[Life after college is hard. Like really hard. But it's not so hard that you should curl up in a ball and watch E! marathons all day long. Not only are we covering the experience from a first-hand perspective, but we're now covering it from a how-to-survive-it perspective. Every week, we're going to bringing the best advice to getting through your first post-grad year. Because sometimes, your grandmother's "just go to law school" advice just doesn't cut it.]

This past Saturday  I finally moved into my new apartment with my old best friend. We started out apartment hunt June 1^st…looked at over 20 apartments, and finally found one we liked. It’s a work in progress.

Before June I knew nothing about looking for apartments, we had no idea what to expect the first time we saw one. It was pretty frightening. It didn’t help that we both grew up in the suburbs and had no idea what it was like to live, let alone rent an affordable apartment, in a city.

Needless to say I’ve learned a thing for two about hunting for apartments that I wish I had known about a month ago, like research neighborhoods before you drive to them and waste gas money.

So in order to help all of our readers I thought I would put together a few things I’ve learned along the way to help you all in search of your first (second, or third) place:

Oil vs Electric vs Gas Heat: Luckily this was one of the things my ex-boyfriend told me early on, “Make sure you get gas heat, it’s wicked cheap” however, I ended up finding an apartment with oil. But regardless, and for the most part (well depending on where you live), the price of heat goes like this: electric is the most expensive, oil is the second most expensive, and gas is the cheapest. Just something to keep in mind when looking at non-utility inclusive apartments.

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Summer is about halfway through, which means before you know it, everyone will be gearing up to head back to campus (sad, I know). However, it’s still far enough away from the start of school that it’s the perfect time to start looking for an apartment if you’re planning on living off campus this semester. Most of your classmates probably won’t start looking for a few more weeks, so if you begin now, you’ll have a head start and better chances of finding a great place before someone else snags it.

I know from experience that apartment hunting isn’t the easiest or most fun process in the world. There’s a lot out there, and it can be a challenge to sift through all of it to find one that fits all that you’re looking for in terms of rent price, size and location. Thankfully, there’s a solution that helps you quickly and easily sort through apartment listings in any local area: Padmapper. Read More »

I don’t know about every other college out there, but here at UT it’s time for people to start planning their living arrangements for the fall. Some people greet this time with the panic of trying to find a decent place to live that isn’t a ga-billion dollars, while others are excited for their first apartment with their best friends (no matter how much it costs). However, for those who’ve been in a relationship for quite a while, this time might be a time to take a big step forward and ask “what if I just lived with my boyfriend?”

As most of you know, this is the route I took. I went from dorm rooms my freshman and sophomore years to living with Matt now in my junior year. It’s been quite a trip and I definitely have some things to share about living with your significant other. Before you take the plunge, it’s good to know what you’re getting yourself into. Allow me to help.

First of all, let me say that I absolutely love living with Matt. I love waking up next to him, even if he has stinky morning breath. (I’ll admit, my morning breath is actually in all likelihood worse than his). That being said, let’s walk through the ups and the downs of cohabitation: Read More »

Is anyone else slightly concerned March is nipping at our ankle booties?  I can’t believe February has gone by so fast. It seems like only yesterday I was crying into a heart shaped tray of chocolates and shopping for cats online. (OK, so maybe I was…)

I’m sad to see February go (although quite happy to see Spring Break on the horizon!), especially considering the last action packed week filled with Olympic sports, a Tiger Woods apology, and absurd Chris Brown statements.

Did anyone else feel like it took especially long for this week to putter out?  I did, but maybe it had a little something with my sinuses (ew, I know).  Things are a whole lot different when you’re nursing a stuffy nose in college. Somehow, sick days just aren’t as fun as they used to be.

Luckily, with much sleep, tea and a serious Mad Men marathon, I’m feeling better already… and just in time for this weekend’s festivities. But before we get too excited to jump back into the world where sneezing is at a minimum (thank goodness) let’s focus on a week that was:

- (Sad face) Fashion Week has come to a runway strutting close.  We looked back on the five biggest trends that took over the catwalk.

- Although Fashion Week has ended, however, the Olympics (and my lack of production) has not.  Which has allowed us to ponder over a few ‘sports related’ arguments pertaining to The Games.  Namely, are those men on ice, sporting plunging neckline v-necks, really athletes? Read More »

It’s that time of year again: lease-signing season! But before you head out into the jungle of real estate and red tape to search for a new nest, check out our top five things you need to know before you go apartment hunting!

1.    Who do you want to live with? Sure, you’re best friend is awesome to hang out with, and she’s promised to stay tidy and bake cookies every Saturday, but is she really going to hold up the deal? And even if she does, is it really the best idea to spend 24/7 with your BFF? When considering roommates, make sure you consider how you will live with someone and not just how you feel about that someone. There is a very big difference and knowing that could make or break your friendship.

