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Buying a Couch

By Chris Zoia
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Quick Tips
  1. Measure up – Before you even attempt to haul a huge couch into your box-sized apartment, take measurements of your place and plan out how you’ll arrange your living room. It’ll save you much strife; it would suck if you bought your dream sofa only to discover you can’t fit it through your doorway.
  2. Futons and loveseats and sofas, oh my! – Think about what your requirements are before you choose which couch to buy. Futons and sofa beds are great if you plan on having a lot of guests. Loveseats should be a no-brainer if you don’t have a lot of space (or cash).
  3. The price is right – Unless you’re sitting on a couple thousand dollars’ worth of spare change and you never plan on moving out of your place, forgo the $3000 lounge couch. You can find plenty of affordable alternatives at Ikea, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, or Sears for less than $500. If you do plan on going all out on the couch of your dreams, check out higher-end department stores like Crate and Barrel and Room and Board.
  4. The bargain bin – For those on a really tight budget, Craigslist and Facebook are good places to look for great deals on used couches that are still in good condition. Also, be on the lookout for sales—you can easily buy a sofa for a quarter of its retail price. The truly adventurous can always nab one off the street for free if it’s not totally compromised.
  5. Learning to let go – If your pet (or your drunk guest) concludes that your sofa makes a fun soft-n-squishy toilet, it’s time to get a new one. Small stains can be taken care of with some rubbing alcohol, or you could have the whole sofa professionally cleaned if you’re sentimentally attached to it. But oftentimes it’s just cheaper to buy a new couch that doesn’t leave occupants with bizarre rashes.

A couch is the epicenter of your new life of independence—it’s where you socialize and where your friends sleep; it holds remnants of most of the meals you’ve ever eaten at home; and it serves as a repository for a small portion of your monthly income

You're Selling THAT?

By Chris Zoia
7/18/08
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Although you might live in a humble hole-in-the-wall, at least you don’t live in this hole-in-the-wall. The lovelylisting blog showcases photographs of atrocious domiciles from actual real estate listings. I guess with the housing market being as bad as it is, some owners have just

Bravo, L’Américaine

By Tory Hoen
7/21/08
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I live in Paris now. I know this because every morning when I wake up, I experience a brief moment of panicky, delighted confusion…I have no idea where I am! I remain disoriented until I ask myself the following questions

Setting Up the Utilities: Electricity, Cable, Internet, and Phone

By David Pekema
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Quick Tips
  1. Plan ahead – Make sure you activate all your utilities at least one week before you move into your new place. If you live in an apartment, water and garbage may be covered by your landlord, but electricity and gas almost always must be activated by the tenant.
  2. Pay bills on-line. – Why write out checks, lick stamps, and visit the post office when you can just sit at our computer and electronically pay all your bills? Better yet, sign up for automatic bill pay, and let your bank or credit card company take care of the hassle.
  3. Entertainment – The main choices for Internet are DSL or cable (both are remarkably similar), whereas your options for television are cable or satellite. The latter offers more channels but is sensitive to weather conditions. Oftentimes bundle deals let you save money in the long run, but make sure you actually use these three services for as much as you pay for them.
  4. The landline question – Landline phones are about as extinct as dinosaurs, mammoths, and Pauly Shore. I suppose that if you want a home fax machine, get terrible cell reception, or wear adult diapers you may want to look into it, but otherwise don’t bother. Instead, check out VoIP, which provides phone service over your Internet connection.
  5. Short-term service – Think about how long you’re staying in your place. Most television and internet service providers will give you big discounts if you agree to 12-months of service. Be careful though, if you cancel the service before the contract is up, you’ll incur steep penalties.

If you never had to pay for them yourself, you have probably never stopped to consider life without utilities. Let me break it down: Without utilities, there are no Hot Pockets, no hot showers, and no Who Wants to Be a Millionaire marathons on the Game Show Network. Sound pretty miserable? It is pretty miserable. The second you move into your first apartment, you’re going to need your utilities. Water, electricity, and gas are a must, but cable and Internet are often considered “essentials” amongst the recent grad community, as well.

Q&A with Ning CEO Gina Bianchini - Part II

By Christopher Schonberger
7/15/08
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In Part II of our chat with Ning.com CEO Gina Bianchini, we discussed ways that recent grads can use Ning to help them with their transition to life after college. If you didn’t see Part I, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Do You Like to "Do It Yourself"!?!?

By Chris Zoia
7/14/08
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Global warming and the rising cost of oil are forcing AC users to face a conundrum: kill the environment and your wallet, or perspire to the point that you genuinely find PBR's "refreshing." Luckily, there's a compromise.

Notes from the First Summer

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7/14/08
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I'll never forget one particular Saturday night in July the summer after graduating college. Two months earlier, I was the king of the world. I had taken my last final exam, I was juggling multiple girls at once, and my little brother in the fraternity

The Art of Air-Conditioning

By Joan Mitchell
7/09/08
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Air-conditioning is a godsend in these swamp-ass-inducing months, but anyone who bought a window unit this summer quickly realized that manufacturers don’t waste too much time with aesthetics.

Being a Good Tenant (plus: learn how to tip)

By Julie Fishman
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Quick Tips

  1. Befriend neighbors — You’re probably going to run into your neighbors pretty often whether you like it or not, so make every effort to be respectful and friendly. Just because you don’t think something is annoying and they do, that doesn’t mean they just have to deal with it. Compromise; it’s easier than getting the landlord or authorities involved.

  2. Deal with disturbances – If your neighbors are causing a ruckus, don’t be afraid to do something about it. First, bring it up politely. If that doesn’t work, talk to a landlord or even threaten legal action. Read your lease to see if you have any recourse, and be sure to save copies of communications with all parties.

  3. The super – While your super has a responsibility to do his job, he’ll always respond slowly if you’re a pain. Call him if something related to the building (i.e., not your TV) is broken, or if there’s a pest issue. But don’t abuse the relationship.

  4. Tipping – Around Christmas, give $50 to $200 to the super and $10 to $80 to each doorman you interact with (or check CNN’s tipping guide). Tips go a long way towards making sure that your toilet gets fixed asap. You can also “tip as you go,” handing over $5-20 each time the super helps you out.

  5. Unpaid rent – If you can’t pay the rent, don’t just hope the issue will resolve itself. Call the HUD first, and then your landlord to see if you can work something out. Before you do, read up on the eviction process so you know your rights.

Between a bastard boss, bountiful bills, and a bitching boyfriend, there is enough stress in life. There’s no need to exacerbate things by starting a cold war with your neighbors where you end up blasting “Sexy Back” to counter they’re all-night marathon of Paul Anka’s greatest hits, or by pissing off the super

Landlord a Pain in the Arse?

By Chris Zoia
7/03/08
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Isn’t it reassuring to see that our British peers across the pond also have to deal with the occasional landlord from hell? The entries at thesite.org.uk provide both witty horror-stories from disgruntled tenants and tips for renters who might face the most common landlord issues

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