Apartment Blog

Spring is here! YAY!! But as the warm weather approaches, so does all the pollen and allergens that can aggravate your sinuses! Its not just outside allergens that can help create a Rudolph nose, but also the inside of your apartment! Here are a few tips that I’ve found helpful to allergy proof your home!

Concentrate on the Bedroom!

According to Angel Waldron of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, you spend about 80 percent of your time in your bedroom! So it’s logical that should be the first place you start. Believe it or not, dust mites live in your bed! Somewhere around two million of them! They take residence in your pillows, mattresses, bed springs, blankets and comforters. “These mites are the number one indoor allergen, and their population peaks in July and August.”[1] So do your part in controlling them and it’ll go a long way toward helping your allergies. Be sure to wash your linens in the hot cycle frequently. Another tip is to purchase allergen-proof pillows and bed covers. I had both of them growing up and they helped relieve my symptoms!

Manage the Pet Hair!

While I’m an animal lover as much as the next person, there is some pet dander that I just can’t be around-specifically cats! And apparently I’m not alone. “Approximately 10 million people are allergic to cat dander, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.”[2] Cats have the most allergens followed by dogs and rodents. So to control your animals’ dander make sure you keep your pet off your furniture, including your bed! Bathing your pet once a week also makes a big difference in cutting down on allergens.

Keep Pollen Out!

With the warmer weather coming, people tend to have their windows and back doors open to let in the fresh air. I know I love doing that! Turns out that could be a huge contributor to my allergies! Doing that brings the pollen inside your apartment! So if you don’t want the runny nose, watery eyes, and stuffed up feeling-keep those windows and doors closed! Especially during the time of day the pollen count is at it’s highest, which is between 5:00-10:00 am.

Get Rid of Mold!

Who wants mold in their apartment? I know I don’t! The very thought of it gives me the shakes, but it happens! The biggest hotspots for mold happen to be in your bathroom and your closet! The bathroom is one of the wettest places in your apartment. The combination of heat and dampness is optimal for mold growth. So make sure you do your part to prevent it from starting. A few tips to help with bathroom mold is to make sure you circulate the air before and after your shower. Use the fan during the shower and open the door for 5-10 minutes afterwards. Also be sure to stretch the shower curtain after your shower so all the water can drain and the material can dry out. Wash your bathtub, shower door, walls, etc, if you see any mold. Use rubber gloves and a mixture of bleach and water. Doing these few steps will not only prevent your allergies, but also your health and the appearance of your apartment!

So there you have it. A few tips I’ve learned from AOL Real Estate about how to allergy proof your apartment! I know this spring the outdoor allergens are going to create difficulty for some, but at least when you get inside you won’t have to worry about too many irritants!

In one of the forums I participate in, I came across a question regarding renters insurance and whether it’s worth the extra cost. There were many answers supporting each side of the question. Some commented that it wasn’t worth the extra expense because, really, how often do you get burglarized, flooded or have your apartment catch on fire. Others noted that the benefits of having it outweighed the expense-even if you don’t ever have to use it. So let me interject some of my opinions….

I personally feel safer having renters insurance. The peace of mind alone is worth the annual cost of $140. With that being said, I’m about 80% sure I’m never going to need it. However, hearing the stories on the news about fires that have engulfed an entire apartment building reassures me that I made the right choice. Whether I actually use it or not, I know that I am covered and that gives me peace of mind. Also, as one forum participant commented “it’s not just the insurance on your stuff, but also covering you for liability”. This is important! If someone gets injured in your home, having renters insurance will protect you!

So what is your opinion? I’ve stated mine and clearly I am advocating that everyone should have renters insurance. So if you happen to be in the market for renters insurance, check out our website!

I’ve always been fascinated by claddagh rings. I’ve seen them all over jewelry stores and a friend of mine from high school had one. So I decided to do a little research and let everyone, who didn’t already know, what it’s true meaning is!

This traditional Irish ring is a symbol of love, friendship and loyalty. It originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the walls of Galway. The designs of the ring give you its meaning: the heart symbolizes love, the hands represent friendship and the crown signifies loyalty.

Depending on how the claddagh ring is worn on the hand usually tells the wearer’s romantic availability, or lack thereof. When worn on the right hand with the heart facing out, the person is still searching for love. When worn on the right hand with the heart facing in, he or she is in a relationship or ‘someone has captured their heart’. When the claddagh ring is worn on the left hand ring finger, facing outward, it indicates the wearer is engaged, and when the ring is worn on the left hand, facing in, it generally means the person is married.

