You have just moved into your beautiful, clean new apartment, and you are looking to deck the place out like never before, but you are a little tight on cash. Here are a few basic tips on how you can get the stuff you need to make your new apartment home without breaking the bank.

First, the Internet has become an absolute haven for people looking to sell things, especially furniture. If you live in a major city, check out free classified ads websites like Craigslist for cheap used furniture that you can use to decorate your apartment. A recent poster noted that they decorated their entire place for less than $1,000, including a barely used mattress set, sofa and more. Remember, used doesn’t always mean abused.

If you are moving into a big apartment complex, check the common areas for home made signs designating a moving out sale. Not only will the transport time be almost zero, most large complexes have several of these sales going on at once and a great deal can be had. If you don’t see any signs, ask your building management if there is a designated spot to post announcements in your complex.

Finally, the old fashioned classifieds in the newspaper and in the free weeklies in your area are still a great resource. It is true that more and more of these papers are moving online, but until traditional newspapers are dead and buried, you can still check the classifieds to find great deals on furniture in your area.

You have probably heard of renter’s insurance, and if you are a responsible renter, you have probably looked into the plusses and minuses of getting it; however, there are still quite a few myths that surround renter’s insurance, so let’s take a look at dispelling those myths right now.

The first myth is that renter’s insurance simply isn’t worth it and is far too expensive. In most cases, this myth is untrue, although depending on where you live and what degree of insurance you are looking for, it can be pricy. The key to finding renter’s insurance that works for you is to shop around. There are likely a half dozen companies in your area that offer it, so if the first place you shop is overpriced, keep looking.

A second common myth surrounding renter’s insurance is the belief that if your landlord has insurance, and that it automatically covers you, too. This is untrue, as the insurance that your landlord has only covers the apartment, not your belongings that would get damaged/stolen. Even if your landlord tells you that his insurance covers you, it likely doesn’t and he or she simply misunderstands how

their insurance works. The only way to truly protect yourself is with insurance of your own.

A final myth regarding renter’s insurance is the belief that your belongings aren’t worth insuring. While it may appear on the surface that you don’t own much, the face value of your belongings is probably more than you think. Insuring yourself is the only way to make sure you have coverage if a problem occurs.

While getting out on your own can be an exciting, liberating experience, it can be daunting and even frightening, as well. The prospect of being out on your own can be overshadowed by the prospect of being responsible for paying all those bills.  Here are a few tips to make you more comfortable with your new responsibilities.Rent can be one of the most daunting bills you have to pay.  There are ways to make it more bearable, though.  You can find a cheaper apartment, where the rent is not so high, or you can take on a roommate or two to make the expense less exorbitant.

Buying food in bulk will help as well.  You can buy the food you regularly eat in large quantities and save money at the same time.  There are many different places where you can buy your food in bulk.  You can also buy your other necessities in bulk to save you more money.

Don’t eat out as often.  While it can be more convenient to eat out, it is also considerably more expensive.  Eating in is one option to save you some of your hard earned money.

Keep your phone calls to a minimum. Long distance phone calls add up quickly; use your cell phone if you have free long distance and keep your phone usage to a minimum.  You’ll also want to limit your text messaging and multimedia messaging.

Bundling your utilities, phone bill and Internet access where possible will also save you money.  While some of this may be covered in your rent, others may be able to be bundled together with one of the providers.

One of the biggest expenses people face today is ownership of a vehicle.  Our society has taught us that we must own a car; without one, life is somehow less.  On this score, we should probably take a cue for the Europeans.  They manage to live quite comfortably without a vehicle, or with one that only sees occasional use.  A car’s maintenance, a car payment, insurance payments and gas all add up to a lot of money when you figure it out.  While sometimes owning a car is a necessity, there are some options to help you save some money.Living in an apartment can be a great way to save money on transportation.  Usually, there are public transportation alternatives; buses and trains are becoming much more common in cities across the US.  These allow you to go where you need to with a fraction of the cost of gas for your tank.  Many cities also offer frequent rider incentives that will save you additional cash.

While taking public transportation, you can leave your car parked.  This saves you money on gas and maintenance, two of the most expensive things related to vehicle ownership.  Taking public transportation is cheaper than keeping your car serviced and the tank full of fuel.

Living in an apartment also often lets you live very close to where you need to go.  Colleges, work and stores are all located within a short distance of your home.  Getting out and walking will save you money and help you get some exercise at the same time.  Not driving everywhere you need to go can definitely save you some money when living in an apartment.

