|
Ashcans posted:Honestly I think you sort of have a problem. I mean I realize that bedbugs are a huge pain in the rear end and being bitten is a pain, but you realize they don't actually do anything, right? Like they don't carry any diseases and there is no inherent risk from being bitten. The fact that you would be willing to soak your living space in an industrial toxin (which would definitely have health impacts, even when DDT was used widely no one drenched their houses in it) is a terrible trade-off.  Not me, but I lost the few pictures I had of my horrible bed bug welts). There can also be psychological effects from knowing that hundreds of tiny insects are feeding on you at night, and you can't stop sleeping in your bed because that'll just make them follow you & infest someplace else. As far as I'm concerned, the lack of disease transmission is the only small mercy of those fuckers.But honestly, unless one of your neighbors has them(unlikely, but also hard to detect since bedbugs don't tend to hang around places unless they have a person to feed on) or unless you bring in infested items yourself(unlikely in this case given how paranoid Sunshine89 is about them), you're pretty much safe from bedbug infestations. Other bugs are relatively easy to keep away if you keep your living space clean(so they don't have food to munch on) and uncluttered(so they don't have as many places to hide). Basically, don't freak out about insecticides until you have an actual, verifiable insect problem - at best you'd be wasting your money, at worst you're creating resistant insects.
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2013 16:01
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 2, 2024 23:04 |
|
|
deadwing posted:One thing I do need to worry about is loving pots and pans. The ones I'm using right now are all of my roommate's. Now, I have a Costco membership, but I'm not so sure I need to spend 150 dollars on a 17 piece set when all I need is a normal sized covered skillet and probably like four sizes of pots with covers. I'm sure (with the Costco return policy at the very least) that such a set would last me a lifetime, but is buying separates at all economically viable, or should I just bite the bullet? E: I found something on the Simple Dollar relevant to this discussion. Basically, it's better to spend a little more per pot/pan to get something that'll last than to buy a big set because it's cheaper per piece. Haifisch fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Jul 2, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Jul 1, 2013 07:00
|
|
|
caberham posted:Bit of both Not throwing away poo poo: -Implement a "buy something, toss something" system. This is mostly useful for clothes, but it can be applied to other possessions too. If you get a new shirt, an old shirt must go. If you get a new toothbrush(or any other item that you replace regularly), it had better be because you're going to throw out the old one when you get home. This has the duel benefits of halting clutter accumulation and forcing yourself to reconsider if you really need to buy something new. -Take a shelf/closet/whatever unit of space you feel like tackling, and put everything cluttering it into a box. Put the day's date on the box. If you find you legitimately need something, take it out of the box, use it, and put it back into the original shelf/etc. Anything that hasn't been taken out of the box after several months(I'd set a hard deadline to avoid going "well, I might need this stuff in another month") gets tossed, sold, or donated. There really aren't that many things you need to keep on hand that only get used once a year or less, so don't stop yourself from getting rid of things by going "I might need that someday!". Not using storage space: -Make sure all of your possessions have a home they belong in. They probably have vague ones already(tools on this shelf, electronic cables in this drawer, etc), just poorly organized and not necessarily chosen to be in the best place. 99% of the places your things go shouldn't be laying out in the open - organize stuff onto shelves, hang clothes in closets, put small knick-knacks in drawers. Hell, even if you don't organize things right away, getting them out of plain sight will make your place look considerably nicer. Just make sure you don't use "well, my piles of clutter aren't visible now" as an excuse to avoid decluttering. -Never allow anything to stay on kitchen tables, office desks(you may make an exception for one pen here), end tables, and other clutter accumulators for more than 24 hours. Things need to either return to their home or get thrown out. You have mail sitting on the closest table to the door? Deal with it and/or recycle it. You have 5 pens scattered on your computer desk? Put them in a drawer, or at least in a pen holder(a spare cup will work for this). You took out your Kindle, but it's been sitting unused on the kithen table for 3 days? Put it back in the spot it belongs in. Unfuck Your Habitat has a ton of other tips for making your place neat and keeping it that way. They also offer routine reminders to do things like make your bed. Haifisch fucked around with this message at 06:30 on Jul 3, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Jul 3, 2013 05:29
