Tips for Moving to Your First Apartment

You made it! you’re finally moving into your very first apartment in California. Whether you are renting one out or purchasing it, it’s an exciting time for you. This gives you the opportunity to really decorate and design your own space, the way you want to. But first, you have to get through the moving phase, which comes with a good amount of responsibility. From choosing the best apartment moving company to getting settled in. It’s a lot for you to process. And, we’re here to make things easier for you by giving you a checklist to help you move into your new home.  If you are student who reads this article and plans to move to your first apartment on your own you can type pay someone to do my assignment to have more time spent on organizing your living place.

Let’s look at some basic tips to get you started:

1. Personalize Your Space

Spend some time figuring out what you want your new space to look like. The simplest way of adding your personal touch is to add a fresh coat of paint to your walls. Color each room and give it its own personality. If you are renting, you will need permission from your landlord to do this. You can always use peelable wallpaper instead of paint if you’re moving into a rental.

2. Figure Out Utilities

If you’re buying your own place, you will need to call a utility services provider and have them do the setup a few weeks before you move in so you have running water, gas, and electricity in the apartment, at least. Some of these services may be a quicker install than usual but it is best to be proactive about these kinds of things. If you’re moving from any other state like Texas to California, bear in mind that the average cost of utilities may vary.

3. Buy Furniture

Take your time to measure each room before you move in and make a list of all the furniture items you will need in the room. You can make a list of high priority items like a couch for the living area and a bed for your room and then gradually add furniture to the place to keep your budget in check. If the space is small, we suggest adding minimalistic and sleek looking furniture to make it look wider.

4. Get To Know Your Neighbors

Well, you’re here now so might as well get to know your neighbors and people you will be sharing the building with. Make an extra effort to introduce yourself to your new neighbors and ask for their help getting to know the places around the building like the best restaurant, grocery store, or nightclub in the vicinity. Of course, Google can give you all this insight but it’s always great to build a sense of community and engage with real human beings.

5. Have These Necessary Items on Hand For Every Area of the House

When you finally move into a separate apartment independently, you will see that you need quite a few essential items to survive on your own. These are things that will help make life easier for you.

  •  A Tool Box

You will be doing a lot of things on your own from now onwards and this means knowing how to hammer a nail and doing small fixes on the kitchen sink when needed. For this purpose, you will need a fully stacked tool box in your home for emergency situations.

  • A First-Aid Box

This is an essential for your home because minor accidents can happen at any time. You may cut your hand while cooking or bump your head on a low ceiling point. Not to worry, have a first-aid box and medical essentials on hand for such situations.

  • Bathroom Essentials

Everything from toilet paper to hand wash should be available to place in your new home when you move in. The last thing you want is a run to the grocery store late at night because you forgot to buy toothpaste.

  • Kitchen Essentials

If you plan to cook in that kitchen, you should have the basics sorted out like crockery, cutlery, and basic groceries.

  • Cleaning supplies

Have all cleaning supplies ready and stored away for when you need them. Cleaning on the go in a new home is always a great idea instead of letting things pile up for that one cleaning day in the week. One of the many perks of living alone is that you are in control of the mess.

 There you have it, moving into a new apartment can be exciting yet overwhelming at the same time. Create a checklist of all the things you need to accomplish before and after the move so you don’t get frustrated with the mammoth task ahead of you.

Why Nostalgia Actually Makes Me Sad

When we get nostalgic, we reminisce on the good things that happen, wishing we can relive them. Sometimes I wish those moments last.

I think about so many things in the past that have made me happy: college days, my trips to Israel, dancing, elementary school, fun hangouts with your high school friends, being a camp counselor, going to day camp, working at an old job, missing a friend – the list goes on.

I am not sure why but I tend to rather get sad than happy when I think about these times; sad because they’re over and I can’t relive them again. Can I do some of the things I have once done before? Of course, I can. But a saying goes, “All good things must come to an end,” and it’s true and it sucks.

I am sitting here working and barely sleeping and trying to figure out this adult life and it’s hard.

