I'm gonna be moving into my first apartment in the coming months. I'm not your typical broke college student with no/minimal income, but obviously I'm not just care free $2000/month 3 bedroom apartment either. So with that said I'm not really looking for the usual slew of "buy all your food in bulk from walmart and buy all your clothes from goodwill"... because let's be honest, that's common sense if you're on a very tight budget.
Looking more for what to look for and what to ask when I'm checking out apartments, as well as tips for making the life easier. I do think I would like to get a pet eventually, probably a cat because I expect to work fairly long hours. Other than that I couldn't really care less if it's 300 square feet or whatever as long as it has a basic kitchen and some place to sleep, and isn't in a dangerous neighborhood.
edit: I've been reading around myfirstapartment.com, some nice tips there in case anyone else wanted help or was going to suggest that.
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[–] 5401773? 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
Some apartments offer laundry machines that aren't coin-op. If you find one you've struck gold.
I wouldn't turn down a nice place because they don't allow pets because most places don't.
If the heating is electric see if power is included in rent. If not (and I'd you live in a part if the world with brutal winters) you may want to look elsewhere.
In terms of groceries avoiding lots of snacks can save you a substantial amount of money. Splitting with roomates and buying groceries for big meals like stew that can be eaten for days as leftovers can save you money as well.