|
|
It's more along the lines of not throwing away poo poo and not being neat so storage space gets under utilized 
|
Microwaves are a godsend if you like to eat leftovers, but many things can be reheated in other ways(crispy stuff actually reheats better in the oven!). They're also more efficient at heating liquids than anything else in the kitchen - handy if you enjoy hot cocoa, tea, or other things that require hot water. That said, if you decide to get one you don't need to go for an expensive model - all that really matters is the wattage(don't even worry about the size unless you have freakishly huge food containers). Lower wattages are cheaper, but take longer to heat food. I actually prefer a slightly lower wattage since it heats more evenly, but your milage may vary. Pick the cheapest model you see that isn't full of "died in 2 weeks  " reviews on Amazon and go.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 8, 2013 06:23
|
|
|
Also consider that you won't be at your new place forever. Many apartments are carpeted, and a vacuum that's adequate for an area rug may not be good enough for an entire apartment's worth of carpet. I use this and it works pretty well for a carpeted 1br place, although I've had it less than a year so no comments on its longetivity.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 8, 2013 15:34
|
|
|
an skeleton posted:Other than that, I guess, do you think it is better to live in an apartment for 440 a month, but I have to furnish it, or a pre-furnished house for 525 (that may not be furnished in exactly the way I like, but will sure as hell have a bigger bed than my current twin size bed that I've had since high school.) Get temporary stuff for while you're in school, then when you graduate and get your first non-college place, you can spend a few months picking out nicer furniture. Taking the furnished place means that you'll be furnishing your next apartment in a hurry, which is a recipe for overspending on stuff you won't like as much as what you'd have bought under normal circumstances. You said you have a relative offering to buy & ship a bed for you; do you have any other relatives who could help with furnishing a place? 90% of the furniture in my college apartment was hand-me-downs from my roommate's & my own family. An old patio set(ie. our table+chairs for the dining room), bookshelves, a recliner, dressers - a bunch of stuff they didn't want anymore, but it was perfectly usable for us. It didn't look fancy, and it didn't match, but nobody's going to give a poo poo about that while you're in school. Anything you don't get from that you can get off craigslist - a surprising amount of stuff is offered for free, and the rest is pretty damned cheap. Just try to stick to things that aren't upholstered unless you feel like playing bedbug roulette. quote:I will be going to see the apartment and a couple of rooms next Saturday, what should I be looking for? -Look to see how well maintained their stuff is. Flick on lights, turn on faucets, see how easily every door and window opens and shuts. Don't run screaming if one or two things are slightly shoddy, but major problems ought to ring alarm bells in your mind. If they can't get their place up to snuff when they're trying to sell it to you, how well will they respond to maintenance requests after you sign the lease? -Carpet vs hard floor. Carpet is a bitch and a half to clean, but it's also extremely common. Any sort of hard floor will be easier to clean & make it harder for the landlord to get a chunk of your security deposit, but it's also harder to find. -Take a good, hard look at the kitchen. Layout issues in other rooms are relatively easy to get around, but a poorly set up kitchen can be a nightmare. Is there enough counter space to hold all your poo poo while you're cooking? Where will your microwave end up? How much cupboard space is there? Did some dumbass put the oven right next to the fridge? -Talk to the people living in the building, if possible. They can shed light on issues that won't become apparent until you're actually living there. Are there cockroaches? Is the landlord hard to work with if issues arise? Do the people above you blare loud music every night? -Is there laundry on site? You do not want to be stuck hauling laundry to and from a laundromat every week. You'll also want to see how many machines they have - it'll take more than one or two washers to handle an entire apartment complex full of college students. -If you'll be bringing a car down, make sure you see what the parking is like. Are there assigned spots? Is it a free-for-all(if it is, how big is the lot)? How much does it cost? What are the policies for guest parking, particularly overnight guests?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 15, 2013 02:28