It pains me knowing that I can’t get back the things that I loved. I know this may sound a bit dramatic, but how would you feel sitting at home not wanting to go to work and pay bills and go to appointments and deal with life… Crap that’s thrown at you as an adult?

I am telling you – the youth days and college days were a blast.

I still miss some pastimes even if I did some things as an adult – I went to Israel at the age of 25 for the third time and I miss it like crazy. I will never see half of the girls on met on my trip that live around the globe. I love my boyfriend but can’t go out and flirt like I want to like I did in the good old days (I am very loyal to my boyfriend don’t worry).

These things may sound weird to miss and people may say, “Get over it.”

But, to be honest, I feel like sometimes my life is slipping away through work, bills, and boredom and I am not sure what to do. It pains me. I am happy for the good memories I have but to relive those moments again would be amazing. Maybe in time I can learn to be a happy adult. But, for now, I will just have some self-pity. Call me a baby but is what it is.

My feelings are valid.

Take care of yourself and hold on to the memories. Taylor Swift said it best: “Hold on to the memories they will hold on to you.”

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About the Author

Molly Rose lives in PA but is originally from NY. She wrote for Odyssey Online in 2017 and has now started her journey with Puckermob. Molly is getting her Master’s degree online in Human Services at Capella University. She is an advocate for individuals with disabilities. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Moving to a New City? Follow These 5 Tips

Sometimes life calls you to a different part of the world. You might be moving to a new city to follow a loved one or start a new job. Even if you’re staying in the same state, things can feel overwhelming.

Planning each step of the way makes every move more manageable. It’s much easier to follow a proper moving checklist so that nothing is forgotten or left behind. Whether you’re relocating with your family or branching out on your own, here’s how to figure everything out.

Save Some Extra Money

No matter where you move, the process is expensive. You’ll likely pay a moving team to load up all your belongings and drive them to your new living space. The last thing you want to hear is that you should save some extra money, but it’s the smart thing to do. Don’t forget to take into account whether you should get in touch with local or long distance movers, as this can also affect your budget.

Spare pocket change could save the day in your new destination. You may need to drive further for groceries or sit in traffic longer than where you previously lived. When you go to a new restaurant, you might have to pay for parking.

The new city could also have higher property taxes, making your monthly household bills higher. You won’t know the exact amount until you get there, so don’t get caught by surprise when bills come due or while you’re out in town.

Tipping your movers after they unload your belongings is also a common courtesy. Find out how many movers will help you and estimate $20-$50 tips for each person, handed in cash or paid with your bill. Their time and physical labor made your life easier, so show them a little generosity that many in the industry expect from satisfied customers.

 

Call Around for Supplies

Paying for boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap might not seem too costly at first, but they add up quickly. If you want to save a trip to the store and keep your spending low, call around for supplies. People can give you old boxes from online orders and newspapers for free. You’ll also get an excuse to see loved ones one last time before your big move.

Local stores may also have boxes they’d like to give away. Call grocers and retailers to ask if you could pick up boxes after their next big restock. They’ll likely let you select however many you want because it prevents their team from making a trip to the recycling plant.

 

Check Your Moving Truck

Trucks from rental companies will pass inspection before a moving company shows up at your house. You’ll also get proof of this if you rent one and drive it yourself. Still, people experience issues with their vehicles in both scenarios, so keep an eye out for these specific problems.

After loading your boxes and furniture, step back from the truck to see if it’s back-slouched. Large trucks use a design that keeps them tilted toward the front when full to avoid sagging backward and potentially spilling the contents. If your vehicle drops toward the rear when full, it likely needs leaf spring replacements before it’s safe to drive.

You should also double-check for a lock on your truck’s rolling door. Most won’t come with a padlock, which keeps your belongings safe if you need to leave them in the vehicle overnight. Pick up a padlock at any local store to secure your things during travel and before unloading.

 

Explore the Area

Most people feel isolated and lonely after moving to a new city because the area feels unfamiliar. After unloading your boxes, explore different parts of town. Scout out your preferred grocery store, where you can go shopping and any restaurants you might want to try. Take notes on any place that looks interesting, like museums or family activities, so you can go back when you get a free moment in your schedule.

