Apartment Blog

According to Wikipedia, a credit score “is a numerical expression based on a statistical analysis of a person’s credit files, to represent the creditworthiness of that person, which is the perceived likelihood that the person will pay debts in a timely manner.” Lenders typically assess the potential risk involved in lending money to consumers by using these scores to determine who is qualified and at what percentage rate. These lenders include banks and credit card companies. This number not only affects your ability to get a loan, but also influences insurance companies, potential employers and apartment communities. When you go to apply for an apartment, your credit score is going to be checked! Do you know what it’s going to say?

Everyone is entitled to one free credit report every 12 months. One of the major agencies that provide credit reports are Experian, which has it’s their own method of calculating your credit score. Finding out your credit score, which range between 300-850, will make you informed so you know when to correct errors or work on a better score in the future.

To get your Free Credit Score, visit ForRent.com. On our Relocation Page we offer the opportunity for you to check your credit score with freecreditreport.com. Take the first step to knowing where you stand and check your score today!

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!

If you plan on celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day this year, make sure you do so with traditional Irish foods.  Here’s a great recipes for Corned Beef and Cabbage that you can make this holiday!

Corned Beef & Cabbage with Horseradish Sauce

Serving Size: 8               
Categories: Beef, Irish                            

Ingredients (Amount & Measure)
——–  ————  ——————————–
   1      Onion
   4      Cloves-whole
   4      pounds Corned beef
   2      Parsley sprigs
   8      Peppercorns-whole
   2      pounds of Cabbage
   1      cup Sour cream
   1      tablespoon Prepared horseradish

Work Time: 15 minutes   
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

Directions:
Peel onion and stick with cloves.  Put corned beef, onion parsley and peppercorns in a large pot and cover with water.  Cover, bring to a simmer and cook gently until tender, 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  Cut cabbage into wedges and core. Add to the pot, cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Combine sour cream with horseradish.  Serve the meat and cabbage with some of the broth ladled over all and the horseradish on the side.

Nutritional Value:
Per serving: 553 calories, 36g protein, 40g fat, 2808 mg sodium, 11g carbohydrates, 135 mg cholesterol.

*Exported from MasterCook*

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Source: http://fp.enter.net

As everyone knows, Lent is in progress. This is a time when many people choose to give up something in their life for 40 days. The standard is to sacrifice something in your diet, such as chocolate, candy, etc. Many health conscious individuals give up something diet related, enabling them to adhere to their program. But what some fail to realize is that the true purpose of Lent is for your sacrifice to help you recognize the blessings that are taken for granted most of the time.

According to AmericanCatholic.org, “Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of lent, but to root sin out of our lives forever.”

Now I am just as guilty as the other health conscious individuals because I gave up chocolate this year for Lent. While I could make the argument that chocolate is considered a sin to my diet, I have no plan to give up chocolate for life. So I am not really taking the true meaning into my lifestyle. But that hasn’t always been the case for me; one year I gave up swearing and had a jar to collect money from myself should I ‘slip’ up. That period of time has impacted my vocabulary ever since.

So whether you gave up sugary treats, smoking, swearing or whatever-my question to you is…how are you doing? Have you been able to maintain some resistance towards the something you gave up? In my opinion, if you follow through on a goal you set for yourself (no matter what that goal may be, e.g. giving up chocolate for 40 days) then you have made an improvement in your life and maybe one day you’ll be ready to take on something bigger!

I hope everyone is doing well with their goals! Good Luck!

Source: AmericanCatholic.org

Are you looking to add a little spring to your apartment? Bringing the outside in is a perfect way to welcome the glorious weather and of course, Easter! So to help add festive decor to your home, here are 5 tips:

Flowers
The essence of spring is that plants/flowers start to bloom. Having the outside brought inside would have to include them, don’t you think? Typical buds for this time of year would be tulips and daffodils. So whether it’s a potted plant or a vase full of beautifully arranged flowers, definitely include them in your homes decor. They’ll instantly add a little bit of brightness to your space!

Baskets/Eggs
The essential Easter gift for all ages is a basket full of goodies! So use them when decorating your home this Easter. You can have baskets in various sizes and colors, filled with eggs or chocolates. Use ribbon to spruce them up and give them a more festive look. And if you get ones that are universal, they can have multiple uses throughout the rest of the year!

Peter Rabbit
Yes having the symbol of Easter-rabbits-in your home would be a perfect way to decorate for the holiday and spring. You can have sculptures, statues, stuffed animals, pillows, etc. A rabbit would go perfectly with the basket and eggs mentioned earlier!

