Are You Annoying Your Roommate Without Realizing It?

August 2, 2013 | By doug AuthorMy First Apartment

Sure, you don’t think you’re doing anything annoying. You wave a friendly hello to your roommate. You pay the bills on time and even covered whole utility bill when your roommate was between jobs. Heck, you even shared those cookies you baked last week. As far as you’re concerned, you’re a rock-star roomie. And you probably are.…

Tips for Hassle-Free Splitting of Bills with Roommates

June 30, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

You know how it goes. One roommate has the cable bill in his name. Another roommate has his name on the electricity and heat. And you’re the one that mails in the rent check. And then there’s groceries, which you try to trade off on, but it may just be that you’ve footed the bill…

Should You Join a CSA for Your Fresh Veggies and Fruit?

May 7, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

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). Third, usually when you eat at home, what you eat is healthier than what you’d have eating out (since you’re…

Goodbye, Roommate! How to Know You Are Ready to Get Your Own Place

March 18, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

In the past few weeks, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about selecting roommates. So now let’s shift to another scenario: you’ve had a roommate for a while, and now you’re ready to live on your own. How do you know if you’re ready to take this particular plunge? There are three areas you…

How to Find A Roommate That’s Right for You

March 12, 2013 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

Last week we talked about where to find people who are in need of a roommate. But simply finding a few people who are interested in being your roommate doesn’t mean you’re done – the next step is choosing someone you really want to have around. After all, the idea is not just to find…

Roommates and Overnight Guests:Tips to Avoid Problems

January 28, 2013 | By doug AuthorMy First Apartment

Ben Franklin may have known about electricity, politics, bifocals and one or two other things, but one of his more overlooked gifts to posterity is this immortal observation: “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” What he didn’t say is this: If they’re your roommate’s guests, rather than your own, the smell can…

Roommate Gift-Giving: A Complete Guide

December 8, 2012 | By Alex AuthorMy First Apartment

Here at My First Apartment we love the holiday season – it’s a time to get together with old friends, it’s a time to reflect upon the year gone by, and it’s also a time to exchange presents. For the first apartment dwellers among us, that can mean a good ol’ fashioned roommate gift swap.…

6 Common Roommate Personality Types – Which One is Yours?

October 24, 2012 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

ROOMMATE PERSONALITY TYPES by Sabrina Personality type plays a heavy role when searching for the perfect roommate. This means understanding your own personality and understanding what type of personality you are compatible with. Here are some of the stand-out personality types I have met during my roommate adventures. (As for my own personality, I’m probably closest to…

Kelsey Starts Her Roommate Life in LA

October 7, 2012 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

With this post we welcome our newest guest blogger, Kelsey. STARTING MY ROOMMATE LIFE IN LA by Kelsey Hello! I’m Kelsey, a 22-year old recent college grad, and I have no idea what I want to do with my life, except that I want to do it in the beautiful sunny California where I went college.…

Top 5 Roommate Relationship Landmines…and How to Avoid Them

September 18, 2012 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Our guest blogger Sabrina has distilled her 20+ roommate experiences into the top five areas that can explode with serious damage to the roommate relationship. And we have added some tried-and-true MFA tips for avoiding the danger zones. TOP 5 ROOMMATE RELATIONSHIP LANDMINES by Sabrina Roommates can be a fairy tale of exciting events and life-long…