 

Find Group Activities

Living in a new city means you get to meet new friends. Look around online to find social media groups designed for your interests, like playing disk golf or skiing. You can also read those coffee shop posters to find group guitar lessons or a monthly knitting club. Even discovering annual events on your city’s website gives you opportunities to connect with people and form relationships that make your town feel like home.

 

Don’t Sweat Moving to a New City

Moving to a new city is much easier if you follow tips like these. Strategize every part of your move to make the next chapter of your life begin without extra stress. Then, you can settle in and make yourself at home.

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About The Author

Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded. He writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors, and more. Follow @TModded on Twitter for more articles from the Modded team.

Spring Money Management Tips for Women in Their 20s

 

Today’s economy is challenging by any stretch of the imagination. Unless you’re among the fortunate few with a trust fund, you need to hustle hard.

However, you can improve your financial picture considerably by making the right choices that grow your assets. Here are six spring money management tips for women in their 20s to set themselves up for a secure economic future.

 

Cover Your Loved Ones

What would happen to your children if you could no longer take care of them? Even if you have a loving spouse, your kids could end up penniless if you both die in the same accident. If you are a parent, please cover yourself with life insurance and update your beneficiaries every year — you don’t want your ex to profit from your demise.

 

Even if you haven’t yet started a family, you may want to secure life insurance now. You lock in your policy, meaning your insurer can’t deny your coverage if you later develop health issues — as long as you keep paying your premiums. Plus, the younger you are, the less you’ll pay, making it possible for you to investigate options like whole policies that provide additional security.

 

Insure Yourself

It’s a sad reality for anyone with a chronic condition — the United States remains the only industrialized nation that doesn’t guarantee health insurance coverage to all citizens. As a result, you could pay a small fortune in premiums to stay alive, but it beats the alternative of medical debt and bankruptcy.

 

Ensure you get sufficient coverage to keep one hospitalization from shattering your financial future. If you require ongoing care, research your options early and often, and accept that you might face tough choices your peers do not.

 

And if you are healthy, secure disability insurance for yourself now. If you wait until you get sick, no company will cover you minus a rider disallowing the very condition likely to rob you of your working ability. It can take years to navigate Social Security, and unfortunately, many people die while awaiting a determination.

 

Start a Side Hustle You Love

In more grim economic news, the average wage hasn’t kept up with inflation since way before you were born, despite ever-rising productivity. Even if you grind your hardest, you could find yourself falling further behind each year as the costs of everything keeps rising, but your paycheck doesn’t budge.

Answering to multiple bosses every day can quickly kill your soul. Even if they are empathetic and kind, you need to express your unique spirit in your work, not follow orders 24/7 like a robot.

The solution? Start a side hustle that you love. Don’t fall prey to get-rich-quick schemes. It can take years to build a successful blog or YouTube channel — especially if you also juggle a full-time career and family. However, once that residual income stream starts rolling in, you’ll make money in your sleep while spending your waking hours doing what you love.

 

Save Toward a Home

You might have bragging rights as the most economically challenged generation in recent memory if you are a woman in your 20s. In still more depressing news, the average rent keeps rising faster than inflation, making it challenging to find affordable housing.

 

The solution is to buy a house, but doing so requires a solid credit score and a decent downpayment. Even if you can’t afford your dream home at first, you still pay yourself in equity instead of making your landlord richer each month. When it’s time to sell, you can put the profits toward your future palace.

 

Get Over Your Fear of Investing

Historically, the stock market keeps pace with inflation far better than a traditional savings account, but investing doesn’t come risk-free. As a result, you might shy away out of fear of losing cash.

 

However, you don’t have to spend your mornings perusing the stock market pages. You can invest in a mutual fund that diversifies your portfolio for you, minimizing risk while maximizing your returns.

 

Embrace Minimalism

Take a look around your room. See all that stuff? It represents minutes and hours of your work time. You start looking at that designer handbag differently when you realize it costs you 30 hours of labor.

 

Start embracing minimalism. You don’t have to KonMari your abode necessarily, but you should become more mindful about your purchases. Before buying anything new, choose one item to sell or donate to keep that excess clutter from turning your closet into a disaster area — and your credit cards from hitting their max.