When you buy a new car, you haggle, right?  You try to get the salesman down to the lowest price possible.  Most of us don’t think about that when it comes to paying our rent, though, do we?  Rather than being set in stone, rent is often negotiable, or is negotiable for a set period of time.  There are some ways you can get your rent knocked down a notch or two and you might be surprised at how easy it can be to find a bargain.  The biggest thing to do is to ask- the landlord isn’t going to come out and offer it.  You have to be upfront and be willing to work out a deal.Getting your rent reduced often has little to do with actual haggling.  It usually involves reducing your rent through services.  Many landlords will reduce rent if you do any repairs to the apartment on your own.  Often they will provide you with the supplies if you do the labor and knock down the cost of your rent for a time.

You can often find a way to provide a service to your landlord for reduced rent.  Doing work around the complex is just one example.  Chances are that you have a skill that the landlord is in need of, from computer knowledge to skills in art.  Many landlords are more than happy to exchange reduced rental rates for a service that they are in need of.  Maybe their hard drive has crashed and you can install a new one for them.  Maybe the landlord is looking for an artistic border to be painted in the office and you know how to do it.  You’ll never know if you don’t ask, though.

So you’re in your new apartment.  Now what?  You’ll need stuff to sit on, sleep on, eat on and more.  You may have been able to bring some furniture with you, but chances are your apartment is looking a little sparse right now.  Furniture is one of the largest expenses that you’ll encounter. It can be extremely expensive, but knowing where to find it cheap can make a huge difference in your wallet.Buying consignment furniture is a great way to find some good deals.  You’ll be surprised at what you can find in thrift stores, goodwill stores and other consignment shops.  You can find lamps, tables, chairs and even sofas and recliners.  These are usually in pretty good condition and you can find them at very reasonable prices.

Yard/Garage/Moving sales are another option to furnish your apartment at the lowest price possible.  Most of the time items at these types of sales have got to go and the seller will accept rock bottom prices for furniture and accessories just to have them gone.

You can find a lot of good deals at flea markets as well.  From lamps to kitchen or dining tables and chairs, you can find a lot of good deals at flea markets.  A savvy shopper can find a number of different ways to furnish their apartment without spending a bundle of money.  You can also find places like FreeCycle where goods are simply given away to those who need them.

Decorating your apartment can be a fun and exciting way to let your living space reflect your tastes and personality.  It can also be a great way to drain your wallet of all your hard earned money.  Decorating an apartment can be extremely expensive, especially if you don’t know these tips and tricks.

Decorate a room at a time.  Trying to do your entire apartment at once is a great way to get stressed out and go broke at the same time.  If you go one room at a time, you’ll be able to keep both the stress and the costs down to a minimum.

Start with the smallest room first.  This is a great way to try out new styles, different motifs and do it all with very little money and time invested.

Shop at thrift stores and consignment shops.  These are great places to find some really great items to spruce up your apartment at rock bottom prices.  From paintings to vases, lamps to knickknacks, you can find a wide variety of decorating ideas at these shops.

Hit the flea market.  Just like buying furniture, decorating ideas can be found in abundance at flea markets.  Whether you’re trying to find antique metal signs or country themed items, you’ll find a large selection of different items in a flea market.

Use your imagination.  This can be a great influence on what you buy and you can come up with some creative ways to decorate your apartment without spending a bundle.

Getting out on your own can be a great thing.  It can provide a feeling of accomplishment, of maturity and pride.  It can also cost you a lot of money if you don’t know how to control your spending.  Bills have a way of piling up and the total cost of your bills and lifestyle, you’re your living on your own, might come as something of a shock.

Cash can seem in short supply these days.  Rent, utilities, entertainment, food, laundry and cleaning supplies all add up and there are other items to take into account.  What if you need to buy new clothes?  Gas for your car?  There are an amazing amount of bills and costs associated with life today, especially living in an apartment. Setting up a budget can go a long way towards making your bills seem less like a mountain you’ll never conquer.

Start with the amount of money you know you’ll have each month.  This is how much you can reasonably expect to earn.  Often times, you’ll have to take an average of your last few months paycheck to get a good average of the amount of money you have to budget each month.  Don’t count on things that haven’t occurred yet, like that raise you just know is right around the corner.

From this amount, subtract all your monthly set fees and bills: Rent, cable, trash, gas and anything else that doesn’t have a fluctuating amount.  This gives you the amount you can spend on the rest of your bills and other things like entertainment.

Don’t forget to calculate things like your phone bill, cell phone bill, insurance costs and vehicle maintenance.  Once you have accounted for ALL of your bills, the remaining amount is what you have to live on.