Apartment Blog

Remember in January, we wrote an article ‘5 Reasons to Get Fit in 2009′? The whole premise of that article was to give you five reasons why working out at your apartment community fitness center provides you with great benefits. Well, we’ve gone a step further to break down how doing other activities in your apartment community can really add up for shedding calories this year!

These numbers are for a 150 lb person and based on a work-out for 30 minutes.

**information collected from HealthStatus.com

Okay, so everyone who lives in an apartment community is typically invited to a holiday party if their management company is throwing one. But rarely are residents inclined to go. There are a couple reasons, to say the least, but let’s focus on the reasons why they should want to go! And what management companies can do for residents to want to go! Take a look at our tips….

1. Interesting music…..hire a band or a DJ!!

2. Gift incentives! Gift cards are great for the holidays or shoot, how about a discount on rent!

3. Pets are a part of the family too, how about incorporating them in some manner!?

4. Pot Luck Dinner, each resident will feel more a part of the event if they have contributed.

5. Gift or Cookie exchange. Get some interaction and co-mingling.

6. Offer up crafts. Like a make your own Christmas wreath! Or something kid friendly, like the Advent Calendar Craft we posted.

7. Pictures with Santa for either pets or children.

8. A unique beverage assortment. For instance, a hot chocolate bar and sitting area in front of the fireplace.

9. Theme parties are always a lot of fun! Check out our Tacky Christmas Sweater Party Tips.

10. Christmas tree decorating. Have each resident bring an ornament to put on the tree. Have the tree displayed somewhere on the property for guests and residents to see.

11. Provide a greater service. Have the holiday party coincide with a charity donation/event.

12. Residents on the fly?? Have ‘cookies & milk for Santa’ baskets ready as a thank you for stopping by!!

Some other great ideas were providing games, like Cranium or a scavenger hunt, for residents to play; or offering up a wine tasting event with hour d’oeuvres. Whatever your apartment property decides to do, make sure you think of what the residents would actually want. Happy residents make for a happy apartment community!

Re-gifting….YAY or NAY?? While some find this concept absolutely repulsive, others find this completely acceptable. If you find this option, re-gifting, ‘okay’ then you might want to check out these tips before doing so! Believe it or not, even re-gifting has rules…..

1. Hold onto the gift a full season or holiday, this way enough time passes that it may be forgotten by others
2. Give it to someone in another social circle, for example if Grandma gives you your thousandth trinket make sure to steer clear of family and pass it on to a co-worker or friend
3. Make the most of White Elephant opportunities- half of the gifts given are gags anyway so use the game as an opportunity to unload unwanted items
4. DONATE them at the holidays- those angel trees never share about the person’s interest or hobbies, so you’re safe dropping off something “random”, just make sure it serves as a little extra in their bag and not the primary gift
5. Embellish it- feel like it was shafty when you got it?  Then add something to it like a gift card or bow to make it worthwhile…then pass it on!
6. Consignment shop here you come- this is mostly limited to clothing and accessories, but if your special gift fits the bill then take it in and see what you can make!  Note: this mainly benefits you and the store, but shouldn’t the gift have benefited you initially?  I see no crime here.
7. Door prize!  Ever throw parties like ornament decorating, holiday book club, wine tasting, or Bunco???  Why not giveaway a nice little treat to the first person in the door?
8. Is Secret Santa going on at work?  Make sure you sign up to participate and empty out your stack of “desirable” gifts to that special name you drew.  The plus to this is, you make space in your closet and seem generous at the same time!
9. Obligation gifts…we all know what these are!  Next time someone unexpectedly gives you a gift during the holidays, be prepared.  Have your gift wrapped and ready, they’ll appreciate you thought of them as well and it saves you from spending money on people who didn’t make your shopping list the first or second time around.
10. Knock, knock- The holidays are the perfect time to build a relationship with your neighbors.  They will appreciate the gesture and hopefully will remember it the next time you ask them to keep an eye on your apartment when you’re away!
11. And they didn’t even see it coming!!!  Take time to re-gift presents to people who wouldn’t expect anything in the first place.  Your mailman, maintenance staff, kid’s bus driver, office receptionist, and security guards work hard everyday- give them a little something to show that you notice!
12. Lend a helping hand.  Have you ever been to something where a person forgot to bring a gift or was unaware they needed one?  Save them from shame and let them use yours.

While the holiday season is one of the most treasured times of year (it certainly is for me), it can also be one of the most wasteful times of the year. Think about it, gifts being purchased that may not ever be used, holiday cards bought, the colossal gift wrapping options and of course our beloved holiday lights!! It really appears to not be the most energy efficient season and we at ForRent.com want to help you ‘go green’ all year long. So we’ve provided you with a couple of environmentally-friendly ideas for you to incorporate this holiday season.

E-Cards:
With the advancement in technology we are now able to send a massive amount of greetings via email. Now I, much like my grandmother and great grandmother, would prefer doing the more meaningful option of sitting down and hand writing little notes to each of my 20 family members, but I realize that isn’t always convenient. So this year I am going to email a majority of my holiday cards (sorry, gotta send grandma and great grandma the personalized card…its tradition). Not only will that save me time and money (a lot of E-cards are FREE), but it will also help reduce the amount of paper I would be using during the holidays, which brings me to my next topic of discussion…..

GREEN Gift Wrapping:
No, I’m not just talking about the color! I’m talking about the reusable, recycled paper. You can find a vast amount of stores and websites (amazon.com for example) that sell recycled material for packaging options. There are large rolls of brown recycled paper for wrapping gifts or bags for your hard to wrap gifts. While they may not be the most attractive or holiday themed, they allow for much more creativity! Get your markers, colored pencils, stamps, paint, whatever and start decorating! Getting the kids involved would also be a bonus gift for the relatives. Something they most certainly will cherish!

