Decorating Tips

Whether you are in the midst of the apartment search process or have already moved into your new place, a few simple decorating tips can help you transform your apartment into a home.

With white walls and ceilings, most apartments are a blank canvas for creativity -- and color. Adding a little color to your apartment is often the easiest, most effective, and cheapest way to bring your apartment to life.

Your walls: Find out from your apartment manager if you can paint your apartment. Most of the time if you are allowed to paint, you will need to paint it back to the original color before you move out. If this is the case, painting one wall an accent color is a great way to warm up your apartment and add some interest without a lot of extra work or expense. If you are not allowed to paint, get creative with your decorations. Consider buying a few blank canvases from a local craft store, spray painting them with your favorite colors, and then hanging them on your walls for a punch of color.

Your floors: Don't despair of white tile floors, boring carpet, or banged-up hardwood. You don't have to promise your first born child for a pretty Persian. Ikea, Target, and Tuesday Morning often have great colorful area rugs for under $100 that will warm up any room.

Your decor: Use colorful accessories, throw pillows, and live plants to make your space warm and inviting.

However you decide to decorate your place, make it your own and have fun doing it.

Money Saving Tips

If you are lucky enough to have a job in this economy, it's likely that you are making the same amount of money as you were last year -- if not less. Even if you received a raise this year, that doesn't mean that you should go on a spending spree. While the economy is beginning to show signs of recovery, you never know when you might need to use your savings as a safety net.

You know that saving is important, but that's much easier said than done. Here are a few tips to help you stash away some of your pay check each month:

1) Plan & Research: You'll be amazed how much money you can save simply by planning ahead. If you know that you are going to need a new dress or suit for a wedding in 6 months, don't hold off looking until the week before when you will be stuck paying the asking price for whatever fits. If you start looking well in advance, you will have a greater selection to choose from and be able to watch out for sales.

While planning can help you save a decent amount of cash on smaller items, you'll be amazed at the hundreds and sometime even thousands of dollars that you save by planning ahead and doing your research when you are buying or renting big ticket items. When shopping for airline tickets, hotels, and rental cars check out Expedia and for apartments check out StudentApt. A little planning and research equals big savings every time.

2) Negotiate: After you have planned and researched your purchases, that doesn't mean your work is done. Many people are afraid to negotiate, but it's important to remember that the worst the sales person can say is, "no." Next time you are are making a major purchase try telling the sales person, "I'm really interested in making this purchase / lease, but it's not quite in my budget. What can you do for me?" Or, you can try telling the sales person exactly what your budget is and seeing what he can do to meet you there. You'll be amazed at how many times you will receive a discount just by asking.

3) Save: Now that you have planned, researched, and negotiated your way into saving some extra cash, don't reward yourself with an impulse purchase. If you have credit card debt, your first goal should be to pay it off. If you don't have credit card debt, you should begin to place your extra money in a savings account or even in an IRA.

If you want to learn more about money saving tips, click here to read on. Happy saving!

Energy Saving Tips

While most everyone is familiar with the environmental benefits of going green, not everyone is aware of the amount of money that you can save by introducing a few simple energy saving practices into apartment living.

Check out the tips below courtesy of WikiHow:

Lighting

1. Turn off the lights in your apartment when they aren't in use.

2. Use compact fluorescent lights instead of regular incandescent light bulbs. While they are more expensive initially, fluorescent bulbs will pay for themselves many times over in the long run, as they consume about a quarter of the power and last up to 10 times longer than regular bulbs.

Heating and Cooling

1. Use a fan during the summer months instead of an air conditioner. However, if you have to use an air conditioner, keep it on a lower setting and at a slightly higher temperature. Don't forget to turn off your A/C when leaving the apartment - most window units cool the apartment very quickly, so there's no need to keep them running while you're away.

2. Close window shades during the day, particularly if your apartment has windows that receive direct sunlight.

3. Open windows at night when there is a breeze.

4. Seal windows with plastic during the winter.

5. If you control your heat in the winter, turn down the thermostat when you are not home, and at night.

6. Install an energy-efficient showerhead in the bathroom to reduce your hot water usage.

Furniture and Electronics

1. Arrange your furniture in a way that doesn't block or obstruct any heat vents, radiators or baseboard heaters. This includes drapes or curtains; not only will they block the heat from entering your apartment, but it's also fire hazard.

2. Turn off and unplug appliances when not in use.

Cooking and Storing Your Food

1. Minimize the number of times you open the oven, refrigerator and freezer doors.

2. Match the size of any pots or skillets you use on the stovetop elements. There's no need to use the energy required to heat up the largest element when you're only using the smallest pot in the kitchen.

3. Reduce cooking times by thawing frozen foods in the refrigerator beforehand.