Moving into your first apartment is a scary but exciting process! You get to experience a new feeling of independence and you get to discover more about yourself (and shopping for decor is also a plus!) There are a few things I wish I knew before I moved though, and I’m going to share them with you.
Kitchen: You don’t have to have everything right away
One thing that was super stressful but definitely did not need to be was stocking my kitchen. I really wanted to practice cooking and perfect a few meals that I could make during the school year, so I spent a lot of time looking up recipes and grocery lists for a first kitchen. When it came time for my first grocery run, I was so overwhelmed. I wanted to have every single ingredient I could ever need at once, which made my grocery trip not only difficult, but expensive. I didn’t actually end up getting everything I needed, I actually just bought about $40 worth of groceries and then called my mom in a panic. The next day she took me to the store and explained that you can buy things as you go. This sounds like an obvious point, but when you are living on your own for the first time, simple things like this will slip your mind. This bring me to my next point.
Meal PLAN (not prep)
In order to avoid unwanted stress, the most effective thing to do when it comes to mealtime is meal planning. Not to be confused with meal prep: portioning meals for each day of the week. You should think of a few meals you want to have for the month or the week, depending how often you want to shop. This will help you narrow down your grocery list and lessen the amount of stress surrounding cooking.
Figure out where packages are delivered
Another thing that may seem obvious, but not really. I know in my building there are a few different places where packages would get dropped off. The first few packages I received were stolen, which is an annoying and tedious process to go through (customer service is pain for the customer and the provider!). When moving in, either scope out the area yourself or ask the landlord/property manager where packages are delivered. Take this as a cautionary tale!
Upward Storage
The sad truth: most college apartments are tiny! Similar to living in a dorm, storage is limited. My advice would be to invest in wall shelves or tabletop storage to help reduce the amount of clutter you have. You can find a bunch on Amazon or any hardware store. You can look as these as an investment, since you can use them for many years… possibly forever!
Know how/when to pay your bills
Another big tip would be: learn how to pay bills! Nowadays, you can pay your bills in a multitude of ways: in person, online, over the phone, on an app. The best thing you can do is make a list of all of the bill you will have per month, when they are due, and how to pay them. Also pay attention to any late fees and other little things like that!
I hope these tips help you when you begin your #ApartmentLife. Good luck and enjoy your new space!