have to fill out some forms to get matched up with a roommate, but even before you get there, you need to decide: do you…

Seven Tips for Moving in the Winter

March 1, 2014 | By doug AuthorMy First Apartment

We recently covered the Pros & Cons of Apartment Hunting in the Winter. If you decide to go for it, there’s probably one big lingering concern: the dreaded moving process. In the winter, it takes on an extra level of frustration, anxiety, and peril. All that ice to slip on (while carrying a box of dishes).…

First Apartment Budgeting Basics: Your Monthly Expenses Checklist

February 21, 2014 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

You’ve signed the lease and you have a move-in date. You know how much rent you can afford. But what are your expenses once you move in? Let’s break it down. First, there’s the moving. This is a one-time expense, but it can be a big one. You need to decide whether you’re using movers…

Planning Your First Dinner Party

January 4, 2014 | By doug AuthorMy First Apartment

Get the new year off to a festive start and throw a dinner party for a few friends. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to have a successful party and impress your guests. You just need to put together your game plan and focus on a few key details. THE GROUNDWORK Plan your guest list carefully.…

It’s Not Me, It’s You: Breaking up with a Roommate

October 27, 2013 | By Melissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Sometimes things don’t work out the way we expect: relationships, friendships, living situations. No matter how mature or experienced we are, when something goes awry, there will be hard feelings. The cardinal rule of roommate break-ups is don’t blindside your roommates. Don’t just pack up and leave a post-it on the fridge. Also, it’s not cool to announce that…

Furnishing an Apartment for under $2,000

May 19, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

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…

Renting Furniture: Is It a Good Idea?

February 21, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

In keeping with this February’s Design Month theme, I’d like to answer a question from one of our readers, Jared. He was wondering whether it would be worthwhile to rent-to-own his furniture, rather than buying it piece-by-piece. He made the point that for the expected monthly payment of rentals, he could afford much nicer…

6 Steps to Get Your Apartment in Shape for the New Year

January 3, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

‘Tis the time to make resolutions. Here at My First Apartment we feel there has to be a better way to knock off one or two long-neglected chores around the apartment than by using the vague and quickly-forgotten resolutions traditionally associated with New Year’s – after all, the idea of “cleaning more often”, “making the…