Apartment Tour + 5 Moving Tips

Oct 27

At last, a peek into my NYC apartment.

This week has been a little hectic for me, and I feel as though I really needed to catch up on sleep the past few days. However, I really wanted to share an apartment tour post with you guys because I've been getting a lot of questions about my place.

{ doormat // rainboots (I'm wearing a size 5, for reference. Let me know if you have any questions on sizing for Hunter Boots... I can tell you some hacks, if you're considering purchasing) }

When I asked you all to send me questions about my apartment, I also got a couple of questions about moving to NYC as a recent college grad.

I wanted to share 5 TIPS that might come in handy for those who are considering to move to NYC or have plans to move here soon...

1. Do your research

I knew I wanted to move to NYC. Point blank.

Job wise - I knew I wanted to work in fashion, and after interviewing at a couple of places, I mapped out where the offices were located, so I could scout out apartments to live.

This is so important because a couple of things I've learned while living here for two months so far, is that the commute is everything. It determines when you have to wake up in the morning for work, how much time you'll have in the day to get from one place to another, and I really did take that for granted when I moved.

So make sure you map out the commute time and see if it is feasible to get to work and your apartment within a certain time frame, so you're not spending too much time commuting.

{ bar cart (ON SALE) }
2. Figure out your living situation
And I'm talking financially and literally - are you planning to live with a roommate? Is she / he random? Living alone? What is your budget? Those are all questions you should probably have answers to. The roommate situation is very important. I am currently living alone in my apartment because 1) I don't like living with other people because that's just who I am and 2) my parents knew I would thrive better if I lived by myself. On the topic of parents... ask. them. EVERYTHING.
I sat down with mine to discuss what my monthly budget would be. And from there, I was able to see how much I would be able to spend and how much I needed to save.

{ wine glass }

3. Be on top of your (apartment searching) GAME

Start early! After you figure out your job location and your living situation... apartment searching is a real pain. Honestly, something that I figured out by myself through this process was that...

if you find an apartment you LOVE and you're happy with... GO FOR IT.

Because if not, it'll be gone before you know it. I remember every apartment I fell in love with that I found through StreetEasy and Apartments.com was gone because I had waited too long. I was frustrated several times, but convinced myself that the timing and place wasn't right.

But biggest tip of all: it's tough finding an apartment that you'll love in NYC. The pricing is unreal (compared to how I was living back in North Carolina), the space is small, and it's competitive because everyone is always looking for apartments here.

So if you like it? Be quick and claim it.

{ bag }
4. Finding friends... isn't as easy as it looks
^ true statement. Living in a big city doesn't necessarily mean it's easy to find people you like. It might seem like you have tons of options, but that's hardly the case. Which is why moving to NYC without knowing anyone could be tough. That doesn't mean it's not possible though...
Fortunately, I have a couple of friends that live here that I can reach out to here and there, but like I said, NYC is such a busy city packed with busy people, that making time for people isn't easy.

I would recommend subscribing to emails like EventBrite, which notifies you of upcoming events in the area you live in. I found some really cool Halloween parties from there, so that's a great place to start.

{ bag // phone case // mousepad }

5. Don't lose touch with your family and friends back 'home'

I know this doesn't necessarily have to do with moving, but it's SO important.

For your health and for you.

I remember dreaming of the day when I'd finally leave my college home or my family home and doing my own thing in NYC. I was so excited and ready to just take that leap and start the next chapter of my life. However, there are definitely moments where I miss my family... and my friends back home. It's normal to feel homesick as a postgrad, and if anything, I always keep in touch with them every now and then. Even if it's just a simple phone call or a text saying hi, you should still reach out to them.

I hope these 5 TIPS helped.

If you guys have any other questions about anything, please leave a comment below or feel free to shoot me an email :)

One last thing...

{ white booties // pink booties // rainboots }

The real world isn't as easy as it looks.
I remember wanting to get out of college when I was back at UNC, but looking back, college was much easier. I can't say the same about those final papers and exams as of this moment, but not having to pay bills, worry about getting fired if you didn't show up to work on time... all of it doesn't compare to the postgrad life.
I'm still getting used to paying my own bills and taxes and signing up for plans that I'm pretty sure I asked a million questions to my parents about... which is okay. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You don't know the answer to everything.

Help is there when you need it.

Thanks for stopping by :)