The claddagh ring is recognized worldwide and many people of Irish and non-Irish descent wear it. It is used as both a cultural symbol and as an engagement/wedding ring. What I found amazing was that there are many legends of how this ring came about, including gifts from the heavens for doing charity work and unforgettable love. However it came to be, this ring is truly valuable to the Irish culture and indeed signifies the cherished qualities of love: heart, friendship and loyalty.

Source: thecharmingtouch.com

If you’re single and on your own, Valentine’s Day can be, in my opinion, one of the worst holidays for you to endure. References to ‘love’ bombard you from every angle wherever you are, which of course, is like adding salt to the wound. If you’re a person who doesn’t mind being single on this holiday and going out for a night on the town, that’s great! But if Valentine’s Day is a constant reminder to you that you’re alone & you hate it, think about that the next you’re your lease is up….you might want to get a roommate!

Besides the financial benefits of having a roommate, having another person in your apartment could actually be emotionally comforting. Someone could be there when you come home during the day, or watching T.V. in the evening. It could actually be quite soothing and a relief. Not to mention safe. Having another person in your apartment may give you a sense of security too!

To Find a Roommate, visit ForRent.com!

Good Luck!

Want to get your kids involved on this lovely holiday? Then get out some construction paper, glue, scissors and your creative flair because the following ideas require a bit of imagination on you and your kids part!

Make Valentine’s Day Card for your family & loved ones

○ Using construction paper, glue, scissors and whatever decorative element you can get your hands on, make a Valentine’s Day card! Doesn’t require much, just a bunch of love and time!

Make Someone a Coupon Book (help around the house, get out of jail free card,

whatever!)

○ I’m seriously contemplating doing this for my boyfriend. A bunch of coupons for ‘not doing the dishes tonight’ or ‘free night out with the guys’. Both inexpensive and exactly what he’d like! (permission from me to get out of doing chores)

○ You can get really creative & specific with this for the person you’re making it for! (i.e. If making it for mom, throw in a few ‘I’ll do the dishes’, ‘not make a mess’, ‘clean up after my own toys’, etc.)

Create Beaded Jewelry Crafts

○ Go to your local craft store and pick up a variety of beads and string. You and your kids can create one of a kind jewelry pieces for each other or their friends!

Handprint Poems

○ When you come up with enough creative writing to write a poem for your loved one, make sure you display it properly by putting it on a hand printed cut-out! (trace your own hand to make it personal)

Bake Valentine’s Day Cookies

○ You can use the store bought ones, or create your own. Regardless this activity with kids will be super fun and very yummy!!!

Personalized Valentine’s Day Candy Jar

○ This will be super fun for your kids to create. Get various sizes of jar/containers, ink/paint & stamps. (This will get messy so make sure you have a cleaning station prepared and newspaper down on your surface)

○ Let their imagination run wild!! After its dried, fill the jar with all sorts of little candy treats!

These crafts allow you and your kids to get in the spirit for this lovely day! Let us know your fun craft ideas!?

According to a new research study by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, one of the biggest fears for senior citizens is the loss of independence. This fear even outweighs the fear of death for most!

This study produced some key statistics for seniors. For example, “the vast majority of seniors (89%) want to age in place or grow older without having to move from their homes.” 1 And because they are so determined to maintain that independence, half of them are open to using new technologies to help them do so.

Clarity president, Carsten Trads says “….Independent living is a key determinant of quality of life for seniors….” Therefore this shows that not only do older American’s value their ability to live independently, but they will also try any means to enable them, i.e. technology.¹

This study also showed that almost half of seniors are comfortable using personal computers, Internet and email. “Seniors are clearly more open to technology than many people believe,” commented Trads. ¹

So in essence seniors are willing and able to be independent, and are open to using technology to help them attain that independence.

Here at For Rent Media Solutions, we are committed to providing resources that make apartment hunting for seniors uncomplicated. After 55 Housing and Resource Guide, a For Rent Media Solutions publication, worked in collaboration with the AARP Foundation to create Exploring Life After 55, an annual supplemental publication geared towards adults age 55 and beyond. This new publication serves as an education resource, addressing subject matter important to baby boomers that are planning their retirement, and aging adults and adult children who are researching housing options for their parents. The first issue covers a variety of topics including: an assisted living and health check list, a description of housing and care options, estate planning basics, how to guard against identity theft and so much more! Exploring Life After 55 will be published once a year and distributed to AARP Foundation offices nationwide as well as to local industry events and senior centers.

In addition to Exploring Life After55 and After 55 Housing and Resource Guide, For Rent Media Solutions offers online resources at SeniorOutlook.com. Resources include: moving services, storage, Medicare and Medicaid information and more. SeniorOutlook.com also helps our consumers navigate through the website by providing ‘How to Use SeniorOutlook.com’ instructions to help make the process easier.

