Should You Move Out? Pros and Cons of Living with Family

August 31, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

We get a lot of readers asking if they have the budget to move out of their parents’ (or other relatives) house. It makes sense: who doesn’t want to be living a fully independent lifestyle? In terms of sheer finances, we’ve covered topics from budgeting for rent to the cost of utilities to how much…

Savvy Financial Tips: How You Should Budget For Rent

September 7, 2012 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

We’re back with our second installment of tips from the folks at Apartment Guide, this time with your wallet in mind. Check out our first installment here, designed to make your home feel warm and cozy – not to mention reward a lucky commenter with $50 for sharing a tip for how to best turn an…

How Much Should You Plan for Utilities?

August 19, 2012 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

2017 Update: You can download our new Printable Apartment Budgeting Worksheet and use it to estimate your rent and budget for all your expenses. Update: If you are trying to figure out how much rent you can afford, also check out these three posts for more calculations and expense guidelines: How Much Rent Can I…

Top 10 – The Most Popular 2011 Posts

December 21, 2011 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

2011 has been a great year for MyFirstApartment.com thanks to you, our loyal readers. We are within striking distance of 1 million pageviews for the year (as of yesterday we were at 948,687!) and growing at 50%. Do I hear applause? During the year we posted once or twice a week, all original articles on…

Free Time?!?

April 11, 2006 | By Jeff AuthorMy First Apartment

I have so many bills already. Paying rent and utilities is going to be a pain. There already not enough free time. Yet, I’m thinking of getting a part-time job to make some extra cash—like 5 to 10 hours a week at a job that pays $15ish—maybe I can bartend again. But, then I was…

Basic Furniture Checklist

November 25, 2005 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Budgeting for Furniture. Check out our Basic Furniture Checklist to see what you'll need to furnish a one bedroom apartment at Ikea or Pottery Barn prices.