How to Create a Basic Budget

July 28, 2016 | By Kalee AuthorMy First Apartment

Creating a budget is one of the most important steps in keeping your finances in order. When you move into your first apartment, you’ll have to pay for necessities, such as rent, utilities, and groceries, while also being able to afford many other monthly bills, including commuting or car payments, student loan payments, phone, cable…

Ask Yourself These 6 Questions When You Are Budgeting for First Apartment Expenses

July 14, 2016 | By Kalee AuthorMy First Apartment

The amount of rent is obviously the most important consideration in your first apartment search, but there are several other factors that can make or break your first apartment budget. Before you fall in love with an apartment, ask yourself these six questions and factor your answers in when you are budgeting for apartment expenses.…

10 Easy Ways To Decorate & Organize (With NO Nail Holes)

July 9, 2016 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

This post by our organizing expert, Monica Ricci, had been a reader favorite since 2014. As a certified professional organizer, I’ve been in thousands of homes and apartments helping my clients take back control of their lives. One theme that always shows up in my work is my advice to look for as many ways…

Thrift Shop Decorating: 5 Basic Rules of Second-Hand Shopping

June 12, 2016 | By Eliza AuthorMy First Apartment

The idea of furnishing a new apartment, in addition to paying rent, is the stuff of nightmares for those of us paying off loans. Add the Pinterest-induced pressure of accent pieces, space-saving DIY projects, and words like “minimalist,” “bohemian,” and “shabby chic,” and one wants to throw their hands up and sleep on an air…

7 First Apartment Decorating Mistakes To Avoid

October 11, 2015 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

If you moved into your first apartment over the summer, your moving boxes should by now be in the recycling bin and your stuff neatly put away. (If that’s not the case yet stop reading right now, go empty your boxes, and come back when it’s done!) Now that the summer is gone, you are…

Save or Splurge: The Kitchen

July 19, 2015 | By Sarah AuthorMy First Apartment

One of the best parts (or worst, depending on your skillset) of moving into your own apartment is having free reign over your kitchen, meal plan, and cooking schedule. For those that love to cook, this freedom is thrilling! For those that don’t, it can be a bit daunting. Here’s a our list on what…

Apartment Decor Spotlight: Budget-Friendly Room Dividers

May 10, 2015 | By Audra AuthorMy First Apartment

Whether you’re living in an open-floor studio or just want to add a little more privacy to your standard apartment, room dividers are one of the most fabulous (and cost-effective) ways to break up and give your space a cozy feel. So, today, after a request from one of our awesome My First Apartment readers,…

6 Budget Decorating Tips to Spice Up Your Walls!

March 21, 2015 | By Jessie AuthorMy First Apartment

Are the walls in your apartment a little boring? Spice them up with some of these inexpensive ideas: 1. Posters Posters are great decor, because there are about a million posters out there, so it’s easy to find one, or a few, that suit you. I suggest buying posters online: you can get some pretty…

7 Biggest First Apartment Furnishing Mistakes

October 30, 2014 | By Audra AuthorMy First Apartment

Furnishing your first apartment is no easy task. It’s a fact we know well around here at My First Apartment because we’ve all been there, done that, and have plenty of “uh-oh” stories to tell. So, as you set out to furnish your new place and make it your first home away from home, watch…

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.…