We at For Rent Media Solutions strive to improve the process of apartment hunting for all apartment seekers, After 55 or not. Your independence and peace of mind is important to us. Please let us know if you have any suggestions as to how we can improve our services.

Source: Research Brief: Seniors Want to “Age in Place,” and Want Technology to Help; Thursday, November 8^th, 2007.

As you know, For Rent Media Solutions is environmentally friendly. Our efforts have extended not only to the paper our magazine is printed on, but also within our own office! So to help you do your part, we’ve complied a few tips to help your office be on it’s way too!

1. Have a recycling coordinator. This person in your office would be in charge for arranging the collections, placement of the bins, public awareness, etc. Choose a person who actually cares about recycling and who would see it through.

2. Organize the collection process. The recycling coordinator needs to find out how the recyclable materials will be disposed of. Whether it’s an employee who delivers the recyclable materials to a recycling center or your janitorial staff collecting it, make sure there is a process in place!

3. Get Recycling Bins. In order for your employees to recycle, there needs to be a place for them to leave the items. When you find bins to use, make sure they are clearly labeled for what items go in it. (I.e. Aluminum Cans) And I would advise you to tell your employees (or have it written on the bin) that the items need to be cleaned first!

4. Consider the location! First off, you’ll want to have multiple bins for your office to ensure maximum participation. Use central locations such as break rooms, office work rooms, etc.

5. Announce the program. What good is having a recycling program in place, if your co-workers don’t even know about it! Make sure you announce the program to everyone and let them know the benefits of having it. Send out reminder emails occasionally too so they’ll keep it on their mind!

Now you know some tips of how to create an office recycling program, here is the fun part-incentive! Make this a competition with co-workers. Have them compete for “Recycler of the Month” or have departments compete for a party each quarter! See how many participants you get then!!

Source: www.greengiftguide.com

Okay, so I was searching on the web and I found this cool article on MSN.com. (I copy and pasted the text for you below.) As you all know, my boyfriend and mine’s favorite Christmas movie is the Grinch. Read what the article says about Grinch lovers like us and figure out what your favorite Christmas movie says about you!!

Article:

By Margot Carmichael Lester

Your new guy says he can’t get through the holidays without watching A Christmas Story at least three times (he even has the leg lamp). Or it’s your new lady friend who sings all the tunes from Santa Claus Is Coming to Town in the shower. We asked pop culture mavens Alexis Bondoc, columnist for IntrepidMedia.com, and Ian Williams, an author/director/filmmaker, how a person’s all-time fave Christmas show reveals his or her dating M.O. Read on for some intriguing insights!

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Alexis: The fella who never misses this show is probably a classic guy who already knows how to dress and laugh. Slip him a CD by Vince Guaraldi (who did the jazzy numbers on the show) as a gift.
Ian: If your girl loves this show, deep down, she may want to don a black turtleneck and get existential—this show has a message. But she always has time to dance (who can resist that music!) and maybe she can make clouds of dirt like Pigpen.

A Christmas Story
Alexis: Aww… He’s got a wistful, nostalgic sense of humor and can probably remember every Christmas morning growing up. But, more importantly, there’s more than a slight chance that he didn’t get that one certain gift that every other kid on his block got — the Radio Flyer wagon or the super-cool robot set — and can still remember that deprivation NOW. Will you be the one to indulge him now?
Ian: Your romantic partner is something of a happy medium: corny, yet cool. Not cool in a desperately hip way, but subversive enough to keep things interesting. She hasn’t forgotten what the wonders of childhood were like—and doesn’t want to.

Bad Santa
Alexis: If this is your guy’s favorite seasonal show, then hold your horses. This guy is the Anti-Santa who would probably be happy to make a bunch of gift deliveries with a bottle of Jack Daniels. His ideal vision of Christmas probably involves telling little kids they don’t need Barbies or that Mickey isn’t a real Mouse and that he lives next to a 7-Eleven instead of the North Pole. Run, run, run. Unless you’re happy spending your time with the embodiment of Life’s Little Destruction Book…
Ian: Most likely, your lady was waiting for a movie like this long before it came out. Finally, someone told a Christmas story without much of a moral… and with lots of cringing along the way. Not one for nostalgia, your girl probably wants to order Chinese food rather than prepare a feast. If you are equally dark in your outlook, well, merry, merry!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Alexis: You don’t have to worry about this guy at all. He’s offbeat, sure, but he’s got a good heart. He probably loves celebrating Christmas with a delightfully creative and witty sense of humor instead of tradition. He’ll probably surprise you with completely novel ways of marking the holiday season.
Ian: The girl who loves this one is a sucker for ritual, and why not? We all know what happens to the Grinch, but the magic is in the retelling. The Whoville song is treacly and boring, but the Grinch’s theme, with jazz glissandos and rich baritone, make it a yearly must-see. But you must ask this woman: Does she identify with the Grinch… or the Grinch’s poor dog? That will give you some important clues!

