The Holiday Tipping Experiment

December 12, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

In years previous, I’ve written about holiday tipping. If you’re looking for that article, about suggested tipping amounts, check out my recent article called Holiday Tip 2009 . As a preview — your hair stylist might be expecting as much as $20! The topic was first proposed by my editor and I was a bit baffled…

Avoiding Roommates from Hell

October 11, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s kind of amazing, how many bad roommate stories are out there. Everyone who’s ever lived with someone seems to have one and few topics bring about the kind of unadulterated hatred and self-pity than those of horrible roommates. Jezebel recently came to us, asking if we had any tips for how to avoid roommate…

Get Going – Rents Are Moving Up!

June 15, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

As many frequent readers of My First Apartment can attest to – I don’t have a very high opinion of the New York Times’ rental section. Their articles are myopic and outdated and the tone tends to more closely resemble that of an Upper East Side doyenne than a breaking news reporter. I still have…

Checking Out That Rental — Be An Ace Scout!

June 2, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Looking at apartments without furniture can be tricky – it’s not as easy to guesstimate space as one might think. And then there’s the whole issue of sizing up landlords, neighborhoods, and how you’ll turn this random apartment you just saw for the very time today into a home. But you can do it while…

How Much Should You Be Tipping This Holiday Season?

December 15, 2009 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

2009 was a toughie, no? Even though I’m thankful that I now have gainful employment, I’d be dreaming to say that my bank account has fully recovered from the mess that was being laid-off. But, while I’m still trying to get my savings back up to less-anxiety filled levels of green, I definitely understand that…

Tips to manage the move to your new apartment

October 2, 2009 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Once you’ve found that dreamboat apartment and signed the lease, there is that small, teeny-tiny, issue of actually changing abodes. I just went through it. Oh, it was a blast. A real hoot. I’m grateful to still have my sanity. Some tips I can share? 1) Decide if you need to hire a mover. If…

Apartment Broker Confessions!

April 23, 2009 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Time Out New York did a huuuge profile on apartment living this month. Huge! One of my favorite sections, is the Broker Confessions Three of their more helpful suggestions to avoid skeezy brokers were: 1) Make sure the broker is not charging you AND the owner his standard commission. They can get in plenty of…

Beat the Winter Blues

January 17, 2008 | By Shelby AuthorMy First Apartment

Got a case of the winter blahs? It’s understandable. After all, those of us with 9-5 jobs get up in the dark, work all day, and when it’s time to go home – oh look, it’s dark again. Depending on where you live, it may also be wickedly cold. In winter, people tend to eat…