Centerpieces
I’m not sure what your family’s traditions are for this holiday, but my family always sits down for a nice meal. We take time to enjoy each other’s company and have a wonderful dinner. And the center of every meal, besides obviously the food, would be the centerpiece. Having a nicely decorated centerpiece would be a great conversation starter or just “icing on the cake” for your well-prepared meal. Obviously reusing the above tips would be useful here; rabbits, flowers, baskets, eggs, ribbons, etc. would all be appropriate for your dinner table.

Wreaths
Finally, while we’re bringing the outdoors in, it might still be nice to have a little decoration on the outside of your home. Putting a nice wreath on your front door would let your neighbors or passersby know that you’re excited about the holiday and spring time! Your wreath can be something simple and handmade, or it can be store bought! Either way, you already know what ideas to stick to!  For ideas on creating your own wreath this Easter, check out our blog Cheap and Easy ways to Add Holiday Spirit to Your Apartment blog.

Most of these tips are pretty easy to do during this time of year. And a lot are reusable for each year, which will make them inexpensive too! I hope you found these helpful. Let us know if you have anymore ideas! We’d love to hear them!!

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

In the United States there are many festivities to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. It goes back to the first celebration in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737 where the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade took place on March 17th.

From the major cities like Boston or New York to your home town. Here is a brief list of some major festivals, parades and events happening in the U.S. Feel free to add your city’s celebrations to our list!

Savannah, Georgia
Savannah’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade usually takes place on March 17th, regardless if it’s during the work week. However for 2008, the parade will take place on Friday, March 14th to honor Holy week in the Catholic faith. The parade route changes each year but usually travels through Savannah’s Historic Park District and Bay Street. In additional to the parade, Savannah’s Waterfront Association has an annual celebration on Historic River Street which mimics Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street.

New York City, New York
According to Wikipedia, the New York parade has become the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world with more than 150,000 marchers and close to 2 million spectators on the street! The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and ends by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment.

Seattle, Washington
A unique fact I did not know is that Seattle and Galway, Ireland are sister cities given that Seattle has many Irish residents! The annual Irish Week Festival is enormous and includes activities such as Irish step dancing, food, historical and modern exhibitions and Gaelic lessons. It starts on March 14th and goes through the 17th.

Chicago, Illinois
The dyeing of the Chicago River has been a tradition for over 40 years. While many cities have tried to mimic it, none can get as true of a St. Patrick’s color as Chicago’s river can. This year the dyeing is to take place on March 15th. Chicago also has a St. Patrick’s Day parade that takes place on the same day.

San Francisco, California
On March 15th, San Francisco will have the 156th anniversary of its Saint Patrick’s Day parade. At the end of the race there will be a family festival with games, music and various other ‘green’ activities!

If you enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, there are many options to choose from! Regardless of where you are, cheers to you having a great time!

Source: Wikipedia.com

I know many people view Easter as a child’s holiday and don’t see much of a point besides giving Easter baskets with candy in them. Although Easter has become commercialized, the actually holiday & its celebrations have some historical accuracies to it!

Easter was originally a pagan festival. It was celebrated by the ancient Saxons to commemorate their goddess of offspring and of springtime, Eastre. However, when Christian missionaries met the tribes of the north they were determined to convert them to Christianity. One of the ways they decided to spread their religious beliefs on the pagans was by allowing them to continue their feasts but in a Christian manner. Just so happens that the festival of Eastre is at the same time of year as the Resurrection of Christ, therefore the two holidays were joined and eventually changed to Easter.

The symbols of modern day Easter are the bunny and eggs. The actual Easter bunny originated with the pagan festival of Eastre. The goddess, Eastre, was worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons through her earthly symbol, the rabbit. And the Easter egg comes from the earliest times when the egg was a symbol of rebirth. Hence it’s association with the Resurrection of Christ.

Easter, like many other holidays, has become increasingly commercialized, it has significant meaning and should be celebrated. If you have kids, make sure they realize the importance of this holiday, besides the yummy treats the Easter bunny brings!!

Source: wilstar.com

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching the theme of merchandise available in stores will be shamrocks. And when you see one this holiday season, you’re going to know why it’s the symbol for this holiday and what it means to the Irish people.

The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and is also a registered trademark of the Republic of Ireland. Its shape is a three-leaf old white clover which is frequently used as a name and symbol for Irish pubs throughout the world. Many (especially those of non-Irish origin) confuse the four leaf clover with the Shamrock.  While the four leaf clover is a symbol of good luck, the three leaf shamrock is mainly an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and has a much greater significance.  The Holly Trinity is taught by Christians to represent the “three persons in one God”, the Father, Son and the Holly Spirit.  Traditionally the shamrock was used for it’s medical properties as well as being a popular motif in Victorian times, but today it is commonly associated to represent St. Patrick’s Day in decorations, face paintings, signs, etc.

When you’re thinking of images to decorate your Saint Patrick’s Day party this year, definitely use the shamrock. Not only for good luck but also for it’s meaning & representation to the Irish.