 

If You’re a Woman in Your 20s, Use These Spring Money Management Tips 

If you are a woman in your 20s, please use these spring money management tips to get a handle on your finances. Making wise choices now sets you up for a secure economic future.

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About The Author

Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded. He writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors, and more. Follow @TModded on Twitter for more articles from the Modded team.

Milestones and Birthdays

I’m penning this in spite of the party poopers that feel like after 21, there are no more milestones to look forward to (other than getting old). 

Today, in this body, I’ve been witness to so many milestones – both visible and invisible (like, for instance, getting my ears pierced for the first time a few weeks ago!). Looking back, I realize I spent so much time looking forward to society’s markers of adulthood, and now it feels as though I’ve largely arrived.

In a way, like if life were a video game, I do feel a sense of accomplishment in realizing I have gotten to this level and somehow managed to stay alive.

Still, the fervor with which I yearned to reach many of these milestones seems largely displaced. I would surely tell my younger self that driving honestly isn’t that fun, college graduation will most definitely be online, and tequila is the devil. In true Aquarius fashion, I’ve identified my act of defiance: creating my own milestones, ones that hold meaning and are reflective of what matters to me. That’s why, for my 22nd birthday, I’ve decided to launch my own website!

The past few years, though they have been incredible, have arguably been a time of confusion and exploration. I mean, I guess that’s college for everyone, but it has felt so starkly opposite to the clarity of vision I held as my younger self.

My life before college was devoted to riding horses. I lived on farms, drove horse trailers thousands of miles, and dreamt of one day doing it all on my own. There was a fire within me to chase down something that was largely intangible, and that feeling honestly still astonishes me. Clearly, there is so much power in defining and chasing your passion and I’m thankful every day for the people that recognized something in me and went out of their way to support me.

Needless to say, so much of who I am is because of them and I find that so beautiful. 

In many ways, I accomplished what I set out to do: showing at horse shows across the country while never owning a horse of my own, and soaking up all the knowledge I could along the way. It never dawned on me that there might be other sides to myself that I had yet to uncover. Of course, life has an interesting way of redirecting us. 

Going to college, unbeknownst to me, I was steadily investing in my writing skills. Through my coursework, interviews with female entrepreneurs for The Bloom Journal, writing about concerts in DC for WVAU, and lending my voice to The Blackprint, I found myself typing way more than I think I had originally intended.

After working all year, summer break was the first real time in 5 years I truly had no obligations, so obviously I booked a flight to Europe.

It was in the back of a Megabus headed to New York to catch my flight that I thought about keeping a blog to document my travels for my friends and family. For two years, I have maintained my Tumblr page, recounting my experience with police brutality, my love for travel, and even some of my struggles as a young person trying to figure out love and life.

Time and time again, against my better judgment, I pushed back against the people around me when the idea of investing in myself and creating a real site was brought up. Sometimes, the plainest truths rest right under our noses. All along I have been developing my voice and purpose as a writer, though I was arguably the last person to come to that realization. My love for storytelling and traveling has shaped my experiences and the life I live, but I don’t think I ever recognized any real value outside of the fact that they make me happy.

Today, I’m thankful to the people around me that have supported me and pushed me to create. You all saw something I was completely blind to. 

I am a writer, which, I must say, feels kind of crazy to type out. I’m stating it unequivocally because if writing has taught me anything, it’s that our words hold power, far more than we will ever be able to comprehend.

Through lilmigsbigworld.com my aim is to cultivate a space to share my stories. Please go check it out and let me know what you think! It’s been a long time coming, and honestly something I wish I had done ages ago. Alas, one can’t rush the process, and, if anything, continuing to work on this site has shown me how restorative investing in something that is “yours” can be.

Writing might not always be a driving force for me, but, today, it feels like one of the few things that makes sense. There are certainly plenty of unknowns but it feels as though I’ve found my North Star yet again. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in these 22 years, it’s that life is far too short to not be doing something that stirs something within you. I’m not envisioning a fairytale, because, without a doubt, there are tough days where you literally end up crying in a manure pile (ask me how I know lol).