It’s A Wonderful Life
Alexis: If your guy likes Frank Capra’s all-time classic, you can put good money on the fact that he’s as classically appealing as Jimmy Stewart—and probably as thoughtful, too. Thoughts count a lot with this kind of guy; make sure yours are up to snuff.
Ian: Like Crowded House sang, “Wherever there is comfort, there is pain,” and don’t your baby know it! She gets It’s a Wonderful Life as it was meant to be: not a sing-songy holiday card, but a deeply sad reflection on dreams deferred. She’s a deep-thinker… and probably a keeper.

Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Alexis: Any guy who picks this stop-animation classic is probably as unique as little Rudolph is. He probably celebrates Christmas — and lives his life — with a playful and creative streak. I mean, this is a guy who lives for the island of misfit toys and the Bumble! He’s probably quite a character.
Ian: Yikes. Easily the most anesthetized and goofy of the Xmas specials, Rudolph has the subtlety of a “Hang in There!” cat poster. Repetitious and cloying, it goes down like a bowl of red frosting. Your girl might be cute, but she’ll put antlers on your dog and giggle like she was the first to think of it. Consider yourself warned!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Alexis: The guy who loves this one is manly enough to really get down with Christmas and the classics, especially if he’s a Fred Astaire fan. This guy truly loves the holiday. You will celebrate every possible tree-lighting, sidewalk chorus group, eggnog-pouring moment, and you will do it with a smile on your face.
Ian: If your baby’s favorite is this one, she’s probably a Goth chick. No other Santa origin myth is quite so dark. Sure, Fred Astaire narrates, but St. Nick as an unwanted orphan? Hunted like a criminal? We knew Santa’s psyche was complicated, but we didn’t know he needed therapy.

Now, we’re not saying you should take any of these interpretations as the gospel truth. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. But you should learn a little about yourself. What’s more, adding these insights to other information could help you figure out if you and your sweetie have a future full of holly-jolly Christmases together—or if your holiday honey will leave you feeling like your heart got run over by a reindeer. Ho ho ho!

Margot Carmichael Lester’s work also appears in Go magazine.

Seeing as this is my favorite Christmas movie of all time, I thought I’d share why I love it so much and ask for all your thoughts! The basic story line as you all know is about the Grinch who hates Christmas. So much so, that on Christmas Eve one year, annoyed at all the holiday cheerfulness, he decided he’d stop Christmas from coming! Sneaking into the Who’s houses and stealing all their toys, decorations, Christmas trees and even the ‘roast beast!’ But the greatest lesson for the Grinch and movie viewers to learn is that Christmas spirit goes deeper than tinsel and toys.

Now I personally don’t have a preference between Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Ron Howard’s version with Jim Carrey. I like Dr. Seuss’ version because it was the one I grew up with. I love the animation and the narration by Boris Karloff. I also feel the music was one of a kind; especially ‘You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.’ However, I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Carrey as the Grinch in the 2000 remake. Jim Carrey is great for the part, not only for his usual crazy antics but also in part by his facial expressions which actually mimic the original Grinch character! I have to give kudos to the directors/writers for being able to reinvent a beloved childhood classic into an hour and a half magical tale. Both versions are definitely wholesome family entertainment for adults and children alike. I give them my highest recommendation and hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Don’t let the excitement of the holiday season make you vulnerable to theft this holiday season. Here are some tips to help you avoid identity theft and protecting your home.

Deter thieves by safeguarding your personal information

○ Make sure you shred any financial documents and paperwork before you throw them out.

○ Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through email or mail unless you know who it is you are working with

○ Don’t carry around your Social Security card or write it on your checks.

○ Keep copies of your receipts when purchasing gifts.

○ Never tell anyone your PIN for the ATM and don’t write it down on your card!

○ To be extra cautious you can always sign up for a credit monitoring service so you can view changes that occur on your credit report.

Protect your home from potential criminals

○ Be cautious about locking the doors and windows to your house. Also don’t forget to lock your garages and sheds.

○ If leaving for an extended period of time, make sure your neighbors have a key to your place and pick up your mail (if you don’t already have it held at the Post Office)

○ Have lights set up to be on automatic timers.

○ Don’t hide spare keys near your door (i.e. under the rug, above the door, under a rock, etc.) Burglars know this trick!

○ And don’t leave descriptive telephone answering machine messages. (Like they did in Home Alone) It just lets whomever (even telemarketers) know that you will not be home for a certain period of time.

Make sure you are safe this holiday season by protecting against identity theft and other holiday crime.

Source: Federal Trade Commission