|
|
|
Stuntcat posted:On that note, is it normal for a load of laundry to cost like...4 dollars? That seems ridiculous to me, but...yeah. 2.25 for the wash, 1.75 for the dry in my apartment.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 21, 2013 17:50
|
|
|
Aquatic Giraffe posted:If I was in your shoes I'd get a room at an extended stay hotel when you get there for a month or so to use as a home base while you house hunt. It'll buy you more time to find a good place instead of trying to find a move in ready place in less than a week.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 26, 2013 17:32
|
|
|
Yeah, Corelle is great. They even have plain white for people who care about how classy their dishes look. (I'm not really sure what makes dishes "classy" beyond having traditional colors/patterns, but I never claimed to be a classy person  ) They also have a bunch of square dish sets thanks to that fad going around; I can take or leave the plates, but square bowls are the best.Corelle's made by the same people behind Corningware, which is also the best. You can heat it in the oven, on the stovetop(although apparently some of the newer Corningware they sell isn't stovetop safe), and in the microwave, and whatever they make it out of is damned near invincible. The only reason I still have my lovely plastic food containers is that Corningware is too heavy to haul back and forth every day.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 10, 2013 23:33
|
|
|
Loot posted:I'm looking at possible apartments right now and while my town is known for very inexpensive living rates, I found an ad in the local paper for a 1-bedroom apartment with all utilities for $345. I have to admit, that's rather suspicious so I'm going to call next week. Not sure what to expect for this price (Possibly no furnishings, no AC/heating, the possibilities are endless!). Probably helps to note that there is no address listed, I only saw an address by Googling the phone number and turning up newspaper scans from last April. Anything notably higher or lower than average should arouse suspicion unless there's a very good reason for the price difference(ex. you might accept a more expensive place if you get a dishwasher, there's in-unit washer/dryer, you get a covered parking space, or if it has one of many other things that are nice to have but aren't standard). Included utilites are nice, but the only one I'd really worry about is heat since it's by far the most expensive. Even the increased electricity bills from running AC are managable if you're willing to use fans most of the time and only bust out the AC when it's really hot. That $345 place would raise alarm bells for me, if only because it doesn't actually tell you where it is. I'd also be suspicious if you couldn't find out any more info about it after tracking down the address.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 15, 2013 04:51
|
|
|
Thanatosian posted:Honestly, get a hella cheapass futon from IKEA.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 16, 2013 18:35
|
|
|
cheerfullydrab posted:Here is a question I want to ask of a lot of you. What, specifically, is the reason that you have bought into Ikea? I have nothing but awful horrible bad memories of the store/company, from the age of 6 or 7 to the present time. I don't know why this thread cheerleads for their furniture so much. I'm not asking a rhetorical question, I'd actually like to know. It's not the highest class furniture around, but it's more than usable for the 20-somethings that make up most of this thread.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 29, 2013 18:56
|
|
|
Ashcans posted:I'm trying to work out some stuff with our electric bill, and it would be kind of useful to know where most people fall. We have a 2 bedroom apartment with gas heat, hot water, and oven. So the electric is only doing duty on our appliances (washer, dryer, fridge, microwave, computer) and other standard stuff. As of 11/5 we were using 14.6kWh a day, and that seems kind of high to me (and, the reason for my concern, is that it's up from 13.5kWh last month and 8.2kWh last year. Does anyone know their use to give me a comparison?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 8, 2013 17:33
|
|
|
ladyweapon posted:Not sure where else to ask, but since were on the topic of keeping costs down: are electric blankets worth the cost vs jacking up the heat? I keep it about 65 (according to the dial at least) in my apartment at all times, but it's dropping to the low thirties at night and I'd like to not end up with a $200 electric bill somehow. I also don't know how much an electric blanket would affect my bill, but I can't imagine it's much? What do people who live in actual cold weather do? I can handle being cold/layering up any other time except when I sleep.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 3, 2013 17:53
|
|
|
