23 fun & useful dorm decor items to max out your space
If you’re starting to think about heading back to college in a month or so, you might be researching how to maximize the teeny tiny space that is your (likely shared) dorm room. I found some super kicky and useful dorm decor to get your brainstorming into high gear, including a few more fun items.
10 unexpected dorm items you’ll need in college (or in a new apartment!)
If you’re heading off to college (or even just living on your own for the first time), you’ll need more than a cat, a rat, or a toad when you get there. Apologies to non-Potterphiles for that reference. You already know you’ll need those long bed sheets and shower shoes and maybe a mini fridge, but here are 11 unexpected dorm items you may not have thought of that will surely come in handy…
I can move anywhere! Where should I move that’s affordable and full of nature?
Any advice or resources for choosing a place to live for another Californian being priced out of her area? I feel like I’m ready for a change of scenery. I need a place with an affordable cost of living, and I’d really prefer a place that has lots of trees and hiking options, and isn’t filled with Trump supporters.
Does such a place exist?
I bought a home, now what? Top to-do list advice for homebuyers
Way back in the day, we posed the question, what do you need to do first when you buy and move into a new home? There were SO many great comments from homeowners who learned things the hard way that I had to cull them into one big lessons-learned list. Here is the big list of new homeowner tasks and advice for homebuyers. Note: not everything in this list will apply to you and your home and you may disagree with some of them. If so, let us know in the comments!
How I gave up the house but found a life
For 22 years my family and I lived in Westfield, New Jersey, by many measures, the ideal place to raise a family. There are great schools, quiet leafy streets, multiple transportation options, a walkable downtown, and cultural and religious options to fit diverse tastes. Even its names evokes wholesomeness. When I arrived there in 1995, I knew within 30 minutes that it was the wrong place for me. It took us 22 years to undo that decision. I spent years telling myself that it was not so bad but always hating it. This is a story of finding my comfortable place in the world…
The unexpected essentials for moving into your first apartment
Most of that is my experience as a young (and broke) kid, freshly moved out of my parents place (with generally only the clothes on my back, and a couple of books I had brought with me). So I’m going to list a few “essentials” (some of them may seem weird) for the first few weeks. You will probably need these asap, and everything else can come afterwards…
Where else will I forget to change my address after I move?
My cat and I just moved in with my boyfriend. Aside from the one time I moved from one apartment to another in the same building, this has been the easiest move ever. But by far the biggest annoyance about the move is changing my address. There are so many places that I keep realizing that I need to tell about my address change. Some of them made the move feel ultra-official, and some of them seem pointless until they really bite you in the ass later…
Buy YOURSELF flowers to make a good impression on your new neighbors
In the midst of moving, and un-packing and re-organizing our lives, I didn’t think much of the flower boxes. I hung the them from the balcony rails and tried to remember to water them. Without my knowing, those straggly flowers paved the way to good neighbor relations…