After my freshman year living in a dorm in west campus, I felt it was time for a change and\u00a0decided to move off-campus. I wanted to switch it up from having dining hall food to having my\u00a0own place where I could cook. My sister told me that south campus offers a nice way to get out\u00a0of the \u201cBU bubble,\u201d but still be close to classes. I found a great apartment and could not be\u00a0happier about my decision. There is not only a Tatte five minutes from my new place, but
\nTimeout Market, Whole Foods, and more!<\/p>\n
Moving from a dorm meant having more responsibilities. I had to set up an Eversource account,\u00a0budget my spending on dining out and groceries, and file maintenance requests when needed\u00a0(which can take weeks to be completed).<\/p>\n
Here are my tips for living off-campus:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Research each apartment you visit<\/span><\/p>\n Even if you like it, you do not want to sign a lease on the first apartment you see. Make sure you\u00a0ask current tenants about their experience, and why they are moving out. Also, be sure to\u00a0inquire about whether the building or appliances have any problems and, if so, how quickly the 2. Create a budget<\/span><\/p>\n Living in Boston can be expensive. Takeout, groceries, and household items can add up. In\u00a0addition, off-campus housing requires utilities and internet among other incidentals. I write down\u00a0my weekly spending on the notes app, or you can use a journal to track expenses to ensure you\u00a0are not overspending.<\/p>\n 3. Buy basic items in bulk<\/span><\/p>\n Going to Target or Star Market is not only time-consuming if you run out of necessities, like toilet\u00a0paper or hand soap, but it can also be expensive. Buying in bulk helps you to save money, but\u00a0you should also be careful not to over purchase as space is limited, and to monitor your\u00a0inventory so that you have everything when you need it.<\/p>\n 4. Introduce yourself to your neighbor(s)<\/span><\/p>\n I introduced myself to my neighbor across the hall on move-in day. You do not necessarily need\u00a0to be close to them, but knowing who they are and getting their contact information can help you\u00a0in the future. What if the power goes out and you need to borrow a flashlight, or use their cell\u00a0phone because you accidentally locked yourself out? It has happened to me. An emergency can 5. Clean your apartment<\/span><\/p>\n Cleaning is essential. Boston is riddled with rats, mice and roaches. Consistently vacuum your\u00a0floors, do your dishes, take out the trash, and clean your counters and bathroom.<\/p>\n 6. Set up auto payment for rent<\/span><\/p>\n Apartment owners and landlords are very rigid about when your rent is due and you want to\u00a0avoid a late fee. Set up auto-payment, if possible, and if it isn\u2019t an option, put a reminder in your\u00a0calendar for when to send the payment each month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Advice for Living Off-Campus After my freshman year living in a dorm in west campus, I felt it was time for a change and\u00a0decided to move off-campus. I wanted to switch it up from having dining hall food to having my\u00a0own place where I could cook. My sister told me that south campus offers a … Continue reading Meryl B: Advice for Living Off-Campus<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2018,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[44607],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5427"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5428,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5427\/revisions\/5428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nlandlord responds and fixes the issues.<\/p>\n
\ncome up, and it is a relief to know that your neighbor is near and can lend a hand.<\/p>\n