terre packet posted:I did laps in the apartment pool this morning and pretty much immediately afterwards got really sick (stomach cramps & diarrhea), my money's on there being some diarrhea bacteria in the pool. Would it be a good idea to let the apartment management office know when they reopen tomorrow? I don't know if they'll do anything about it like close the pool until the chlorine kills the bacteria but then again I don't want anyone else to go through the horrible day I had today. Communist Zombie posted:Quick question, is it illegal (in Illinois) to deny someone an apartment if they dont meet a specified monthly income? Because Ive found several good ones but theyve required all applicants to show proof of income being 2-3 times teh rent, which I cant really do as a college student.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 27, 2014 07:39
|
|
|
ladyweapon posted:If the deal was good enough, you could rent a pick up from u-haul? They were always like $20 for local moves, but maybe that's changed. Maybe look into small businesses in your area for good craftsmanship, they tend to be more accommodating about delivery in my experience.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 13, 2014 20:27
|
|
|
FISHMANPET posted:Where's a good place to find a Microwave? I need a new one and I've looked at Target, Home Depot, and Menards (regional home improvement store) and they have like 3 or 4 microwaves in store. If I went to an appliance store would I have more selection? I see Best Buy has a ton apparently in stock too, maybe that's a better choice? But unless you need a microwave immediately, I'd just shop online for one. Better selection, reasonable prices(and free shipping depending on where you buy from), not having to be inside a Best Buy or Sears. It's win-win.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 8, 2015 19:53
|
|
|
AuntBuck posted:In my opinion top load load washers with an agitator just do a better job. I'd avoid a front load washer. That said they're also more expensive, which may or may not be worth it for a house rental.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 27, 2015 07:16
|
|
|
Alder posted:Waffling if I should buy a bed/mattress or not. On one hand I dislike sleeping on the floor but beds are expensive and a challenge to move. Perhaps a Japanese futon? If you're still not convinced, you could get a couch. Or an air mattress. Either one would be cheaper than a bed, easier to move, and better than sleeping on the floor. If you go the couch route, get a normal couch, not one with a hide-a-bed. Hide-a-beds are heavy as gently caress and the bed part isn't all that comfortable.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 26, 2015 00:22
|
|
|
Alder posted:Hmmm I've seen the basic bed frame but I was worried if it's heavy or not. Almost forgot air mattresses will look around for that too. Does either closet have a rod to put clothes hangers on? Those are easy to move(shove 'em all in a box or bag, done), cheap(possibly free if you find some on craigslist/freecycle/etc), and keep things relatively wrinkle-free. I've never been a fan of dressers for shirts, but I'd say they're handier for everything else. The problem with moving an already-assembled dresser is that they're awkward to move with the drawers in, but taking the drawers out turns the move into multiple trips. Depending on how many clothes you care about keeping wrinkle-free, I'd probably just go the hanger route & not worry about getting a dresser until everything settles down.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 26, 2015 20:58
|
|
|
photomikey posted:I politely disagree with the previous poster who said a while list of credit functions don't affect credit history. I assume you mean this: Anne Whateley posted:Cell phones, car insurance, checking accounts, debit accounts, utility bills, etc., don't establish or help your credit history. If any of those go to collections, obviously that hurts you, but if you pay them normally, they don't do anything. *Except some utility bills. A few companies report all payment histories, but most only report negatives.
|
|
#
¿
May 15, 2015 04:28
|
|
|
Spikes32 posted:A place I'm looking at had a reservation fee that will be rolled into either the deposit or first months rent. It was not clear which in the ad. What kind of form is normally signed to make sure I'm not just giving a stranger money in case the landlord doesn't end up giving me the lease? I'm in California if you have specific knowledge. (Disclaimer: Experience is from Wisconsin & Illinois and not California)
|
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2016 04:48
|
|
|
EugeneJ posted:Any recommendations for compact washers and dryers? I have a small studio with no hookups, so the washer would have to be connected to my sink and the dryer would have to vent out a window. I want an automatic washer, so a Twin Tub is out of the question. I'm a fan of the wood one I have(similar to this), but any sturdy drying rack will do. And you do want it to be sturdy & large enough for one load of laundry, otherwise you'll hate yourself in a few months.