Those days are definitely not fun, but they make the other days, the awesome/phenomenal/insanely blessed days, that much more valuable.

Good or bad, it doesn’t matter… As long as I can find meaning in the effort I’m putting forth, life will handle the rest. Now, I’m learning to breathe in patience. Life really is not a race, and have no intentions of seeing it flash by. I’m setting my own milestones. Who knows, maybe the next one is a book?

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About the Author

Miguel is a senior at American University studying Business Administration with a concentration in Sustainable Change & Analytics. His passions outside of writing are running, traveling, and learning new languages. Follow him on Instagram.

If I Can’t Have Perfect, Then Perfectly Imperfect

Planning

I vividly remember laying in bed, and thinking, planning is the more accurate word, my life out, the night after I graduated high school. It wasn’t a plan I had just thought about that night, no it was one that I had thought about all junior and senior year. I thought about it every second until I left my parents house that summer to go to school.

I was set on what I was going to do- major in journalism, become a reporter, get married, have a family, live happily ever after. That was my plan and at 18, I knew that’s what I was going to do. Then, I went off to school, hated journalism. I hate it. I spent way to much time partying, and not near enough time hitting the books, and figuring out Part B of the plan, since Part A clearly wasn’t working.

 

I refused to give up on Part A.

I refused to seek other avenues, admit there were other options for me, even attempt to look at them, because I had been so set on journalism and that course since I was 18. And I started dating a boy, let him distract me even more. Because I was head over hills for him. And I let all/any of the first part of my plan, slip through my fingers, because I refused to acknowledge that there was a way to amend my perfect little plan.

 

 

25 Life Lessons You Only Learn When You’re A “Real” Adult

Adulting is hard. Anyone who says otherwise is either full of it or in complete denial. No matter how ready you might feel, there’s nothing that quite prepares you for the nonstop rollercoaster of responsibility and exhaustion.

It isn’t until you become a “real” adult that you learn just how difficult it is to balance careers, relationships, social lives, health, diet, fitness, etc. all while maintaining your sanity and getting some sleep. Fortunately, you also begin to realize that no one knows what the hell they’re doing and everyone is just as clueless as you.

These are just a few lessons people learned as they struggled through the crazy world of adulthood and tbh, we can totally relate.

1. Everything is expensive.

2. Eat your produce right away.

3. You have to actually answer phone calls.

4. You’ll try to stay healthy at all costs.

5. Bad things happen to good people.

6. Maintaining adult friendships is difficult.

7. You can’t use your mom as an excuse anymore.

8. You will always be tired.

9. You’ll get excited by little things.

10. There are lots of perks.

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11. You might become obsessed with interior decorating.

12. You start enjoying grocery shopping.

13. Your life is just the time in between laundry cycles.

14. Everyone around you is reproducing.

15. School didn’t teach you the important things.

16. You’ll start to savor every penny.

17. And try to avoid eating out.

18. Those rhymes your dad taught you start to come in handy.

19. There’s no better feeling than an empty inbox.

20. Google is your daily crutch.

21. You have to find a rhythm and stick with it.

22. You realize that no one actually knows what they’re doing.

23. You start to really understand your parents.

24. Kitchen appliances excite you.

25. Punishments become hobbies.

10 Simple Ways To Fall Back In Love With Yourself

“Never let anyone disturb your composure, deter your accomplishment, or destroy your happiness.” – Anonymous

1. Know when to walk away.

I truly believe that the moment we start accepting bullshit is the moment we start falling out of love with our lives. Investing our time and energy into something or someone who isn’t offering respectable returns is a recipe for falling out of love with ourselves – and then our lives.

In order to fall back in love with our lives, we have to let go of certain things that we’re wasting our precious energy on; we have to know when we’re being taken advantage of and when to walk away from people who aren’t appreciating us.

Having a very low tolerance for crap enables us to walk away when we need to and therefore use all our energy to build the new, to innovate the lives we actually want to live.  

2. Stop accepting half-ass commitments.

You give too much to receive an “almost.?? You offer too much to waste your precious time with someone who gives you almost what you need – someone who is not yet ready for love, who is afraid to say too much, to feel too deeply, to commit fully.