Source: wikipedia.com

The warmer weather will be here soon. Everyone is starting to rummage through their home for ‘spring cleaning’ and getting organized for 2008. So while you’re focusing on the home front, why not consider an update to your home decor? According to MSN Shopping there are 5 trends that are really stylish for this spring.

Black & White

The pairing of these two serve as a perfect backdrop to a full spectrum of hues & shades of color. A current popular combination with black and white is accenting them with aqua and coral. Using them can add a cool, elegant and cosmopolitan appeal to your home. But if you’re looking for a classic look, explore variations of white such as warm ivories and icy arctic white. Using different textures (rugs, wall paper, furniture, etc.) around your space will complement each other nicely. I have loved the black and white combination since college and in my apartment I have this trend in my kitchen with the ever popular color aqua as an accent color on place mats and dishes.

Primary Colors

When you think of spring the typical color palette that comes to mind is pastels. However, this year that isn’t the case. Look for more tropical punch color combinations with vivid shades of cobalt blue, ruby red, deep forest green and splashes of juicy citrus colors. You could use this décor element for accent pieces such as pillows, vases and artwork.

Nature Inspired

The use of natural colors, textures and materials is gradually becoming a more popular trend in home décor. Peaceful colors like pale blues and minty greens work especially well in bedrooms and bathrooms. And I’ve seen numerous color schemes mimicking the ‘change of color’ season with burgundies, oranges and olive greens. Along with color, incorporating materials of nature such as bamboo and sticks work well in your design. A relatively inexpensive way to add interest and color to your room would be to frame botanical/forest prints.

Country Get-A-Way

A recent post of our ‘Romantic Get-A-Way on a Budget’ was about creating a one time get-a-way vacation for your loved one. Why not incorporate that into the design of your home instead of just for a holiday? If you particularly enjoy the simple life of country living, then have a room in your home focused around that. Use weathered, whitewashed wall treatments and handcrafted furniture. For inspiring ideas think of a faraway place and let your imagination run wild!

Beach House

Do you know a better way to have an airy, relaxed and comfortable feel to your home than by decorating it like a beach house? A casual and simple look would be a perfect retreat. Patterns in pastels and stripes work best and your color scheme should be limited to soft, natural shades like sky blue, aqua and peach. I personally have my bedroom and bathroom decorated in what I like to call ‘beach chic’. I have pale blue, cream, khaki and brown incorporated with bold stripes and touches of the ocean everywhere. To accomplish this look make sure you pay attention to detail by using seashells, driftwood or nautical instruments.

For the first time, it appears that I may be up with the trends. My apartment seems to be in good shape for decorating in 2008. What about yours?

Source: MSN Shopping; www.msn.com

Life is full of stress and headaches, especially from the world-wind excitement of buying Valentine’s Day gifts. So in honor of you, we want to post some tips to help you relax and focus on yourself for a change!!

Something that always helps me to relax is taking a bath. I love just sitting in a hot water with my eyes closed. It’s very relaxing. I feel like my mind can just take a break from all the things I worry about & for a moment, I soak up the steam and calm all my nerves.

Whatever way you take a bath will work. If you prefer some salts or turning off the lights and only using candles. Maybe you like hearing some soft music in the background? Whatever you prefer is what you should do. And no matter what other tasks you ‘could be’ doing or whoever may be knocking at your door, take as much time as you need! This is ‘me’ time!!

After your bath don’t rush to get dressed. While in your bath robe or towel sit and put some lotion on your legs and arms. Apply a good layer and just enjoy the feeling of being rejuvenated. This would also be a perfect time to do a mud mask for your face if you’d like! This is still apart of your ‘me’ time so don’t try and multi-task. You’re worth the extra time you’re putting into yourself. Otherwise, you’ll rush into doing something else and never really give yourself the amount of time it needs to unwind.

So once you’ve applied the lotion or any other type of beauty product, you can get dressed. My recommendation is to dress in comfortable clothes. If you don’t have a pair of silky pajamas, I urge you buy a pair. They feel beautiful on your skin. Other fabrics that would feel wonderful would be cotton, micro-fiber, a chenille blanket, etc.

And finally, the end to a wonderful pampering session is to actually do an activity you want to do. Maybe you want to have a cup of tea, hot chocolate, or coffee, sit and read a book. Or maybe you want to catch up on your favorite soap or do your nails. Whatever activity you enjoy (doesn’t necessarily have to be alone-although that’s usually when you take care of your needs versus someone else’s) do it! After unwinding, taking some time to do something you want to do will really make the ‘me’ time really worth it!!

It’s been a really long time since I’ve taken the time to do this, so I think I’m due for one!! I wish all of you the best pampering session as well! 