|
|
#
¿
May 3, 2016 16:58
|
|
|
photomikey posted:I would throw any percentage numbers out the window and look at a budget of the last 12 months with real numbers. Everything else varies so wildly that a fixed "30% is the right number" rule would never work for any significant part of the population. If you are making $35k/yr and have a $300/mo car payment, that is literally 10% of your income. If you make the same $35k/yr and have no car payment, under any general rule, you'd be "supposed to" spend the same amount on housing, even though your disposable income is 10% more than the guy with the car payment. This same thing is true across every budget category. If you like ramen noodles and tap water, you have a different budget than a guy who likes going out for sushi several times a week. I wouldn't go much higher than 40% of your income on rent unless you're willing to live like a spartan hermit, is what I'm trying to say here.
|
|
#
¿
May 30, 2016 16:56
|
|
|
Aquatic Giraffe posted:We haven't, actually. But all of our neighbors are retirees with nothing better to do than look out their windows (we get swarmed by them checking in on us every time we go outside) so we'd know immediately if someone was snooping around. And like I said nothing has happened in the past 5 months so we let our guard down. Or it could be meat drippings, but that's the boring answer.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 7, 2016 17:38
|
|
|
The technical term is sous vide. (Completely missed that it was in a laundry room. :downs)
|
|
#
¿
Jun 8, 2016 00:16
|
|
|
Good news: Not having a car gives you more wiggle room with housing costs. Bad news: I'm not sure more convenient transit is worth an extra 20% of your income. If the cheaper apartment isn't an insane commute(>30-40 minutes) away from your school, you should probably go with that. Learning your way around a new bus system sucks, but it's going to happen no matter which apartment you pick.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 15, 2016 01:54
|
|
|
Guy Axlerod posted:Use caution when starting, like when making a right-on-red. You may not have traction. If your car has traction control, cool. It will help you not spin your wheels, but it's not a silver bullet. All it does is back off your throttle when your wheels spin. Avoiding sudden speed or direction changes describes most winter driving tips, honestly. Making abrupt corrections when your car starts sliding can make things worse. Braking takes longer, and you want to avoid coming to a complete stop if you can help it. Aquatic Giraffe posted:There shouldn't be significant snow anywhere in October. You'll be fine.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 29, 2016 19:16
|
|
|
You don't necessarily need the most expensive brands, but there's definite improvements in comfort & durability going from the cheapest chairs in the store to any of the better chairs. Worth it if you're going to be sitting in it often. I have a Steelcase chair that's older than I am and still holding up(minus a reupholstering because the fabric was getting worn). Comfortable as hell, too.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 2, 2016 22:23
|
|
|
Thumposaurus posted:Looking for a new place to rent. Found a place close to my work, rent is within my budget. (It's totally a scam though)
|
|
#
¿
Dec 28, 2016 01:50
|
|
|
Drunk Tomato posted:I moved out of an apartment back in November. The landlord lives out of state and so at her request we did a Skype walkthrough. I had lived there for five years and I took good care of the place. She asked for a bit more cleaning, which I did and then documented, i got and cashed my deposit back minus a few fees, and went happily on my way. Even if state law isn't in your favor as far as the deadline goes, if you can prove the 'repairs' are unrelated to how you left the apartment(you took lots of pictures when you first moved in & before you left, right?), she has no grounds to demand money for them. If you can't, I'd ignore it like goku chewbacca said, and only pay it if she keeps pushing. (Or you could get a tenant lawyer if you felt like making a point, but you'd spend more than what she's demanding from you)
|
|
#
¿
Feb 1, 2017 00:51
|
|
|
Correlle makes decent stuff. I have a set of their square plates and bowls & they hold up just fine. Depending on your eating habits, it might be worth buying a smaller set and buying extra small plates to complete it - I basically never use the 'dinner' plates because they're too loving huge relative to what I eat(although the 'bread and butter' plates in the set you linked are smaller than the ones in my set). No comment on the glassware, but it's hard to go wrong with it as long as you don't cheap out too much & don't pick something with a busy pattern you'll get sick of in 5 years(same advice applies to dishware).
