Job or No Job, Post-Grad Apartment Hunt Starts

May 3, 2011 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Congratulations to our blogger Elyse who is graduating from college! “My Post-Grad Apartment Hunt Starts” by Elyse May is here and so is my college graduation. While it’s exciting to celebrate the end of writing papers and reading for anything besides pleasure, it also means the end of being coddled by my student status. With…

No More Roommates! How to Know It’s Time to Go Solo

April 6, 2011 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our blogger Elyse is contemplating her next move after graduation. The Price of Solitude by Elyse Roommates. I’ve had good ones, great ones and terrible ones. With my lease coming to an end in a few months, I’ve been considering the two options of either finding a new roommate, or going it alone. Don’t get me…

Elyse Asks To Dorm or Not to Dorm Next Semester?

January 27, 2011 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

“To Dorm or Not to Dorm?” That is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of RA’s and ugly furniture; or to take arms against the sea of the real world and move into an apartment… The spring semester has started, and that means colleges will be writing…

4 Secrets for Getting Along with Roommates

December 30, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our blogger Elyse shares her strategies for handling money matters and common chores with roommates. I’ve lived with a lot of different people in my life. When I lived at home, I had to share a room with my sister right up until I went to college and shared a dorm room. When I got the apartment, one…

Elyse on Roommate Gifting

December 24, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

When you share a home with people, it can often feel like a surrogate family. I’ve had Sunday dinners and Thursday movie nights with roomies, but I’ve loved the Christmases I’ve shared with roommates more than anything. Last year, we all had a real Christmas morning together (albeit, the week before Christmas day) where we…

Elyse Reflects on Holiday Generosity and Tipping

December 17, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

I love the holidays. The entire month of December is filled with its own special food, music, decorations and a massive movie market. But my favorite part is that it is the one time of the year when people actively try to be decent, generous human beings. I’ve always used this time of year to…

5 Flights or Staying on Budget and in Shape

November 12, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our blogger Elyse shares her exercise secrets. 5 Flights: Staying on Budget and in Shape When you’re living on your own for the first time, it’s probably safe to say you don’t really have the money to spare on a gym membership. (Especially if you live in New York City.) When I first moved in…

The Fifth Floor Girls and the Second Floor Guys.

October 14, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our guest blogger Elyse learns why it pays to be friendly with your neighbors. The Fifth Floor Girls and the Second Floor Guys. We moved in on the same day as our second floor neighbors. They were three guys, we were three girls and we were close enough in age to comfortably mix socially. They…

How to Plan a Week of Healthy Meals for $60

September 29, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our guest blogger Elyse is an NYU student who just recently managed to free herself from the college dormitory system. Me and My Grocery List The one thing I never understood in college was how quickly people abandoned their meal plans. Why would a person choose to cook meals, wash dishes and, the worst part of…

More Reasons Why You Should Get Curtains

September 8, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our guest blogger Elyse is an NYU student who just recently managed to free herself from the college dormitory system. The Importance of Curtains When my roommates and I first found our apartment one of my personal favorite features was the gigantic, and I mean gigantic, windows in every room. As a film major/“photographer” and…