Never accept that romance is dead or that people don’t fully commit anymore. It’s only dead for those who accept “almost” – who don’t know how love or commitment looks like, sounds like, feels like.

3. Don’t take bullshit excuses.

Often “almost?? relationships come with excuses. Don’t accept any bullshit – that he’s too “complicated” or “just being honest” or scared because he likes you too much. No.

Bottom line is if you don’t mean enough to someone for them to make the effort to be with you fully – they shouldn’t get any of you. #Bye.

 

33 Things You Learned in Your 20s That Prove You Got Your Shit Together

Sometimes we don’t give ourselves enough credit and tend to see the glass half empty when in reality it’s half full. You’ve come this far not because of lack of abilities to survive in this chaotic world but because you got what it takes to have come this far. Yes, you’re farther along that you think you are. The truth is, you’re killing it at life, but in case you’re doubting it, here are some things you’ve learned in your twenties that prove you truly have your shit together.

  1. Your third luck isn’t always your charm.

  2. You can’t let others behavior destroy your inner peace.

  3. Not everybody is going to like you…

  4. Therefore, you can’t allow the opinion of others interfere with the opinion of yourself

  5. At the end of the day not everybody that crosses paths with you matters.

  6. You’re worth far more than you sometimes believe yourself to be.

  7. So loving yourself comes first.

  8. Courage will bring you through anything.

  9. So, never doubt God’s plans

  10. And trust that everything is Always going to be ok.

  11. You can’t cling to a mistake no matter how much time you spent making them.

  12. Time heals, even the worst pains.

  13.  And patience definitely is a virtue.

  14.  Ignorance isn’t Bliss.

  15. Some people go through more than three loves in their life.

  16. Even at your best you still won’t be good enough for the wrong person.

  17. A man isn’t going to leave what he knows he won’t find again.

  18.  You should always walk away from what’s not meant for you.

  19.  Because letting go doesn’t mean you stopped caring, it means you stopped forcing others to care.

  20.  Loss teaches us the value of things.

40 Things Everyone Forgot to Mention About Adulting in Your Twenties

Them Twenties…

Remember when you couldn’t wait until you turned 18? And once you did, shit wasn’t what you expected? Same. Someone, anyone, should have warned us, prepared us, and mentioned key things to help us naive souls survive adulthood. Like:

 

1. Laundry mats are expensive as hell.

 

2. Your dinner is probably going to consist of Ramen Noodles and Spagettio’s. Every. Single. Night.

 

3. You’re going to wake up with your body making noises that make you sound like an advertisement for Rice Crispies cereal.

 

4. Birthday’s and Christmas’s become money less cards and lots of socks.

 

5. You’re going to have to schedule your own doctor appointments. Orrrr, just avoid it and hope you don’t die.

 

6. High school didn’t teach us useful shit, like how to file your taxes.

 

7. Oh, and you’re never going to use the Box and Whiskers Plot in anything in life. Ever.

 

8. Ice cream DOES NOT fix everything.

 

9. You’re going to pick wearing no pants instead of going out on a Friday sometimes.

 

10. You can’t get drunk as fuck like you used to without it taking two weeks, a whole pizza, an entire bottle of Advil, and six Gatorade’s to get over a hangover.

 

11. You’re always tired. Like when did you turn into a crippling, dying 80 year old so quickly?

 

12. And nap time becomes an important priority of the day.

 

13. Life Alert should be kept handy for all the times you fall for fuck boys. Which is a lot.

 

14. Love hurts. Literally.

 

15. Believing everyone is like believing Pinocchio.

 

16. Bills don’t magically pay themselves. And no, Monopoly money isn’t accepted as payment.

 

17. You’re going to contemplate at least 40 times a day if it’s worth being an adult anymore, but knowing you have to because you have a cat to feed.

 

18. Coping mechanisms are now alcohol, sarcasm, and a dark sense of humor,

 

19. You’re gonna tell yourself all the time that you’re going to bed early, yet finding yourself awake at 3 A.M., taking a quiz to find out ‘What kind of tree are you?’.

 

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