2.    Where do you want to be? Location is the most important factor in real estate, so really think about where you want to be. Do you want to be close to class or close to your boyfriend? What is more important to you when you oversleep: a short walk, or being close to quality coffee? These are questions that only you can answer, but you should think your preferred location through before you get swept away by the in-house washer and dryer in an apartment on the wrong side of campus. Read More »

Every once in a while I’m faced with making a big adult decision with huge consequences. I’m at the point where I’m spending my own money and should technically be able to handle life on my own, yet that doesn’t mean I have any idea what I’m doing.

This past week I went apartment hunting (much more fun than job hunting, but slightly less fun than duck hunting) and I learned that Realtors are not only the most desperate/clingy people ever to walk this earth, but they’re also willing to take advantage of anyone who doesn’t know what’s going on.

And that someone was most definitely me.

I toured Manhattan with my Realtor and nodded my head to everything he said. I wanted him to think I knew what I was doing. I should have noticed that the more I said yes to his requests, the more he was taking advantage of me. By the time I got to the last apartment he had me convinced that it’s standard procedure for doormen to fondle me as I walked in to different apartments and that my rent was actually going to be 1.5 what they said because he got half of my rent check every month. Read More »

Here’s the thing: It ain’t easy being a broke college intern in New York City. So when my girlfriend Jenny’s sublet flaked out on her via email mere hours before she arrived in Manhattan for a summer internship, she threw herself back into Craigslist with a vengeance, scouring the site for affordable housing.

Naturally, when a $650 East Village sublet came up, two pairs of misshapen eyebrows raised in suspicion. (That would be hers and mine.) After all, I’m paying $900 for a room just a couple blocks away that’s smaller than my mother’s closet back in California — and already I considered that a steal.

The listing warned that there was a situation a potential subletter would have to be open-minded about. And open-minded we are; everyone knows that there’s always a catch when it comes to apartments in New York. You know, like, “I don’t have windows or a microwave,” or “there is no A/C and it’s hot as balls here in the summer.”

Turns out this was the catch: “We would like to maintain access to the bedroom in question. We lead an ‘alternative’ lifestyle and use the room to host gatherings and have photo/video shoots.” Read More »

The only thing more stressful than graduating from college is finding that first apartment after graduation. I remember my first apartment hunt like it was yesterday. There was a lot of running, a lot of crying and a sh*t ton of begging my parents for money so I could afford to live in something that had closets and wasn’t a closet. After an emotionally draining 2 weeks of hunting, I finally found something.

And had to pay some dude $2,000 for it because he happened to unlock it for me when I went to see it.

My apartment was great… on the surface. In fact, it wasn’t until I moved in that I realized all the questions I neglected to ask. (Namely, “Does the family downstairs cook with road kill daily?”) Questions that were vital to truly finding the right apartment for my life. So, here are a few pointers for you, recent grads. The rules aren’t the same in every city, but I guarantee you will benefit from what I have to share. Read More »

I seem to move more frequently than most. Even in high school I packed up and spent my summer months on abroad programs, and in college I somehow managed to live in three different cities while only attending one school. In total, I’ve lived in fourteen different places (houses, apartments, and dorms) and I’ve hunted for an apartment three times. I’ve managed to find nice places to live and I’ve never been robbed, stabbed, or beaten in my sleep by an angry roommate, so I think I’ve done well. I’ve decided to pass my wisdom onto all of you who are new to apartment hunting. Here are the usual things you need to look out for when finding a place, and a few unusual things as well.

Where to look – I’ve always found Craigslist to be the most valuable tool when apartment hunting. It’s important to check the site everyday, sometimes even multiple times a day, when you’re in the market for a place to live because the good ones get snatched up. Fast.

What to look for in a housing ad – First of all, do you want to live alone or with roommates? On Craigslist you can search for both, and there are other sites, like roommates.com, that are good. Also, trusty ol’ Facebook can be your friend (no pun intended). The second most important thing is price. Come up with a range, from the lowest you’re willing to spend (to weed out any sketchy ads for apartments with outdoor toilets, etc) and the maximum you can spend. This will keep you from looking longingly at pictures of apartments way out of your income level. And finally, look out for catch phrases: cozy = small, bachelor = no kitchen, 420 friendly = you’ll walk into a haze of pot smoke every time you come home. Read More »

Honda rolled out a brand-new feature in Japan on April 22nd—a built-in navigation add-on that points out questionable locales on maps. I have affectionately dubbed this feature the Sketchometer.

I don’t know how the system does it (does anyone? even Honda?), but its ability to pinpoint specific locations where car jackings and thefts have occurred in the past is more than a little freaky. I mean, what if you lived in one of those areas?

I wouldn’t want my fancy new car feature warning me not to go down the street where my favorite supermarket is or beeping whenever I drove within ten feet of anyplace nebulous.

From an objective standpoint, the feature really isn’t a bad idea. It’s great to know, for example, if you’re parked in a neighborhood where you should probably lock your doors. From a sane-person standpoint, though, it’s kind of absurd. Read More »