First time renter. Tips?
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,471
Likes: 4
From: West Philly, PA!
Surprised nobody has mentioned it yet: renter's insurance.
Fairly inexpensive, mine runs like $300 a year. But if anything happens, you don't take a complete loss. You may feel like you don't have enough to warrant insurance. But have you ever tried to replace your entire wardrobe, down to your skivvies, all at once?
Edit:
And considering it's a bunch of college guys, the personal liability coverage from a policy may come in handy. Like when a guest at a party decides the best way down the stairs is head first
Fairly inexpensive, mine runs like $300 a year. But if anything happens, you don't take a complete loss. You may feel like you don't have enough to warrant insurance. But have you ever tried to replace your entire wardrobe, down to your skivvies, all at once?
Edit:
And considering it's a bunch of college guys, the personal liability coverage from a policy may come in handy. Like when a guest at a party decides the best way down the stairs is head first
Last edited by Kuroshio; Dec 9, 2012 at 05:13 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 777
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From: Monticello, Indiana
kuro, you just made my day!but if youre not that good at cooking, just look online, theres tons of good and simple recipes out there.
Retired Super Moderator and Fighterer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 6,146
Likes: 37
I won't be getting into furnitures and what not....I know it sounds cheesy but learning how to cook really makes a difference down the road. One that knows how to cook will help save you big bucks Vs. eating out. It could be hundreds and hundreds per month. It's like brewing your own coffee Vs. buying a cup everyday.
kind of along the same lines - learn to like cheap beer... i know it may not be the cool thing to do. i can't believe how much money i spent on "good" beer in college. it's a shame - i could have bought so many more parts for my bike with that money!
Track junkie & modaholic
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,847
Likes: 2
From: USA
Surprised nobody has mentioned it yet: renter's insurance.
Fairly inexpensive, mine runs like $300 a year. But if anything happens, you don't take a complete loss. You may feel like you don't have enough to warrant insurance. But have you ever tried to replace your entire wardrobe, down to your skivvies, all at once?
Fairly inexpensive, mine runs like $300 a year. But if anything happens, you don't take a complete loss. You may feel like you don't have enough to warrant insurance. But have you ever tried to replace your entire wardrobe, down to your skivvies, all at once?
They are cheap supermarkets, and se if your family has a costco account.
Retired Super Moderator and Fighterer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 6,146
Likes: 37
grocery store chains.... i've never been to maine haha, so i don't know what you guys have. publix is a southern one, and jewel and kroger are midwest/northern ones.
hahaha
hahaha
I thought the OP already mentioned having insurance factored in.
I figured that cooking and cheap beer were already a given as well. lol...
I like Genessee Cream Ale for like $14/30pk.
I figured that cooking and cheap beer were already a given as well. lol...
I like Genessee Cream Ale for like $14/30pk.
Just cook? No... How to cook, method wise that saves you money. Qty to buy... Food goes spoil and that's waste of money. You are what you eat, not just learning how to cook, but rather smart cooking. It's a life long journey...some can survive with soy sauce & rice, others ramen. You can save money all you want but that don't reflect your health. Eat smart, cook smart.
Inflatable furniture is your friend. It's cheap, you don't need to worry if it will have lice, bed bugs, germs, odors as you will with used furniture.
As far as cooking, if you don't know how to cook meat (chicken, beef, pork) over a stove, or boil bagged vegetables, canned food (tuna, soup, etc), boil spaghetti, or other stupidly simple things to make, you don't deserve to eat....you might as well quit college too. We aren't talking fancy food here, just healthy basic food. If you want fancy fancy, google and experiment and try again until you get it perfect.
Read your lease! I am a landlord. I take a great extent of consideration to write leases that will give tenants a heads up on what to do and what not to do so that things will stay cool with everyone. If a tenant came in and decided that he/she would just like to make their own rules, then it's time for me to come up with a strategy of when and how to get them out.
As far as renter's insurance and the idea of that...one good form of insurance is to not let potential thieves see what you have in your apartment. Be selective and cautious with whom you allow into your rented apartment. Thieves/burglars commit their crimes in places they have previously been, not places they have never been or never seen.
If heat is to be paid by the tenant, don't be wasteful with your energy usage (eh, even if you don't pay for the utilities, it still isn't good to be wasteful!)
Trying to make an apartment 80 degrees may cost you an extra $100 - 150, or more a month.
As far as cooking, if you don't know how to cook meat (chicken, beef, pork) over a stove, or boil bagged vegetables, canned food (tuna, soup, etc), boil spaghetti, or other stupidly simple things to make, you don't deserve to eat....you might as well quit college too. We aren't talking fancy food here, just healthy basic food. If you want fancy fancy, google and experiment and try again until you get it perfect.
Read your lease! I am a landlord. I take a great extent of consideration to write leases that will give tenants a heads up on what to do and what not to do so that things will stay cool with everyone. If a tenant came in and decided that he/she would just like to make their own rules, then it's time for me to come up with a strategy of when and how to get them out.
As far as renter's insurance and the idea of that...one good form of insurance is to not let potential thieves see what you have in your apartment. Be selective and cautious with whom you allow into your rented apartment. Thieves/burglars commit their crimes in places they have previously been, not places they have never been or never seen.
If heat is to be paid by the tenant, don't be wasteful with your energy usage (eh, even if you don't pay for the utilities, it still isn't good to be wasteful!)
Trying to make an apartment 80 degrees may cost you an extra $100 - 150, or more a month.