Holiday Lights Get a Makeover:
In case you didn’t know, and I didn’t, there is an option for holiday lights that is much more energy efficient. As you know with my previous tips, I am an advocate in shutting off appliances (or anything plugged in) while its not in use. Having strings of lights plugged in throughout the night for 25 days can be quite costly, not to mention wasteful.  Solar lights are the solution! They are charged during the day from the sun, automatically turn on and run continuously through the night. You just need to place them in areas where they will receive direct sunlight so they can charge. Most do require rechargeable batteries which are powered through the day and can last for up to 12 months!! While the solar lights are out numbered by the more traditional lighting methods, they are growing as the trend for ‘going green’ continues.

So there you are, some quick tips for choosing an eco-friendly holiday season. If we’ve left any out, please share! Waste not, want not was what my mother always said!!

A time honored tradition in my home was an advent calendar used to count down the days until Christmas. The specific one in my house had 25 boxes with little gift ornaments. Each day my brother and I would open up the little box with a surprise ornament in it and hang it on the tree. It was something I looked forward to everyday. But an advent calendar isn’t limited to Christmas; it really can be used for different holidays such as solstice, Hanukkah, etc.

So in keeping with childhood memories for me, I searched for ways to incorporate this craft for kids during the holidays. eHow.com actually had a really cute one, which I thought I’d share……

For this craft you’ll need a large piece of cardboard, scissors, popsicle (craft) sticks, acrylic paints, paint brushes, brads, glue (hot or liquid white will due), a variety of small boxes, and of course, items to decorate the boxes with: ribbon, rope, etc.

Step1

Gather all materials and find a large surface to assemble the calendar. Make sure it is next to an outlet if you are using a hot glue gun. The number of small boxes you need will depend on the number of days you are counting down to your holiday event!

Step2

Lay out your cardboard and arrange boxes into a wreath (ring) shape on it. Remember to place them far enough apart that you will be able to easily remove their lids. Trace a circle around the outside of all the boxes. Trace another circle around the inside of all the boxes. Clear the boxes off the cardboard. You should be left with the outline of a wreath (ring). Cut out this shape with scissors or a craft knife. It is your base.

Step3

Glue the popsicle sticks to the back of the cardboard ring. These will give it extra stability when the boxes are filled with treats. Let the glue dry before going on to next step.

Step4

This is the fun part! Paint the calendar base (cardboard ring) and boxes as desired. Use seasonal colors, images, and don’t forget to number the boxes!

Step5

Glue your boxes onto the painted cardboard ring. Keep in mind to place each far enough apart for the lids to come off easily. If you are using brads, now is the time to poke a hole (with scissors) through the box bases and cardboard base to insert the brads. This helps the boxes stay put if the glue fails. Let the glue dry before moving on to the next step.

Step6

Decide where to put your calendar. It can go on any surface as it is, or you can add a festive ribbon or rope and hang it from your wall.

I hope you and your child/children enjoy creating this holiday craft. Spending time with family is what the holidays are all about. Why not make some great memories in the process!

By Simon Phillips 

If you live in a furnished apartment, a great way to add your personal touch to the décor is to use furniture slipcovers on the couch and chairs.  Not only can slipcovers hide unattractive or unfashionable upholstery, they have the added bonus of protecting your landlord’s furniture from wear and tear.  If you accidentally drop a slice of pizza on the sofa or your friend’s kid leaves mucky fingerprints on the arms, it’s much easier to wash a slipcover in the machine than to scrub the stains out of the upholstery by hand.

Slipcovers also come in handy if you’re furnishing your apartment yourself, especially if you’re trying to decorate on a tight budget.  It’s easy to find cheap or even free secondhand furniture from yard sales or family.  However, the disadvantage of secondhand furniture is that it’s not necessarily going to be to your taste.  Used sofas tend to look their age, with outdated, dirty or worn upholstery.  Also, it’s common for thrifty renters to acquire separate items - an armchair here, a loveseat there - rather than be lucky enough to find a matching 3-piece suite.  The beauty of slipcovers is they can solve all these problems, by making random seats match and giving old furniture a more modern style.

It’s relatively inexpensive to buy ready made slipcovers, especially if you shop around to find the best offers and clearance sales.  A 2-seat loveseat cover typically costs around $40 to $50.  A bonus of buying one-size-fits-all, mass-produced covers is they are designed to fit pretty much any furniture.  So, you can re-use them if you move to another apartment or if you buy your own furniture in the future.  The fabrics are usually hardwearing cotton or polyester, or a blend of both, and can stand up to lots of use and regular washing.  Stretchy fabrics that contain Spandex are also available, and are good for getting a really tight fit.

Of course, couches and chairs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so sometimes a ready made slipcover might not fit properly.  Custom slipcovers are more expensive and really only worth it if you’ve got a good quality seat you’re going to use for a long time.  But for renters on a budget, there are a few tricks you can use to help get a slipcover to fit.

For instance, if a slipcover is slightly too big and there’s a lot of loose fabric, tuck it all tightly behind and to the sides of the seat cushions.  Poking it in with a wooden spoon helps.  To secure it and prevent it becoming untucked when you sit on it, either buy some purpose-made plastic grippers or make your own from rolled up magazines and rubber bands.  You can push these into the gaps around the seat to stop the excess fabric untucking.  Another trick worth knowing is to use an old blanket or towel to add padding to narrow or wooden arms. 

So, if you’re looking for a way to put your own stamp on your apartment’s décor and get a coordinated look without spending much money, why not invest in some slipcovers?

Simon Phillips is a professional writer, interior design enthusiast and co-founder of www.GetSlipcovers.com.  He particularly enjoys finding ways of furnishing and decorating his home for less.