Moving into your first apartment is exciting. The freedom to decorate and make it your own is something everyone should experience at some point in their lives. With that said, there are a few things you need to know before moving out into the world on your own:

Sign the right lease

Once you’ve found your ideal apartment, it’s time to sign a lease. This is an important piece of paper that sets the terms of your living situation for the next year or so. You want to be sure that all of the following items are covered before signing:

• The length of the lease. Most landlords offer one-year leases, but some may require lease agreements that end on August 31st of any given year. If you’re worried about being locked into a place longer than what’s comfortable for you, ask if there are any options for shorter terms—especially if it looks like this will be a temporary move rather than permanent relocation (for example, if you’re graduating college and moving into an apartment while looking for jobs).
• What happens when lease ends? What happens when tenant leaves early due health reasons? Look carefully at these situations before signing anything; in some cases landlords may want rent paid until you find a replacement tenant!

Buy durable but inexpensive furniture

The furniture you choose for your new apartment should be durable but inexpensive. You don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that will break or get ruined easily, and you may not be sure how long it will take for you to get settled in your new place. If the couch or bed doesn’t work out, it’s better to replace it sooner rather than later—and cheaper at first is better than more expensive over time!

You also want to make sure that any furniture items are easy to clean (no white carpeting!) and easy to store (smaller pieces of furniture that can fit in closets). This way, if there are spills or stains on them, they won’t ruin the whole thing as much as something bigger would have been.

Stick to your budget

This is the most important step. You need to know exactly how much money you have to spend, and what you can afford. Don’t let others tell you how much rent should be, or what kind of place they think is acceptable.

There are several ways to make a budget:

• Write down how much money comes in from all sources (i.e., your job) per month and divide it by 30 days (or 28 if there are 4 weeks in a month). This will give you an idea of how much money should be left over at the end of each pay period; this number should not increase as time goes on due to inflation or rising costs of living.
• Estimate monthly expenses such as rent, utilities (electricity/heat), groceries and any other regular payments such as student loan payments or car payments that have yet been made this month but will be made before next payday arrives; then subtract these from your income figure above until only enough funds remain for miscellaneous expenses like eating out at restaurants or going shopping for new clothes now that winter has set in. If there still seems like too little room left over even after adding these things back into account then try reducing them further by finding cheaper alternatives.

Final Words

Moving into your first apartment can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. If you take the time to prepare, plan and budget wisely, you will make the process much smoother. You might even find that moving into your own place is a lot less stressful than expected!