|
|
#
¿
Aug 1, 2017 18:40
|
|
|
Human Tornada posted:How come the majority of to feel warm and fuzzy for two seconds about donating them to goodwill.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 2, 2017 00:32
|
|
|
Is it a fire hazard? Is something in there attracting pests? If no, I say this isn't your mess to clean up. That said, are there no maintenance people in your complex? In every place I've lived one would come through and vacuum the halls/throw out junk mail littering the mail area/etc every once in a while. The 'throw out junk mail' part was important because I've never lived somewhere where everyone took their mail inside their apartment and disposed of it like a normal person. If there was nobody picking up after the lazy people, eventually the junk mail situation would be as bad as it is at your place.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 15, 2017 00:51
|
|
|
In general you don't want to cheap out too hard on anything you'll be sitting or sleeping on regularly. That aside, it's a good idea to sit on your chair of choice in person(if possible) before buying, and to do so for more than ten seconds. Reviews can tell you a lot but they can't guarantee a given chair will be comfortable for your specific posture & build. (No specific recommendations from me, because my computer/office chair is a Steelcase chair older than I am & also probably costs more than $500 for a modern equivalent.)
|
|
#
¿
Sep 15, 2017 22:05
|
|
|
I'm super basic & have been happy with the Ektorp. It's comfortable & a good size(and durable, judging by the fact that mine's a former floor model that's held up with regular use), with the downside that it's going to be immediately identifiable as an ikea couch. Whether you care about that downside is up to you.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 21, 2018 07:23
|
|
|
Anne Whateley posted:The sentence that stands out to me is "I've lived in the apartment for four years and the carpet was not new when I moved in." I would change that to something like "given the concern for mold and mildew from the incident in addition to 4-5 years of normal wear and tear, I'd appreciate an update to linoleum to bring the space in line with the other building units." Your building management is hopefully staffed with professionals who won't get into a tizzy because you dared to email them(although I'd personally do an in-person meeting because that's likely to get your concerns addressed faster, you know this management company better than we do), but keeping your tone as far from 'your poo poo sucks and I want you to make it not suck' as possible is always a good idea. That applies to both email and in-person interactions. "I'd appreciate ABC updates because of XYZ flood/wear and tear reasons" good, "this stuff was old and beat up when I moved in & the thing that broke was also old" bad. Whatever your feelings are on that stuff, you're way more likely to get what you want if the management doesn't feel like you're trying to make them the villain. They're also as interested in avoiding mold/mildew problems as you are, which should help with the carpet issue if you take that angle. e: Also, re: "Am I requesting things I have no right to request". What they have the legal obligation to give you is only semi-related to what they're willing to give you. The legal obligations are stuff they should be doing anyway, like keeping the place habitable and repairing stuff that breaks. Something like moving the living room furniture back is probably not legally required(I'm obviously not a lawyer and have no idea about PA's landlord-tenant laws), but it's an easy way to get your goodwill & doesn't cost them much, so they probably won't mind doing it. That shouldn't be your hill to die on, obviously, but as long as you keep your requests reasonable and directly related to the flooding, they should be willing to work with you. Haifisch fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Aug 2, 2018 |
|
#
¿
Aug 2, 2018 04:44
|
|
|
toplitzin posted:Oh god the heat in the summer. Washing machine thunderdomechat: I live right under the laundry room for my building. It actually works out well since washer/dryer noises are more bearable than random upstairs neighbor noises. The downside is that I get to be the canary in the coalmine whenever something fucks up and starts leaking.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 25, 2018 02:35
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 2, 2024 23:04 |
|
|
I've been in the same apartment for over 7 years and still occasionally get junk mail with previous resident names on it; certain senders will keep it up forever once an address is on their list. Just toss it.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 9, 2023 16:15
|
|